Page 79 of An Omega for the Lycan Prince

It’s nice to see them interact like this. I know that it’s not always been like that. It took a long time for Alpha Cedric to get over the death of his mate. During those years, Celine was alone most of the time. I’m sure he didn’t abuse her or anything, but she was lonely in her crucial teenage years… with her fears and doubts while dealing with the loss of her mother. And I bet Lauren has probably always been a shitty friend.

Now that there are more wolves around, I notice how Liam is staying closer to me, always subtly touching me. Most of the time, his hand is resting against my back. Sometimes he reaches out his hand to touch my hair, like feeling me close makes him more relaxed. He doesn’t seem to notice, but Mom does and shows me one of her warm smiles.

Dad is amidst the third round of barbecue when a sudden hailstorm and thunderstorm hits us. It’s so dark. I wonder why none of us noticed. But before anyone can even react properly, Mom takes control of the situation. “Everyone, grab what you can and hurry inside!”

It’s a crazy yet hilarious mess with a bunch of mostly very bulky wolves trying to squeeze themselves through our terrace into the living room. Steve and Liam take it upon themselves to save the rest of the food.

“Man, you saved the potato salad first,” Dad pouts when Liam hands him the salad bowl. “I was hoping for tomato salad.”

“Potato salad is Annalise’s favorite,” Liam says.

Steve rolls his eyes while Harmony flashes me a smile.

With everyone and everything inside now, it’s getting a bit crowded in the living room, but it’s also fun. It's been a while since we've had a house party. Liam and Steve are dripping wet from the rain, though. “Liam, here, take this,” I wrap a towel over him, starting to dry him up as well as possible, giggling when he throws his wet arm around me to pull me closer.

“And what about me?” Steve mutters.

“Here,” Harmony states dryly and throws a towel against his head.

He sticks out his tongue at her and laughs.

Mom tilts her head. “You two are completely drenched. I don’t think a towel is enough. Steve better go and get changed. And Alpha Liam…”

“Maybe I could lend him one of my shirts,” Dad muses.

I look at him skeptically. Dad is a big man, but Liam… he is taller. I doubt he would fit into dad’s stuff. I tilt my head, my heart filling with pride. It’s weird to feel that way for such a silly reason, but I like it that my man is the strongest of them all.

“Come, Harmy,” I take my sister’s hand. “Let's see what we can find.”

We go through Steve’s and Dad’s wardrobe swiftly until we find a shirt that’s too big for Steve and a pair of sweatpants on the loose side from Dad.

Liam retreats to the bathroom to change, but not before using the moment of semi-privacy to kiss me. When he returns to us, he is clad in black sweatpants and a gray shirt, hugging his form. He has tied his hair back too. He should look ridiculous, but instead, he looks mouth-watering. Liam is always dressed very formally. To see him like this… only I should see him dressed like this! I wrap my arms around him from behind possessively.

He flashes me a grin, easily able to tell what I’m thinking. “You are easy to please.”

“Says the man who went wild when he got a peek of my shoulders,” I shoot back with a chuckle.

“Aw,” Liam turns in my arms to face me, cupping my cheeks. “My adorable, feisty, beautiful little Omega.”

The others watch us in disbelief. Just Mom shows me a knowing smile. She knows how these strong guys turn to putty in their mate's hands. “Sweetheart, you should have seen your father when I put on a new summer dress and wanted to go grocery shopping,” she chuckles. “He was acting like I was a deer during hunting season.”

“Everyone was looking, Rosalee,” Dad defends himself.

“Right, every single person in that non-existent crowd.” She laughs fully before snuggling against him.

The others laugh too. Some of my dad’s friends tease him just to be called out by their mates. The whole atmosphere is relaxed and fun. It seems like my parents have the ability to diffuse any stressful situation and make something light and fun out of it.

Liam and I take a moment to retreat to our second, smaller living room. Celine and Harmony are there too, talking about pack business. Harmony has accepted her role as Celine’s Beta to my utmost joy and pride. They seem to get along well too. Harmy told me she was very impressed by how Celine handled the Lauren situation and how she stepped in for Alpha Cedric.

Steve follows right behind us, closing the door slightly so that we all have some privacy. “It’s about time,” he sighs. “That us youngsters have some time away from those annoyingly loud old wolves.”

Harmony and I laugh slightly, while Celine and Liam look amused.

“I’m relieved we can finally meet under better circumstances,” Celine smiles, looking at Liam.

“Same here.” Liam nods. He sits down on the sofa, pulling me into his arms and onto his lap. He normally doesn’t do that.

I link him instantly.Is everything all right?