Page 49 of An Omega for the Lycan Prince

Dave rolls his eyes. “She uses butt lifters.”

The others are rendered speechless. “What the heck is that?” Finn asks in disbelief.

“Like push-up bras,” Dave explains. “Only they’re for your behind.”

Emerson raises his eyebrows.

“There is something like that!?” Anders joins the general male confusion.

“Oh God have mercy,” Dave sighs dramatically. “You guys are so helpless. It’s unbelievable. You really thought that perky butt was real?”

“Yes,” Finn exclaims.

“Newsflash, boys, no one has butt cheeks as hard as rocks.”

My imagination runs wild at his explanation. I knew something felt off about Lauren’s proportions… not that she looked bad, definitely not. She is actually quite pretty, but not really toned. I always wondered where she got that Kim Kardashian butt from.

“I need to google that,” Anders mutters.

The commotion continues for a few minutes, but eventually, it calms down. Finn speaks up after a while. “Dave is right, though.” He looks at Celine thoughtfully. “It’s not my place to judge, but you don’t seem to enjoy the company of Lauren’s clique at all.”

Celine is quiet for a while, and then she shrugs. “We grew up together,” she finally says.

“Yeah,” Dave muses. “Must be difficult to walk away from a childhood friend. You probably went through a lot together and had each other’s backs.”

Celine nods.

I toss her a glance, surprised that the others didn’t notice. There is always a hint of pain in her eyes. Having each other’s backs? Why does Lauren spend more time drooling over Finn than with her best friend, if that's true? Celine always seems to be alone. As an Alpha’s daughter, she is usually surrounded by admirers, but I noticed she rather keeps to herself.

“We’re here!” Celine says. We park and get out of the car. Celine leads us to our first shop, a Japanese designer.. I have never tried clothes like that. I’m not the particularly cutesy type. But to my surprise, Dave and Celine manage to show me a few pieces I genuinely like. There is a beautiful sunflower dress in very light tones, perfect for a summer evening. The other is a skirt and top combo, mostly in brown and beige tones, but with a red velvet ribbon. It’s beautiful. Perfect for smaller gatherings and celebrations. None of these is in any way over the top. I’m not a fan of too flashy designs and probably never will be.

When we are about to pay, Emerson takes the stuff from my hands and pays the bill.

“Oh no,” I intervene. “He didn’t.”

“Of course, he did,” Finn blinks. “Did you really expect my brother not to pay?”

“I can pay for myself,” I protest.

“He said, and I quote: ‘Money is not an issue.’”

“No, my mate did not say something so cheesy,” I say with conviction.

“Absolutely did,” Finn smirks.

I raise my eyebrows and turn toward Emerson. He chuckles. “Let’s say Lord Finn took artistic freedom with that quote.”

“He still wants to pay, though,” Finn points out.

Emerson looks at me, his eyes soft and warm. “Please, Miss Annalise. He told me if you argue, I should tell you that he wanted to give something to you to make you happy. He understands you and your family can afford it, but your birthday was a month before you met him, and he just missed it.”

“Oh my goddess,” Finn rolls his eyes. “Just indulge him, Annie, please.”

“Fine,” I huff. “But it’s a one-time thing.”

It’s the second shop that’s really going to be interesting, though. They have mostly gowns. Not the overly dramatic ones I loathe, but rather simple yet elegant dresses. “Okay,” I mutter. “I like this place.”

Celine looks happy. “I hoped you would.”