Willow Creek Werewolves - Ben & Tanner - Chapter 10 (final part, sfw) (Patreon)

Here's the conclusion to my first story in the Willow Creek Werewolves universe! As Ben and Tanner's story comes to a close, I'd like to thank those who've followed it to the end, and who've taken the time to comment and get involved in their tale. It means the world to me.

Having said that, I don't know if people were just waiting for the final chapter so you wouldn't be left on a cliffhanger, or if you've got werewolf fatigue, but either way, I've decided to shunt Caleb and his human's story down the 'to do' list in terms of priority. I'll focus on sharing other monster romance stories with you all for the time being, and return to Willow Creek in the future when Caleb's story is completely written and ready to go. That way, those of you who are into the universe can have it on a weekly release schedule.

Anyway, the whole story is 54,503 words long, and I've enjoyed writing it so much. These two, and the universe, have come to mean a lot to me in the process.

Content: tooth-rotting levels of fluff and comfort, mention of non-fatal gunshot wound/injury, passing mention of PTSD relating to past injury (Tanner), mate-bonds

Wordcount: 3176

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When Ben woke next, it was to a dull, radiating pain deep in his left shoulder and a delicious warmth pressed all the way along his right side. Something heavy was also resting at the hollow of his right shoulder while he lay on his back on a deliciously soft bed. 

He groaned, blinked slowly, and looked down to find a mass of dark, wavy hair filling his vision. The person lifted their head sharply, and as his vision sharpened into better focus, Ben saw Tanner’s dark eyes go wide and fill with emotion. 

“Ben,” he breathed, and as Tanner shifted against his side, Ben realised that the pressure he’d felt across his stomach had been Tanner’s arm flung across his torso while the two of them had lain there in a bed that wasn’t his usual one above the horse barn. 

“Hey,” he croaked. “What happened?” Looking around them, he recognised the muted pastels of the guest room in the main farmhouse. 

“You got shot,” Tanner said, and his expression crumpled as if he’d just taken a bullet in his chest too. “Fuck, Ben… You got shot because of me…” He bowed his head back down, closing his eyes and laying his forehead on Ben’s right pec as if he’d grown suddenly dizzy and short of breath, and he squeezed him round the middle so hard Ben wheezed. “I went for him and the gun went off.”

“You saved my life, as far as I remember it,” Ben said when he’d recovered enough breath to talk and Tanner eased up a little. He started stroking the fingers of his right hand through Tanner’s glossy, thick hair, feeling the silk-soft waves pass through his fingers for a few moments before he said, “The guy was gonna shoot me right in the face, Tan. Didn’t like that I was with a wolf. Thought it was wrong.” 

If he thought about it too hard, he could see Logan’s ugly expression and hear the disgust lacing his words like venom. He shuddered and decided to focus on Tanner in his arms instead. 

At his words, Tanner gave a deep, inhuman growl from where he was still lying half on top of him, with his face buried at Ben’s good shoulder. 

“I hope the fucker tasted good.”

“Disgusting,” Tanner spat as he lifted his head and looked him in the eye. “But he’s dead. The others too.”

“How’s Junie? And Mac?”

“They’re ok. The two hunters protected them. Junie was the one who shot the guy in the leg — the one I got when he ran outside. Softened him up for me.” 

“Bloody hell,” Ben exhaled. “How long was I out?”

“About six hours,” Tanner mumbled. “Hester gave you something to make you sleep after she stitched you up.” Tanner kissed him on the chest. After a long pause, he sighed and said, “Your aunt and Mac will want to know you’re awake. I should… go tell them…”

“Just a minute longer?” Ben murmured, stroking his head again. “I don’t want you to move.”

“You realise my wolf and I are never leaving your side again after this,” Tanner laughed weakly against his bare chest.

“Fine by me…” he sighed, and closed his eyes. 

He didn’t remember drifting off again after that, but over the next few days he learned that the bullet had only grazed him, and while it had bled a lot, it had been pretty superficial and Hester had been able to disinfect it and stitch it on site. Mac had carried him up into the spare bedroom in the farmhouse instead of taking him up to the loft above the horses, and Tanner had refused to leave the room ever since. 

