To ruin an Omega

Chapter 473: About time 2

HAZEL

His words hit me hard. My knees weakened, and I reached out to steady myself. My hand grabbed his arm, gripping his shirt until my knuckles turned white.

Heat flooded through me. The kind that had nothing to do with anger and everything to do with the way his body felt solid under my palm. The way his scent wrapped around me made my head swim.

"Another one of your fucking tricks."

He pushed me away, and I stumbled back a step. I caught myself, stood straight, and forced my face to hide how much I missed his touch.

Lysander looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, turning everything gold and orange.

"I came here because it’s nearly evening." His voice came out controlled again. Professional. "I want to make it back to the pack before night."

He dropped his gaze back to me.

"Your father mentioned dinner, and I already told him we wouldn’t be staying. So just tell your mother goodbye and meet me in the car." His jaw tightened. "I leave with or without you."

The command in his voice made something inside me react. That same urge from this morning came back—the one that wanted to obey and please him.

I swallowed hard and nodded.

"You and your rules."

I walked past him without waiting for an answer. My legs were shaky, but I kept my steps steady and my shoulders straight. The main estate stood far across the cemetery, its white columns showing through the trees.

An Omega crossed the lawn carrying a basket of linens. She looked up when I approached, and her expression shifted immediately into something deferential.

"Tell Delta to meet me in my mother’s room."

She bowed her head. "Of course, Luna... em..."

Her hesitation made me smile. I stepped closer and let my smile grow.

"It’s okay." I kept my voice light. Sweet in the way that made people uncomfortable when they knew me better. "You can call me Luna. I’m nearly married already."

She smiled back, showing all her teeth, but it looked off—more like a grimace forced into a smile.

"Wonderful. Congratulations."

"Get on with it then."

She hurried off toward the servants’ quarters. I watched her go before heading inside through the side entrance.

My mother’s room sat at the end of the wing. The door stood partially open, and voices filtered through the gap. My father’s low murmur and my mother’s higher-pitched responses broke on sobs.

I pushed the door wider.

My mother sat on the bed, her face pressed into my father’s shoulder. She clutched his shirt, her whole body shaking as she cried. The sound grated on my nerves.

"She was so good." The words came out muffled against fabric. "So beautiful and talented and smart. How could she do it? How could she take her own life?"

My father looked up and saw me standing in the doorway. Relief flooded his expression.

"Look, Isabel." He patted her back gently. "Hazel is here. I’ll let you two talk."

He pulled away from her grip with practiced ease. My mother’s hands dropped, and she looked up at me with red eyes and a blotchy face.

My father escaped through the door before she could protest. The sound of his footsteps retreated down the hallway.

As soon as we were alone, my mother broke down sobbing. She reached for me with shaking hands, and I let her hug me, even though it felt suffocating.

"But can you believe it, honey?" Her voice cracked on the words. "You met her. She was wonderful."

I remembered a cold woman who looked at me like I had disappointed her just by existing. She asked pointed questions about my sense of self and how grim my future would be, while my mother sat nearby, smiling hopefully. I could not even believe I had admired such a weak woman for a short while.

"I have to go back to Lily of the Valley," I said.

She pulled back and stared at me. Her eyes were wide and wounded.

"Why? Stay. It will be fine."

"Lily of the Valley has rules." I kept my voice gentle and patient, the way I had learned to be when handling her emotions. "I don’t want to break them."

"It will be fine." She gripped my hands tighter. "You’ll be fine."

A knock came at the door. Delta stepped inside with her eyes downcast and her hands folded in front of her.

I felt a wave of relief.

"That’s my cue to leave, Mom."

I pulled my hands away and stood up. My mother reached for my sleeve, but I was already heading for the door.

"Be safe, you hear?" Her voice followed me across the room. "I’ll text you about the funeral."

I nodded without looking back. Delta fell into step behind me as I walked into the hallway and pulled the door shut.

"Did you get it?"

Delta’s hand dipped into her pocket. She pulled out a small packet and held it up between two fingers.

It was a white, fine powder, sealed in clear plastic.

"It is not liquid?" I took the packet and turned it over in my palm. "That’s new."

"It’s a new formula." Delta’s voice dropped lower. "More potent."

A warm feeling spread through my chest. I put the packet in my purse next to my phone.

"Now that." My fingers brushed against the plastic through the leather. "I like."

We headed outside through the main entrance. The sun sat lower in the sky now, casting long shadows across the driveway. Lysander’s car waited at the bottom of the steps with the engine already running.

He leaned on the horn. Two sharp blasts that echoed across the grounds.

"Step on it." His voice carried through the open window. "I have places to be."

I walked down the steps at my own pace, Delta following quietly behind me. The packet in my purse felt heavier than it should, promising things that made my pulse race.

Lysander watched us approach through the windshield. His expression gave nothing away, but his hands gripped the steering wheel tight enough that I could see it from here.

I climbed into the passenger seat and settled my purse in my lap. The leather felt cool under my palms. Delta got in the back without a word.

Lysander put the car in drive before I’d even finished closing my door. The estate disappeared behind us as we pulled onto the main road.

About time. My legs were shaking with anticipation. I could not wait. I could not.