Winter was soon settling into the land and this time Jack absolutely loved it. Before he had hated the season with a passion, as his red cape made him stick out like a sore thumb.
But lately, he had started to grow on the red fabric. All due to the love of his life and mate Kaiden, who seemed absolutely smitten with the boy whenever he was dressed in his dark leather pants and the red cape flowing in the wind.
In fact, there had been several occasions where Jack had been ravished by his wolf, last night being one of them. He flushed brightly as he could still remember his shock as Kaiden had laid him down near the lake, spread out over his own cloak before his wolf had made sure he was feeling encredibly hot and sated.
He rubbed over his stomach, feeling the flat muscles twitch underneath and wondered how it would feel to have a young one inside. To actually feel it move around in his stomach as it grew. He tried to imagine how it would be, to be pregnant with Kaiden's pup.
At times he had observed the pups in the pack, how caring and loving the parents were and he had felt a deep longing. Jack couldn't help it, but he missed his mother badly. What would she'd think of Kaiden?
Would she approve their relationship? And if she had, would she come over to live with the pack or would she have remained in the village? Jack shook his head at that, already knowing the answer. His mother hated the village as much as he did.
She had been free spirited and headstrong, a rare combination for a female in their time. Most women he knew were meek, nodding their heads at their husbands as soon as they roared and served their every whim.
Jack had been witness of men beating around their wives, calling it their right and their way of teaching their spouses of how to behave in certain company. Suffice it to say, Jack was absolutely disgusted with such behavior.
Yet here in the pack, they were equals. Jack had seen both men and women staying at home, women going to hunt, forage or chop wood while the men stayed home to nurture the children. He doubted that most of the men in the human village knew how to change a diaper.
They were only there to boast about their offspring, suppress their wives and to create more offspring, with their wives or not.
Arms wrapped around his waist, causing Jack to jump slightly as he was scared out of his thought process. The calming scent and familiar warmth of his wolf instantly calmed him down and he relaxed, sighing as Kaiden rested his chin on the top of his head.
"Good morning love." Kaiden murmured in his ear before placing a gentle kiss against his temple, pulling Jack just a tad bit closer against his body. The wolf yawned, stretching slightly before he licked his lips and looked out the window that Jack had been staring at.
"Still snowing I see. I'll need to make sure there isn't too much build up on the roof." He yawned again and Jack shivered at the thought of going outside. He had heard the wind howl during the night and hadn't slept as well as he used to.
And his wolf knew it, judging from the eyes he felt burning on his cheeks and the dark patches underneath his own eyes. Jack couldn't help it though; the past few years he had been forced to keep watch, always afraid one of the villagers would sneak in his home in the middle of the night.
Waking up at the slightest sound was a hard habit to break.
Kaiden gave his hips a reassuring squeeze before the wolf stepped back, checking the basket of firewood before huffing slightly as he realized he'd have to venture to their stash outside to get the stove burning if he wanted to prepare them a warm breakfast.
Lucky for Kaiden, wolves had a much higher body temperature and thus he could easily go outside without being duffle in as thickly as Jack would. He still remembered last night's walk, where Jack had been barely visible in all the layers he had worn to not feel the cold.
When Kaiden stepped out through the front door and checked the roof, he was relieved to see that the snow above wasn't that thick. But still, it would be great to try and get some of it down. If there was another blizzard in the upcoming days, he didn't want to be caught out in the snow while trying to prevent his house from collapsing.
Even just the thought of it collapsing with Jack inside made him feel on edge. Suddenly the snow that had accumulated on the roof seemed to be life threatening and he quickly went to work.
He first grabbed a good haul of firewood, catching Jack just as he was dressing up to fetch it himself. After playfully scolding his mate, gently guiding him back in the safety and warmth of their home, Kaiden turned his attention to the rooftop.
It took him a good hour or so to get most of the snow off but Kaiden was happy he did it when he got back inside. Jack was poking up the fire, smiling as his wolf entered and shook the snow off of him.
Some animal habits were just impossible to ignore it seemed.
It was only when Kaiden looked back up and noticed Jack's amused stare, that the wolf blushed slightly, clearing his throat as he scratched at the back of his neck. He just smiled sheepishly and watched as Jack chuckled, shaking his head while cleaning up the mess Kaiden had just created.
While Jack cleaned up, Kaiden toes off his boots and hung his jacket to dry before turning around. It seemed that Jack had already started up cooking, as the cabin was filled with an enticing aroma that made Kaiden's stomach growl with a vengeance.
Despite the human society's belief of eating only twice a day in fear of falling to gluttony, it seemed that Jack didn't care for that. Then again, Kaiden suspected his mate wasn't one of the god-fearing sort.
Jack used a few thick towels to remove the pot of porridge from the fire, smiling as Kaiden quickly went to help dish out the food. They both knew there was more than enough meat to get through the winter and that, if they ever ran out, Kaiden could easily go out hunting in his wolf form.
So Kaiden grinned when he noticed the slices of crispy bacon, the smoked ham on the table and the fresh loaf of bread that seemed to call his name.
There were several other pots on the stove but one stern glance from Jack made Kaiden back off with an excited grin, knowing his cute little mate was preparing a surprise dinner for tonight. Over time, Jack had flourished in the kitchen and discovered his love for cooking.
He was always eager to feed Kaiden some of his newly made dishes and after a few reluctant yet successful tries, Kaiden was looking forwards to sample anything Jack made.
"It looks and smells delicious darling." Kaiden praised as he took a seat. He sniffed and nearly salivated as he unintentionally caught a whiff of the lamb stew that was still simmering on the stove.
"Thank you." Jack blushed cutely, making the wolf chuckle before he frowned when he noticed Jack seemed a bit distracted. "What's wrong love?" The wolf murmured, reaching out to gently caress Jack's hand.
A sigh left Jack's lungs, which only served to deepen Kaiden's frown but understanding filled his gaze when his mate whispered, "I'm worried about Verona."
Ah...
Kaiden didn't know what to say. By now the whole pack knew of Verona's decaying health and everyone was distraught by the news. Verona had been moved in with the Alpha pair and kept under close supervision.
Even though death was near for the old witch, she kept on smiling and said that her time wasn't ripe just yet. She was still waiting for her replacement to arrive before she would allow herself her eternal rest.
"Jack, my love...Death is a part of Life, unfortunately. Verona is an old, old witch and she's accepted her fate." Kaiden spoke softly, trying to reassure his little mate while at the same time convincing himself of the truth.
"I-I know but still... I worry for her. Chris and I visited last afternoon, when you and Rowan went out hunting. Kaiden, it looked like she's barely hanging on."
The wolf swallowed thickly at that, neglecting his food and stretching out his arms when he saw the moisture fill and spill over in Jack's eyes.
"I know darling, I know. Its going to hurt when its time but she'll be able to join her loved ones. We can't deny her that." Kaiden whispered, hugging his mate closer as Jack sniffed quietly. He could feel the boy nod against his throat and sighed, relaxing as they simply cuddled, enjoying the comfort they provided to one another.
Kaiden's nose twitched as Jack's hair tickled it and for a moment he could've sworn he caught a scent that was oddly familiar. Yet unusual on his mate.
He quickly sniffed again, wolf waking up and trying to taste the air for any changes before his inner beast whined and shook its head. Odd... he could've sworn he smelled something....
But what?