How long have you been a werewolf?
I was born a werewolf—at least, three quarters of me is werewolf. My grandfather mated with a human woman. He and his descendants for seven generations were busted in status from delta to omega because of it. Fortunately, my father’s mate was pure werewolf, raising my blood level. Growing up was like being “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer”: when I wasn’t being shunned, I was the pack’s whipping boy. The last part hasn’t changed with adult-hood. I am the lowest of the low, and the rest of my pack doesn’t hesitate to remind me.
BTW, the “bitten-or-born” thing is a myth.
What’s the worst thing about being a werewolf?
An inability to deviate from accepted mindsets. My grandfather was punished because his mate – and we have no choice about the identities of our mates – was human. Yet two generations later, when my pack alpha mated with a human, he remained alpha. I have served my pack with honor. I have worked to uphold our treaty with the US government. Yet my pack-mates look down on me because my grandmother was human. Times have changed. The world has gotten smaller. The old prejudices no longer have meaning.
When you change, is it painful?
Painful? Changing is a rush of pure energy. The shift is more orgasmic than painful. It feels wonderful, but leaves a guy exhausted, especially the morph from wolf to human.
When you’re in wolf form, do you think and feel the same as when you’re in human form?
Yes. I’m still me. I might be a little less inhibited about curbing any inherent violence when I’m in my wolf form, but the essence of me doesn’t change.
Are there many others like you?
There are packs of us all throughout the USA. My particular pack originally came from France. We were being persecuted during the French Revolution, so our alpha went to the ambassador of the new United States and cut a deal: service for sanctuary. We make great spies, what with our ability to shift, and our enhanced senses. I don’t know what other packs have done to get to this country, though, or where they’re from.
How do you feel about humans?
They’re very tasty.
Just kidding! I envy human’s sexual freedom. Werewolves can have sex only with their mates. Ever. And that sometimes makes things awkward with the ladies. I’m the drummer of an up-and-coming country band. We play a lot of bars. You’d think my human blood might come in handy in some situations, but nope.
Where are you from?
I’m from a little town in Colorado named Loup Garou. Big shock there, I know, but I didn’t name it. The Rocky Mountains have been good to my pack. The silver mines that drew us to the area played out, so pack leadership decided to start a brewery. Moonsinger Beer is our brand, and it’s successful enough to support the whole pack. It also the main industry in the nearby human town of Oak Moon. The irony: all werewolves are allergic to alcohol. It interferes with our ability to change.
Do you have a code of honor?
Werewolves are one of the most honorable breeds on the planet. Our honor is very important to us. We work for the government whenever they ask, even if it might inconvenience us, because our forefathers entered into a treaty exchanging service for sanctuary. We are honest. Our mates and offspring are the most important things to us. Mistreating women and children is an abomination. Upholding these beliefs is as natural as breathing to us.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would be a full-blooded male of my pack, with my family’s status restored from omega to delta.
OMEGA MOON RISING BLURB
Abigail Grant has a secret . . . and a plan to keep her younger sister from suffering the same fate. Her strategy would have worked if she hadn’t been seduced by sweet-talking musician Luke Omega. Suddenly she’s plucked from the life she wanted to escape, but her new circumstances only expose her to a different danger—or is it her salvation?
Luke has a secret, too. He believes he can change his destiny through willpower—and a little blue pill. When he inadvertently gets mixed up in the Grant sisters’ troubles and his pack alpha orders him to marry Abigail, his family insists he tell her he’s a werewolf. But Luke claims Abigail is not his life mate. She doesn’t need to know what happens to him on the full moon.
Until he accidentally stumbles across her secret. Then all bets are off.
OMEGA MOON RISING EXCERPT
Not many people sat in the folding chairs in front of the platform. Nor were there as many blankets strewn around on the grass as there would be when Toke Lobo and the Pack took the stage. Luke felt bad for the performers. He sat through a magic act in which he saw every alleged sleight of hand. The garage band that followed should have stayed parked.
Then the valentine girl came out.
Her eyes were so pure a shade of blue he didn’t think they were real. She must have stolen the color from one of the mountain lakes high above Loup Garou. And her mouth. Ancient Ones, her lips were pink and shiny and full, as if she’d spent the past half hour kissing someone. A slight gap in her top front teeth personalized her smile. Her golden hair snagged the sun, then released beams in prisms of colors wealthy enough to tempt any leprechaun.
“Abigail Grant from Oak Moon,” the emcee announced. A girl in the front row whooped and hollered. Abigail’s fan club.
Luke leaned back in his chair. Abigail’s set wasn’t long—three numbers. The first was a cover of Adele or Christina Perri or something familiar sounding from the radio. The second song was . . . okay. The chord changes were simple and the lyrics adequate, but nothing to impress anyone. And Abigail’s voice was too smooth. Homogenized. There were no rough edges for the notes to cling to. As a performer, she was bland.
But those lips formed a perfect frame for naughty.
Oh, he was going to enjoy exploring those lips and having them explore him.
Her third and final number had him rethinking her talent—or lack thereof. Not that he was any kind of expert, but her voice wasn’t . . . big enough to do the lyrics justice. She sounded like cotton candy—pastel and sweet, but without substance. But the words, listening past the shell of her voice—there was power in lyrics, strength she undermined by singing. She infused the song with sorrow when the meaning required rage.
The smattering of applause as she concluded was embarrassing. She must have realized it, because her cheeks darkened, as if she was blushing.
Luke clapped. He knew how awful being in front of an unappreciative audience could be. He made his way to the edge of the stage, where portable stairs aided the performers getting off and on the platform.
“Hey,” he said, lifting his hand to help her descend.
She hesitated, then her too-blue eyes widened.
Luke thought he might drown.
“You’re the drummer for Toke Lobo,” she said. Her speaking voice was as smooth as her singing voice. She took his hand.
“Luke. Nice to meet you.” He grinned. Women loved his grin. At least, that’s what they told him. “You must be thirsty after all that singing. Can I buy you a cup of lemonade?”
Omega Moon Rising is available on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/zrjb3xv
MJ COMPTON BIO
MJ Compton grew up near Cardiff, New York, a place best known for its giant, which inspired her to create her own fiction.
Although her 30-year career in local television included such highlights as being bitten by a lion, preempting a US President for a college basketball game, giving a three-time world champion boxer a few black eyes, a mention in the Drudge Report, and meeting her husband, MJ never lost her dream of writing her own stories.
MJ still lives in upstate New York with her husband. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and Central New York Romance Writers. Music and cooking are two of her passions, and she enjoys baseball and college basketball, but she’s primarily focused on wine . . . and writing.
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Sounds quite intriguing. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! And thanks for stopping by.