Werewolf Boyfriend: Beau 2 (complete)

Part One 

Hearthway Hollow was supposed to be a punishment for me. I was left here to die and be forgotten by the world. To the rest of the weres, Hearthway Hollow was a joke, a blight of weakness in what had once been a strong lineage. Werewolves didn’t have families, or quaint towns in the mountains. For the most part, werewolves saw themselves as wild animals. 

Wolves do not have alphas, but werewolves are not wolves. They are human in nature. Humans need leadership and guidance, and sometimes they need an alpha. Usually, the alpha was chosen not because of their own skill or merit, but simply because they were the biggest, the meanest, and most unbeatable. For a long time - it feels like ages ago - that was me. 

I led a wild pack, and we did horrible things. I would not have considered my younger self a good person, let alone a person at all. I was lonely and willing to do anything to keep my pack around me even though I despised most of them. But easily enough, they turned on me and left me broken, beaten, and bloodied in Hearthway Hollow. 

I should not have survived, let alone thrived the way I have. I have my own business, I own a farm, and I’m married to the love of my life. I am beyond lucky, and now that I am expecting my first child, I am half certain I am dreaming.

Shauna is ready to pop any day now, and has been placed on bedrest for about two weeks. She refuses to sit still, so I cannot leave her alone for very long. She keeps wanting to fix things in the nursery, or rearrange the kitchen for some strange reason. 

I can’t blame her. I have been nesting since Shauna told me she was pregnant. I have rebuilt the fence around the house, replaced all the locks on the doors, gotten new windows for the whole house. I have safety latches for everything, which Shauna hates because she can’t figure out how to operate them. 

“It’s way too early to be putting safety precautions around the house!” She complains. “The baby isn’t even out, let alone tearing through the kitchen looking for the drain cleaner.”

“I can’t help it!” I grouse back. “I was a terror as a pup. Imagine your worst nightmare  and then make it thirty pounds of pure rage.”

“What makes you think this one will be like that?” Shauna points to her belly. 

I sigh, slouching my shoulders. “I’m just worried, Shauna, that’s all. I know I was raised to be hell, and I want to raise our baby to be, well… I want them to be so good.”

“And he will be,” Shauna scoffs.

I furrow my brow. “He?”

Her eyes widen while she sucks her lips into her mouth. “Who?” Her voice cracks.

I look down at her and tilt my head to the side. “He. You called our baby he!”

“No?” Her eyes dart around out of guilt. “Did I?” She lets out a hoarse laugh. “No! I didn’t. Crazy.” She punches my arm.

I grab her hand. “We agreed not to find out until the baby was born! It’s a boy?” I start to cry like I haven’t done since she told me she was pregnant. I cried when we got married too, but this is a different sort of happy tears. 

Shauna smiles, wiping the tears from my face as I grin. “He’s a big one. The doctor says I will probably give birth to a giant.”

I scoop her up in my arms, lifting her from the ground and spinning her.

Ever since we announced the pregnancy, the Knitting Circle has been making things for the baby nonstop. We have more blankets than I ever could have hoped for. There are enough tiny booties to fill a grain silo, not to mention all the adorable sweaters and onesies. Billy has given us a handmade crib, quite possibly the most unexpected gift I ever received besides Shauna and the baby themselves.

Ever since I came to Hearthway Hollow, Billy was the father I never had. He took me in when I was left for dead. His wife Maria took care of me in the hospital, but it was Billy who stayed by my side. I was barely eighteen years old, but I was already battleworn from years of fighting and clawing to survive. I was scarred and rough, not the kind of person someone would look at and take pity on. But Billy had been like me. He knew who I was and what I was going through. He took me in, raising me with his children - Ellie, Kamilah, and Ivan. 

Billy and Maria got me into school, where I learned how to read for the first time. I was also given a job on Hyacinth Farm, which I now own. I wasn’t always a good kid - hell, it took me years to work up to being worth my salt. I fought Billy at every turn, seeing him only as an obstacle and not a friend or parent. He was bigger than me, stronger too, and I had been conditioned to see him as a threat to overcome. If I had a penny for every time he handed me my own ass and still invited me in for dinner, it would amount to a small fortune. 

