Today I am so pleased to welcome Eden Winters to Joyfully Jay. Eden has come to talk to us about her latest release, Never Underestimate an Omega. She has also brought along copies to give away. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Excerpt

Gray reached down and untied his boots—never taking his eyes off his adversary—toeing them off one at a time and tossing them toward the trees, along with his shirt. Wouldn’t do to lose the fight by tripping over his size fourteens. Clean-shaven and sporting a regulation military buzzcut, he painted a stark contrast to shaggy-haired and grizzle-bearded Leon. Leon carried maybe twenty pounds more than Gray, but not nearly as much muscle. Leon also relied on intimidation rather than fighting skills.

Gray wouldn’t have returned if his father hadn’t lost a challenge with Leon. And if he hadn’t received a letter saying Leon planned to systematically take out anyone even remotely connected to the Collins family. Lycan numbers were plunging worldwide, aided by idiots like the one standing in front of him.

Over Gray’s dead body. Leon likely still thought of Gray as a nonthreatening, snot-nosed brat. Let him be surprised.

Leon flexed and showed off, but a faint bit of unease crept into his scent. Being away hadn’t dulled Gray’s senses; they’d taught him to appreciate his wolf abilities all the more. Nothing like smelling an enemy from yards away—or sniffing out who cheated at cards.

Or bombs.

“Are you gonna stand there all day or get a move on?” one of Leon’s enforcers shouted. Both betas were brutes, scarred from countless fights with pack members with the guts to stand up to them, or “lessons” delivered by the alpha himself, to keep them in line or as a show of power.

Gray barely spared them a glance, keeping his attention fixed on the man he’d soon have groveling at his feet.

Leon threw a wild punch. Whiff! His fist sailed past Gray’s head.

Gray ducked to the side. Rammed his fist into Leon’s kidney. Leon sprawled face-first into the damp earth and came up spitting dirt. “Why you…” He pushed shakily to his feet and charged. An angry bull, not Lycan. Desperate, sloppy moves. Wrapping his arms around Gray, he tried to force Gray to the ground.

Gray twisted, going down deliberately and taking Leon with him. Leon’s breath whooshed out. In a flash, Gray bounced back to his feet. Blood and anger howled in his veins.

Leon took twice as long to regain his feet. He swung with his right.

Gray caught the fist in his hand and squeezed. He didn’t need to embarrass the other alpha; Leon humiliated himself all on his own.

Gray dropped and kicked. Leon’s legs crumpled. He hit the ground. Hard. Gray rolled and came down on top, pinning his opponent. Leon grunted, sweat sheening his face. His breaths came in shallow pants. Leon wasn’t much of a fighter anymore. There’d been other forces at play if he’d defeated Dad.

“Watch out!” someone screamed. Flesh smacking flesh sounded in his ears. Gray jumped up and came face to face with one of Leon’s betas. The beta bared his teeth in a very wolflike gesture. Gray’s heart pounded. The asshole shouldn’t be inside of the circle. The other beta, still outside the line, smacked the brown-haired kid across the mouth.

The kid fell backward, caught from behind by the twins. Fury burned hot in his eyes.

The distraction gave Leon a head start shifting. Gray dropped to all fours when the crunch of bone registered in his ears and released his hold on humanity.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! His wolf responded at once. Bones cracked and reformed, claws and ears grew. Fur sprouted. Then, a single moment of unspeakable pain. Gray’s muscles twisted, stretched, his body tearing itself apart and rebuilding.

He stood on four feet, showing his teeth and growling.

Leon drew back. They were both big men, which usually meant big wolves—not one big and the other enormous. Gray towered over the other wolf.

Leon charged. Gray danced away. He didn’t want to kill outright. Too easy. If only Leon yielded… No, Leon’s pride wouldn’t allow a loss. His life revolved around ego and posturing. He’d never admit defeat, no matter how badly injured.

Leon attacked again, lunged right for the throat. Did he honestly think Gray so easy? Gray jumped out of the way. Leon’s momentum kept him going.

