Werewolves – a whole other universe

By author Anne Kane

I love to read about werewolves. I could name all of my favorite authors who have created rich worlds full of werewolves, but that would take too much time. They all write fantastic sagas about pack rules and the relationships between the fierce and furry. Consequently, whenever I considered writing about werewolves, I’d lose my nerve. I’ve written cat shifters and science fiction, demons and elves, but I’ve never before attempted to pen the tale of a werewolf.

When one of my publishers, Changeling Press, put out an in-house call for submissions for their new series, Sex and Chocolate, I immediately decided that sounded like it would be fun to write. Then I had to come up with a proposal, and I thought, maybe, just maybe, I should try a werewolf. It wasn’t quite that easy, of course. I considered where the pack would be, and why there might be a chocolate tie in. I considered how the characters would shift from human to wolf form. Would it be a bone-splitting painful wrench or just a beautiful shimmer of magic? Were new werewolves made or born as shifters, or both. And of course, why would my world be different from those of the afore-mentioned great authors?

Finally, tired of arguing with myself, I decided to go ahead with it. Once I made that decision, I had a lot of fun. The Northern Rocky pack in my story are situated where I currently live, making it easy for me to describe background features. I have never read of another author creating pack with its headquarters here, so I wasn’t infringing on an existing series.

I grew up in Northern Ontario so I am well acquainted with how wolves look and sound. Packs of wolves carve out their territory there, and hold it against invading newcomers. The sight of a dark shadow loping across a snowy field, or the sound of an eerie howl echoing in the chill of a fall morning is commonplace. A rock cave in the bush across from our home hosted a new litter of wolf cubs each year, and if we were very quiet and very lucky, we could perch on a hill above them and watch the young ones through binoculars as they tumbled and played in the spring sunshine. There are distinctive differences between wolves and dogs. The way they walk, how they hold their heads, even their reactions to people and other animals differ greatly from our domestic friends. I hope I’ve been able to convey some of those in the descriptive passages in Seducing Destiny.

After waiting so long to take the werewolf plunge, I enjoyed writing Seducing Destiny so much that I’m already planning a sequel, Dark Kisses, which is scheduled to release in May 2010. It will tell the story of Jeff and Katie, two of the minor characters in the first book. If you want to know more about Seducing Destiny, or any of my other books, you can visit my website at http://www.annekane.com/. Or my blog http://www.annekane.wordpress.com/ I’m also on twitter www.twitter.com/annekane or facebook www.facebook.com/annekane.author

And finally, I’m giving away a PDF copy of Seducing Destiny to one lucky reader. To enter, just comment on this blog post. Good luck!

BLURB:

Jack, the alpha of the North Rockies pack, knows Destiny needs some time to come to grips with her werewolf heritage before he springs the whole mated for life thing on her.

Destiny has no intention of buying into the whole pack mentality, howl at the full moon thing. Sure, she practically drools at the sight of red meat, but that’s no reason to give up her comfortable life. Besides, she already has a boyfriend, a slick up-and-coming lawyer.
 But when a band of rogue werewolves move into the area, Jack can’t afford to have his attention divided. He needs to convince Destiny that she belongs both in his pack and in his bed so he can concentrate on the new threat.



EXCERPT:

“I don’t think you’ll need those just yet, darling.”

Destiny whirled around to find Jack lounging against the doorjamb, a suggestive smile curving the corner of his mouth. His gloriously naked body showed exactly what he had in mind, and he didn’t bother to hide the engorged shaft. He straightened up and sauntered into her bedroom as if he belonged there.

She jerked her gaze back up to his face. Her heart started pounding at the lustful look he swept down her naked figure. She knew she should throw him out. Now. Before her treacherous body talked her into doing something she shouldn’t. She opened her mouth. “You shouldn’t be here.” She winced. Even to her own ears, that sounded lame.

“No, we should be back in the meadow, making love on a soft bed of grass with the spring sunshine warming our naked flesh.” He reached out and ran a finger down her naked arm in a gentle caress. “But you ran away.”

Destiny jerked backward, the skin on her arm tingling where he’d touched it. “No!”

His eyes darkened to a stormy blue and he grasped her wrist in a firm grip. “You want me, whether you’re willing to admit it or not.” He pulled her up tight against his deliciously male body. “Time’s up, Destiny. I’ve come to claim what’s mine.”

Destiny could feel the tension in his taut muscles, the impatience. Although she would never admit it to him, her psychic connection to him was strong. His urgency vibrated through her, heightening her own barely contained lust. She watched his lids droop, concealing his expression while his lips swooped down to devour hers in a kiss that seared away all her reservations.

Lust washed through her, quieting the little voice in her head. She didn’t have to make a lifetime commitment here, she rationalized. He wanted to fuck her. She wanted him to fuck her. Simple.

She opened her lips to let his tongue invade her mouth. Sizzling hot darts of pure lust danced down her spine when he took immediate advantage, his tongue sweeping in to taste, to tease, demanding her surrender. She gave it, melting passively into his muscular embrace. The kiss softened slightly, and he ran his tongue down the side of hers, exploring. He slid his hands down her back to hold her butt with his large palms, kneading the plump cheeks.

Destiny moaned, her own hands placed palm-flat on his muscular chest. She could feel the thump-thump of his heart, beating strong. Smooth, firm skin belied the years she knew he carried. He had to be at least sixty, and yet he had the physique of a man a third his age. He’d make a wonderful husband, if not for one inescapable fact.

He was a werewolf.

He swept her up and tossed her onto the bed, following her down to straddle her with his massive thighs. Destiny licked her lips, watching his rigid shaft bobbing gently above her belly.

She had to admit there were some enjoyable points to being a werewolf. The males all looked great in the buff, and weren’t shy about parading around nude, which was a good thing, because their clothing didn’t shift with them. They often found themselves in human form miles from their wardrobe.

“Still planning on denying you want me?” Lust swirled in his gorgeous blue eyes.

Destiny shook her head slowly from side to side. “I never denied I wanted you.” Her voice came out a husky whisper. “As a lover.” She wanted to feel his rough hands on her skin, his hard body pressing against hers, his warm breath on her naked flesh.

Jack captured her chin in one hand and held her still, his expression somber. “This isn’t a one-night stand, Destiny. Wolves mate forever.” He lowered himself to savage her lips in a kiss that shattered her will to resist.

She returned the kiss with everything she had. Her body moved of its own accord, arching up against him, burning with want, with need. For now, she didn’t care about life-mates or packs or the fact that he was the Alpha. All she cared about was the desire burning through every nerve in her body.

Jack’s skilled hands traced the curve of her breast, the line of her hips. He stopped to toy with her dimpled navel, his palm splayed across her belly. A path of liquid fire burned across her skin as he trailed kisses from her mouth to her ear, then nibbled his way down to her throat, his warm breath feathering across the sensitive hollow.

Destiny gasped, dazed by the depth of response. She opened her eyes to stare into his. “What are you doing to me?” she whispered.

He smiled, a predatory display of sharp, white teeth. “I’m courting you.” He swept a stray lock of hair off her face. “Seducing you.” He scored his teeth across one sensitive nipple. “Persuading you."

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