My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Bonus Chapter: DAMIEN’S MATE 1

Damien

I shudder while listening to Michelle and Kit’s demon baby cry on the top floor. It’s another reminder that everyone around me has a soulmate except for me, forever-alone uncle sad-as-f**k Damien.

Bah…

Why do I suddenly even care?

In the past, I didn’t mind being single. I f****d women whenever I wanted to. I compelled them to let me drink from their necks and whatnot, but things have changed. No longer do I see the point in mindlessly dating.

I want something real.

Have I finally gone soft?

Being the only unmated supernatural creature in this mansion suddenly upsets me. I mean, even my unattractive and annoying shithead of a brother has a mate. So do his children and their children—everyone in this goddamn house is happy and f*****g like crazed bunnies while I’m ALONE!

How come I haven’t found a mate yet? Is it because I’m a pureblooded vampire rather than a werewolf like everybody else?

I sigh and take a drink from my wine glass, which, of course, is filled with b***d—I wouldn’t have it any other way. Much to Avery’s disgust, I keep the bags in his fridge. He says it’s horrendous that I’m not drinking it fresh, but what choice do I have? Unlike him, I don’t have a breathing b***d bag of a mate to feed me.

“See, such thoughts are why you’re alone. Stop thinking of my mother as a breathing b***d bag, and learn to respect women. Maybe then you will replace a mate.”

I look up to replace Misha opening the fridge. His best friend, the proper and always frowning demon, is behind him. His name is Sky, and usually, we never exchange many words. But today, the demon hybrid is studying me.

I frown and try to ignore the demon. “I respect Lydia plenty, but she is a pureblooded werewolf, and you know that I’m not a fan of dogs.”

Misha scoffs and closes the fridge. “Not humans either, which is why you will never replace a woman to turn into your mate, uncle Damien.”

“What do you mean by that?” I hiss.

To my surprise, the demon laughs. When I glare at him, his lips spread into a gleeful smile that looks way too smug. Who the f**k invited this suit-wearing jerk? I narrow my eyes at him, which only seems to amuse him even more.

“What Misha means is that things would be easier if you didn’t limit your dating pool to only vampires. If, for example, you would be dating humans, you could download Tinder and have a human date by tomorrow.”

That piques my curiosity. “Tinder? What is that?”

“An app,” Sky replies as he slides across the kitchen to pick up a vase and check underneath it. His inability to not put his fingerprints on everything is setting off my inner perfectionist. I will have to clean after he is gone. “You know what an app is, right, or should I explain that to you too?”

“Of course not! I know what an app is!” I actually have no clue, but I can’t let the demon know that. To my misfortune, Misha is a mind-reader and rolls his eyes at me as soon as he knows I’m lying.

“Damien…” he walks over to where I’m sitting by the minibar and folds his hands over the table. There is a serious look on his face. “Are you lonely?”

As if I would admit that to him!

“No,” I answer and try not to give myself away by mentally playing “the eye of the tiger” inside my head to keep Misha away from the truth. It’s his least favorite song, and I can see his eye twitching in irritation.

Sky chuckles at the exchange, and I’m starting to grow annoyed with him.

“Enough, demon. What do you know of this app called Tinder?”

“Well, it’s a dating app for humans,” he answers, finally putting down the vase. “You make a profile, swipe right on people you replace attractive, and if they do the same, you’re a match. From there, you can chat and decide if you want to meet up.”

I’m intrigued. It sounds easy enough. “And humans actually use this?”

“All the time,” Sky confirms. “It’s quite popular, actually.”

I can’t help but wonder if it would work for me. Could I replace a mate on this app? The idea is both thrilling and terrifying. But I’m tired of being alone, and maybe it’s time to try something new.

“Misha, show me how to download this app,” I say, surprising myself with the sudden decision. “I want to try it out for myself,” I pick up the phone that I hardly ever use. It was a gift from my brother. “I need this, right?”

Misha nods and takes the phone from me, quickly navigating to the app store and downloading the app. I watch as he sets up the account, creating a profile with a picture of me that he took without my permission.

“There, all set,” he says, handing me back the phone. “Now you can start swiping.”

I take a sip of my b***d and open the app, feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety. I’m not used to putting myself out there like this, especially not to humans who might not understand my supernatural nature. But I’m determined to give it a shot.

I start swiping, judging each person based on their profile picture and a short bio. Some seem interesting, while others are clearly not my type. I swipe right on a few, feeling a rush of adrenaline as I wait to see if we have matched.

It’s not long before I get a notification that someone has matched with me. I’m hesitant to open it, unsure of—

“Oh my god, Damien!” Misha steals the phone from me and types away a message to my match. “There, you have officially said ‘hello’ to a sweet woman named Melissa. She is a brunette. She is a human, and she likes flowers and cats. Don’t tell her that you’re a vampire and you should be fine. You’re welcome.”

I scowl at Misha, feeling like I’m being set up for failure. But then again, he does have a point. Maybe keeping my supernatural nature a secret is for the best. I take back my phone and decide to play along, going back to the chat to discover Melissa has responded to me.

Melissa: Hello, Damien! Are you new on Tinder? You’re really handsome, perhaps too handsome? Oh, and um, I actually made this profile today, and sorry if I write a lot. I’m quite nervous. I just got out of a long relationship and know nothing about online flirting, haha.

I can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Melissa. I, too, am out of my comfort zone, and I don’t know anything about flirting online. But I’ve always been a quick learner.

I begin to type back a second message, seeing Misha took the freedom to write the first.

Me: Yes, I am new to this app. It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry to hear about your breakup. I’m not very good at flirting online either, but we can learn together, yes?

Misha and Sky leave the kitchen, and I replace myself staring at the screen, eagerly waiting for Melissa’s response.

