Page 18 of Swipe Right on the Alpha
Aiden moved closer, careful to avoid stepping on twigs or dry leaves. Through a gap in the trees, he could see a clearing illuminated by several lanterns placed on the ground. What he saw there froze him in place.
Two groups faced each other across the small meadow. On one side stood Dylan, Theo, and several others Aiden recognized from the barbecue. On the opposite side, a group of strangers with hostile postures. But it was their appearance that had Aiden’s mind struggling to process what his eyes were seeing.
They weren’t entirely human.
Dylan stood at the front of his group, his body transformed in ways that defied explanation. He was still recognizably himself, but with significant alterations—his face elongated into a partial muzzle, ears pointed, hands ended in claws, and his posture more animalistic, though he remained upright. He was shirtlessdespite the cool night, his powerful chest and arms covered in a light dusting of dark hair that seemed thicker than Aiden remembered.
The others showed similar transformations in varying degrees. Theo beside Dylan looked nearly as wolfish, while some of the others displayed more subtle changes.
The opposing group exhibited the same unnatural features, though their transformations seemed less controlled, more aggressive in appearance.
“This territory has been Silverwood pack land for generations,” Dylan was saying, his voice deeper and rougher than normal. “Your challenge is noted but rejected. Leave now, and we’ll consider this settled.”
“The old ways are changing,” responded what appeared to be the leader of the other group, a massive man with an even more pronounced muzzle than Dylan’s. “Unclaimed humans in established territories are fair game now.”
Dylan’s growl was audible even from Aiden’s hiding place. “He is not unclaimed. He is mine.”
With a shock, Aiden realized they were talking about him.
“You haven’t completed the mate bond,” the stranger countered. “Our scouts confirmed it. That makes him available under the new council ruling.”
“Those rulings haven’t been ratified,” Theo interjected. “And even if they were, Alpha Silverwood has initiated the courting process. Interference is forbidden under even the new provisions.”
The tension in the clearing was palpable, both sides poised on the edge of violence. Aiden’s mind raced to process what he was witnessing—not just the physical transformations that confirmed his wildest theories, but the apparent fact that he himself was somehow the center of this territorial dispute.
Without conscious decision, Aiden stepped forward, a twig snapping beneath his foot. Every head in the clearing whipped toward the sound, enhanced senses detecting his presence instantly.
“Aiden!” Dylan’s voice was a mixture of horror and concern. “What are you doing here?”
Stepping fully into the clearing, Aiden struggled to keep his voice steady. “Getting answers, finally. Though I have to say, this is a lot more dramatic than just telling me you’re a werewolf.”
A ripple of surprise moved through both groups. The leader of the opposing pack recovered first, a predatory smile revealing too-sharp teeth.
“The human knows,” he said with evident satisfaction. “That changes things.”
“It changes nothing,” Dylan growled, moving with inhuman speed to place himself between Aiden and the strangers. “He is under my protection. Under pack protection.”
Up close, Dylan’s transformation was even more startling. His amber eyes now had a pronounced glow to them, pupils elongated rather than round. His teeth were visibly sharper when he spoke, and his entire body seemed coiled with barely restrained power.
Against all logic, Aiden wasn’t afraid—at least not of Dylan. Shocked, certainly. Overwhelmed by the confirmation of his suspicions, absolutely. But the protective stance, the familiar presence despite the unfamiliar form… this was still Dylan.
“This is what you couldn’t tell me?” Aiden asked quietly, for Dylan’s ears only. “That you’re a literal werewolf?”
Dylan’s transformed face showed a complex mixture of emotions—fear, shame, hope. “I wanted to. I was going to. Tomorrow.”
“Touching,” interrupted the other pack leader. “But knowledge of our existence without a completed mate bondviolates the primary law. The human must either be claimed officially or…” He let the alternative hang unspoken in the night air.
Theo stepped forward, his own transformation slightly less pronounced than Dylan’s. “Conrad, don’t start something you can’t finish. Our pack outnumbers yours, and challenging an alpha on his territory over his potential mate isn’t just bad form—it’s suicide.”
The standoff continued for several tense moments before Conrad, the rival leader, seemed to reassess the situation. “The council will hear about this,” he said finally. “Your grandfather’s influence won’t protect you forever, Silverwood.”
“File a formal grievance,” Dylan replied coldly. “In the meantime, get off my land.”
The rival pack retreated slowly, maintaining eye contact in what Aiden recognized as a dominance display even with his limited understanding of wolf behavior. Only when they had disappeared into the trees did the tension in Dylan’s body slightly ease.
“Get him back to the cabin,” Dylan instructed Theo without turning. “I’ll make sure they’re actually leaving.”
“Dylan—” Aiden began, but was cut off when Theo gently took his arm.
