That house had held ambiguous feelings for many years but now, everything in it was smelling like her now and it got whole new meanings, he had never imagined.

Kiril also never imagined he would enjoy being the little spoon, but now Mila's sleeping body was wrapped all around his back and it was maybe one of the most beautiful feelings in the world.

She let out a small noise and then after a few instances her finger started moving on his back tracing the scars the centurion gave him that didn't heal properly while he was in human form.

And then, Mila started kissing his spine and ascended to the back of his neck and then to his shoulder.

He wasn't sure why it surprised him so; they had had sex the night before. Maybe, because he expects regrets once again.

He grabbed the palm that wrapped around his shoulder and brought it to his lips.

"You are awake..." said Mila. How couldn't he be? Every touch of hers was like coles on his skin.

"I am."

"What scars are these? You didn't have them before. You didn't have any before."

"From a Roman soldier. I was a bad, disobedient prisoner."

"I didn't expect anything else from you. You are not good at taking orders."

"I am indeed not. Though... It depends from whom," he added in a playful tone.

"You didn't leave." That was odd. Why would she say that? Why would he leave?

"Why would I? I was rather afraid you would mind that I stayed."

"No. I chose to live and enjoy what was left of my life. And you, as unbelievable as it might have sounded a few months ago, are making my life livable. It's all kinds of immoral but I like spending time with you. I still struggled with the guilt but life is short, mine damn short it seems."

"If I can help it, you will not die."

"But if you can't."

Kiril sighed. He couldn't guarantee her life and he didn't want to lie either.

"You don't need to feel guilty for that. Look at me," demanded Mila. Kiril turned obediently to face her. "I don't want you to hurt. When I am gone, I mean. And I don't want you to be lonely, or... Miss me."

"That is unavoidable."

"Come on. You are all mighty, powerful, king of wolves and all that. It's rather stupid to care so much about a puny human."

"Then, I am an utter idiot. I can't imagine how I would still want to live."

"The whole Alpha thing will not let you kill yourself but I am certain you will try to get your way so I need you to swear to me you will not."

"Mila, I..."

"Look me in the eyes and swear. You have not survived all that you did and come so far to fail at this."

"I need to check on Angel." Mila's face showed frankly that she didn't appreciate the subject change.

"Kiril..."

He gave her the most blazing puppy eyes he was capable of.

"He was really sad and said weird stuff the other day asking me to show him how to have sex with his new boyfriend."

The diversion worked because Mila was suppressing a smile.

"And did you? He seemed ok yesterday when he brought the snow clothes. But you are right, his hair was different. That usually hints at an existential crisis."

"It will not take long. Some girls will be guarding the grounds as usual but you won't see them and you can call at any time. Okay?"

Mila looked rather jolly but Kiril moved anyway closer and enveloped her into his arms.

"And if you feel sick I will feel it through the bond and I will come. Don't worry."

"I don't." Her smile was so serene it frightened him a bit. "Hmm, can you also check on Dasha? I tried to call her but it went to the mailbox. She had a date with a guy and though I don't think he would be the type to hurt her, you never know."

"Of course, I will spy a bit on Daria, I am sure it will be fun."

"Come on, I think you like her too a little bit. Not even a little bit. Hmm, would you consider dating Dasha?"

"Mila, no!"

"Why? Because she is human? So am I."

Mila was slightly startled when he moved back from the door with supernatural speed and they were suddenly on the bed, him hovering over her.

"What.." muttered Mila.

Kiril grazed his lips over hers very softly, so soft it made her sigh in anticipation. When she leaned forward to get more contact he moved away.

"Why?"

"I know how it sounds but I can't help saying it: because you have been a bad girl. Now behave and stop sending me on dates with other people. The only person I want to actually go with is you. Deal with it."

She blushed and it made him laugh, just a little bit and then he lifted himself up because staying a tiny bit longer would have prolonged the stay for several hours.

Neither Dasha nor Angel were answering their phones.

Because why make it easy for me?

Angel would likely be sulking in his room. It wasn't a bad idea to get here and also see Ju, who he hadn't seen in a while but there was also Samira and they still weren't really friends.

