Mate Is Right, M/M Paranormal Gay Romance (Book 3) (Win an Alpha)
Read Mate Is Right, M/M Paranormal Gay Romance (Book 3) (Win an Alpha) Online
Authors: Jane Perky
Raging Passions Books
Mate Is Right
© May 2016 by Jane Perky
All rights reserved:
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
MATE IS RIGHT (Win an Alpha 3)
A desperate Omega. One ruthless Alpha in search of the perfect mate…
I’m plain, no one’s dream Omega. My only redeeming quality is my fine taste in clothing, but today’s my lucky day. The producers of Mate Is Right chose me for a reason. I’m the dark horse no one saw coming. No one expects the plain Joe to win, except a certain Alpha blows all my expectations out of the water.
Dylan Barlow’s ruthless in his business and personal life. He sees what he wants, acquires it…and I’ve just become the number one item on his list.
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Table of Contents
Mate Is Right
By Jane Perky
Chapter One
Omega Gary Chambers nervously rubbed his palms together. Standing with the other contestants, he could hardly hear the roar of the crowd. To his left was a buzzer on his table and he stared at the button, wondering if this was all a dream. It had to be.
“We’re going on air in fifteen minutes, guys,” one man yelled.
In front of the contestants, the host fixed his bowtie and smoothened out the wrinkles in his suit.
Gary reviewed the rules in his head while the production people milled around.
If he could guess the price of the object belonging to the man who was supposed to be his fated mate, he’d come a little closer to winning the grand prize. No surprise the prize was a hunky Alpha who was to be his mate. The rules defied logic.
All of this was crazy.
God.
Who knew Gary, of all people, would be chosen among throngs of hopeful Omegas nationwide to be in the shifter match-making game show?
First, there had been a lottery to win an Alpha and Gary had watched, heart thumping in his chest, as the winner of the Bachelor: Beta Edition ran to his mate. Well, technically, the Beta in that show broke a one-way mirror to get to his chosen mate.
Damn, it was so romantic. Gary had always been a hopeless romantic, a little dreamer, which was why he impulsively entered his name and put in a video interview for the network’s latest program—Mate is Right.
Damn, Gary went over his head with this one. At twenty-three, he was a virgin Omega for a reason. Male Omegas capable of giving birth were always prized in any pack. It should have been easy for Gary to find a mate, but Gary didn’t want sex. He wanted love in the equation too.
Gary wasn’t pretty-boy handsome or had any redeeming qualities about him. Hell, he knew he was as mediocre as they came. The truth hurt, sucked balls, but Gary accepted that fact long ago. He could still tell the producer he changed his mind, but would they be able to find a replacement?
“Cameras rolling. Smile, contestants,” one of the TV people said.
Gary froze. Thankfully, no one noticed, because the contestants faced the host. They didn’t even know what the Alpha looked like yet.
“Welcome to Mate is Right. If one of these Omegas manages to guess the prices of these objects that belong to our mystery Alpha, he’ll be the lucky winner who will come away with our hunky and delicious man-candy,” the host announced.
Sweat coated Gary’s back. He’d never been good with crowds. Gary rather liked staying in the background, thank you very much, but his sisters had squealed after finding out he’d been handpicked to be one of the contestants.
His father had been Alpha of their pack, and after seven female children, Gary had been his lucky number eight…was anyway. When Gary turned out to be an Omega, his father left the match-making business to Gary’s mother and sisters.
“Don’t waste this opportunity,” his mother had said.
As an Omega unfit for fighting, Gary had spent a lot of time with the women in the pack. He didn’t want to disappoint his mother or his sisters. Okay, he didn’t do this simply for the fame. Gary needed to believe the producers of the show picked him for a reason, not because they needed a plain Joe amongst the other slender Omega contestants who looked like they came right out of a fashion magazine.
The expectations of others shouldn’t ride on his shoulders. Gary should be doing this for himself. Besides, if there was one skill Gary was good at—it was guessing prices. He spent a hell lot of time watching home shopping channels and his sisters always asked him out on shopping trips because he possessed incredibly good taste. Hell, Gary worked as a personal shopper for the prominent pack leaders in the region. He should buck up and have more confidence in himself.
Looks-wise, Gary wasn’t much, but he sure was the best-dressed Omega there. He ought to remember his strengths and use all the weapons in his arsenal. Hot determination burned bright in him when the host unveiled the photo of the Alpha on screen.
“Meet the goal, Omega hopefuls. Feast your beady eyes on lone Alpha werewolf, Dylan Barlow.”
The fire burning in Gary’s chest went right to his loins. No, the fire turned into a raging inferno, because Dylan Barlow was beyond drop-dead gorgeous. He was a fine specimen of a man, the jackpot, so to speak. Built like a line backer, every inch of Dylan was made of hard muscle. In the photo, Dylan’s dark blond hair was cut short, and Gary stared into those blazing blue eyes, so intense and feral.
