Page 18 of Sexual Appetites of Werewolves

“Sometimes, Olivia, you just need to reach out and take hold and see where it takes you,” Tiernan said, stretching his hand out across the table to her.

She watched his hand drift across the table toward her and the urge to take hold of it, take a chance, overwhelmed her.

“Trust me, Olivia, you won’t regret it,” he said.

The strength and confidence in his tone nudged at her, and she leaned forward and was about to stretch her hand out to him when a howl pierced the silence.

“Bloody hell,” Tiernan snapped.

His burst of anger, along with the sparks of anger that flared in his green eyes, had Olivia drawing back away from him.

“My apologies for the inexcusable outburst, Olivia,” Tiernan said, standing. “There is a small group of young pups, young to me, who seem to think they are ready to challenge my leadership. It frequently happens when one of the older werewolves dies. They wrongly assume that all the elders are weak, and it would be an easy victory for them. My brother Sim warned me about this last night. He, along with his wife and many generations of children, live to the far north of the preserve and lead a pack there. A couple of young ones there left to join the few here.”

Olivia stood. She knew full well the consequences when a pack’s leadership was challenged. “Are you in danger?”

“Nay, it’s nothing to worry about,” he said as he walked around the table to her and reached behind her head to release the clip and let her hair fall free. After dropping the clip on the table, he ran his fingers through her hair as he leaned down to draw in its scent. “I love all your scents, each one of them. Your floral-scented hair. Your breath, that always holds a hint of mint to it. Your body that hints of vanilla. But it is your womanly scent, distinctive, natural, enticing, that is the strongest and tempts me the most.”

His arm circled her waist as his lips came down on hers in a kiss that demanded and ached at the same time, and it flared her own desire that had been on the edge since meeting him. If he didn’t have to go tend to his pack, she feared she would give into her own passion and learn firsthand the sexual appetites of werewolves.

He eased away from her. “I must go. I might be a while. You’re safe here, so no worries.”

“Be careful,” she said as he walked away.

He turned and smiled that seductive smile she had come to know so well. “How can I not be careful when I have you to return to.”

Her gaze remained fixed on the door after he left the room. There were things he said, references he made, even his apologies that didn’t fit today’s times. Could he have lived that long, be that old to sound strange at times?

What was worse, what she didn’t want to admit, was that she had feelings for him, strong feelings. She couldn’t deny that she was physically attracted to him, but she felt more than a physical attraction. She cared for him, werewolf or madman, there was something about Tiernan that touched her heart, crazy as it may seem.

Trust me, Olivia, you won’t regret it.

Her instincts were good when it came to wolves, not so much when it came to men. So, if she trusted the wolf in him, why not the man?

CHAPTER 7

Once Olivia had the kitchen cleaned up after breakfast, she decided to concentrate on work. She had taken notes and bookmarked sections of books that would be helpful to her and, of course, there was her excessive knowledge of wolves not just learned from books but from observing them, working with them, caring for them. An idea had been brewing about how to start the piece she’d been assigned to write, and she wanted to get it written before it slipped away.

She opened the laptop that she had brought to the library and got to work.

Werewolves—humans with the ability to transform into wolves or wolf-like creatures—have fascinated humanity for centuries, lurking in the shadows of our folklore, stories, and nightmares. But what if werewolves aren’t merely the stuff of legends? Is there a sliver of reality hidden in the myths?

If we trace the roots of werewolf folklore, we often find it woven into historical accounts that suggest there may have been real events or phenomena inspiring these tales. For instance, sightings of rabid or hyper-aggressive wolves or humans suffering from conditions like hypertrichosis (a rare disorder causing excessive hair growth) could have easily ledto the idea of a human-wolf hybrid. Additionally, outbreaks of lycanthropy (the psychiatric condition in which a person believes they can transform into a wolf) have appeared in various historical records, often during times of social stress or upheaval. These cases involved individuals exhibiting wolf-like behaviors, leading terrified communities to believe they were indeed witnessing a supernatural transformation.

In many cultures, werewolves embody the primal, untamed side of humanity. They remind us of our connection to nature, our animal instincts, and the thin veneer of civilization we drape over our wildest impulses. This psychological aspect suggests that, though the body may not physically transform, the mind might. Given the right conditions, humans are certainly capable of shocking, animalistic behavior that can be unsettlingly reminiscent of the wolf.

Could werewolves truly exist? Science may say no, yet the legends endure, whispering to us from the deep woods, where moonlight and shadows make anything seem possible… werewolves do exist.

A shiver ran through Olivia along with a whirlwind of complex emotions. Most people would fear the idea that werewolves existed, history long representing them as dangerous. Yet after speaking with Tiernan and meeting Laird, there was part of her that found the idea plausible. She would love to understand the truth behind the myth and learn how Tiernan had managed to keep his pack hidden in plain sight through centuries, if it was true, or how close he may have come to being discovered. And did he know of other werewolves that existed around the world? There was a plethora of information to learn, if it proved true, and she found herself suddenly more excited about learning all there was to know about werewolves, not just their sex lives.

Sex.

This was how easily her work could interfere with her sex life. Her passion for her work, for wolves, took precedence over everything else. She had no idea why wolves held such an attraction to her, but she gave up long ago trying to figure it out. Instead, she indulged and enjoyed her passion for wolves. So, wouldn’t that passion extend itself to werewolves?

A sudden thought turned her eyes wide. If werewolves existed, what other creatures might also be lurking in the shadows, hidden from human knowledge? Hadn’t Tiernan said he could smell a vampire from miles away? Had he been teasing her or had he meant it?

She unexpectedly found herself fascinated with learning more and decided to search the bookshelves for books on other unearthly creatures besides werewolves. She had been so thrilled with the perk of visiting the MacMadadh Wolf Preserve that she hadn’t paid as much attention to the book project she was taking part in—The Sexual Appetites of Unearthly Creatures: Fiction, Fantasy, or Fact. How many unearthly creatures did Vera plan on including in the book?

She was curious to see if Tiernan had a section on the supernatural or fables since creatures showed up in many old fables. But that would have to wait for later. She wanted to get more writing done first.

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