Erik stopped only after he put several kilometers between them and the house at the shore. In his arms, Mila felt light and mellow, somehow lost and floating in the land of fairytales. Not the fairytales with happy endings but those tales that lay at their core, the bloody ones about gremlins, evil spirits, and wolves that eat little girls when they wander off in the woods. 

She felt just like one for a moment, a little naive girl that wandered off into the woods and was caught by wolves. Now she was laying in one's arms in for everything she had dear she had no idea how to feel. 

after some time they reached a cliff, high and barren, covered partially by snow and overseeing the coastline. The sea was uneasy that day, wild and foamy, much like everything else that was trying to hide a brooding storm. 

The view was magnificent but Mila's body was shaking from cold and fear.  She walked some steps away from him but it was even colder when his boding was not shielding her anymore from the winds. The sharp breeze was whipping her scarcely dressed body and she shivered deeply. 

Erik put one hand on the ground. Flames ignited from nothing and were suddenly surrounding them in a perfect circle. Mila shrieked in fear and surprise. It was most certainly magic because she didn't remember having hit her head. 

Erik came slowly closer holding his hands up, signaling he would not touch her without permission.

"What... What are you?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"Can you not guess after everything you have seen?" 

"Can you turn into a wolf, like Michael?"

"Yes. But when that happens in a fight usually somebody dies. Let me see your arm," he said.

Mila didn't move. She was holding her injured wrist. Her eyes wandered over his body, over his ragged and bloody white shirt and his partially exposed torse stopping at the bite mark on his forearm that was still bleeding.

"You are hurt too," she said.

"It will heal on its own within hours."

He put his fingers lightly on her injured art. It was a very gentle touch. It gave Mila the courage to stretch it out slowly.

"Damn it. The bone is splintered. You need an x-ray. We will get one tomorrow. Hold on," he said. Then he took his shirt off and ripped it into pieces. The fabric seemed much thinner than it was. It looked as if he would rip a sheet of paper. It was a peculiar detail but in Mila's eyes it was yet another reminder that he was not human. 

"It is freezing." It was the only thing Mila was able to say.

"Don't worry, my body temperature is naturally higher than humans. Are you... cold?" he asked and then his gaze swept over her torn dress and her body for the first time. It felt like he made a visible effort for it not to linger but it did. When it lowered to the wrinkled skin on her abdomen he couldn't help the supernatural hallo light to shine in his eyes. 

"Who did that to you?" he asked silently, making again a palpable effort to remain calm. It was unusual of him. So far he seemed rather hot-headed but not at that moment. Then he looked her in the eyes, probably expecting an angry reply but nothing came. Mila didn't have any energy left to be angry and why should she after all, it wasn't her fault or his, it was just life.  

After several minutes of silence, Mila whispered.

"My father."

Erik's eyes lit up as a reply and Mila flinched. it's wasn't a faint light like the first time but vivid like lightning. 

"I am sorry," he said, blinking the moment of uncontrolled anger away.

"Does that always happen when you are angry?"

"Not only angry; it's happening when we feel strong emotions of any kind and our wolf is surfacing," he answered.

"Wolf?"

"Yes. It's like a strong and stubborn subconsciousness, but it helps you gather your strength in fights."

"Are you going to kill me?" asked Mila in the end.

"Don't you think I would have done it a long time ago if that would have been the plan?" He smiled and it look sad but his face gave it a beautiful gleam. 

"What is the plan then? What are we doing now?"

"Honestly I don't know. I almost killed Dahiru's brother. That means a conflict between our packs."

Mila understood it had been her fault to some extent. She should have listened, but how could she have known such an unimaginable truth?

"What is a mate?"

"It's a bit complicated to explain. It's the partner your subconsciousness desires but it's not entirely clear based on which rules. Some say it's the perfect match nature and the universe chooses for you others say it's an ancestral urge to create the strongest possible offspring."

"Why did he think I was his mate? Am I?"

"No, you are nobody's mate. You are human. It's an error of nature that he perceived you as such."

"He seemed out of control," said Mila concerned. It had been a horrific scene that was still making her shiver. 

"He was."

Mila looked him in the eyes. Bloody, bruised, and shirtless in that cold January night she saw him this time different than before and wrapped her arms around his neck leaning her face on his warm chest. It's wan an unnatural kind of attachment she felt in that brief moment towards her kidnapper but it was attachment nonetheless and it felt new and incredibly good mostly for someone that wasn't used to such feelings. 