Gary didn’t miss the finer details either. Despite Dylan’s bulk, Dylan’s custom Armani suit fit him like a second skin. Perfect hair cut too. Cute cufflinks in the shape of a wolf’s head.
Oh Lord.
The arrow of true love hit Gary right in the chest and for a second, Gary couldn’t breathe. Until that moment, Gary couldn’t believe a man so perfectly made for him existed. He had to have Dylan, no matter the cost.
“You think you have a chance?” the red-haired Omega beside him whispered. The guy looked like he came right out of an Abercrombie and Fitch ad. Too bad he had poor taste in fashion and looked more like a beach bum or any other homeless good-looking young man in the streets.
Gary though, wore his finest suit, even though he’d endured the taunts from the other Omegas earlier.
“Our first item is a 100% silk tie, Fantasy Pattern by Christian Lacroix. Make a guess Omegas.”
Gary cursed himself silently for being the last. Damn it, he’d been admiring that tie long ago and knew exactly the price.
“One fifty,” the red-head next to him said.
Gary snorted. Seriously?
The next two made wild guesses that didn’t even come close.
Eventually, it was Gary’s turn. “$1,150.”
The red-head snorted, but stopped laughing when the host, Pop Parker, said, “You are absolutely correct, Gary. That’s the exact price.”
Gary was too dignified to do a fist pump, but God knew he was tempted. This world hadn’t been all about looks—well, until now anyway.
“Oh, and can I say something, Pop?”
“What is it, Gary?”
“The Alpha has excellent taste in ties.”
The crowd ate that line all up. They started to cheer for mediocre Gary who happened to dress well, but Gary wasn’t doing this for them. After seeing he had a fighting chance, Gary decided he wouldn’t be throwing the towel anytime soon.
Gary needed to meet Dylan Barlow.
In his gut, Gary knew Dylan and he were meant to be. His wolf knew it, but the other Omega contestants believed the same thing. Time to prove his worth.
“Kiss ass,” muttered the Omega next to him.
Gary dug his nails into his palms. For a guy who’d never been good at anything aside from selecting clothes and accessories, it was liberating to be able to win something for once. He shook his head. Too much self-confidence and arrogance wasn’t good. That would make Gary slip somewhere along the way. Who knew when he’d have a chance to win a mate, his mate, again?
“Our next item, everyone, is,” Pop made a dramatic pause.
The curtain on stage unveiled the next mystery object. For the second time that day, Gary gasped. On a violet velvet pillow lay a pair of emerald-cut canary diamond octagon cufflinks.
“21.29 carats of diamonds in total,” Gary whispered, staring.
Gary had money in the bank and occasionally had his frivolous moments, but he’d never think to spend so much of his hard-earned savings on such a thing of beauty. He wasn’t sure what to be mesmerized with first, the piece of accessory that transcended form and economy or the Alpha who possessed such finery.
Oh God. Gary wasn’t just love-struck; he was seriously deep in the water now.
Chapter Two
Hidden behind the two-way mirror behind the stage, Dylan had a perfect view of the audience and more importantly, the contestants. As the heir to the Barlow legacy, Dylan’s werewolf family was old money and in shifter society, considered one of the oldest and purest bloodlines. Not that everything had been handed over to Dylan on a silver platter.
Since young, Dylan and his brothers had been taught the world didn’t give out anything for free. He worked hard, played hard. Everything Dylan owned, he bought out of his own money. While he had the Barlow name, he built his own business empire from the ground up.
Putting aside his personal happiness to focus on work had taken its toll though. While his brothers and sisters found their intended mates, Dylan settled for one-night stands and hook-ups for his fix.
No Barlow would consider joining a crass game show. After all, Dylan could have any man or woman he wanted, but so far, all the prospects fate threw his way had been the same. Every one Dylan dated only saw his money.
Dylan eyed the hopeful Omegas on the stand, his gaze lingering on the last one the longest. Even before the show started, he noticed Gary Chambers. Unlike the other hopefuls, Gary looked out of place with his mediocre looks. Other men or dominant unmated wolves wouldn’t give Gary a second look with the bevy of other attractive Omegas on display.
Dylan wasn’t like other men though. Gary was clearly the best dressed of the lot. The Omega put a lot of thought in his choices, from his tie to shoes. Beside Dylan’s arm chair was a small tablet. Picking it up and scrolling through Gary’s file, he wasn’t surprised to find Gary was a personal shopper of several Alphas in the region.
“Very interesting,” Dylan murmured, eager to find out more.
Even before Gary guessed the price of his tie, Dylan knew it was no use continuing this little façade. He’d made his choice. Dylan could sense his wolf inside him, excited and hungry for Gary at the same time. The longer Dylan stared at the nervous little Omega who initially looked apprehensive but was now bursting with excitement, the more Dylan wanted him.