"Master! Ju has missed Master so very much." Ju hugged him enthusiastically.

"I am also happy to see you. Where are the others? Have you been having a good time?"

"Angel is in his room and so is Daria. They are both upset, Ju doesn't know why and Lady Samira and baby Sara went for a walk. No, Ju is having a lot of fun taking care of baby Sara. The only upsetting thing is that Lady Samira continues to say that the way Ju speaks is weird. It is, Master?"

"It is unusual, but it's part of your charm."

"Ju will tell Lady Samira that Master finds it charming," said Ju triumphantly.

Kiril patted her head and went upstairs to find Angel.

"I tell you. He really said the word mate and then he proceeded to say that he watched me shower. Pervert. And that I cannot possibly retain anything from Mila's smell and that it's my own. Can it be? I am human. Mila was human too though. Can it be that your mate shit went bonkers?" said Dasha passionately sitting on Angel's bed.

He was looking apathetic yet still somehow invested.

"I would say that Akin is crazy and his credentials aren't good but I swear I have also smelled a mate bond on a human recently. At least I think it is. Maybe the universe is going crazy or we wolf people are." Then he turned his gaze. "Oh, Kiril. How was your date?"

Dasha turned towards the door where he was standing.

"Date?" She gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, he took Mila to see the northern lights. Quite cool, isn't it?"

"You say? And me wanting a guy to pay for a meal is considered high standards in modern human dating." Dasha stood up from the bed and talked towards him. "Did you finally get laid?" she asked teasingly.

It was oddly fascinating how she really wasn't afraid of him anymore.

"Yes, he did. Probably several times because the faint scent still lingers even after showering," said Angel.

Kiril rolled his eyes.

"Angel-"

"What? I am happy for you. At least you get some..."

"Angel nothing is stopping you from getting 'some'. I am happy to see you are not floating in a river face down but stop talking or I will see that you do. Daria, Mila says hi and that you should pick up your stupid phone."

"Cannot do, Master big bad Alpha King, unless you buy me another because it got trashed by Samira's brother-in-law."

"Daria, Akin cannot be your mate. Besides, he is a bit unstable so stay away from him."

"It's not my damn idea, he said that I am the mistress of all his desires, just in a slightly more rough way. I told him to piss off but he didn't want to until Samira took him on a forceful walk."

Kiril cringed thinking that he would have to talk to him. It was going to be a nasty conversation; Akin, like many others, most probably hated him.

"Good. Now stay put, both of you. Gods know I never wanted children but now it feels like I have a few teenagers."

Angel shrugged.

"Speaking of rowdy, unruly and horny, what the heck did you do to me the other night? It was... Something else. I barely recovered."

"Where you not whining there like 'show me, show me'? So I did."

"Jesus, but how? It felt like I was in porn movies. Not watching, I was inside them."

"You're... welcome...?" Kiril wasn't sure what to answer.

"Yeah, sure. I still get flashbacks and inappropriate hard-ons. But oh my God, this is how it is to be in your head? Or rather you in other people's? Do you feel and see other people's thoughts and memories so... Real? As if you were them? Sheesh!" Angel's mouth was slightly open and his eyes showed fear and maybe a bit of pity.

He understood that it wasn't only the good things he experienced so accurately from others, it was also everything else.

"Since you two are alive, I will be on my way. Angel, buy her a new phone."

"Daria, stay away from Akin; he is unstable."

"Who are you calling unstable, you son of-" Akin growled and stormed up the stairs.

He had smelled him beforehand but was too distracted with the other smells mingled with his to care.

"You heard me."

"I didn't swear loyalty to you so I can fight you."

"So can all those who did, they just cannot win and neither can you. Don't touch Daria or I will remove whichever appendix you do that with," said Kiril in a rather tired tone. 

Akin's eyes went shiny and his fangs popped out. 

"Yes, I should fight you, here and now for everything you did!"

"Akin, I don't want to hurt you and I am not in the mood. Go away! and stay away."