One afternoon, after two days and a lot of bed rest — which mostly consisted of cuddling with Tanner and watching bad movies on Ben’s laptop while more snow piled down outside — Ben turned to Tanner and said, “I’m gonna go downstairs. I’m starting to feel a bit… claustrophobic in here, and I’m mostly healed.”

Tanner looked reluctant, his big brown eyes going wide and wary. 

“Don’t look at me like that, you big puppy,” Ben snorted, bopping him lightly on the nose with his fingertip. “I’m fine.” He pulled the neck of his t-shirt aside to show the gauze pad that sat over his left trapezius muscle. He’d been very lucky the bullet had only glanced off him, nicking the skin and avoiding the bone, and anything more vital. “Tanner, look at me. I’m fine, and this is not your fault.”

Beneath the surface of his mirror-dark eyes, Ben could see the lingering trauma from Tanner’s own gunshot wounds coming back to him as he fought to stay calm for a moment, and his heart went out to him. He reached for him and drew him down onto the bed one more time, letting him nuzzle up against him and cover him in his scent. 

“I love you, Tanner,” he said against his hair. “I’m here. I’m here, and I’m alright. It’s ok.”

Tanner’s arms tightened around his ribs where he was practically flopped out on top of him now, his painful leg cradled protectively in between Ben’s for the time being. “I love you,” he whimpered desperately against Ben’s neck, his hands clawing at Ben’s ribcage as if he could open him up and crawl inside him next to his heart. “You’re my mate, Ben. I can’t live without you.”

“You won’t have to,” he said. “The hunters have gone, Nico’s all healed up already, and no one else was badly hurt. We’ll figure the rest out. Ok?” He rubbed his hands in soothing circles over the soft, black fabric covering Tanner’s lean back and shoulders and then said, “I love you, but I have got to get out of this room before I go insane.”

Tanner huffed a weak laugh and nodded, then carefully rolled off him to sit on the edge of the bed with both feet on the floor. He glanced down over his right shoulder at Ben, who was still lying half-slumped into the pillows, and Ben held out his right hand. 

Understanding what was being offered, Tanner took it, letting Ben steady him as he got stiffly to his feet, wincing a little as his left leg bore his weight without the support of his cane which was leaning against the nearby bedside table. Ben held his right hand and assisted him while he went to get it, and while it was briefly held in his left hand, Ben let Tanner tug him upright without breaking their contact, and got himself out of bed. 

Standing together beside the bed, Ben tilted his head up and kissed Tanner. It started out as a light brush of his lips against Tanner’s, but the wolf’s eyes flared suddenly gold and rolled back in his head, and his right hand went to Ben’s waist. He tugged him in close and moaned into the deepening kiss until Ben had to draw back, a little dazed and more than a bit amused. “I love you,” he said, “But I really need a shower. And to brush my teeth.”

“Don’t care,” Tanner mumbled, holding him at the hip still and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Love you.”

“You,” Ben grinned as he shook his head and gently pried himself out of Tanner’s grasp, “Are one soppy wolf. Please let me have my shower now though, mn?”

“Don't get —”

“I won’t get it wet!” he called over his shoulder as he made his way towards the bathroom, and Tanner growled briefly. “Stop fussing, wolfie, and go get me something to eat. I’m starving. Isn’t that what mates are supposed to do? Provide for each other?”

Tanner let the growl fully out of his chest and the sound blossomed in the quiet of the room while the snow settled in a thick wedge on the windowsills outside. “If you’re not careful I’ll hunt you an entire fucking deer to deal with.”

“Love you too, Tanner,” Ben called brightly from the bathroom as he started to close the door. 

Just before it shut, Ben watched Tanner shake his head and smile privately to himself, then he clicked it closed and began the laborious process of freshening himself up without getting the dressing wet. 

When he came downstairs twenty minutes later, he found Tanner seated at the kitchen table, with Junie and Mac standing together against the counter by the window, each with a coffee cup in their hands. All three of them paused their conversation and turned to look at Ben as he crossed the threshold. 

His eyes went to the tall, grizzled man standing next to his aunt, and he halted, smiling. “Mac,” he murmured. 

