Chapter 20
Beau/ Sean
BEAU
I didn’t want to move. Sean was warm against me, bloodied and bruised, but alive.
I kept my arms around him like that alone would keep him breathing. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him on the ground again, bleeding, shaking, nearly broken.
I’d never felt that kind of fear before. The kind that turned my bones to ice and my blood to fire at the same time.
Footsteps crunched through the underbrush. I tensed instinctively, ready to put Sean behind me again, but the voice that came was familiar.
“Beau!”
Rafael.
Callum was with him. Alongside them was the last person I expected to see in the woods: Sheriff Hank Miller. The sheriff stopped cold when he saw the carnage.
Vito was still out cold, crumpled at the base of a tree. Orin lay face-down in the dirt, blood pooling beneath his side. The smell was everywhere. It clung to the trees, to the wind.
Miller went pale. “Oh my…”
“They’re alive. Just unconscious,” Callum said calmly, already crouching beside Orin to check his pulse. His fingers pressed against the wolf’s neck with practiced efficiency.
“Still breathing,” Callum confirmed. “Broken ribs, at least.”
That seemed to satisfy the sheriff, who exhaled shakily and turned toward me.
I hadn’t let go of Sean. His breath ghosted weakly across my chest, and my hand stayed wrapped around the back of his head like I could anchor him to the world.
“Mr. Holloway. Beau,” Miller said, gently. Like someone approaching a cornered animal. “Rafael filled me in. But I’m gonna need you and Sean to come back with me to the station. Just to give your statements.”
A low growl rumbled in my throat before I could stop it. Sean stirred, lifting his hand to stroke my arm. Just a soft brush of fingers, but it pulled me back from the edge.
I closed my eyes and reined the bear in. He was still pacing under my skin, furious and protective, but not wild.
“My mate’s hurt,” I said through my teeth, voice still thick with the shift. “I’m taking him to the hospital. You can send someone there for our statements.”
Miller blinked, clearly unsure what to do with the word mate, but nodded.
“Yeah, of course. Just protocol, you know. I’ll send Lee or Jackson over to get the report once you’re both settled,” Miller said.
“Appreciate it,” I muttered.
I turned to Callum as I stood with Sean in my arms, careful not to jostle him too much.
“Thanks for coming,” I said, and meant it. Even if I didn’t fully trust the wolf alpha, he showed up when it counted.
Callum gave me a lazy shrug. “Next time, make sure the winning punch happens in the baking tent. Would’ve been great for the drama. I’m looking forward to next year’s competition already.”
I huffed, too tired to argue.
Rafael approached with a duffel bag slung over one shoulder.
“Brought clothes,” he said, handing me a bundled hoodie and joggers. “Figured you didn’t want to flash the whole town on the drive back.”
“Speak for yourself,” Callum muttered. “That would’ve definitely won you first place.”
“Not helping,” I said, but there was no heat in it.
Rafael passed Sean sweatpants and one of my oversized shirts.
Sean managed to change while I kept a careful eye on Orin and Vito, who were still out cold and not going anywhere.
By the time we made it back to the car, Sean was already half-asleep again in my arms.
I settled him into the passenger seat as gently as I could, tucking the hoodie around his shoulders and buckling him in. I turned the heat on, even though the summer air was still warm.
He was shivering. Rafael leaned in the driver’s side window just as I got behind the wheel.
Sean blinked up at him. “Did we… win?”
Rafael chuckled. “Second place.”
Sean’s face crumpled. “Oh.”
I reached for his hand across the console. He curled his fingers through mine like he couldn’t stand not touching me.
“We’ll be first next year,” I said softly, pressing my thumb over his knuckles. “I promise.”
Sean gave me the ghost of a smile. “We better be. I nearly died for that those pastries.”
“You looked good doing it,” Rafael said, winking, then stepped back to let me pull out.
The drive to the hospital blurred around me. I kept glancing at Sean every other second, watching the rise and fall of his chest like I didn’t trust it to keep going on its own.
He stayed quiet, but he didn’t let go of my hand.
We pulled into the emergency bay, and before I’d even cut the engine, nurses were out the doors with a gurney. The sheriff must’ve radioed ahead.
Sean tried to stand on his own, stubborn as ever, but his knees buckled and I was there in an instant, scooping him up again and carrying him inside.
The fluorescent lights made every bruise on his face stand out in stark contrast. One eye was already swelling, his lip split open.