“The world is not against you, son,” Billy told me one evening.

I remember it vividly. The night was filled with fireflies, floating in the air as if suspended in honey. There was a cold glass of lemonade in my hands, and Billy had splashed some of his whisky into it. I could look out over the backyard and see the neighbor kids playing on the sidewalk, chasing the fireflies or waving glowsticks around. 

“Not here, anyway,” Billy sighed. “You’ve got a home here, a family, and we just want you to accept it. I’m trying to show you there is another way, son. If I hadn’t seen that path, well...” he shook his head and took a drink from his glass. “I wouldn’t be here. And I don’t want you losing yourself, either.”

“It isn’t for me.”

“Why?” Billy chuckled. “Why do you think that?”

I remained silent. I had no answer. 

“You’re good with the animals at the farm. You’re a hard worker, no matter how much you try to act otherwise. You’re doing well in school, too.” Billy looked at me with hope in his eyes. No one had ever looked at me that way before.

I scoffed. “Good in school. Bullshit.”

“You are,” Billy insisted. “My daughter taught me how to read, OK? You’re doing amazing work on your own. You’re getting passing grades. No one is asking you to make the honor roll, and no one is saying that’s how you have to do it. You’re making it. Some people never get to that point.” He reached out and poked his thick finger into my chest. “There is something good in there, Beau. Something strong and bright. Don’t let the wild take that from you. You deserve more than what you had out there.” He points towards the woods. “You can be happy, Beau, with what you have inside you.”

“It’s scary,” I whispered. My words were stopping up my throat. “I don’t know how to do anything except fight. That’s all I can do. That’s all I’m good for.”

Billy put his arm around me and held me. “No, you’re not. Trust me, I have been in your exact shoes. Take them off, throw them away. You can find new shoes.”

I wanted to shove him away, to tell him to fuck off. But he was warm, and I liked the way it felt. “Why are you doing this? What are you getting out of it?”

“I’m getting a son.” Billy smiled at me. “And being a father is not a job one does for reward. You do it out of love.”

I had never cried before - at least, not when anyone could see. Billy was the first to see me cry, and the first to not judge me. I took on his name that day. I became Beau MacAlister, and I threw away those old shoes. 

I hope, because of Billy, that I can be just as good a father to my son. I promise him, whispering to Shauna’s belly, that I will do everything for him, no matter what, no matter how hard. I will always be there for him.

“He knows that,” Shauna laughs. “You didn’t need to promise anything. It’s a given.”

“I just want to make sure,” I say, curling back up in bed beside her. I wrap my arms around her and press kisses to the top of her head. I nuzzle into her hair, breathing in the sweet scent. Ever since she got pregnant, I love the smell of her more than I did before.

The weather has been unpredictable this winter, which has made things even more uncomfortable for Shauna. It’s either too cold, too hot, too damp, or just too much of something. It’s been raining almost nonstop, but reports of snow have me on edge. I know my truck can make it to the hospital should the worst happen, but it still does nothing to ease my nerves. 

“I know you’re worried, but everything will work out fine.” Shauna cuddles up beside me, resting her head on my chest. She takes the book from my hand and sets it aside so I can’t reach it. “Worst-case scenarios rarely ever happen.”

“I just wanna be ready,” I grunt. “With all this bad weather, the bed rest, not to mention the tomatoes didn’t make it this year.”

“Tomatoes aren’t a warning sign! Too much rain and not enough sunlight caused that.” Shauna looks up at me, her thick brows pursed as she reads me like a book. “Aren’t you excited?” She rubs my belly. “Our little boy will be home soon, all red and lizard looking, with chubby cheeks and legs like sausage links.” She pinches my love handles, making me giggle involuntarily. 

I grab her hand, holding it in place. “Of course I’m excited. How can I not be?” I rub up her arm and knead her shoulder. “I just want him to come into the world perfect. I want things to be safe, warm, and ready.”

“Well,” Shauna’s hand returns to petting my stomach. “Maybe we should get a name ready for him.”

“You know my vote on a name,” I murmur.

Shauna slaps my chest. “No! I will not name him William!”

