Win an Alpha, A Gay Romance (Book 1) Read online

  Raging Passions Books

  Win an Alpha © April 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.

  Win an Alpha

  The lucky winner of the Win-An-Alpha lottery is… lucky number 777.

  Omega shifter Rhys is lonely and sick of ending up with arrogant werewolves who only want his purity and ability to carry pups. On a whim, Rhys buys a ticket to the lottery. He has a one in a million chance to win, but once the lots are drawn, Rhys has no other choice but to present himself to his mate.

  Never in his wildest dreams did Rhys expect to howl for an Alpha who wants all of him—body, heart and soul. Is Romeo the man he’d been searching for all his life, the Alpha who’d complete him?

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Win an Alpha

  By Jane Perky

  Chapter One

  “You understand what I’m saying, don’t you, Rhys?” Alpha werewolf prick Joey Jensen asked.

  To complete the effect of a reluctant heartbreaker, Joey reached over the table for Rhys’ hands. Going for the performance worthy of an Oscar, Rhys noticed with annoyance, but he knew better. Men like Joey only saw weaker Omegas like him as conquests and most of the shifters in town knew Rhys remained a virgin, despite reaching his twenty-second birthday two weeks ago.

  “I get it. I hope you find The One’ for you,” Rhys couldn’t keep the bite out of his voice, but it didn’t matter.

  Cocky bastards like Joey couldn’t tell the difference between sarcasm and genuine sympathy, given Joey thought of himself as God’s gift on earth. What possessed Rhys to go out with him in the first place anyway?

  Wait. Rhys knew exactly why. All his life, someone made decisions for him. He’d grown up in his parents’ pack and everyone expected him to take a mate from the pack. Heck, his parents set him up with blind dates all his life, but all of them only wanted two things from Rhys—his virginity and ability to get pregnant. Never mind Rhys as a person. Oh no, these domineering shifters wanted to be the first in him and breed him. Period.

  Happily-ever-after? Questionable. Sue Rhys, but he was a romantic through and through. Once Joey heard Rhys wouldn’t give up his purity to a stranger without being officially mated, Joey went straight for the exit route—no surprise there.

  “All the best too, bud.”

  Bud? Seriously? That was going to be Joey’s parting line?

  Apparently it was. The lone werewolf rose from his seat, gave Rhys a clumsy kiss on the cheek, before heading out of the café. Rhys wasn’t surprised to see Joey flirting with the first young man he saw. Well, to be fair, Joey wasn’t the worst guy Rhys had been with. Larry, the last Alpha Rhys went out with, broke up with him through a text message.

  Chivalry and manners no longer existed these days, apparently.

  Seeing his phone vibrating and the name flashing on the screen, Rhys sighed. He debated picking the call up, but it was better to have this done and over with. “Hello, mom.”

  “How did it go? Last I remember, Joey and you hit it off from the first date.”

  That was before I learned Joey only wanted to be the first man to plow me in bed.

  Rhys didn’t tell her that though. “It went badly. I doubt we’ll be seeing each other again. He was cheating on me with a werehare.”

  Rhys felt a little bad for lying, but he was sick of being told there was something wrong with him for not wanting to settle.

  “Frisky animals,” his mother muttered. “Forget Joey, Rhys. I found another match. You’ll really like this—”

  “You don’t need to, mom,” Rhys interrupted. “I have another date coming up.”

  “Really? With who?” Suspicion crept into her voice, but Rhys didn’t blame her. He knew his parents only wanted what was best for him—that included grandchildren, pups to fuss over, but they’d have to wait a little longer.

  “You don’t know him. It’s a surprise, but I won’t tell you until I’m sure of him.”

  “Alright then, love you, Rhys.”

