"Dasha, I think I need your help."

And Dasha was positive she was hallucinating.

Maybe the old fucker spiced my drink, or I just drank too much being exhausted, or I started hearing things because of loneliness and depression.

She just thought to herself but didn't dare to turn around.

"Dasha. Please."

Ok, just calm down and turn around slowly and you will see it's just the wind or your stupid head.

"Ісус, Марія і всі святі!/ Jesus, Mary, and all the saints!" screamed Dasha and stared wide-eyed at the creature before her.

After a few minutes of wide-eyed staring and heavy breathing she whispered, "Mila? I am hallucinating, right?"

There couldn't be any other possibility. But she looked and sounded so real though the dress she was wearing was not something she would just wear in real life, it looked too pretentious but then again it was slightly dirty and torn.

"As mentioned, I need your help."

"Fuck me. You are real, aren't you? You are fucking real. You didn't die," said Dasha dumbfounded walking towards Mila and touching her face.

"Should I, uh, pinch you?"

"Mila? Where have you been? My goodness," whispered Dasha among sighs, voice trembling and hugging her.

"It's a long and quite unbelievable story. We need to get away from here before the sun comes up or he will see me and come to bring me back."

"Who? Erik?"

"No."

"God-damned Kiril?"

"I wish it were any of them. Let's go to your place and I will tell you. You might want some booze though, it's an intense story."

Dasha still couldn't believe what she was seeing or doing. At her place, Mila took a shower and dressed in some of her old clothes donning the spectacular ball gown.

"Close all the window blinds, if I get under the sunlight he will know where I am."

"Who, now tell me, and have some tea. I also have vodka but uh... are you still pregnant? Please don't be offended but it would be like the fourth month I think and you don't show anything."

"Tea, please. Ah yes, I am, but the baby is half lycan so I have no idea how long the pregnancy will last."

"What?"

"Well, options are from nine to eighteen months how long a full lycan baby needs."

"Hmm ask a wolf person, for example, the one that fathered it. It's not like you got pregnant with your right hand."

"They would not know. There might be some, quite few I suppose, she-wolves that gave birth to half-human babies but it's perceived as dishonor and I suppose many got expelled from the packs, went rogue, or died. And well, regardless, I cannot summon any wolves because if I use magic, Gea will sense me and come after us and besides that, I don't know how it works. And Erik, Erik is gone," rambles Mila and Dasha can sense how utterly lost she is.

"Okay slow down. Who's that bitch that wants to harm you and the kid? And where the fuck is Erik to protect you two? Did he die?"

"The earth goddess. She and the sun god want to kill us because Selene plotted to kill them and they think I am the same. Or well they are not so wrong in a way, I can hear Selene in my head often and it's driving me crazy and sometimes she can take over and push her will on my body."

"Wow, wow wow. I'll go get that vodka. And I will smoke some MJ if you don't mind because my brail feels already overwhelmed and I feel this is only the tip of the iceberg."

And Dasha did just that for the next hour but her eyes still opened wide with wonder and the occasional Ukrainian swear word still escaped her lips.

"Ok, so you stabbed the sun god and escaped his castle and the crazy moon bitch brought you to earth to hide here?"

"Who are you calling bitch here, you puny human? I will let the wolves tare all your limbs off one by one," said Mila frowning and her green eyes became dark blue and frightening.

Then she forced her eyes shut and moved her head hastily as if she was trying to shake the intruding consciousness away.

"She can hear and sometimes she surfaces. But she won't hurt you. She knows we need you. And she won't kill me, for now at least."

"Oh damn, and what's the plan?"

"I...I don't have one but earth is the only place I could go to, to get lost between the humans and you are the only person I thought it's safe to contact. I hoped you would be at the bridge how you promised and you were," said Mila and her eyes became glassy.

Dasha felt suddenly crying sadness. She was indeed the only hope for this girl.

"It's okay, I am here, we will figure it out together," she whispered hugging her."

She could only imagine how the past years must have felt for her, moving to a new country, all the problems she encountered there, then the kidnapping and when she unexpectedly developed feeling for the kidnaper he died and she is left alone with a supernatural baby that might kill her and the crazy-ass bitch in her head.

"So Erik is dead? How about my favorite asshole, Kiril? He has a crush on you, maybe he can be useful."

"They are both gone. And I feel the pain of many other lycans which makes me fear what happened after the night of the silver ball."

"What are you afraid off?"

"Dying. Taking the world with me. Losing my mind. Killing my baby or that it kills me and there is nobody to care for it if I die. I don't see a good outcome to all try but I just have to try. I am afraid, Dasha. So, so afraid..."

And Dasha agreed wholeheartedly that it was with reason.

"It's okay. Let's sleep now and I will think of something. I need to work tomorrow but while doing that I will think about how to find out what's going on in the wolf world. It will be a calm day, I am on the third floor again but I and Mr. Wittfeld are buddies now. "

"What?"

"What, what?"

"What did you say about Mr. Wittfeld?"

