To ruin an Omega novel Chapter 465

Chapter 465: Moment to moment

HAZEL

The dining room smelled like roasted meat and something sweet I couldn’t place. I sat in my usual spot, hands folded in my lap, and watched the servers move between chairs with practiced efficiency. The table stretched long enough that conversations felt like they had to travel miles to reach the other end.

Wenzel sat at the head. Always at the head.

His presence changed the entire atmosphere. Everyone sat straighter when he was around. Spoke quieter. Moved more carefully. Even the way people chewed their food seemed calculated, like making too much noise might draw unwanted attention.

I felt different tonight, though. Lighter somehow.

My plan was coming together. Piece by piece. Delta had agreed. Pauline was dead, which complicated things but also simplified them in ways I was still processing. Tomorrow I would go to Silvercreek and get what I needed. Then everything would fall into place exactly as I’d designed it.

The tension at the table sat thick and familiar. Sofiane picked at his food without much interest. His sisters whispered to each other occasionally but went quiet whenever Wenzel looked in their direction. Lysander sat across from me, focused entirely on his plate like the food held secrets he desperately needed to decode.

I reached for my water glass. The crystal felt cool against my palm.

Wenzel set down his fork. The sound of metal against porcelain cut through the low murmur of conversation, and everyone went silent immediately.

"Hazel."

My name in his mouth always sounded like a summons. I looked up and met his eyes.

"Yes, Alpha?"

"Do you have an answer for me?"

The question hung there. I felt every pair of eyes at the table turn toward me. Waiting. Watching. Sofiane stopped pretending to eat. His sisters went completely still. Even the servers seemed to slow their movements.

I nodded.

"Yes."

A small smile curved across Wenzel’s face. Satisfaction and something darker underneath.

"And?"

"Yes," I said clearly. "I’ll help. However, it will have to happen after heat season."

His expression shifted slightly. Not quite a frown, but close.

"Why the delay?"

I kept my voice steady and measured. "I have things to prepare for, and I also need to go to Silvercreek tomorrow. My grandmother suddenly passed away and I need to comfort my mother. But that is not only why I am leaving to Silvercreek. Silvercreek happens to have a lot of opportunities, as well as ways to draw Fia out."

The words came easier than they should have. Smooth and practiced. I’d rehearsed this part in my head multiple times while getting ready for dinner.

Sofiane and his sisters exchanged strange looks. Confusion flickered across their faces. They had no idea what we were talking about, what deal had been struck, what plans were being made around them.

Lysander kept his eyes on his plate. His fork scraped against porcelain in a rhythm that grated on my nerves.

Wenzel leaned back in his chair. His fingers drummed once against the armrest before going still.

"I heard about the tragedy of what happened." His tone carried something that might have been sympathy if it came from anyone else. "Women tend to have moments of weakness. Hormones, I suspect. Especially with how close heat season is."

The comment landed wrong. Dismissive and cruel in a way that made even my jaw tighten.

This fucking misogynist. He was lucky he had a nice face.

Lysander stopped eating.

The movement was sudden enough that I noticed. His fork froze halfway to his mouth, and his shoulders went rigid. His siblings looked at their father, too, with expressions that ranged from surprise to disgust. The contempt written across their faces was obvious and immediate.

Then Wenzel shifted in his seat and everyone’s attention snapped away from Wenzel, almost as if they knew better than to give in to that emotion that just poured out of them in waves.

Lysander raised his head slowly. His eyes found mine across the table.

"I’m so sorry for your loss."

The words came out flat. Mechanical. Like he was reading from a script he didn’t believe in.

"Perhaps when the time is right," Wenzel continued, "I will visit your grandfather to pay my respects."

I nodded. The gesture felt automatic.

"Thank you."

Wenzel’s smile widened slightly.

"Well, you have my permission to leave tomorrow. Lysander will go with you too."

The words hit me like cold water. I opened my mouth to object, to say that wasn’t necessary, that I could handle this myself. I did not need him watching me like a goddamn hawk.

Lysander spoke first. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

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