"I am sorry," she said.

"It is not your fault," he replied, and it sounded as if he meant it. 

"Can that happen again?"

"Yes, if you encounter another unmated wolf." 

So it is indeed something about me? With me?

"Can they just find me?"

"Most likely. I can smell you from far away, others might too."

"How about you?" asked Mila. She liked to hear him speak. It made her feel less frightened somehow. 

"I can control it better. I guess because I had a mate once that pushed my self-control quite a bit."

"What happened to her?"

"She died."

"I am sorry," said Mila, and meant it too. In that moment she perceived Erik as humane regardless of what he was.

"September you said. Will it stop in September?"

"I hope."

"Will you get in trouble for tonight?"

"Yes, there will be trouble after tonight most likely. At some point, I have to get back and face it."

"What is going to happen to me?" That was a legitimate question. If what Erik said was true Mila acknowledged that she might be in even more danger than she thought. 

"I told you; you will stay with us till September. Afterward, you can do as you please."

"What if I don't want to?" said Mila instinctively. Months in that place flashed before her eyes, then Dasha and her parents and the very uncertain future. It occurred to her that Erik had said with all the letters that he doesn't care about her wishes or about what happens to her after September. 

"Then you have to suck it up. I will not deal with any more deaths," answered Erik and his eyes lit up in anger. That was possibly the worst response she could have received and all the attachments dissipated like dust in the wind with one fleeting sentence. 

"For one brief moment, I thought you are not an asshole. Now you ruined it. Bring me back to the house. I want to sleep." Oddly she was angry with him but she was not afraid he was going to hurt her.

The flames around them got off at once and Erik lifted her in his arms abruptly. After an hour of running and spectacular jumps, they arrived at the house in the woods.

Michael and Angel were already there, waiting. Erik disappeared right afterward in the woods.

He didn't come back the next morning, not the days after, and Mila was left alone with her thoughts and the new nature of her reality.

That January was particularly wet and stormy; it seemed like it was reflecting her mood.

Angel and Michael brought her to a doctor the next day, which tended to her injuries. The whole time she was imagining Michael's claws slicing her throat if she was going to say something wrong. After that, she slept for fourteen hours straight and dreamed of Erik's face with fangs and glowing eyes. It was not a pleasant dream.

The day after she lay in bed weighing out her options. It was nearly impossible to escape. She should forget about it. Given the last encounter, it was somehow good that she was guarded by literal beasts. 

Yelena replaced Angel in guarding her, who apparently was sent away for unknown reasons. She seemed nice enough but not much of a talker either. Totally submitted to Michaels's authority, she seemed to be very careful to not anger her supposed boss. 

Judging by the howls Mila heard at night, several other wolves were lurking in the woods.
If they were under Erik's command was not certain though.

The days went on slowly, one, two, three, a week. Her arm was healing and she had gone through one-third of the books for med school. Her new routine was doing a workout in the morning, eating, studying, and on occasion going on a severely escorted walk.

In three weeks it was going to be February. She was missing for two months already and nobody was searching for her; not Dasha nor her parents. She didn't know Dasha for so long and her parents... They were far away and it was likely difficult for them to come to the UK. She missed them a bit; she missed the food her mom made on the very rare occasions when she cooked or the talks she had with her father when he was sober. What she didn't miss were the times she woke up in terror when hearing him scream profanities when he arrived home drunk smashing everything in his way.

She was safe there but she was also terribly lonely. Dasha crossed again her mind and all the fun they had;  she missed even Angel now when there was nobody in that house left to spread a tiny bit of joy. She would have preferred even Erik to come back just to have someone to talk to.

The aftermath of that evening was constantly on her mind and the problems she might have caused for him. He was obnoxious most of the time, but after everything that happened, he didn't seem so much like a villain in her eyes anymore, nor willing or desiring to hurt her. She couldn't help to feel a hint of guilt. It seemed like the only thing Erik wanted was to keep her safe from that strange effect the magic had.

Magic... That was a topic. She was still not convinced it was not a dream or that she was not mad. Luckily her injured arm helped as a reassurance of her sanity.

After a week she decided she needed to have some sort of conversation with another human to not get mad. 

Human had to be flexible concept though because she was the only one around. 

Yelena was sitting on the stairs reading something on her phone. Mila sat down beside her earing a raised eyebrow.

"I need some human interaction," she said.

"Well... Human..." replied Yelena with a hint of a smile. It seemed she thought the same thing.