Claw marks streaked his chest, and blood had soaked through the waistband of his sweats where claws must’ve torn skin.
He was silent as the nurses laid him out and began cleaning his wounds.
One of them, a redhead named Talia who sometimes picked up Bear & Bun orders, glanced at me and said softly, “We’ll take care of him, Beau.”
I nodded once, jaw clenched so tight it hurt.
They cleaned his cuts, stitched a few deeper ones, bandaged the worst of them, and hooked him up to fluids.
I never left his side. When the doctor finally stepped in. He was an older panther shifter with kind eyes and a tired voice. He gave me a reassuring smile.
“He’ll be okay. Nothing life-threatening. He lost some blood and he’s covered in bruises, but he’s tough.”
“Yeah,” I murmured, brushing hair off Sean’s forehead. “He is.”
Sean was drowsy from the painkillers when he finally spoke again.
“Beau?”
“Right here,” I told him.
He reached for me again, and I let him drag my hand to his chest, over the bandages.
“I didn’t shift fast enough,” he whispered, voice thick and slow.
“You shifted when it mattered.” My voice broke, and I didn’t care. “You kept fighting. I’ve never been so proud.”
He smiled faintly. “You really would’ve killed him.”
“I almost did,” I said.
“But you didn’t.”
“You stopped me,” I told him.
His thumb rubbed my hand in slow, lazy circles. “I knew you’d come.”
That did something to me I couldn’t name. Split me open and stitched me back together in the same breath.
“I’ll always come for you,” I promised.
He drifted back to sleep after that, and I stayed beside him the entire night, watching and waiting.
SEAN
I woke to the smell of antiseptic and distant beeping. Bright, white walls surrounded me, and something soft crinkled under my arms as I shifted.
A hospital room?
My head throbbed like I’d headbutted a train. My ribs ached with every breath. I blinked groggily at the ceiling, confused, until the memories crashed over me like a wave.
The woods.
Vito’s snarling face. His claws. The sick thrill in his voice. Running, shifting, fighting. Beau—
I turned my head, heart already pounding with panic, but it stopped as soon as I saw him.
Beau was there, slouched in the chair beside my hospital bed. His big frame looked too large for the furniture, limbs awkwardly folded in sleep.
His flannel shirt was wrinkled and streaked with dried blood and dirt. He had dark circles under his eyes and stubble on his jaw like he hadn’t shaved in a day or two.
But he was there.
And just seeing him, just knowing I was safe, made the tight knot of anxiety in my chest unwind.
As if he could sense I was awake, Beau stirred with a low grunt and rubbed his eyes. He blinked blearily at me, then smiled. That smile, the one that always made my pulse skip.
“Morning,” he said, voice thick with sleep.
“Morning,” I croaked, voice dry and hoarse.
Beau straightened in his seat, his eyes scanning my face and then dropping to my arms and chest like he needed to check I was still in one piece.
“You stayed all night?” I asked, my gaze flicking to his crumpled clothes. “You’ve still got mud on your jeans.”
“‘Course I did.” He leaned in a little. “Had to watch over my mate.”
My mate. My heart did something weird at those words. Like it hiccuped mid-beat. I flushed, even though I was already warm under the blanket.
Of course, some part of me had always known Beau was the one.
Took you long enough to admit it, my wolf muttered in irritation, his tail flicking.
I just needed more time. I didn’t want to drag him into my mess, I reminded him.
I know, he whispered back.
“I appreciate it,” I said quietly, unable to hold back the smile tugging at my lips.
Beau smiled right back, warm and steady, and reached out to brush a hand gently along my hairline, careful of the bandage on my temple.
“You scared the hell out of me, Sean,” he said.
“Scared myself, too,” I admitted. “I thought I was gonna be wolf chow.”
“You fought back. Shifted. Held your own. I was proud of you.”
That heat in my face deepened, and I couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment or something deeper. Beau rose from the chair, stretching with a satisfying crack of his back.
“Alright. I need to grab us something from the cafeteria before I gnaw my own arm off. You okay if I run down for a bit?” Beau asked.
“I think I’ll survive,” I said with a sleepy grin.
When Beau left, the room felt a little emptier, less anchored. But I busied myself with adjusting the thin hospital blanket and scooting over in bed to make room.
It was a narrow mattress, and Beau was not a narrow man, but I still wanted him next to me. I tucked the blanket back and waited.
Ten minutes later, he returned balancing two foam containers and a pair of coffees. He paused when he saw the space I’d made, raising an eyebrow.
