To ruin an Omega

Chapter 469: Toe the line 2

HAZEL

I took a sharp step backward and put distance between us before my body could betray me any further.

"Don’t worry about it." The words came out clipped, but it cost me effort. "I need to find Lysander first. I have things to discuss with him."

Laslo paused, studied my face for a beat too long before nodding.

"Of course."

I turned and walked away before he could offer some other alternative. My legs felt unsteady. Every step took focus to keep my gait normal and my knees from buckling.

Lysander’s room sat at the end of the wing. I knocked twice and heard his voice call out from inside.

"Come in."

The door swung open under my hand.

And then the world narrowed down to one single image that made every nerve ending in my body light up at once.

Lysander stood in the middle of his bedroom. Bare from the waist up, water still trailing down his chest from the shower. A towel wrapped low around his hips showed the cut of muscle along his abdomen. The V disappeared beneath white terry cloth.

My mouth went dry.

He took a step back. Sharp and sudden almost as if I’d threatened him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

I walked in anyway. I couldn’t stop myself, though every rational part of my brain screamed to turn around and leave. My eyes traveled over his chest. Water droplets clung to his skin, then slid lower, trailing over muscles I wanted to trace with my fingers.

No. With my tongue.

The thought hit me like a physical blow. I forced my gaze up to meet his and saw confusion mixed with suspicion.

Focus. I needed to focus.

The conversation happened around me. Through me. I heard my own voice answering Lysander’s questions about my grandmother, my schemes, and getting dressed. I was defiant and level-headed in the way I’d learned to weaponize.

When he turned to grab his clothes, I should have looked away.

I didn’t.

The towel dropped. My gaze caught on the curve of his ass. Toned and firm in ways that made my mouth water. Then his legs. Strong thighs that flexed when he stepped into his underwear. Calves that showed definition even from across the room.

I watched him pull on his pants. I watched the fabric slide up over muscle and skin that I suddenly wanted to touch more than I’d wanted anything in my life.

Fabric rustled. His shirt came next, and I tracked every movement like it was the most important thing happening in the world.

Then I realized how damned I looked and turned away.

"After all this, you won’t have to worry about me as much again."

The words left my mouth before I could stop them. I was trying to throw my vile thoughts away but they somehow managed to reveal more than I intended. More than was safe.

His voice cut through my thoughts. "What does that mean?"

"Time will tell." I turned back as soon as he dressed and smoothed my expression into something pleasant and empty. "Well, are you ready then?"

We walked to the car together. He kept his distance, and I kept mine. Every breath brought his scent closer and made my thighs clench involuntarily.

The morning sun felt like torture against my overheated skin. I wiped sweat from my forehead and tried to ignore the humming in my body. Everything felt too intense.

Delta appeared. Flustered and apologetic. I softened my expression for her benefit and said something about the heat.

"Must be your guilt burning you up."

Lysander’s voice cut through the haze. I didn’t respond. I just climbed into the passenger seat and folded my hands in my lap to keep them from shaking.

The car started. The engine thrummed beneath us as we pulled out of the driveway. Trees passed by the window in a blur of green and shadow.

I pulled out my phone, found Fia’s contact, and pressed the call button.

The ringing lasted three seconds before it cut off. She cut the damn thing, which was actually perfect.

"What was that for?"

Lysander’s voice came out sharp and demanding. Something in my chest responded to that tone, making my spine want to curve.

"I wanted to see if she still had me blocked." I set the phone down. "And of course, start soft-launching what needs to happen."

"Whatever it is, don’t do it in front of me."

The command in his voice shot straight through me. It settled low in my stomach and spread heat outward. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from making a sound or a fucking moan.

An urge was building in the back of my mind. Insistent and stronger every second. An urge to get on my knees. To obey. To please.

I dug my nails into my palms and stared at the dashboard.

His hands were tight on the wheel, his knuckles white from the pressure. I watched them grip the leather and couldn’t stop imagining how they’d feel wrapped around my throat or tangled in my hair or gripping my hips hard enough to leave bruises.

I wished it were me.

The thought bloomed unbidden, and I had to close my eyes against it.

A tap came from behind me. Light and just as hesitant.

I turned to find Delta leaning forward. She crooked her finger, and I shifted in my seat to bring my ear closer.

"Are you in estrus onset?" Her whisper barely carried over the engine noise. "I have suppressants."

The words hit me like ice water.

No. Absolutely the fuck not.

"Of course not." I pulled away and looked back at the window, pressing my thighs together hard enough that my muscles trembled from the strain.

Lysander’s scent filled the car. Pine and something darker underneath. It wrapped around me and sank into my lungs with every breath. Overwhelming, as well as intoxicating, making it impossible to think about anything except how close he was and how easy it would be to reach over and—

I locked my jaw and kept my eyes on the passing scenery.

The trees blurred into an endless stretch of green. I focused on counting them. Anything to distract from the heat building between my legs and the way my body kept betraying me with every mile we drove closer to Silvercreek.

I was indeed in estrus onset. But I could not bring myself to admit how repulsive it felt. How dehumanizing it was, and as easy as it would be to pop a suppressant. I could not do that. Not with what I had planned.