  Relieved she cut the call, Rhys sipped his tea—which had now gone cold. Joey liked hearing his damn voice far too much. Not wanting to spoil the rest of his morning, Rhys ordered a fresh pot of tea and grabbed the morning paper from the rack. He scanned through the news, wondering what he’d do next to explain the truth to his parents. Hard to tell them to stop interfering in his life, especially—

  Rhys lost his train of thought when an ad leapt back at him from the page. He squinted at it, thinking it must be some kind of practical joke.

  “All you lonely Omegas out there, are you tired of the constant heart breaks and disappointments in finding The One? Let chance be your guide,” Rhys read the ad out loud, feeling foolish. What the hell was this? Someone’s idea of a practical joke?

  Rhys read on.

  “Buy a ticket to the Win-An-Alpha lottery and your name might just be drawn. Who knows, you might be the lucky lad or laddie to win a sexy hunk of a dreamboat Alpha mate!”

  Realizing he muttered the words out loud, Rhys glanced at the café, but no one seemed to care. A quick Google search on his phone confirmed the Win-An-Alpha lottery wasn’t some kind of scam. According to the testimonials on the site, 99% of the winners were happy and on their way to having a family.

  “What happened to the 1%?” Rhys mumbled.

  According to the page, the next Alpha was Romeo Rivera. Was this guy using a pseudonym? Still, Rhys had to admit the guy in the photo was one gorgeous growly specimen of an Alpha. He couldn’t believe he scrolled all the way down to the rules. The winner had to submit to his Alpha within the next twenty-four hours or another winner would be chosen.

  No ‘buts’ and changing minds, this lottery wasn’t for the faint of heart or cowards. All participants who bought a lottery ticket needed to sign a mating contract, ensuring no funny business ensued.

  If I win, I’ll have no choice but to give my body and heart to a stranger, but what are my chances of winning… one in a million? Rhys let out a nervous chuckle.

  Lately, he’d been stressed out at work and in his personal life. Some harmless fun was exactly what he needed. Besides, according to the site, hundreds, heck, thousands of Omegas bought lottery tickets and Rhys had never won anything in life. Judging by his status—virgin, twenty-three and single, it wasn’t hard to see Lady Luck wasn’t on his side.

  Impulse decision made, Rhys tucked the paper under his arm and headed out. Excited, Rhys got into his car and drove up to the nearest town that sold tickets.

  “That’s a dollar fifty for one ticket and I’d need you to sign your name here, young man,” the elderly shifter at the ticket booth said.

  “What? Really? I thought you guys were kidding.�
��

  The old man gave Rhys such a severe and disapproving look Rhys started to feel like a chastised pup who knew no better.

  “Let me tell you this, young Omega. We take the mating business very seriously here.”

  “Well, me too, but life’s full of disappointments.” Rhys took the pen and signed his name with a flourish. The old man patted his hand, nodding, as if they came to some mutual understanding.

  “I wish you all the best, young man.”

  “Do you say that to all the Omegas you’ve sold tickets to?” Rhys couldn’t help but ask.

  “Only to those who desperately want to find love.”

  Him? Desperately looking for love? The old man must be mistaking him for something else.

  Still, Rhys knew he wasn’t bad to look at. Rhys had blond hair, blue eyes and still maintained his lean form since his teens. He was the perpetual boy-next-door. Romeo Rivera was certainly easy on the eyes. Although Rhys could see hardness there, he liked a little cruelty and could tell from the tiny photo Romeo was the kind of man who could give Rhys what he wanted—no, needed.

  He shivered, thinking of the strength in Romeo’s well-honed and muscled body. Could imagine the power in those arms as Romeo tugged Rhys close for a mind-numbing kiss and whisper the one word Rhys had been waiting to hear all his life.

  Mine.

  Jesus. Rhys shouldn’t be this turned on from one picture of a guy he’d never ever meet anyway. Besides, fantasy never translated into real life no matter how many paranormal gay romance novels Rhys read.

  Why did it feel like Rhys just signed his soul to the devil?

  Well, it didn’t matter. In a few days, Rhys would forget all about this. In a week, they’d draw the lucky number and Rhys doubted it would be him. He had a fun laugh, forgot all about Joey and that was all that mattered.

