Mail Order Mate

By Fel Fern

 Time is running out for Omega cat shifter Linus Frazier. He's the first Omega in his clan to become independent but Linus wants something else. A baby daddy. Linus will do whatever it takes to conceive, even if that means signing up with a breeding agency and bedding a complete stranger.

Dominant bear shifter and cattle rancher Salvatore Beckett is running on borrowed time. His bear has grown wild and he's about to spiral out of control. There's only one fix for him and thats offspring to care for. But a simple contract becomes complicated when Linus turns up on his doorstep. Sal still yearns  for stability, but he just doesn't want a baby. He also wants a forever mate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fel Fern
• Release date: Oct 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386545644

Book preview

1

Are you sure the Beckett ranch is this way? Linus Frazier asked Bo Turner.

There were no cabs out here in Hallow Vine. Linus had to hire a willing local who’d drive him all the way to Salvatore Beckett’s ranch.

Who was Salvatore Beckett? Salvatore was his future husband, baby daddy and a complete stranger he never met.

Of course I’m sure. I’ve lived in Hallow Vine for thirty years, Bo said with a snort. I don’t need any fancy GPS or whatever it is you city folks use.

Feeling the werefox’s gaze on him, he looked out the dirty truck windows and shifted uncomfortably on his seat. Linus was well-aware he didn’t quite fit in here. Not with his glasses, bright electric blue sneakers and his favorite robot anime printed on his t-shirt. He certainly didn’t look like any of the other Omega breeders on the premier section of the Mail Order Mates website. Hell, he certainly wasn’t what Beckett was expecting because he used a stock photo as his profile picture.

Guilt rammed into him. Linus never intended to deceive Salvatore but it had to be done. If he used his real one, Salvatore wouldn’t even give him a second glance.

Are you Sal’s new accountant or something? Bo’s question threw him off-guard.

Uh, what? He asked, dumbfounded. Linus saw no reason to tell Bo the truth. His cat didn’t trust the smiling werefox one bit.

You don’t need to pretend. Everyone around here knows that crazy werebear’s been having financial problems.

Um yeah, I guess you found me out, he said with a nervous laugh.

God. How long was this drive? The fields they passed seemed endless and he kept hoping the next ranch would belong to Beckett. No such luck, because Bo kept driving onwards, getting further and further away from the town. Salvatore had told him on the phone that he lived on the outskirts of town but this was plainly ridiculous.

Forget any kind of shopping arcade or supermarket. They passed one gas station with a convenient store. It didn’t look like they restocked much.

Fair warning. You better be careful. Unmated Omegas like you from the big city are like prey to the real predators around these parts. Bo cut the engine and his heart nearly stopped.

He stared at Bo. What would the werefox do next? Was he fast enough to pull out the mace in his backpack? Omegas and submissive shifters were a lot slower and possessed less strength than other dominant shifters. Being a tabby cat shifter might give him some advantage when it came to speed. Linus had experience when it came to outrunning bullies but what about his belongings? His most treasured possession—his laptop, was inside his bag. Linus needed his computer for work.

He didn’t want to end up on Salvatore’s doorstep naked either.

Did he make a mistake in trusting the old werefox? Gill, his go-to-guy from the agency told him he could count on Bo to bring him to Salvatore’s doorstep.

Shit. What if Bo had other ill intentions? Linus wasn’t much to look at. Even his parents gave up on him ever finding a mate and carrying on the family bloodline but Bo was right. The same rules in the city that protected weaker paranormals like Omegas and submissive shifters didn’t apply here. Hallow Vine was considered wild country, still governed by humans—on the surface anyway but paranormals took care of their own problems.

Is that a threat? he asked, recovering from his initial shock.

Don’t act like prey, Linus reminded himself. That philosophy had worked well so far. Linus left the compound where his entire cat shifter clan lived to prove that he could survive on his own without relying on anyone else. He was a self-taught web programmer and could work anywhere, even on a ranch in the middle of nowhere just so he could fulfill one of his life goals—having a baby of his own.

It’s not me you have to be afraid of, but your new employer, Bo eventually said.

Beckett? he asked.

With his age, Linus couldn’t afford to be picky. Shifters who went through an agency looking for an Omega only wanted one thing—a breeder. No one ever showed an interest in him before, despite his fake picture.

Linus turned twenty-six four months ago and was considered old for a breeder. It didn’t matter. Linus had always wanted a kid of his own to look after and he intended to go through this. Who cared about mates and love?

All he ever experienced was disappointment and heartbreak. Linus had enough. Happy endings didn’t exist for run-of-the-mill guys like him so he had to get creative.

Salvatore and he already discussed it over the phone. Their relationship would be nothing but cordial. Maybe they’d even become friends in the long run. Linus’ only hope was that Salvatore would be as sincere as he sounded on the phone and not turn out to be a prick, like his ex-boyfriend Virgil.

Sal lives out here, far from everyone else for a reason. Humans and even my fox clan stay clear from him, Bo said. Oh, we’re here by the way. Are you getting out or what? My wife needs me home before nightfall.

Wow. Bo unloaded a bomb on him with those words. Why did Bo want to frighten him? Well. The werefox sure succeeded. Linus was now more spooked than ever.

He looked out the dirty windows again. Right in front of them was a run-down sign with peeling letters he’d missed earlier. Beckett Ranch. Beyond that, nothing but a dusty road. Maybe the ranch was a short walk away? Doubt crept into him. Only a crazy guy would leave everything behind and sign up on Mail Order Mates to be matched up with a complete stranger.

Not only that, he wanted Salvatore to help him make a baby. What if Salvatore turned out to be this psychotic serial killer who liked preying on easy targets like him? Linus wouldn’t even give him much of a fight. It wasn’t too late to ask Bo to drive him back but where would he go? Linus already handed back the keys to his apartment to the landlord and right now, he couldn’t afford another bus ticket back to the city, much less stay at some crummy motel.

He had no new online projects. The agency would only wire the funds into his bank account once he fulfilled his end of the bargain and became pregnant.

Linus shook his head. No use having second thoughts now.

Okay, thanks for the ride,

Reviews for Mail Order Mate

[L'eau · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a cute story, but needs some more editing