Gray locked his teeth on Leon’s back leg. Bone crunched.

Leon yelped.

Yes! Gray’s wolf howled in triumph.

From his peripheral vision, Gray watched the spectators step back. He must keep an eye on those bastard betas. His wolf snapped and snarled, maintaining a convincing show. If Leon appeared to put up a good fight and didn’t lose too much face, could Gray get him to stop short of a deathmatch? Hurt him enough to make him pay for his crimes, leaving him alive?

Leon killed without remorse. Not Gray. Let the wronged pack judge and decide Leon’s fate.

I’d rather kill him, Gray’s wolf groused. Remove the threat.

Gray didn’t join his mind to his wolf’s totally, hanging on the remnants of conscious thought. Letting go meant turning into an animal. He needed his wits about him.

Leon let out a whimper, dragging his back leg. Blood trailed in his wake. Broken bones for sure. He rushed Gray again. Gray spun, giving Leon nothing but a mouthful of ruff for his efforts, his teeth barely grazing Gray’s skin.

“Behind you!” came from somewhere on the sidelines.

He whirled. Both beta enforcers now stood inside the combat circle. One jumped onto Gray’s back. “I’ve got him. Stick him!”

Oh shit! Gotta throw the bastard off! If Gray could get his teeth… He twisted and bucked like a prized rodeo bull, but the motherfucker stayed on him like a tick. Where was Leon? Fire shot through his side. A howl tore from his throat, and he snapped, barely missing the beta’s cheek.

What the fuck?

The other beta leered, holding… a needle and syringe. No, he’d not been stuck with a needle. Not yet, anyway.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Leon took advantage, sinking teeth into Gray’s throat.

Blurb

An alpha leader must have an alpha mate, but Gray wants only one man.

And that man is an omega.

Wolf shifter Gray Collins returns to his home pack to avenge his father’s murder, never expecting to take on the role of leader. Gray is a loner with no desire to tackle the politics of being Pack Alpha. Worse yet, he falls for the man he’s come to depend on—omega Logan Richardson.

According to pack lore, omegas are inferior, nothing more than lowly servants. Or are they? Logan is far too cunning, fierce, and bold to be a low-ranking wolf. While he keeps his head down in public, when they’re alone, Logan stands toe-to-toe with Gray like no one else dares. Mutual respect grows into friendship, friendship into a white-hot desire neither can fight.

Despite the law and the odds, the two wolves form a tentative bond. Together they lead the pack through strife and threats, all while keeping a secret—a secret that could get them both killed, and plunge the pack back into the savage dark ages.

The entire Lycan world is on the brink of a hard-won lesson: Never underestimate the relentless force of an omega.

Buy Link: Amazon

Bio

You will know Eden Winters by her distinctive white plumage and exuberant cry of “Hey, y’all!” in a Southern US drawl so thick it renders even the simplest of words unrecognizable. Watch out, she hugs!

Driven by insatiable curiosity, she possibly holds the world’s record for curriculum changes to the point that she’s never quite earned a degree but is a force to be reckoned with at Trivial Pursuit.

She’s trudged down hallways with police detectives, learned to disarm knife-wielding bad guys, and witnessed the correct way to blow doors off buildings. Her e-mail contains various snippets of forensic wisdom, such as “What would a dead body left in a Mexican drug tunnel look like after six months?” In the process of her adventures, she has written twenty-four gay romance novels, has won Rainbow Awards, was a Lambda Awards Finalist, and lives in terror of authorities showing up at her door to question her Internet searches.

When not putting characters in dangerous situations she’s a mild-mannered business executive, mother, grandmother, vegetarian, and PFLAG activist.

Her natural habitats are airports, coffee shops, and on the backs of motorcycles.

Giveaway

Eden has brought two copies of Never Underestimate an Omega to give away to two lucky readers. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Thursday, July 29th at 11:59 pm ET.

• By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
• Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
• If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
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• Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
• All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
• By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
• Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
• Void where prohibited by law.