Hearthway Hollow

Ronan

Female Main Character x Male Monster

I'm tucking Marshall into bed when I hear Beau come home. The door downstairs squeaks and closes gently, because Beau knows it's bedtime. Marshall had a big day, having gone to the doctor for his checkup. The doctor was amazed by his growth - almost three and already a tank, he's often mistaken for being older than he is.

Once Marshall is asleep, I go downstairs to find Beau at the kitchen table with a somber look on his face. As I step through the door, his expression brightens and he puts on a smile.

"He asleep?", he whispers.

I nod. "Out like a light. How was the meeting?"

He frowns again at the inquiry. Billy called this afternoon right as Beau came in from work. The elders of the pack held a meeting about something Mrs. Locklear wanted to discuss. The look on Beau's face reads as more worried than anything.

"What's going on?" I take a seat at the table with him, giving his arm a gentle squeeze "Is it bad?"

Beau huffs and scratches at the back of his neck. "Mrs. Locklear has had some of her chickens go missing. She never thought much about it. It happens when you live in the woods. But then she started noticing other things, like tracks. Jasper mentioned things happening with his mate's chickens as well. Said he woke up one evening to find the cage clawed and nearly opened up."

I press my lips into a tight line. Things like this in Hearthway Hollow could be anything, but from the way Beau looks I have a feeling it's something else. "Is it an animal?"

Beau shakes his head. "They think it could be a lone werewolf in the woods. We're going to take turns searching at night. I've gotta talk to Daisuke about better protection measures for the animals tomorrow. Do you think you could..."

I smile at him and place my hand over his. "I'll open the shop tomorrow. I can take Marshall too, if it helps."

He shakes his head. "I can handle him. As long as Remi is around I've got my babysitter." He grins, then takes my hand and kisses it. "I just want to go to the farm and check on things tomorrow. If there is a werewolf out there eating chickens, this would be its buffet."

I lean in and kiss him. "Want me to heat up some leftovers for you?"

"Nah, there was food at the meeting. I think I'll take a shower." He stands from the table and takes off his coat. "I'll meet you in bed."

"It's a date," I chuckle.

I check on Marshall again when I go upstairs. He's sleeping soundly, his head of curly hair smashed into his bed, and his legs kicking as he dreams. I continue to the bedroom and crawl under the covers, listening to the water run as Beau takes his shower.

When he comes out, he slips under the covers and pulls me close. His strong arms hold me tightly as he rests his head against my back. I know that this werewolf in the woods is frightening for him. After all, he'd been one of those wild werewolves. When he was younger his pack turned on him and left him for dead in the woods. He isn't the only one in Hearthway Hollow with this kind of past, but it seems Beau is the most haunted by it.

In the morning, Beau gets up and brings Marshall into bed with us. Marshall is a cuddler, clinging to me or his father as he wakes up, wriggling and squirming like a puppy. He soon gets up and is scampering around the bed, climbing over Beau and I as that boundless energy comes to the surface.

"Mama, Mama, Mama," he says in a breathless chant. "Up, up."

I smile at his dimpled cheeks. "Tell your Papa."