Page 33 of An Omega for the Lycan Prince

I laugh so much at his little story my stomach starts to hurt a bit, and I gasp for air. “None of those,” I say, still catching my breath. “Okay,” I give in. “When I have a lot of time, I draw comics. I like to read them too. I have a thing for action movies, horror, and fantasy stuff. You know, stories about haunted houses, abandoned buildings…. Oh, and I collect stones.” I pause, not wanting to overwhelm him. I was really into belly dancing for a while too. Ella completely boycotted that hobby, but Dave went with me. On the other side, she joined me with couch co-op video games. “I like reading.” I finally finish. I love books, always did. I do leave out the fact that Dave got me into these wild romance novels about Vikings banging each other. He doesn’t need to know every dirty secret and guilty pleasure yet.

He leans back a bit, eyeing me in interest. “What are you currently reading?”

“I like crime novels the most,” I admit. “In general, I am really into crime shows and series too. However, I do kind of like the Russian classics. Such as Dostoevsky. I am currently reading The Brothers Karamazov. I am not sure if you, well…”

“I have read it,” he says to my surprise. “Although I always mixed up the names.”

“You like to read?” I perk up.

“Broad education was always crucial in my family,” he explains. “My mother loves books and encouraged us to read as much as possible. I like Hemingway,” he admits.

It kind of fits, I think, but it’s also interesting that Hemingwayis his favorite author, considering how he portrays his heroes as struggling and lost sometimes. “Tell me more about yourself. Or about your family. You have a ton of siblings, don’t you?”

“A ton of siblings?” he sounds amused. “Well, it depends on how you define a ton.”

“Do you have more than three?” When he nods, I grin. “Then it’s a ton.”

“I see,” he brushes through his hair thoughtfully. I like that it isn’t short but shoulder length. He has thick dark brown hair, and the length suits his face and his build. He is toned but not over-the-top bulked up. With some of the really buff guys, I’m sometimes afraid that they might vanish into thin air should a needle poke them, kinda like a balloon. “Well, you already know I am the oldest. And you know Finn.”

I eye him curiously. “But Finn is the third oldest, isn’t he?”

He nods. “Marius is between us. He should be in college now, but he dropped out. You can probably imagine the family drama that ensued.”

I nod. Finn had also told me about how their parents want them to have a broad education, to be strong Alphas not just physically but also educated so they can be mentally prepared for all kinds of tasks. “Kind of,” I admit.

“Finn is Finn,” he explains bluntly. “You already know he is far less edgy than he pretends to be. He is probably the nicest one of us all. Then there is my sister Aurelia, she is 15 now but will be 16 soon. She grew up with a bunch of boys, so she is pretty tough. Laidback and fun, I would say, but she can lose her focus sometimes. And then there are the twins, Felix and Dario; they are 14.”

“Are they identical twins?”

“No, gladly they aren’t,” he chuckles. “They would take so much advantage of it. Felix is pretty much a dangerous little imp of mischief and a prankster. Dario is quiet and rather shy. It seems they keep to themselves a lot, a typical twin thing.”

Hearing him talk about them makes me smile. “You like them a lot,” I conclude.

“Of course,” he chuckles. “They are my little siblings. All of them are cute.”

Judging by how his smile turns soft, it seems like I found his weak spot. “You probably spoil them rotten,” I grin.

“I am a pretty strict older brother,” he points out firmly.

It almost sounds convincing. But he can’t trick me. “Absolutely! Is that why you agreed to accompany Finn to his college welcome party so that he wouldn’t feel lonely and neglected by Marius?”

He looks at me in sincere shock. “You knew?”

I shrug helplessly. “It wasn’t too difficult to tell. You have a tight schedule, and yet you managed to find time for your brother.”

He shows me one of his rare warm smiles. “Priorities,” he says, his smile growing. “And it happened to be an excellent decision.”

I return his smile. “I agree.”

For a moment, silence envelops us, but not the uncomfortable kind. “Okay, let’s try something new,” I finally suggest. “One question – one answer. You have five seconds to answer.”

“Is this going to be an interrogation?” he asks, sounding amused.

“No.” I shake my head wildly. “Because it goes both ways. I… just want to know more about you.”

Liam takes a sip from his beer, leaning back a bit. “Fine. You may start.”

“Your favorite food?”