“You sure about this?” he asked, already grinning. “I take up more than half a king-size bed, let alone that glorified cot.”
“You calling me small?” I asked.
“I’m calling me big,” he said, chuckling as he set the containers down.
Beau kicked off his boots, climbed into the narrow bed with surprising gentleness, and situated himself so that his shoulder was pressed to mine and his arm curled protectively around my waist.
We somehow made it work, even though his feet hung off the end of the mattress.
“Cozy,” I mumbled as he handed me a plastic fork and opened the lid of my tray.
“Hospital pancakes. Five-star cuisine,” he said, already stabbing into his eggs.
I leaned against him, grateful for the warmth, and ate in content silence. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so safe.
That quiet was broken a few minutes later by the sound of the door swinging open.
“Whoa, whoa, are we interrupting something?” Leo’s voice rang out, far too gleeful for this hour of the morning.
I looked up to see the whole crew crowding in: Leo, Dorian, Cassian, and Rafael, arms full of flowers, balloons, and what looked like a basket of muffins.
Beau gave a lazy, smug grin and kissed the top of my head. “Little late now.”
I turned about ten shades of red.
Rafael rolled his eyes with a half-smile. “Glad to see you awake. We were worried.”
“Thanks,” I said. “You guys didn’t have to bring all this.”
Cassian raised an eyebrow. “You survived a psycho wolf attack during a baking competition. This is the least we could do.”
“We made muffins,” Dorian added. “Leo tried to make a banner, but it just said ‘Yay, You Didn’t Die.’”
Leo shrugged. “I thought it was catchy.”
Beau grunted and shifted to sit up, extricating himself from the bed and letting the others crowd around me.
He stood behind them with crossed arms, still radiating protective energy but letting me enjoy the attention.
“Any word on Orin and Vito?” he asked Rafael.
Rafael’s smile faded. “Yeah. They’re in police custody. The sheriff’s got a deputy posted at the clinic keeping an eye on them. Miller said an agent from the Paranormal Police is supposed to swing by and take over. Someone’ll probably stop by today to get our statements.”
Beau nodded, unsurprised. “Figured.”
Leo leaned in and mock-whispered, “If you guys need a distraction to make a run for it, I can stage a muffin-related emergency.”
“We’re not fugitives, Leo,” I said, laughing.
“Yet.”
The mood stayed light. The others didn’t stay long, just long enough to check in and leave me with more baked goods than I could possibly eat.
As they filtered out one by one, Rafael was the last to pause in the doorway.
He glanced at Beau. “You did good. We’ve got things covered back at the shop. Take your time.”
Beau gave him a short nod. “Thanks, Rafe.”
When the door closed behind them, the room felt soft and quiet again. Beau came to sit back at the edge of the bed, eyes searching mine.
“You feeling okay?” Beau asked.
“Better,” I said honestly. “Still sore. But… better.”
He reached for my hand, calloused fingers sliding against mine. He held it gently, like he didn’t want to break me. But I leaned into it, squeezing back.
His gaze met mine and something in his expression shifted. It turned serious. Gentle, but serious.
“Sean,” he said, voice low, “move in with me.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“Move in,” he repeated, brushing his thumb across my knuckles. His touch was warm and steady, like everything else about him. “I don’t want to spend another night wondering if you’re safe. I want you home. With me.”
My throat tightened, but in a good way. The way it does when something beautiful sneaks up on you.
“You’re sure?” I whispered, not because I doubted him, but because I needed to hear it again. Needed to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
He gave a soft huff, a half-laugh wrapped in a breath of affection.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything. I want to wake up with you next to me. I want to fall asleep knowing you’re under the same roof. I want to cook breakfast with you in your pajama pants and argue about which playlist to use. I want the everyday with you, Sean.”
The words wrapped around my heart like warm sunlight, melting fear, doubt, all the brittle pieces I hadn’t realized I was still holding onto.
I swallowed hard, then nodded, voice thick with emotion.
“Yeah. Okay. I’ll move in,” I told him, the words blooming in my chest like a promise I didn’t know I’d been aching to give.
Beau let out a breath like he’d been holding it for hours, then leaned down to kiss me. Slow and sweet and grounding.
His lips moved against mine with all the care in the world, as if he knew I’d been broken once and was offering himself as a safe place to land.
My wolf purred contentedly, curling around that kiss like a treasured thing.
When he pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against mine, his voice dropped to a whisper. “Welcome home, Sean.”