Akin was preparing to turn and Kiril was sighing internally, realizing that a fight might be unavoidable after all. 

"Akin, what did I say?!" Samira's voice thundered from behind. She entered holding a baby and looking mildly said, annoyed. 

"But he..."

"No! You will trash this house and I don't want to move again with a damn baby. Get your shit together." 

"Don't worry, I will take care to not leave stains and be done before bedtime." Kiril couldn't help himself. 

"As shut up you too! What the fuck do you want here? I could smell you from miles away. Now this house will reek for days."

He wanted to say she was being dramatic but she wasn't. He could smell her for miles too and it made him uneasy, same as the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off her. Something wasn't right. 

"You know what, he is your inlaw, so you take care of him," said Kiril and stormed out. 

He was outside in the yard unbuttoning his shit and preparing to turn when he heard her voice again. 

"No. You are not leaving yet. I know you can feel it too now. At first, I thought I was going crazy and it was just me but now I am sure you feel it too. What the fuck is happening?"

"I..."

"You have no idea what I am talking about? Very funny. You do. You know that if I touch you, you will feel stuff. You might not like it, even loathe it, believe me, I know, but you would feel stuff."

"Yes, something is wrong."

"Tell me about about it. Out of all people in this world you would be the last I would want to feel bonded to. And it's everyone else too. If you would pay more attention to your pack you would know. Mate bonds dissolve and new ones are created all of a sudden. Something is going terribly wrong here."

"Yeah," said Kiril and launched into he air. 

Something was indeed happening and it wasn't good. 

When he reached France hours later, Mila was sitting at the piano in the living room. 

"You are back." She beamed at him and it made whatever he was feeling damper a bit. 

"We need to talk," he said and sat on the piano bank by her side. 

Mila leaned her head down and pressed a kiss on his shoulder. "As strange as it may sound, I missed you." 

Was he trying to distract him on purpose? Because it was working. 

"I was trying to learn to play something but I suck." She started playing with his hair and moving her finger along his neck. 

"Mila, something is happening."

"What?" 

"Mate bonds are just.. changing."

"Okay..." she said and looked away. 

"You... know?!"

"Not necessarily..."

"But?"

"This affects you too, doesn't it? It made our bond go away, right? It's like when Erik was in human form and he saw me normal again not super duper sexy, isn't it?" 

It looked like she wanted to seem detached but there was a flicker in her eyes and a very slight change of tone in her voice. 

"Mila?" Kiril put his hand over hers. "You did something, didn't you?"

"No. But maybe it's fate. I think it's better this way and... Who? Actually don't tell me."

"Mila, what did you do?" his voice became unmistakeably deeper. 

"Nothing."

"Mila?" And deeper. 

"Nothing I just wished people to be happy and thought about how the mate bond doesn't work like that and wished it should choose the one person that would actually fit you most and make you most happy." She sounded almost apologetic. "Do you think it actually changed something?"

"Yes, of course it did. Mila, you are the Moon Goddess. And magic is...magic. Fuck.."

She was becoming teary-eyed again. 

"I was just thinking... that after I am gone... You... So it's gone now, right? Just says it. Please."

"No! It's fucking not! It never will be. It feels the same, or more. And I don't know what Erik was talking about because even fully human it feels the fucking same all the time."

He grabbed her face to stop her from turning away. 

"Mila, stop wishing my love again. It is not going to happen. It will always be you."

"But..." Mila's eyes filled with tears and she started to tremble. "I just don't want you to hurt."

"I am used to pain and it will be worth it."

"I don't feel I am. I am pregnant with another guy and I am human and rather unremarkable. And I... I can't handle you and you loving me. I can't help feeling unworthy."

"The only judge of that is me and I disagree. Mila, I was horrible to you, you had all the reasons to hate me and you probably did but... But that night in that graveyard in Andechs you tended to my wounds anyway and when you looked into my memories your natural instinct was to soothe my pain. To someone that hasn't experienced a lot of kindness, getting it while being so very undeserving made you be forever so very remarkable."

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I was thinking of including some smut but would it be too much?