Somehow it didn’t feel entirely real seeing him there again after so much time. He was the same, only a little older and a little greyer, and all the cuts on his face had healed over to leave only the faintest pink lines on his skin. They would have faded entirely by summer. 

“Hey, kid,” Mac smiled back at him. “Good to see you up on your feet again.”

Junie had been in to see him of course, bringing him meals and coming to keep him and Tanner up to date on everything that was going on between the hunters and Shane’s pack, but he’d not seen Mac since the night it’d all kicked off. 

“How are you?” Ben asked, kicking his feet back into motion as Tanner got slowly up out of his chair at the kitchen table, slotted his cane into his right hand, and began to make his way towards him. It was as if he couldn’t bear to be too far away from him, and honestly, Ben felt the same. 

His limp was sharper and more pronounced than it had been in a while, but as Tanner came up beside him, he slid his left arm around Ben’s waist and Ben felt him physically relax at the contact; spine slackening as the connection was restored. Guilt twisted in him, knowing he could never give Tanner the other half of the mate-bond that his wolf so craved. Instead, he nuzzled his nose against Tanner’s neck, just below his ear, and pressed a chaste kiss there. 

“I’m ok,” he whispered, and Tanner tilted his head against Ben’s in silent reply. 

When Ben looked up, he found that Mac had been watching their exchange, and he had a small, wry smile on his handsome, rugged face. It still showed signs of strain, given the hell he’d been put through by the rogue hunters, but wolves healed quickly. At least physically. “You’re more wolf than I am,” he chuckled softly, “The way you are with each other.”

“That a bad thing?” Ben laughed. His shoulder was thudding painfully in time with his heartbeat, but he wanted to avoid taking another painkiller for the time being. Tanner gave a soft whine though, and he sighed. “I’m good, Tanner.” 

“Smell like pain,” Tanner whispered in his ear. 

“I am in pain, but it’s ok. I’m human, Tan. It’s gonna take me longer to heal than you guys. Trust me though, I’ll take something later before I go back to bed.”

Tanner accepted with a reluctant nod, and Ben turned his attention back to Mac, who shrugged. “No, kid. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just weird, given that I left all this behind because you didn’t know about werewolves, and then you end up mated to one from the next ranch over.”

Tanner lifted his dark eyes to Mac’s face and gave a shyly lopsided smile. His hand skimmed across Ben’s lower back, pressing against his spine just above his jeans for a moment. 

Ben looked from Mac to Junie and back again, then asked, “So… What happens now? Are you gonna stay?”

Mac inhaled slowly and let his gaze slide from Tanner to Ben. “Your aunt and I have been talking a bit about that while you two have been upstairs. It all kinda depends on your pack, Tanner.”

“I can’t see Shane having a problem with you,” Tanner shrugged. “You’re not the only wolf in the area who’s not a core member of our pack — there are other small satellite groups and lone wolves. So long as you swear loyalty to Shane and the Raven Tree Pack, he’ll probably let you stay here.”

An idea that had been rattling around Ben’s head for a while suddenly dropped through his brain like a penny down a wishing well, and he turned to look at Tanner. “Would he let you stay here too?”

“I already live here,” Tanner frowned. “You feeling ok?”

Ben laughed and popped briefly up on his toes to kiss his cheek. He hadn’t shaved that day, and it was a little rougher than usual. Ben found that he liked it a lot. “No, silly, not ‘here’ as in ‘Willow Creek’ — ‘here’ as in ‘on our ranch’.”

The colour drained a touch from Tanner’s cheeks and his expression went carefully neutral. 

“Sorry,” Ben blurted. “I didn’t mean to spring it on you like that. Don’t give me an answer now. I just… We could have our own little satellite pack here, is all I was thinking. Like… not a challenge to Shane or anything, but… you know. A bit separate.” 

Mac and Tanner shared a look that was purely wolf, some silent communication seeming to pass between them without the need for words, and then Mac gave a little pout and a shrug. “I got no family of my own,” he said slowly. “Junie’s always been the only one for me, so I’ve never looked elsewhere. I got no other roots. If Shane’s ok with it, I’d be honoured to call you Pack, Tanner.”

Tanner bit his lower lip and stared at the kitchen flagstones like they had some prophecy engraved on them that would tell him what to say next. 

