A/N: Wow, it's been a long time! But, I finally got my act together and finished the last chapter to A Beautiful Sadness. It's been in the works for a long time, and I hope everyone enjoys it. I'm kinda sad that I'm completely done with this story, but I have a lot of new ideas, so on to the next story! This has been my most enjoyed story so far, so I hope that this is a fitting ending to the story. Thank you everyone for your reviews and your support, and now on to the story..

Thanks as always,

-wolfgangwalker

-A Beautiful Sadness-

"Sometimes love means letting go when you want to hold on tighter"

-Melissa Marr

The Final Chapter: Of Princesses and Howls

Chaos took hold of the previously tranquil day, and shaped it into a panic that rooted itself deep into the atmosphere around the altar. But Humphrey was immune from this bedlam. All he could focus on was Kate's vacant figure, and how she looked so peaceful as she lay still on the cold hard earth. Even spattered in red, she still proved to be more beautiful than any wolf Humphrey had ever known.

The blood was beginning to pool around her now, draping Kate in a dress of sickly crimson. Everyone was in a panic now. Turmoil had successfully erupted across the valley, and wolves had already begun to argue amongst themselves over who was at fault for the killing of the future leader of the western pack. In the mounting chaos, no one noticed as Kate opened one eye and looked out among the aftermath of her wedding day.

Her gaze darted around frantically until she was able to find Humphrey, standing alone in the middle of the panic. He was looking at the ground now, a blank expression securely fastened to his face. She couldn't tell what was wrong with him, until she noticed the tears falling bitterly from his face.

And then she realized why he was crying. She could feel the pain coming from her hind leg, and she knew it was bad. She slowly, agonizingly looked down, and saw her leg. Her eyes widened, and she took a deep breath as to belt a scream, but she was too weak to make a sound. Slowly, Kate began to feel lightheaded as her eye began to close, exhausting the warm light of day and plunging her into a deep, crushing oblivion.

Kate, you have to stay awake… She thought to herself. For Humphrey, Humphrey, Humphrey…

To Kate, the world went black. Darkness took hold of Kate in its talons, and she was swept somewhere far away…

After the more animated wolves had settled down, some healers came to retrieve Kate. She was quickly moved up the hillside and into the den, where they would try to revive her. But with all of the blood she had spilled, Kate's chances didn't look great. As soon as they got Kate situated in the den, several more wolves rushed to her side and began to treat the grisly cut, which looked worse now than ever.

The hours slowly drifted by, and with every passing second, Humphrey grew more and more anxious. Kate was still being tended to, and she was still unconscious.

Night descended on the valley swiftly, assassinating the last of the blood red sunset and bringing an eerie tranquility to the valley. Humphrey looked over at Kate, halfheartedly believing that she would miraculously wake up right before his eyes, but she remained cold and silent like the belly of the cave harboring her. Humphrey looked down however and saw the shallow, rapid rising and falling of her chest, and knew that she was still clinging to life.

Hang on Kate, just keep breathing. Don't leave me now, not like this…

Humphrey began to feel sick watching Kate, so he decided to go outside the den to catch a breath. He stuck his nose into the wind, and took a gulp of the brisk, refreshing mountain air. His rapidly beating heart began to abate, and for a brief, fleeting moment he forgot about his fears. He sat there for a while, imagining what he would say to Kate when she woke up. He imagined her getting up and running straight to him. He would kiss her, and he would hold her in his arms until the end of time.

In the middle of his uplifting daydream, one of the wolves that had been tending to Kate walked outside to join Humphrey. Humphrey looked over and noticed she had a disconcerting look of frustration and sadness on her face, which meant that she could only be the carrier of disparaging news.

"Your mate-"

"Yes, what's happening with her? Is she going to be ok?" Humphrey began franticly asking her as his eyes widened and his heartbeat accelerated once again.

"It-" The female wolf paused, crafting her words delicately and meticulously, as if she was about to deliver a rousing speech. "She doesn't look good… The wound is patched up for now, but she still isn't regaining consciousness. We- we just don't know what's wrong with her. I don't think that she'll be able to make it through the night. We'll leave you alone with your wife so you can… say your goodbyes."

"Wha- goodbyes? No. No, no, no I'm not saying my goodbyes!" Humphrey shouted at her. "We just got married! We're supposed to have a life together! How can I…" He trailed off. He felt like the life had just been sucked right out of him. In the same day, he had pledged to love Kate forever, and now he was being asked to let her go.

"I'm sorry, you can have as much time as you want with her."

The den was cleared out, leaving only a grief stricken Humphrey and his bride. Humphrey walked up to her reluctantly, still weary with shock. There she was, a slain princess laying on her throne of silent desolation. He couldn't breathe, as he had never stared at the face of death so closely before.

"Kate…" He said with a gulp. "If you can hear this, I need you to wake up. I know you may have never realized this, but I need you… You have to come back to me-"

Humphrey paused and sighed, knowing that there was no way he could coax Kate out of death. He took a moment to clear his throat and to brush away his tears, and continued.