"Where are you from, Yelena?"

"Ukraine. I am the Warden of Ukraine."

"My roommate is from Ukraine too. I can understand the language a bit but I can't speak it."

Yelena smiled. She seemed to have a stern personality but was nice enough.

"What is a warden?" asked Mila, very eager to keep up the conversation.

"It's like the chief of a region, a general too. As a warden, I command all the wolves from Ukraine in Erik's name."

"So to become warden is some sort of wolf career goal?" asked Mila.

Yelena smiled again more brightly.

"You are funny. Yes, kind of."

"And you as a general command over males and all? And they obey just like that? Pretty liberal this society of yours," said Mila thinking at the misogyny back in Eastern Europe.

"Erik is actually the first that allowed female wardens on his continent. Of course, you need to have the strength to win your place in combat first. Me and Charlotte are the only two. Dahiru is quite liberal too, much of it also thanks to Samira, but his people are still very conservative. About obeying... You make them obey, that's part of the job."

"I see..." said Mila, not sure how to react to that piece of information.

"I know Akin. We are... aquatinted... even friends. I am not sure what happened to him that night. It was nothing like him. Who would have thought that men in heat can react like that."

Mila didn't know what to say.

"Erik should have marked you at least so that the others know to back off." Yelena sighed. 

"Why would that have helped?"

"Then it would have signaled others not to touch you. Though, I have no idea what he does with a human lover anyway. You cannot be his Luna, you cannot bear him children so I don't know... He must be lonely but there are various she-wolves he could have taken to his bed. Charlotte would have killed for that and not only her... But he seems to want you, and you are trouble."

Mila was not sure if she should correct her about the story and the fact that what went on between her and Erik was not of the sexual or even consensual type. That girl seemed to really like Erik; it didn't look like she would disobey him for her or maybe even believe that Erik wasn't that nice.

"How did Erik's... mate die?" Mila caught herself saying, wondering why she asked that. Why did she care?

Yelena looked away and sighed again.

"You should ask him. That is not my story to tell," she answered and stood up to leave.

It was not quite a long, deep conversation, but what did you expect, Mila? 

Defeated, Mila walked back to her room. 

The days were all the same: long, cold, and lonely, blending one into the other.

The awful routine was interrupted only one week later by an overly excited Angel that stormed into her room.

"Muñeca, I am back!" he said smiling with all his teeth.

Her tendency would have been to answer something rude but in the depth of her being, she was actually happy to see him. She was looking at him with different eyes though.

Angel, like the others, was a predator. He could and would kill her easily if it came to that.

"Oh, dios mio, mujer!/ Dear lord, woman! Don't look at me like that. I ain't going to do anything to you."

"Are you not?" she asked lifting an eyebrow.

"No. I like you. Always did. You are a nice girl in a strange situation."

"Am I?" continued Mila in the same tone.

"Are you not? You are a little girl in a house in the woods guarded by guys that can turn wolves. And your name ain't red riding hood."

Mila smiled a crooked smile.

"Yes, I guess so. How was your trip?"

"Diplomatic mission, please."

"Meaning?" asked Mila.

"Meaning I went to my god awful birth country to ask my sister to persuade her mate to support Erik if it comes to a fight. Either with Dahiru or Kiril."

"Will it come to a fight with Dahiru?" asked Mila with a trace of concern.

"I don't think so. Hope not, because my god-awful brother-in-law said he will stay out of it."

"You seem to not particularly like him."

"I don't. Not particularly linking would be an understatement. He gave me a beating and banned me from the pack because I liked men."

"Oh, so mythical creatures can also discriminate."

"You bet."

"I am joking, man. I am sorry," said Mila. She meant it. "That's how you got to London?"

"Well, it was more complicated. I came to a meeting with my sister's family. I was still very young. There I saw Michael for the first time. A gay wolf that held an important position and was very unapologetic about it. He was also the hottest guy I had ever seen. You can imagine the rest. Accepting me into this pack meant a lot of trouble for Erik. One cannot simply switch packs; a pack is for life like a mate is. Still... he took me in and ignored everyone with a different opinion."

Again Mila noticed that Erik's people seemed to be really loyal to him and he seemed to be a decent man... Wolf... She wondered why he was acting so strange to her.

"Hey, I brought some tequila. Wanna watch a movie tonight? We can play a drinking game."

"I never did that. How does it work?"

"Really? What did you do in your teenage years?"