Ben turned his back on his aunt and Mac where they stood against the kitchen counter on the other side of the room with their matching coffee mugs and matching expressions, and he put his hands on Tanner’s narrow hips. “Tanner?” 

His glassy, dark eyes lifted but he didn't speak. 

“You don’t have to make a decision now, ok? I’m sorry I sprang that on you out of nowhere. I thought about it while I was lying in bed with you upstairs, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I guess I just want you to know I’m serious about this — about you. Ok? I can’t feel the bond the way you and your wolf can, and I can never give that to you, but you’re it for me, Tanner. I know it.” 

He tightened his hold on Tanner’s lopsided hips enough that the charcoal-grey denim and tough stitching of his jeans almost hurt his skin where he squeezed. Tanner’s left leg was trembling slightly, though whether from the strain of standing on it or from some other emotion, Ben couldn’t tell. 

“If Shane is alright with it, then I’ll come up to Raven Tree and see you every day. I’ll stay over with you if he’ll let me,” Ben went on. “I don't want you to feel like you have to move out of your home just for me, ok? That’s not what I’m saying. Just… there’s a home, and a pack, here for you too, if you want it.”

Tears welled along Tanner’s lower lashes and his dark eyes flared to gold. Still worrying his lower lip between his teeth, he nodded. “Ok,” he rasped eventually.

For a long time, that was all Ben thought he was going to get. 

Tanner stood there, listing more than usual towards his good leg and keeping the weight off his left one, and there was a soft kind of vulnerability to the set of his shoulders and the way his dark eyebrows pinched inwards at the middle. “Ok,” he said again. “I’ll ask him. He’s coming over tomorrow morning to talk about what happens next. Caroline and Lynley and the others are gonna be there too.”

“Where have they been staying?”

“In town,” he said. “They helped Shane dispose of the bodies and then checked into a motel on the west side of town.” He finally raised his golden eyes and met Ben’s gaze. “They felt awful when they realised there were four of these bastards, not three.”

From behind him, Mac cleared his throat and added, “Me too, kid. I only ever saw three of them. They must have pulled in extra support from somewhere on the way over.”

“Caroline said they lost them for a bit. Maybe that’s when they met up with the last one. Anyway, it’s done now,” Ben said, glancing back at Mac over his right shoulder. “Hopefully that’s the last of it.”

Mac nodded, and pulled Junie close to his side too. 

For a moment, both couples just stood there, human and werewolf, soaking up the presence of their mates in the winter afternoon light. 

Ben rested his forehead on Tanner’s collarbone and after a moment of silence, he heard how fast Tanner’s heart was beating. 

He slid his arms around Tanner’s waist and squeezed him, feeling how solid his lean torso was and how the warmth of his body radiated out from his core. Tanner rumbled something deep and low and completely inhuman in his chest and Ben smiled into the fabric of his black t-shirt while Tanner traced circles with his left hand over Ben’s back. 

Junie gave a big sigh and said, “You want something to eat? There’s leftovers from last night in the fridge I can reheat for you.”

“Thanks, Junie,” Ben nodded, and he and Tanner made their way to the table. 

They watched the way Mac and Junie moved in and out of one another in the kitchen, and Ben smiled. It was like they’d been doing it for years, not days, and he bit his lip as fresh emotions rose to the surface. Mac wasn’t his father or anything, but with him there again, and Tanner by his side, the farmhouse felt full once more, and his family felt… whole. Complete. 

Tanner’s hand slid across his fingers where he had rested them on the scrubbed, wooden surface of the kitchen table, and Ben looked up at him. 

For a long time, they just held each other’s gaze, but slowly, Tanner nodded. 

“Yes,” he said, so softly that Ben nearly missed the word. 

“Yes?”

“Yes, I want to live here. With you.” He cast his dark eyes across the room at Mac and then back at Ben, and finished, “As Pack.”

A grin split Ben’s face and he gripped Tanner’s hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed his knuckles. “Guess we’d better ask Shane tomorrow then.”

“Yeah,” Tanner rasped, as a single tear spilled over his lashes and down his cheek. “Yeah, I guess so.”

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Hope you enjoyed it!

Link to my masterlist of stories is pinned on Patreon and linked here.