Chapter 35

~Aaden POV~

Time is such a precious thing. A lot of people worry about how long they have left on Earth, some do not care at all. But the funny thing about time is that often more than not, it passes too quickly. The pain we endure, the lives we lose, the people we love in the end, it all matters and adds to the time we've been given. When Natalie brought that group to our doorstep, and rained hell's fire down on us, she cost us the lives of a young wolf girl who'd never gotten the chance to live, a vampire who had been looking forward to the new future he could share it with his mate, and an older wolf who wanted nothing more than to avenge the life the opposing vampires had stolen from him.

Their time was up, when it didn't need to be.

When you kill someone, or when you're considering killing someone, you wonder if it really is your place, that when your hands itch to get the job done, to decide when their time is up? To this, I answer as probably anyone would.

It depends on the person and what they've done.

All lives matter, but there's a big difference between an innocent or new life, and that of a rabid animal.

As Derek's arms surrounded me once again, I breathed in his scent and watched the sun fading away on another day. The huge bulge that was my belly sat between us, our little one stirring strongly within me. I winced, wishing I could give the baby more room, but there was no possible way until she or he was born.

At seven and a half months, I felt as though I might explode and I still had at least eight weeks to go, but ten for the full term pregnancy. The movement from the baby was awfully painful now, but I could endure it, especially with Derek lending me his strength.

Another day, more time, gone. I pressed my cheek against Derek's chest, listening to his heart beat and gripping his offered hand when the baby roughly kicked my ribs. His hand slid over my stomach, his eyes going red as he drew the baby's interest. We'd discovered slightly earlier in my pregnancy that even as an unborn fetus, the baby was subject to obedience to his or her Alpha. Derek was never harsh, but firm, and it was amazing to me.

They say a mother will always have the closest bond with her child, but Derek was as close as any father could be. He still wasn't totally warmed up to the idea of being this baby's daddy, but he had long since left behind his hatred. The only thing he really didn't like now was that she or he hurt me sometimes. But in the end, it was going to be worth it, and then we'd save everybody and make a life for this baby….and any future brothers or sisters they may have.

The thought made me exhausted, as I felt like this pregnancy was lasting forever. I cherished each and every little movement, but I looked forward to the movements being outside my body. As it was, I was constantly tired and swollen, and I don't even need to mention the have to pee every five minutes.

When the stars began twinkling brightly in the rarely clear sky, Derek stood and took my hand, helping me to my feet. I felt like I was carrying twenty pounds of bricks under my shirt, but his steady hand was always there. I looked at him, giving a bright but tired smile. "Baby heavy?" He asked quietly.

"Feels heavier today than yesterday," I agreed tiredly. He chuckled, but pressed his forehead to mine before somewhat jokingly saying, "You did this to yourself. We could have fixed the problem months ago, but noooo." "I wouldn't trade every painful kick for it." "I know."

I pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before sucking in my breath as the baby kicked me again. Silently, he pulled me towards the door, leading me towards our bedroom door where hopefully, I'd be able to sleep some tonight.

~Derek POV~

I grew more nervous every day as Aaden's belly got bigger. I had to keep telling myself that she wasn't going to wake up one day and spontaneously combust. But it was like an alien was inside her. Every few minutes, she'd wince or suck in air, and I severe cases, she'd unexpectedly yelp.

I settled beside her after a long hot shower, and thankfully, she was already asleep. She stirred every so often, and I'd watch over her stomach. It stretched way above the rest of her body now, round and warm. So I wouldn't wake her, I gently and carefully got under the top sheet, and laid a hand on the crest on her stomach, and the kid immediately answered with a kick. Aaden gently moaned in her sleep, but didn't move.

"Listen," I whispered to her stomach, "I'm not just your Alpha, kid. I'm your dad." Man that was really weird to say out loud. "I love your mother more than I've ever loved anyone. I know you have to move, and you don't understand, but you're hurting her. The bigger you get, the more painful the kicks. I'm asking you, not as your Alpha, but as your father, to please try and not hurt her so much."

Ever so gently, so much so that Aaden didn't even stir, it nudged my palm. It struck me again, as it had many times in the duration of this pregnancy, that this kid was really happening. That it was half me, and half Aaden, and it would grow outside of her. Eventually, he'd be the Alpha werewolf. Wait.

He. There it was again.

There was no way of knowing that it was a boy, but I couldn't stop myself from hoping. I'd tried a thousand times to imagine a girl, and I couldn't. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't opposed to having a daughter, and if Aaden wanted more kids in the future, if she had one, I'd give her one. But for some reason, I strongly felt that this kid was a boy. I decided to try something. It wouldn't work, it couldn't, but I was curious.

"I have an idea," I whispered to her belly. Softly, a little nudge came, as if to say "I'm listening!"

"Nudge me once if you're a girl. If you're a boy, nudge twice." I felt like an idiot as soon as the words were out. Of course it wouldn't understand me, it was a-

There!

One little nudge.

So it would be a girl after all. I wasn't disappointed, after all, a little girl with Aaden's violet eyes would be…

Ever so slightly, there was another light nudge. I almost didn't feel it. I gently pressed harder on the kid, trying to get a sense of feeling. I picked up the tiniest tinge of sleepiness. It amazed me what werewolf senses could do. Its own sleepiness leaked to me, and I felt my body actually go limp with exhaustion.

Slowly, I laid back, settling my head comfortably on the pillow. I began drifting off, listening to Aaden's breathing. I was just before losing consciousness when I suddenly remembered.

The baby had kicked me twice.

**Well, well, well! What do you think of that? How exciting! Do you think Derek's assumption is right? Will they be having a little boy? Or does the baby even really understand and is just responding to Derek's voice? So many questions! Please R&R and have an awesome day!**