It had happened.

Jack's shoulders were slumped down as he held his stomach with one hand, the other pressed over his mouth to muffle the sobs. His whole body jarred with the effort to contain his sadness, muscles quivering as he sagged against his mate. Kaiden stood beside him but was no better off, as tears poured freely over the wolf's face.

The entire pack had gathered around the house, solemn faces everywhere before a single, mourning howl started up. Voices joined into the sorrowful song until the entire pack was giving voice to their pain.

Jack sniffed, hiding his face in Kaiden's chest. He couldn't bare to watch the sadness of the mourning wolves, nor could he look at Verona, however peaceful she might be. The witch had tried her best to hold on for as long as she could, but death didn't care about mortal needs.

It had arrived in the darkest, quietest hour of the night and robbed Verona of her last breath as everyone was fast asleep. They had found her lifeless husk in the morning, a tender smile on her lips as she was finally at peace.

Still, the pack was now torn apart, mourning her loss and hoping that the new witch would arrive soon. Verona did leave a few notes behind, estimates on when the witch would arrive and how they'd look like but nothing too concrete.

The witch's death reminded everyone that even with their immortality, Death was always lurking just around the corner. Their false immortality could be broken if their wounds were too great, or most likely, when they lost their mates forever.

Such an event was enough to fracture and shatter the strongest of minds.

They buried the witch according to customs and placed her at the roots of an ancient tree, in the middle of pack grounds. After it was done, they made sure to plant wild flower seeds all over the grave, to make the gravesite look more vibrant and alive.

People lingered around the grave, mournful howls combined with the pained wails from the humans woven into a painful song and made Jack shiver to the bone. He'd been too young to remember the burial of his papa, and his momma was...

More tears streamed down his cheeks as he remembered how he'd had to dig her grave and burry her himself. How he had to clean his mama's corpse and be reminded of how she died-

Arms wrapped around him, a hand cupping the back of his head and pulled him in a beacon of warmth and security. The scent of his lover soothed his worries and both had to chuckle as Jack's belly was squeezed in between them, reminding the pair of their little one, as if it was vying for their attention too.

A fluttery sensation in his stomach made Jack blink and frown slightly. It was a ticklish sensation, as if bubbles were popping inside his belly... His fingers traced the taunt skin of his stomach, past where his belly button was threatening to bulge out before he paused and gasped in awe.

"What? What's wrong?" Kaiden asked at his gasp, looking down at his mate and nostrils flaring for any possible threat. After the death of Verona, his instincts were overreacting and keeping him on his toes.

Jack shook his head, unable to speak as he carded the fingers of his left hand through Kaiden's and then guided their hands to Jack's right hand. For a moment they both fell silent before a new wave of tears announced themselves.

Kaiden pulled Jack closer to his body, blubbering and sobbing as he could feel the baby's gentle kicks from where his stomach was pressed against Jack's. Now it was the human comforting the were, carding fingers through hair and making cooing sounds.

"I guess the little one wants to get some attention too." Jack smiled through his tears and rubbed over his stomach. The baby seemed to follow his fingers, nudging and kicking along and stretching the skin the tiniest bit.

Without saying a word, Kaiden lifted Jack into his arms and made his way to their cabin. He didn't want to have Jack out in the cold for too long, and he knew that todays events would take their toll on both of them.

Still, it was awesome to feel their little one and to be reminded of the life they created. Both were curious to what the baby's gender would be... was it a precious little girl, or a little boy that would resemble them both?

He was so stuck in his daydreams of a little one at their bed, waking them cheerfully in the morning, that Jack had to pinch him to get his attention. "Kaiden, you walked past our home..."

A deep blush warmed Kaiden's cheeks as he cleared his throat and quickly backtracked, closing the door behind him and undressing Jack tenderly. The pair slowly walked to their bathroom, where Kaiden drew Jack a hot bath.

Jack sighed in relaxation as he dipped under the steamy water, blushing slightly as he noticed Kaiden's obvious arousal, though the wolf didn't make any advances...yet. Kaiden simply nudged Jack forwards, making room for him to step in the bath and join Jack.

They both smiled as Kaiden's arms easily found his arms around Jack's stomach, fingers massaging his protruding belly and instinctively finding all the aches and pains before rubbing them away.

Jack's eyes nearly rolled back in his head and he was quite sure that the only reason he wasn't drowning was because of Kaiden's secure hold on his body. But hell, that wolf had magic fingers!

His thoughts instantly sobered as he thought of Verona, mood destroyed instantly as he sagged against his mate. Kaiden seemed to pick up on his thoughts and hugged his mate closer, lips caressing his shoulder and neck gently.

"Its going to be alright love. You'll see." He sighed deeply, resting his brow against Jack's shoulder, tickling his bare skin with his warm breath. "It was her time... she tried to fight it for as long as she could but, death waits for no-one."

Jack sighed, knowing that Kaiden spoke the truth. "And time doesn't give a damn...even though its supposed to heal all wounds." He remarked sarcastically before squealing as Kaiden dug his fingers in Jack's hips, tickling his mate till the point that water splashed over the edge of the tub and soaked the floor.

Their laughter filled the room as Jack was tugged out of the bath tub and gently tossed on the bed, heat filling their gazes. Kaiden fell in Jack's loving embrace, always aware and gentle of the growing life in between them.

They knew it was safe and wouldn't harm their baby in any way. Kaiden was determined to make Jack forget about Verona's passing and would keep his mind off of the sadness that had darkened their day.

And he kept his promise; throughout the night Jack had nothing to think about except for Kaiden's hands roaming over his body, his lips creating a blazing fire in his loins and the pleasure that threatened to drive him mad.

Come dawn they were both exhausted, laying cuddled up to one another and breathing heavily. Their little one was squirming in Jack's belly, making them both chuckle tiredly and sigh. They'd miss Verona... everyone would.

But she would always remain in their hearts.