  Chapter Two

  Romeo was about to get on his bike and ride—to wherever his mood took him, when his phone beeped. Frowning, he opened the message and sucked in a breath, and let out a stream of creative curses.

  Fuck, but he’d forgotten he’d entered that crazy lottery a month ago because he needed some fast cash for bike repairs. Romeo debated his options. At that point in time, it seemed like a good idea. Harmless, because Romeo didn’t mind sex, lots of casual sex.

  He’d just tell the sponsors it didn’t work out. Skipping on the gig wasn’t an option, because Romeo knew the shifter organization that funded the lottery. While Romeo answered to no one and wasn’t interested in forming his own pack, he wouldn’t piss these assholes off. They held clout and there were certain battles Romeo couldn’t fight alone.

  On cue, his phone rang.

  “Yeah?”

  “Congratulations, Mr. Rivera. In case you didn’t manage to catch the show last night, lucky number 777 is your mate,” the bubbly female voice on the other end said.

  His younger self would tell the Win-An-Alpha organization to fuck off, but he had better sense than that now. Besides, Romeo entered his name in the lottery because he’d felt that tug of loneliness too. His wolf liked random fucks, but these days, they both started to feel the empty hole in their soul—the place a mate could fill right up.

  “So how does this work? Does this woman or man come to me, or I go to him?”

  “We have the honeymoon suite in the Grand Paws in Chicago ready,” the voice chirped.

  He let out a whistle. Flea-bitten motels aside, Romeo had never stayed in any hotel with stars before, and the Grand Paws had five.

  “We win a fancy honeymoon too?” Romeo asked. The honeymoon must be courtesy of Paws Corp.—an evil soul-sucking multi-national corporation, in Romeo’s opinion. They made everything, from laptops, phones to running fast-food joints and grocery chains.

  The woman on the other end didn’t seem to catch his irony. “Of course. I’ll be sending you the information on your future mate soon, as well as the details of your itinerary.”

  “Peachy.”

  Romeo promptly received the information of the man Paws Corp. presumed would be his mate. Like hell. Romeo never obeyed anyone’s rules, although...seeing the handsome laughing photo of the blond young Omega made him instantly hard. More photos followed, of the Omega shirtless, and only wearing a pair of boxers. Still, the boxers didn’t manage to hide the Omega’s sweet ass.

  He scrolled down the Omega’s file. A cutie and a virgin to boot? Seeing the photo stirred his wolf up unexpectedly. Romeo couldn’t remember the last time his wolf reacted to any of his lovers this strongly.

  “Maybe for you, I’ll make an exception.” Romeo found his name. “Rhys.”

  Romeo could already imagine Rhys, stripped naked and blushing in his bed. Would Rhys be shy, or unexpectedly sassy?

  His virgin prize—how could Romeo refuse? Romeo had plenty to teach and he had a feeling Rhys would be one willing accomplice. Rule number one? Romeo didn’t take the unwilling, but he knew plenty of ways to make an inexperienced virgin say ‘yes’ to him.

  What a mighty fine gift.

  He could see Rhys in his head, crying out so sweetly and begging Romeo for more once Romeo put his expert mouth and hands to work. Romeo could already smell him, so pliant and eager. His.

  Romeo couldn’t get on his bike fast enough. Stepping on the accelerator, Romeo headed straight to Chicago.

  * * * *

  For the next couple of minutes, Rhys could do nothing but stare at the Grand Paws hotel’s entrance. He clutched at his crumpled lottery ticket in one hand and the key to his car in another. The call from the lottery organizer came yesterday. Rhys thought it might just be another lonely Friday night in his studio apartment. How wrong he was. Rhys took the better part of a half an hour, determining if the caller played a cruel prank on it.