“But it’s cute.” I lift her hand off my chest. “And it means something to me.”

“It means something to me too,” Shauna growls. “It means aggravating calls at all hours. Random visits where the layout of my nursery is questioned. Extra security measures on cabinets I already can’t open without your help! It’s a man who's so driven to being a grandfather, he won’t let me be a mom.”

Shauna has lost her patience many times while pregnant, and Billy has been on the receiving end of so many outbursts. Luckily, he’s used to it. “Billy isn’t that bad, and he’s only done those things once or twice. It's worse in your head.”

Shauna shoots an irritated glare at me. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“OK, fine, we won’t name him William.” I lay her hand back on my stomach. “You suggested John.”

“Yeah, but the more I think on it the more I kind of hate it.” Shauna grunts. “Nothing just seems to fit right. I keep thinking it over. Going back through memories from when we were just dating.”

“Just dating?” I snicker. 

Shauna scoffs. “You know what I mean. Just, like… the brand of yarn I used to buy from your shop, the type of car I used to drive, our favorite songs we played when… you know.”

I chuckle, rubbing my hand down her back. “No, I don’t know.” I tickle the back of her neck. “You have to tell me.”

“I can’t!” she grunts. “If I start it up I’ll never be able to stop and I can’t get into it right now. Not with this hundred-pound watermelon on my stomach.” She squeezes my love handles again, making a howling laugh leap from my belly. “My hormones are nutter butters,” she huffs. 

I stroke her hair, watching her smile as she nestles back down onto my chest. “You used to have a guitar and that old amp,” she murmurs. “You only took it out a handful of times when you tried to play Wonderwall for me.”

“Oh god, don’t remind me. That’s mortifying,” I groan.

Shauna giggles. “No, no, it’s precious to me. This big, graying monster of a man trying to impress me with his guitar skills.” She snuggles in closer. “I really love it.”

I hug her close. “They’re in the basement, and I’ve not really touched them since. The guitar was an old Yamaha I bought at the pawn shop when I was twenty. I had just moved into Hyacinth House when Kamilah came back from college.” I smirk as I remember the blue paint job on it. It was chipped, and I would pick at it while I was trying to read chords. “And the amp was a Marshall. Billy got it for me.”

Shauna yawns. “Hmm, Marshall. That’s cute.”

I think for a moment. “How about for Valentine’s Day tomorrow I bring them out and try to play for you again?”

Shauna laughs sleepily. “What the heck for?”

“Old times’ sake. I don’t think I’ll be able to play again once the baby comes.” I stroke her back as she starts to sink into sleep. 

“Might be nice,” she murmurs. “Could be awful.”

“Get some sleep.” I reach out and turn the lamp off. “We’ll work on names again tomorrow.”

Her warm hand stays resting on my belly even as she falls asleep. I watch her for a while, making sure she’s comfortable. I brush her hair from her face and gently kiss the tip of her nose. “I know I don’t need to make promises. It should all just be a given,” I whisper. “But I will never let you down. I will always love our son, and no matter what you want, I will always be on your side.” I kiss her forehead. “Sleep well. Soon we won’t be doing that for a while.”

When I wake in the morning, there is a chill in the house that wasn’t there when I went to sleep. I slowly move away from Shauna, keeping her tucked into bed, and go to the window. Outside is a sea of white - snow as far as I can see. 

Terror shoots up my spine and makes every hair on my body stand on end. “Oh, no. No. No.”

“What time is it?” Shauna groans as she rises. “It’s cold.”

I swallow the nervous lump in my throat. “I’ll have to put some wood on the fire.” I go back over to the bed and place Shauna’s robe around her. “Just stay in bed. I’ll get that taken care of and make breakfast.”

Shauna grabs hold of me. “But it’s Valentine’s Day,” she says with a sleepy smile. “Stay in bed with me.” She starts planting kisses all over my face and neck. It feels good, too good, honestly. 

“I really should put wood on the fire. It’s cold, and it looks like it’s been snowing all night.”

Shauna bites my neck, and it’s been so long that my reaction is instantaneous. “I’ll make it warm for you.”

I let out a whimper and push her back. “Shauna, seriously.”