"I know we didn't get a chance to prove our love for each other, but I cherished every single moment I got to spend with you. I guess I still can't believe that you're leaving me, because I can't imagine life without you. I adore you so much, and there is nothing in the world that could make me believe that there is any girl out there who is better than you. You will always be my one… and my only. Goodbye Kate… I love you."

Humphrey couldn't take it any longer, so he turned away and began to walk out of the den. He couldn't help but feel so… alone. Never before in his life had Humphrey felt so lost, and so empty as he stumbled away from Kate.

"You didn't really mean all of that, did you?"

Humphrey flinched as he began to look around, searching for another wolf in the den who could've claimed ownership of the weak voice, but he knew he would find it empty. Empty except for one other.

No, it… couldn't be. Humphrey thought as he began to slowly turn around.

He was met with a pair of beautiful hazel eyes, which looked tired and strained, yet still managed to hold up a glint in the dim light. Kate managed a meager smile at him, and made an attempt to stand up. She cried out however as her leg buckled beneath her, and she collapsed back to the ground.

"Of course I meant it… Every word" Humphrey said as he ran back to Kate in shock as he layed down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. Kate began to inexplicably cry, which in turn made Humphrey teary eyed as well. Kate turned around to face her mate, tears still lining her eyes.

"Kate- I thought I was going to lose you."

Kate strained, but she was able to smile.

"I'm not going anywhere without you. You aren't going to lose me that easily, coyote."

Humphrey smiled, and held Kate even tighter. He began to frown however as his gaze returned to the gash in the side of Kate.

"Kate, I'm sorry… I couldn't defend you, and I let Garth nearly kill you. You deserve an alpha, or at least someone who could've protected you, and then this whole thing wouldn't have even happened."

Kate rolled her eyes as she leaned in close to Humphrey. She could feel his warm, moist breath tickling her face as she leaned up and put her nose gingerly to his ear.

"Humphrey, you never give yourself enough credit. You've saved my life before, and you didn't need to be a stupid alpha to do it. This would have happened even if you had been the strongest alpha ever. You're my brave omega, and I wouldn't want it any other way." She said with a smirk. "Besides, I didn't fall in love with an omega; I fell in love with you."

Kate smiled as she moved her muzzle closer to her mate's and kissed Humphrey. When she pulled back, she could already tell Humphrey was in a much better mood.

"I'm just sorry that you have to see me like this. I feel so weak, and I look terrible-" Kate said, gesturing to her blood-spattered coat.

"Are you kidding me?" Humphrey said with a sly grin. "You look just as beautiful as the day I first met you… the first day I knew that I was crazy in love with you."

"Aw, Humphrey you may not seem like it to anyone else, but I think you're the most charming wolf I've ever met." She said as she gave Humphrey another quick kiss. "And you charmed me without being an alpha."

"Well in my defense you weren't that hard to charm." Humphrey said with a wink. Kate couldn't help but giggle.

Humphrey and Kate laid on the cold, rocky floor, staring into each other's eyes. They stayed like that until one of the wolves came back in to check on the two, and realized that she was awake. All of Kate's healers rushed back into the den in one giant, clamorous wave and immediately and began treating to her once again.

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to leave for a little while." One of the wolves exasperatedly said to Humphrey.

"No!" Kate shouted in desperation, her typical commanding tone making everyone around her jump. "Humphrey please, just stay a little bit longer. Please?"

She reached out a paw to Humphrey, and he took it. How could he not?

"Oh alright, if you insist." Humphrey said to her with a smile.

The healer rolled her eyes, but didn't protest.

Humphrey stayed with Kate through the night as she slept, and got up periodically to make sure she was doing ok. As he watched her sleep, he knew that things could only get better from there.

Several Months Later…

The full moon illuminated the howling rock in a brilliant white light, making the hill look like something out of a dream. The light rippled across two wolves as they walked towards this rock, dancing across their gold and grey coats.

"Humphrey I don't know about this… there are a lot of people here, and it's getting late."

"Are you kidding me? Kate you look great!"

"You know that's not what I'm talking about." Kate said as she walked alongside her mate on their way to the rock.

"Kate the pups are fine. Don't you trust your mom to look after them for one night? I mean, there's no way she's going to let anything happen to her grand pups."

"Yeah... I guess you're right." Kate said with a smile, as she playfully nudged him.

"I'm always right." Humphrey shot back enticingly, nudging his mate back.

"Ah!" Kate cried as she stopped and sat down, clenching her teeth.

"Kate, are you alright?!" Humphrey said as he spun around and made sure Kate was ok. "Did I hit the spot?"

"Yeah- but it's ok, I'm fine." She said smoothly, trying to downplay her pain. She looked down and frowned at the small discolored patch of fur on her hind leg, where there had been a huge gash just months before. She wished that she could silence her pains, but for now she would simply have to put on a brave face and enjoy the night.

"I'm sorry Kate, if this is going to be too much for you, we should just head back."

"Are you kidding me? I haven't howled with my mate in forever, and tonight is the perfect night."

"You said it." Humphrey said, looking up into the abyss above. "There's a full moon, the stars are out, and I've got my stunning alpha with me. This is the perfect night."