"Well, surprisingly the old hag is still alive and back at the center. He even has a really and I mean really hot son. Almost as hot as your Erik, which he reminds me a bit off. Anyway, I have befriended the old one to have a chance with the young one. Mila, you ok? Is moon bitch in action again?"

Mila just sighed and Dasha could't help getting more and more concerned. Mila was in such big trouble.

"No. I am just thinking. If Wilhelm is alive you can ask him."

"What Wilhelm? Do you mean old dude? Ask what?"

"How the current situation is."

"How can he know? Don't tell me...?"

"Yeah, Wilhelm is a werewolf. That's why he runs off every month because he is turning at full moon. And that hot guy, that's Michael, Erik's former Beta. He is also gay. Really really gay and Angel's boyfriend for many years."

Dash's expression changed suddenly.

"Shut up! Really? A wolf? And he has been all along? And you know sexy ass, Michael? And he's gay? But he said he has a wife that is pregnant."

Now it was Mila's time to look confused.

"No, that cannot be. Who? And where is Angel?"

"I obviously don't know but it looks like it's my mission to find out. Let's sleep, Mila and tomorrow is another day as my equally desperate Scarlet O'Hara said."

Sleep was however not something that came easily to either of them that night. Dasha's heart was hammering with anxiety and fear.

What if a crazy wolf is going to suddenly turn up at our doorstep and try to kill us both, it would not be the first time that happened?

Her friend was a goddess, supposedly, it was not that Dasha didn't believe her, she had seen many unusual things lately it was just that Mila looked beyond pitiful will all the godly shimmer, she looked pale and scared to death. But as much as she wanted to help Dasha was only human. What could she do against werewolves or gods?

The next morning Dasha woke up at five, actually, she decided to leave her bed after tossing and turning the whole night. She saw Mila, asleep, finally, after she had heard her the whole night moving, breathing heavily, whimpering. Mila needed a doctor, better a witch doctor of sorts, so that day at six Dasha marched into Mr. Wittfeld's room full of resolution powered by fear.

"Mr. Wittfeld, I know what you are," she announced bravely.

"Good Morning, Daria. Did you have a good night after all? You can call me Wilhelm if you want."

"Ok, Wilhelm. I know what you are."

"And what am I?"

"A werewolf. Every month you run away because you turn with the full moon into a wolf. That's why the girls mention the huge shaggy dog they see sometimes. That is you."

Dasha noticed Wilhelm's knuckles getting white grabbing the armrest.

So it is true.

He stood up from the chair and started walking towards her as if he was perfectly healthy and seeing just fine. Suddenly she was pressed against the wall, feet off the ground and the old man was choking her with force you would never think he possessed.

"Wilhelm... Ch... Wh..at are...doing?"

"Mortals that are aware of us must die. I am very sorry, Daria, I am fond of you but it's for the pack."

"Pl...lead... Don't... Mila... Alive. Needs....help. She... Told. Goddess..."

It was a question of seconds before she would have suffocated but Wilhelm loosened the grip and let her down.

"Mila. Where is Mila?"

"I will not tell you. You are crazy."

"Please forgive me. There were times when we were hunted down by humans. It's always dangerous when a human knows about us."

"You would have killed me without throwing a second glance. You are all crazy from the first to the last. But listen up motherfucker, Mila is carrying your Alpha's baby, and has inside her head, your crazy goddess. She needs help but cannot get to you. Your son Michael has to help her, he has to protect her like Erik would have wanted."

"Yes. Michael is Alpha now."

And with that little word Dasha felt she was walking on thin ice again. What if Michael liked being Alpha and had no interest whatsoever to save Erik's child and lover?

You didn't think this through, Dasha baby.

"Yes, Michael has to protect her, he will, his whole pack will."

Dasha exhaled.

"OK sir, now, you are going to throw a tantrum that you want to go see your son and me and you are going to do just that. You hear me?"

"Yes. We have to get to Michael quickly. You are very brave and devoted, Daria. I was not wrong about you."

"Ahh, Wilhelm, sir, you almost choked me to death a few minutes ago. Respectfully, fuck you."

Wilhelm did exactly as Dasha requested and after an hour of faking tears, hyperventilation, and a monster adult tantrum Michael was called and requested to come to London urgently.

"He will be here in four or five hours. He knows something happened."

"Of course he does, you never did this before," said Dasha that was trying hard to hide the red marks on he neck from her colleagues.

"OK, now that you know that I am not dangerous you can answer some questions. We need a wolf doctor for Mila."

"Well, the best one we had is dead."

"Who's number two?"

"Not somebody that is actually an option."

"You are not helping Wilhelm, try harder. How about a witch or priest to exorcize your crazy goddess from Mila's body."

"That would be Samira."

"Well tell this Samira to tag along with Michael."

"Michael will call her if he sees fit."

"What?"

"He is our Alpha now, he will decide how we will proceed."

"No, he is your son, you will tell him how we will proceed else he will get some ass-whooping."

Dasha was actually only masking her anxiety because it just crossed her mind that Michael might have an opinion of his own and a lot more strength.

The door was opened violently and Michael and a brunette woman with a severely scarred face entered Wilhelm's room.

"Where is she?" both of them asked at the same time.