Page 17 of Swipe Right on the Alpha
“LunaLove: Connecting supernatural beings with their perfect mates across species boundaries. Our proprietary matching algorithm identifies compatibility between werewolves, vampires, witches, and others seeking their fated partners—including humans open to supernatural bonds.”
Aiden stared at the screen, reading and re-reading the words until they blurred. What had initially registered as cute marketing gimmickry suddenly seemed like truth hiding in plain sight.
“Holy shit,” he whispered to his empty bedroom. “I’m dating a werewolf.”
Chapter 10
Three days.
That’s how long it had been since Dylan had rushed out of Aiden’s apartment with a cryptic explanation about “territory disputes.” Three days of increasingly brief text messages:
AIDEN: What’s going on? Are you okay?
DYLAN: Handling the situation. I’m fine. Stay in the city.
AIDEN: It’s been two days. Can we talk?
DYLAN: Soon. Still resolving things. Miss you.
AIDEN: Dylan, I need to know what’s happening.
DYLAN: I’ll explain everything tomorrow. Promise.
Now, as Aiden drove his car along the familiar route to Dylan’s cabin despite explicit instructions not to, he questioned his own sanity. The LunaLove app’s description kept replaying in his mind:Connecting supernatural beings with their perfect mates across species boundaries.
“This is ridiculous,” he muttered to himself, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “Werewolves aren’t real. There’s a rational explanation for everything.”
Yet the evidence had been accumulating for weeks: Dylan’s heightened senses, his territorial behavior, the full moon restlessness, the way his friends referred to themselves as a “pack,” how his eyes sometimes seemed to reflect light differently, the inhuman growls during passionate moments…
“Even if—and this is a massive if—supernatural creatures exist, why wouldn’t he just tell me?” Aiden argued with himselfas the road narrowed into the forest. “We’ve been dating for a month. That seems like relevant information to share.”
As he approached the turnoff to Dylan’s cabin, Aiden slowed, anxiety gnawing at his stomach. What exactly was his plan here? Show up unannounced and demand to know if his boyfriend was secretly a mythological creature?
Boyfriend.The word caught in his mind. They hadn’t used labels yet, though the intensity of their connection made conventional terms seem inadequate.
The sun was setting as Aiden parked outside the darkened cabin. Dylan’s SUV wasn’t in its usual spot, but there were fresh tire tracks in the dirt driveway. Gathering his courage, Aiden approached the front door and knocked.
Silence answered him.
After a moment’s hesitation, he tried the handle and found it unlocked—unusual for security-conscious Dylan. The interior was dim and silent, but showed signs of recent occupation: a coffee mug in the sink, a jacket tossed over a chair, boots by the door that hadn’t been there during Aiden’s last visit.
“Dylan?” Aiden called, moving further into the space. “It’s me. I know you said to stay away, but I was worried.”
Only silence responded. Aiden checked his phone—no service, as usual in this remote location. With a sigh, he settled onto the couch to wait, the last rays of sunlight fading through the large windows as twilight descended.
As darkness fell completely, Aiden became aware of sounds from the forest—not the usual gentle nighttime noises, but something more purposeful. Movement. What sounded almost like voices, though too distant to make out words.
Curiosity overcoming caution, he moved to the back deck, peering into the darkness of the trees. In the distance, what appeared to be flashlight beams moved among the trunks,accompanied by occasional shouts that didn’t quite sound… human.
Before he could reconsider the wisdom of his actions, Aiden was heading down the deck steps and toward the forest edge, phone flashlight illuminating his path. The rational part of his brain screamed this was how horror movies started, but the need to understand—to finally get answers—pushed him forward.
The forest was disorienting at night, but Aiden followed the distant lights and sounds, grateful for the nearly full moon providing additional illumination through the canopy. He’d been walking for perhaps ten minutes when the voices grew clearer, and he could make out what sounded like an argument.
“—can’t just claim territory without proper channels!” A voice that sounded like Theo’s, though distorted somehow.
“We don’t recognize your authority here.” This voice was unfamiliar, aggressive.
“Then you leave us no choice.” This voice Aiden would recognize anywhere—Dylan’s, but deeper, almost a growl.