She frowns up at me. “You really gonna say no?”

“It’s not wise right now! The baby could come any second!” I smooth her hair away from her face. “What if I… you know, dent his head or something?”

“Do you honestly not know how vaginas work?” Shauna scoffs.

“We already talked about this and agreed to wait.” I cup her cheeks in my palms.

“What if we just do hand stuff? Come on! I’m desperate here!” She nudges her forehead against mine. “This kid is already cramping my style.”

I laugh and kiss her, pushing her back down into bed. “Let me go fill the woodstove and make breakfast. Then we can talk about hand stuff.”

“Well, hurry up,” she grumbles.

I go downstairs, loading up the wood stove with a couple of logs. After that, I go to the kitchen. As I’m preparing breakfast, I remember a similar snowed-in morning a couple of years ago. Shauna and I were still starting out, enjoying a blissful period between the courtship ritual and me making a genuine proposal. Shauna had stayed the night, and by morning her car was snowed in. She came down wearing my shirt as I was making coffee.

Before I came to Hearthway Hollow I hadn’t really had a relationship. Any sexual conquests I had were just that - a conquest. With Shauna, I discovered how soft and slow lovemaking could be. There was no rush for climax, no battle for power. When I made love to Shauna, it was a mutual and comforting experience. Her wearing my shirt as she came down the stairs was perhaps the most enthralling thing I had ever seen. The buttons stretched over her breasts, and her soft thighs were on full display, but the sleeves were far too long and draped over her hands.

“Good morning, big boy,” she yawned. “You should have woken me up. I could have gone for some early morning petting.”

I kissed her, picking her up and setting her on the counter. “I figured you might like coffee before such a thing.”

She grabbed me with her legs, pulling me close and sinking her mitts into me. “Looks like I’ll be trapped here all day - unless Remi wants to give me a lift home.”

I smirked. “No way. I can’t even remember the last time I had you to myself.” I look down, seeing the way the buttons strained over her breasts. The smile on my face grew more wicked as evil thoughts swirled in my brain.

Shauna’s fingers slipped under my chin. “What the hell are you looking at? My eyes are up here.”

I wiggled my brows at her. “Yeah, but the rest of you is down there.” I reached up, yanking apart the shirt. As I did, one of the buttons flew off and hit me in the eye. I swore, and Shauna threw her head back to laugh and struck it against the cabinet. We both started snorting and wheezing, laughing at how ridiculous the situation was. The next thing I knew, we were naked on the kitchen floor. Her legs were still wrapped around my waist, but my cock was buried deeply inside her. The floor was cold, but our breath fogged the glass door. She felt so warm, I didn’t want to leave her. I drew it out as long as I could. I wanted that cold, snow-filled morning to go on forever.

“Uh, Beau!” Shauna yells from upstairs.

I got to the bottom of the stairs and look up. “Is everything OK?”

“Yeah, fine,” Shauna laughs nervously. “Except I think I’m going into labor.”

I might as well have been shot for the shock that gives my system. “Don’t toy with me, Shauna! Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” she grunts. “This is… fuck!”

I rush upstairs in a frenzy and grab the bag from the closet, then get Shauna downstairs. She sends out a group text while I go outside to get the truck ready. I’m in panic mode, and all I can do is run, run, run. I can’t imagine how she feels. Is she scared? What’s her pain level? 

I finally get her bundled up and into the truck, when Remi starts screaming at me from the porch. He’s staring at me like he’s threatening me. “Go back to the barn!” I snap at him. “She’s fine!”

I get into the truck, where Shauna is straining and breathing hard. “You got this.” I kiss her and squeeze her hand. “Just keep breathing, OK? Just like the class said.” I start pulling out of the driveway, going slowly and taking my time, no matter how much I want to hit the gas.

Once I get us to the hospital, Ivan is waiting for us in the lobby. “I’ve been here all night, but Mom just called and asked me to keep an eye on things. How’re the contractions, Shauna?”

“I think they’re ten minutes apart,” she pants. “But I’ve never been good with time.” She leans into me.

“You’re early, right?” Ivan asks as he gets us rushed through the sign-in process. “How early is it?”

