Page 17 of Swipe Right on the Alpha (Fur Real Love #1)
“Okay, so either I’m having a stroke, or there’s something in this tea you’re not telling me about,” Aiden said, setting down the steaming mug Sofia had handed him.
They were gathered in Dylan’s cabin three nights later, preparations underway for the bonding ritual scheduled to coincide with moonrise.
Sofia laughed, the sound like tinkling bells. “It’s a traditional pre-bonding blend. Herbs to heighten sensitivity, calm nerves, and enhance… receptiveness.”
“Magic tea. Got it,” Aiden said, taking another cautious sip.
The flavor was unusual but not unpleasant—earthy with hints of sweetness and a warming sensation that spread through his body in gentle waves.
“Is this going to make me hallucinate? Because I feel like I should have been warned about potential side effects.”
“No hallucinations,” Elena assured him from where she was arranging candles around the bedroom. “Just heightened sensation. The bond requires a certain… openness that humans sometimes struggle with initially.”
Aiden had spent the past three days learning about the bonding ritual, a process more complex than he’d initially understood.
The physical act—the claiming bite during intimacy—was only part of a larger ceremony involving pack witnesses (for the preliminary parts only, thank god), symbolic elements, and apparently, magical tea.
“And the pack has to be present because…?” Aiden asked for perhaps the third time, still uncomfortable with that particular aspect.
“Only for the initial blessing,” Theo explained patiently. “We form the circle, acknowledge the bond, then leave you two alone for the… private consummation. It’s tradition. The pack energy helps stabilize the metaphysical connection.”
Dylan entered the bedroom, freshly showered and dressed in simple linen pants, his chest bare in preparation for the ceremony. Seeing Aiden surrounded by his packmates, he smiled—a tender expression that still caused flutters in Aiden’s stomach even after months together.
“Everything okay in here?” he asked, moving to Aiden’s side and placing a possessive hand at the small of his back.
“Just explaining the finer points of magic tea and pack voyeurism,” Aiden replied dryly, though he leaned into Dylan’s touch automatically.
“It’s not voyeurism,” Dylan corrected, pressing a kiss to Aiden’s temple. “They’ll be gone before anything intimate happens. The circle is symbolic, acknowledging the pack’s acceptance of our bond.”
Aiden nodded, having heard the explanation before but still finding the whole process somewhat overwhelming. “And the candles? The herbs burning in the living room? The weird symbols Elena drew on the doorframe?”
“Protection, blessing, and boundary establishment,” Sofia answered. “Creating sacred space for the bond to form properly.”
Dylan’s arm tightened around Aiden’s waist. “We can simplify if it’s too much. The core ritual is just us—the rest is traditional but not strictly necessary.”
The concern in Dylan’s voice made Aiden soften. “No, it’s okay. I want to do this right. I’m just processing all the supernatural elements. Human weddings just involve paperwork and overpriced catering.”
“This is more permanent than marriage,” Theo pointed out, arranging something that looked suspiciously like animal bones in a small dish. “The metaphysical aspects create actual changes in your biological structure. Hence all the… witchy stuff.”
Aiden took another sip of the tea, feeling its warmth spread through his limbs with increasing intensity. “And the full moon timing?”
“Our powers are strongest during the full moon,” Dylan explained. “The bond will take better, integrate more completely into both our energies.”
As sunset approached, the preparations accelerated.
Aiden was guided through a ritual cleansing—a shower with water infused with herbs that left his skin tingling pleasantly.
He dressed in loose pants similar to Dylan’s, remaining shirtless as instructed.
When he emerged from the bathroom, the cabin had been transformed.
The furniture in the main living space had been moved aside, creating an open area where pack members were arranging themselves in a circle.
Candles provided the only illumination, their flickering light casting dancing shadows on the walls.
The air was heavy with the scent of burning herbs—sage, lavender, and something earthier Aiden couldn’t identify.
Dylan stood in the center of the circle, his expression solemn yet filled with anticipation. When he saw Aiden, something fierce and possessive flashed in his eyes.
“Come,” he said simply, extending his hand.
Aiden moved forward, acutely aware of the pack’s eyes on him as he took Dylan’s hand and stepped into the circle. The tea’s effects were becoming more pronounced—his skin hypersensitive to touch, his awareness of Dylan’s proximity almost overwhelming in its intensity.
“We gather under the full moon,” Dylan began, his voice deeper than usual, carrying the authority of his alpha status. “To witness and bless the bonding of mates.”
The ritual proceeded with words in a language Aiden didn’t recognize—something ancient and guttural that the pack responded to with synchronized replies. Dylan never released his hand throughout the ceremony, his thumb stroking gentle circles against Aiden’s palm in silent reassurance.
At one point, each pack member approached to place a mark on both their bodies—a symbol drawn in what Sofia had earlier explained was a mixture of sacred oils and a single drop of blood from each pack member, creating a physical representation of their acceptance.
As the moon rose higher, visible through the cabin’s large windows, the energy in the room seemed to shift and intensify.
Aiden felt it like a physical presence—a building pressure that wasn’t uncomfortable but was impossible to ignore.
Dylan’s eyes had taken on their amber glow, though he remained fully human in form.
Finally, Dylan spoke words that Aiden recognized as the conclusion of the public portion: “The circle acknowledges this bond. What follows is for mates alone.”
The pack members rose silently, each approaching to touch both Dylan and Aiden briefly—a hand on the shoulder, a kiss to the cheek, gentle contact that somehow conveyed blessing and acceptance. Then they filed out of the cabin, leaving Dylan and Aiden alone in the candlelit space.
For a moment, neither spoke, the weight of the moment hanging between them. Then Dylan reached out, cradling Aiden’s face with gentle hands.
“Last chance to back out,” he said softly, though his eyes betrayed how difficult the offer was to make. “No one would blame you.”
Aiden covered Dylan’s hands with his own. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said with quiet certainty. “I want this. I want you. For keeps.”
Something wild and joyful flared in Dylan’s expression. Without further words, he pulled Aiden into a kiss that contained none of his usual careful restraint—hungry, possessive, and demanding in a way that sent heat racing through Aiden’s body.
The tea’s effects magnified every sensation—the slide of Dylan’s tongue against his, the press of powerful hands at his waist, the heat radiating from Dylan’s bare chest where it pressed against his own. When Dylan finally broke the kiss, both were breathing heavily.
“Bedroom,” Dylan directed, his voice a rough growl that sent shivers down Aiden’s spine.