Suddenly, my phone dings and I eagerly open the message.

Melissa: That sounds great! And look, I know that most people use this as a s*x app or just directly meet up, but eh, that’s not for me. So is it okay if we chat a bit more before we meet up? I just want to get to know you better.

I smile at her message, appreciating the fact that she wants to take it slow. It’s a refreshing change from the fast-paced dating world I’m used to. In the past, I just compelled women to go out with me immediately…

Me: Of course, I would like that. What would you like to know about me?

Melissa: Hmm, let’s see. Well, what do you like to do for fun?

I pause, realizing that I don’t really have any hobbies besides hunting and feeding. That’s not exactly something I can share with her.

But yesterday, I watched a children’s movie with Kit and Michelle’s baby. Little Edward slept through it, but I was incredibly gripped by Dora The Explorer’s adventures.

Me: I enjoy reading and watching movies. What about you?

Melissa: Oh, I love movies too! What’s your favorite genre?

I type out a reply, feeling a sense of relief that the conversation is flowing smoothly. Maybe this app isn’t so bad after all?

Me: Children’s movies.

Melissa: Children’s movies?

Me: Mhm, yesterday I watched Dora The Explorer with my great-grandchild. It was marvelous.

Melissa: Haha, you’re funny, Damien.

I lift an eyebrow, confused about what she found so funny about my message.

Damien: You think I’m funny?

Melissa: Oh yes, I mean. You don’t look to be a day over thirty and yet you wrote “great-grandchild” which is hilarious.

I chuckle at her response, feeling a sense of satisfaction that she replaces me amusing. Maybe this whole dating thing won’t be so bad after all.

Me: Well, I’m glad you replace me funny. And for the record, I’m much older than thirty.

Melissa: Oh really? How old are you?

I pause, wondering how I should answer this question. The truth is, I’m over three hundred years old, but I doubt Melissa would believe me if I told her that.

Me: Let’s just say I’m older than I look.

Melissa: Mysterious, I like it. Well, I have to go now, but this has been a great conversation. Can we talk later tonight?

Me: Of course, I would like that. Goodbye, Melissa.

Melissa: Goodbye, Damien.

I set my phone down, feeling a sense of excitement at the prospect of getting to know Melissa better. I think downloading Tinder was an excellent idea. I will have to thank Misha for this later.

I continue my day like usual: I drink b***d, mess with my brother and babysit for Michelle and Kit.

As the sun sets, I replace myself eagerly checking my phone, wondering if Melissa has messaged me back. I’m surprised at how much I’m looking forward to talking to her again.

I’ve never felt butterflies before, but I do now, and I actually replace myself smiling when my phone dings with a new message from Melissa.

Melissa: Hey Damien, how was your day?

Me: It was fine, thank you. How was yours?

Melissa: It was good. I went for a walk in the park and then came home to watch a movie. What did you do?

Me: I mostly just read and watched some shows. Nothing too exciting.

Melissa: What are you reading right now?

Me: “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. It’s a classic vampire novel.

Melissa: Oh, that’s interesting. Do you relate to the vampire character?

I pause, wondering how to answer her question. Should I tell her the truth? Nah, that would probably scare her.

Me: Not really. The vampire in the book is quite different from how I am.

Melissa: How so?

Me: Well, for starters, the vampire in the book is portrayed as evil and monstrous. I, on the other hand, am just trying to live my life peacefully.

Melissa: That’s good to hear. I don’t think I’d want to date another monster, haha.

Another monster? Hm. What a curious choice of words. Was her ex-boyfriend a supernatural creature?

Me: Another monster? What exactly do you mean by that?

Melissa: Oh… it’s nothing.

Me: Tell me.

Melissa: It kind of just slipped, and we are practically strangers, which means this might be too…personal.

Me: Well, in that case, you don’t have to tell me unless you want to.

Melissa: It would feel nice to tell someone about it. Like, I don’t know you, but sometimes I wish I had someone to talk to about this. It’s killing me to keep it to myself.

Me: I’m willing to listen if that is the case.

Melissa: Okay.

Melissa: My ex-boyfriend was very abusive. No one knows. I haven’t told a single soul, but he was a…monster. I guess that’s why I came on Tinder. Men frighten me. I thought it would be easier to talk to someone online.

My heart feels heavy as I read Melissa’s message. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for her to carry that burden alone.

Me: I’m so sorry to hear that, Melissa. No one deserves to be treated that way.

Melissa: Thank you, Damien. It means a lot to me that you’re willing to listen.

Me: Of course, Melissa. You don’t have to go through this alone. Have you considered talking to someone about this? A therapist, perhaps?

Melissa: I have, but I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet. It’s hard to open up about something so personal.

Me: I understand. It takes time and courage to talk about these things. Just know that when you’re ready, I’m here to support you.

Melissa: Thank you, Damien. You’re very kind.

I smile at her message. I’ve never been called kind before. My brother calls me a pompous a*****e, and to everyone else, I’m just grumpy uncle Damien. This is a nice change.

Me: You’re welcome, Melissa. You deserve kindness and support.

Melissa: You’re too sweet. But enough about me, I don’t want to bring down the mood. What are you up to tonight?

Me: Not much, actually. I was just going to relax at home. Why do you ask?

Melissa: Well, I was wondering if you’d like to watch a movie together, virtually of course. It’s not much, but it’s a start.

Me: I like that idea. What movie were you thinking of?

Melissa: How about “The Notebook”?

Me: I don’t think I’ve seen that one before, but I’m open to it.

Melissa: Perfect. Let me send you the link to the movie, and we can start watching it at the same time.

Me: Sounds good to me.

I feel a sense of excitement as I wait for Melissa to send me the link. Perhaps this is the start of something new?