In a Heartbeat (MxM)

Chapter 22

A/N: Another longer chapter! Enjoy some soft Simon and Sam moments :) (who knows when it'll end lol). Let me know what you guys think, vote, comment, etc. Part one of this book is almost over, I'm thinking 4 more chapters. I've also posted the prologue of Dwaine and Grant's side story, Love in the Dark. It's extremely short, but I hope to have the first chapter done soon, so check it out if you'd like!

Thanks for the reads, votes, and comments thus far! 

Chapter 22

Simon's POV

"You've done this before, haven't you?"

Sam watched in awe as I helped clear the newborn's airways, handing the pup towards Belle, the mother wolf as she cleaned the rest of the amniotic fluid off the pup's gray fur. I wiped my hands clean as I rested my hand on Belle's back, giving her a soothing stroke as I looked back up at Sam.

"I volunteered a lot in my old pack," I explained. "I helped my mother with the pregnant wolves."

He smiled. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Some silence went by as we soothed the young mother, reassuring her, the pup nestled next to her chest to eat. Sam mentioned there were two more pups, so it was safe to assume we'd have another couple of hours till she safely delivered all her pups.

Most werewolves tended to have their children in their human form, it made things a lot easier, but there were some that rather go through with it in their wolf forms. It was quicker and less painful in their wolf forms, but it required a lot of timing and safety precautions beforehand. Shifting was not recommended after the end of the first few weeks, so for rogues, many didn't know they were pregnant until it was too late to shift. Belle had been one of those rogues who simply didn't know.

She had told me the broad details of how she ended up here earlier. Her mate had been one of the many RC betas from my old pack. Lucky for her, he had no qualms with being with her, only she wouldn't be allowed to enter or even apply to be a member. The rules had gotten stricter since I left and she said it would take at least ten years to be assimilated into the pack, ten years for her to raise these young pups on her own, an impossible feat. A single mother wolf with just one pup would be a challenge alone, with three, I feared for Belle's life, and for these young pups. So she sought shelter here, a literal oasis. I only hoped she'd be alright on her own, or that her mate would help her in every way possible.

"Is it alright if I ask you a question, Simon?" Sam tapped my hand. I nodded, watching as Belle closed her eyes in exhaustion from delivering her first pup.

"You're from that pack nearby, right?" He asked. "The large one, right off the main road near the mountain and lake?"

I gulped. "It's been a long time, but yes."

He frowned. "I was just curious if it was true, what these patients have been telling me. If it is really strict and malevolent as they make it seem."

My hand stopped brushing Belle's fur. I didn't know how to answer. In a way it was, but a part of me knew that there were worse packs out there. Our pack didn't fight other packs, we didn't exploit the wild game nearby. But there were definitely better ones. In a way, it wasn't the pact that was strict, but the alpha himself.

He reached a tentative hand toward my clenched fist. "Sorry if it's a touchy subject. You don't have to answer, Simon."

"No, no." I shook my head. "It's fine. It's just, I guess it wasn't so bad when I left. Sure I got kicked out, but I wouldn't say everyone there is bad."

I thought of the old friends I had there. And how Xavier and Lucas turned out pretty decent.

"Hmm," he stopped to think at first. "I figured things were pretty rough with the amount of patients I've been seeing. Many complained that they weren't offering medical help anymore, so I wondered if maybe the rumors about the alpha were true."