Kate and Humphrey finally arrived at the grandeur that was the howling rock, where they were greeted by what seemed to be hundreds of wolves. Kate got the most attention of the night, as she hadn't been seen in public since her pregnancy and her recovery from her wounds. But here she was; strong, dominant, and as beautiful as ever.

She stood tall as her and her mate went to the top of the rock to take their places as the future leaders of the pack. All eyes turned to them expectantly, waiting for them to start off what was promising to be a flawless night.

"Are you ready?" Humphrey asked as he put a paw gingerly to her face and brushed a rogue cluster of hair back over her ear.

"Oh yeah, I'll show you how us alphas howl." Kate replied, with a seductive edge to her voice that made Humphrey's tail wag and made him momentarily lose focus.

"Then bring it on, alpha." Humphrey said with a devious grin.

Kate took a deep breath, and let a sweet melody pour out between her lips. Humphrey looked on in shock as Kate brought her muzzle to the sky and belted her powerful melody to the heavens.

Humphrey could feel all of Kate's blazing inferno of emotion as her voice rang out across the valley. He could tell that she was pouring all of her heart and soul into this one moment, and he knew he would have to do the same to keep up with his alpha companion.

He waited for the perfect moment and then joined in with her howl, mixing his voice veraciously with hers. Kate faltered for a second, as Humphrey's saddening yet powerful tone always had a way of taking her breath away, but she quickly joined back in and sang to the moon like she never had before. Alone, Kate sounded beautiful, but when Humphrey joined in, the two made a breathtaking duet that couldn't be matched. Alpha and omega stood proudly on top of their throne singing to the stars above, and more importantly, to each other.

They both were radiant with an air of supremacy that rendered their audience incapable of criticism. These were the two future leaders of the western pack, and tonight they were definitely commanding the skies above with their flawless performance.

Everything began to move in slow motion for Humphrey as he opened his eyes and looked down upon the crowd that were all staring in awe at the two. His gaze shot over to Kate, who was practically glowing in the silvery moonlight. She had her eyes closed, and he could tell that she was savoring this sweet moment just as much as he was.

After all they had been through, and after almost dying several times, they had finally made it to this point. This was their reward to a well-earned victory, and Humphrey couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as he basked in the glory.

As their voices died down, Kate moved in closer to Humphrey and muzzled his neck affectionately. She stepped back and flashed him a smile, showing off her teeth that rivaled the pure white of the moon above. Humphrey noticed that her flawless smile had played a more prominent role on her face with every passing day.

"What?" Kate asked, noting the wildly arrogant smile on her lovers face.

"Nothing." Humphrey said as he leaned in and licked her cheek. "I guess I just realized that I'm probably the luckiest wolf in Jasper right now."

"And what makes you such a lucky wolf?" She asked, half in curiousness, half in simply fishing for the compliment that Humphrey was certainly about to give her.

"Because I have the most beautiful mate in Jasper, and I get to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Well, I think she knows that she's lucky to have you too, and that you're the best mate a girl could ask for." Kate said, blushing profusely, as she wasn't used to projecting her emotions so blatantly, even to Humphrey.

"I don't know… she might not feel so lucky after I do this." Humphrey said, the curl of a smile beginning to form on his face.

"Do wha-!" Kate screamed as Humphrey suddenly tackled her and pinned her to the ground. He thrust his wet nose down into her silky fur.

"Ah! Humphrey, stop it that tickles!" She squealed, writhing around on the ground and laughing uncontrollably.

"Yeah- That's the- point!" Humphrey said as he rolled over onto his back, exhausted.

"Alright, now it's my turn." Kate said getting up and standing over Humphrey. "Except, mine doesn't involve tickling." She whispered as she bent over and kissed him, letting her tongue slowly roll into his mouth. Humphrey's eyes widened, and slowly closed as he savored the passionate moment.

When they finished with their 'session', they both laid next to each other and watched as a million white diamonds shimmered in the vast, blackened sky above them. They remained a captive audience of this brilliant presentation until the last of the howling had finally died down, and not a sound could be heard except for the wind playing lazily among tall grass and old pines.

The moon still hung superior in the sky, shining brighter than Humphrey had ever remembered it being before. He looked over at his now dormant mate, who had her head resting peacefully on his side, finding solace in his thick ashen coat. He couldn't have asked for a more perfect night with a more perfect wolf.

All of this; the stars in the sky, the dazzling moon overhead, his newborn pups back at the den, and the warm embrace of his companion. This was all for him tonight. Humphrey took a deep, yet shaky breath, as he finally realized that he was done with his pursuit of the perfect life.

He smiled again, nestled in close with his mate, and closed his eyes. And for the first time in a long time, he slept in the company of good dreams, and a promising road ahead.

-Fin-

Well, that's the story! I hope you all enjoyed it! And now at the end of the story, I'd love to hear on what you thought of it! Did you like it, did you hate it, would you read another story like this? I appreciate all of your reviews so far, and they've really helped me to get an impression on my writing. So thank you once again, and I had a great time writing this.

My profile is updated with information on what I plan to write next, and a date has been set for the publishing of a new story! So, check that out, and be sure to leave one last review, thank you!

Thanks everyone

-wolfgang