“Two weeks,” I answer breathlessly. “Is that OK? Is our baby alright?”

“There’s nothing to worry about. This is very common,” Ivan reassures us. “Everything will be fine. I’ll keep tabs on all of it.”

Shauna and I get taken to a delivery room. A lot of things are said to me, things I have read and thought I was prepared for, but now that I am here I am not. Her dilation isn’t as far along as hoped, but the contractions are right on track. All I can do is pace and hold her hand now. I hate it, but now everything is up to Shauna. I only wish I could help her more.

“I have a name,” Shauna whimpers. “Come closer. I wanna tell you the name before I have to start screaming at you.” She clutches both of my hands tightly. She's covered in sweat. I wonder how she’s managing to keep a smile on.

“Ever since last night, when you talked about Wonderwall...” she grunts.

I shake my head. “I am not naming my baby Oasis.”

Shauna chuckles. “No, no. The amp. The brand you said.” She squeezes my hands tighter. “Marshall. It was cute, right?”

I brush her hair from her face, then use my sleeve to mop the sweat from her brow. “You like the name Marshall?”

She nods. “Billy gave it to you. And it won’t remind me of him automatically.” Her hand starts to crush mine. “Plus, it’s cute.”

“Yeah,” I grimace. She’s actually beginning to hurt me. “Yeah, it’s perfect. Marshall. Our son is Marshall.”

“Fuck, this hurts!” Shauna screeches. 

A nurse comes in with the doctor. After examining her for two seconds, the doctor looks to the nurse and starts spouting instructions. It all happens so fast I barely realize what’s going on.

“Cesarean?” I yelp. “You’re going to have to perform surgery?”

“It has to be done, Mr. MacAlister. It’s the best for your wife and baby. The child is too big, and she isn’t dilating properly. Our chief of surgery is overseeing the procedure, and there is nothing to be alarmed about.”

Everything is happening so fast. The scent of blood in the air brings back memories, memories I wanted to bury deep. Dead, bulging eyes, snapped necks, viscera and guts spilled on black asphalt. I can taste the copper in the air, and all my hair stands on end. I’m breathing hard, shaking, and then I hear the cries. Squeals, really, tiny and so new. 

“Is that him?” Shauna gasps. “Beau? Beau! Beau, is that him?”

I look up. Ivan is holding my son while the nurse and doctor work on Shauna. Marshall is crying while Ivan and another nurse wash him up. They weigh him, and then, suddenly, he’s in my arms.

“You got a big one there,” Ivan chuckles. “Beats my record, that’s for sure. What’s his name?”

I look down at the red, squirming ball in my arms. “Marshall,” I breathe. I touch his cheek, smoothing the thick curls on his head aside. I didn’t know babies could have so much hair when they were born.

“How is he?” Shauna whispers.

I turn to her and grin. “He’s perfect.” I place him in her arms, and she starts to cry. 

“He’s huge!” Shauna laughs through her tears. “Did I have a baby or a rock?” She snuggles up to Marshall. “Hi, little rock.”

Marshall is big and healthy, even before we leave the hospital. In a week's time he already has chubby rolls on his legs and arms. He was very nearly eleven pounds at birth. It’s amazing Shauna was even able to breathe with him inside her.

The first month passes in a blur. There is so much work going on and not enough sleep. Billy comes by regularly, watching Marshall while Shauna and I try to get quick naps throughout the day. I think Shauna likes Billy much more now, considering all he’s doing, but she gets aggravated when he won’t let Marshall go. By the middle of March, things started to settle again. I wake up to make breakfast while Shauna breastfeeds by the wood stove.  

Marshall has thick blonde curls, and is a heavyweight champion at four weeks old. He has his mother’s eyes, and my chin, but it’s hard to tell through the rolls. 

“I need to use the restroom.” Shauna offers Marshall to me. “You got him?”

“You bet.” I take Marshall into my arms, and he gazes up at me. 

“I think he likes you,” Shauna teases.

Then, suddenly, Marshall breaks into a smile. It’s big, toothless, and beautiful. No one has ever smiled at me like that before - so pure, so happy, so excited to see me. I shed tears of joy at the gift my son has given me.