  Evidence and physical proof—via scanned documents and his signature on the contract he signed the day he bought the ticket, proved otherwise. With the vague threat of not fulfilling his contract, Rhys packed up an overnight bag and drove up to Chicago. Every minute on the road, Rhys questioned what the hell he was doing. He’d dropped everything to meet a stranger, supposedly the Alpha who was to be his fated mate.

  Four weeks had passed since he bought that silly ticket—which was turning out to be less silly by the second and more dangerous. Rhys didn’t believe in dumb luck or coincidence. He had to slap himself a couple of times to make sure he hadn’t been dreaming.

  “Your car, sir?” the valet asked politely.

  No one has ever called Rhys ‘sir’ his entire life. He didn’t have much growing up, but his parents made do. Being here made his stomach clench and he’d never been good with dealing with pressure. One look told Rhys he didn’t belong here in this fancy place which he could never afford if he hadn’t won the lottery.

  “Rhys Longboat? We’ve been expecting you, sir.” A cheerful and attractive blonde walked up to him, clipboard in hand. “This way please, your Alpha is waiting and they aren’t exactly known for their patience.”

  Rhys swallowed. He couldn’t back off now. Besides, Rhys might have entered on a whim, but he was also curious. What was life without a little fun? Also, a roll in expensive sheets with a looker and growly Alpha like Romeo might be just what the doctor ordered. Maybe Romeo could help in curing Rhys of his heartache, even for just a little bit.

  Entering the lottery woke Rhys up about his impending future, one he might end up spending alone. If Romeo wasn’t the answer, then it was still a good wake-up call. Straightening his best shirt, Rhys nodded to the woman.

  “Lead on, please.”

  Smiling, she led him into the grand lobby of the hotel. Chatting guests stopped to give him appraising looks, probably knowing he won the lottery. Rhys had never been comfortable with attention, so he was glad when his guide slipped a key card in the lift panel and pressed the button to the penthouse suit.

  Of course, where and how else would Rhys lose his virginity? Better to give up his cherry to a drop dead gorgeous Alpha in a five-star hotel, an e
stablishment eager to cater to their every whim. Well, Rhys wouldn’t mind catering to Romeo’s every desire. Buying the ticket didn’t cure Rhys of his sickness. No, he often masturbated to fantasies of Romeo at night despite not knowing what would happen.

  Well, something did.

  Rhys could call this fate, or was it destiny?

  Time he found out for himself.

  “Are you nervous? You shouldn’t be. Your Alpha seems like a fine man, a good one,” the woman said. The name tag pinned to her blouse read ‘Ruby’.

  “My Alpha.” The words felt odd on Rhys’ lips. Romeo wasn’t his anything yet, so he shouldn’t get his hopes up yet. “I hope he’ll be, once this night is over.”

  She nodded, eyes shining bright. “Be a go-getter.”

  The elevator doors hissed open and Rhys found himself staring at a single door.

  “Good luck.”

  “You’re not coming with me?” Rhys asked, hating how uncertain he sounded. He should sound more confident, but he’d never been this terrified his entire life.

  “You need to make that first step. Trust me, it gets easier.”

  The first step proved to be a hard one, but the second and next proved easier. The elevator doors closed behind him. Swallowing, Rhys raised a fist, about to knock, but a deep voice interrupted him.

  “Come in, little Omega.”

  Unable to help himself, Rhys shivered. How many times did he envision how Romeo’s voice sounded like? Deep and rough, just like the voice from behind the door—a voice capable of issuing commands and whispering dirty and suggestive things in his ear.

  Rhys turned the knob and walked in. He found himself looking at all six-foot plus of Romeo. The Alpha leaned against the wall, looking menacing and out of place in a battered leather jacket and faded jeans. The photo on the website didn’t do him much justice.

  Standing so close, only a foot apart at most, Rhys could see every taut sinew and muscle on his sculpted body. A face, more roguish handsome than polished, stared back at him with a gaze that turned yellow with hunger the moment he walked in. Waves of power rolled off him in waves.