Mila didn't want to answer that question. 

"Well... You drink when something happens. Like I used to watch Lord of the Rings and drink every time somebody said Mordor."

Mila smiled again. It did sound like fun even if her experiences with alcohol were not the best ones. 

"Yeah, why not... We are in the middle of nowhere. What can happen?" Fun was something Mila thought she needed desperately after the last days.

Five hours later, they were finishing the first season of Game of Thrones and the bottle of tequila.

"Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like an armor and it can never be used to hurt you." 

"This Tyrion Lannister guy has a point; I kinda like him," said Angel.

"Look, look! Jamie is here. You have to drink," said Mila laughing, looking at the tequila bottle that was almost empty already.

"Anytime for that guy, dios mio," said Angel swallowing the content of the shot glass.

"So, now that we are drunk enough, I need some explanations. I have so many questions," said Mila.

"Hmmm, let's hear." Angel smiled amused. It was a pleasant change from all the grim faces she saw lately. 

"So, you guys are like... born this way?"

"You mean able and compelled to shift? Yes."

"Compelled?"

"Si. It variates with the moon cycle. On full moon we are fully wolves, and on new moon, we are fully human. Between we can shift as we please."

"Oh wow. And how does this shifting thing work?"

"You channel your wolf and it happens."

"Oh yeah, that wolf thing. Erik told me about it; that makes your eyes glow and shit," said Mila.

"You mean like this?" said Angel. He growled and his eyes turned from dark brown to golden and shiny.

"Oh wow, yes, exactly like that. Can you light fire from nothing, like Erik?"

"No. Only the Elemental Alphas can do that."

"Oh. How many of those are there?"

"Six. Dahiru holds earth magic, Nodin wind magic, Amaru, my asshole brother-in-law, has water magic. Cohen... Cohen is a little strange; he can control energy like electricity. And there are Erik and Kiril. Erik has fire magic and he can heal and Kiril wields ice magic and there are legends about what else he can do, like stop time or read minds. "

"Who is this guy? You mentioned him earlier too."

"Kiril is the most infamous of the Elemental Alphas. He is pretty hot but batshit crazy and power-hungry. People say he is in love with the Moon Goddess and wants to become Lycan King so that he finally gets her attention."

"Like he wants to get laid with your version of... Christ?" said Mila laughing.

"Well... the Moon Goddess can be more visceral than you think. You should ask Erik what he thinks about that on occasion."

"He does not strike me as the religious type."

"Yeah... I think I should not continue that story if I still want to stay in one piece."

"By the way, where is he? I have not seen him since that night," asked Mila.

"Hmm... probably mating."

"What?!" asked Mila confused and her voice raised an octave.

"I know you are a virgin, but I thought you know how it works."

"Ah shut up. With whom?"

"I don't know. But what do you care?" said Angel raising an eyebrow and smirking. "Options are not what he is lacking. Mating season started two days ago, Mila. It's a thing. It's actually making me crazy too and Michael is away till Tuesday. And Erik... Erik is probably not himself these days."

"Oh wow... How primal..." said Mila slightly sarcastically. "How does that marking thing work? Yelena said that Erik should have done that with me."

"Oh yes. It definitely would have spared us some trouble, but Erik is stubborn. It would mean he will be a part of you, know how you feel on occasions, feel it. It's like a bond signaling also that you belong to him."

"For a change, I must agree with him. That's not something I would want."

"Look look, the silver-haired chick. You have to drink."

"Fine," said Mila swallowing her eighth glass of tequila.

The world was all skittles and rainbows now. She stretched her arms and legs and they clicked.

"I need to take a walk."

"Now? It's late and freezing."

"Yes. Don't be a party pooper. Michel showed me that beautiful place with a lake around here. Let's go there."

"Ah, Mila... Really?"

"Come on... It was so awful when you were gone. Michael never talks to me, you know. I was so lonely..."

"Okay. It's really nice there indeed, but we have to take care. There might be rogues here smelling you. It's better if I turn."

"Woooww. Yes! Show me how you do it," said Mila fascinated.

Angel started taking his clothes off.

"What do you do, man?" Mila felt heat creeping up her cheeks. 

"If I do it dressed I can throw the clothes away. So turn around"

"Fine," said Mila obeying.

A growl signaled her that it was done and she stared in awe at the dark brown wolf before her.

It was hard not to be frightened. He was huge and looked dangerous but his eyes were somehow the same. Mila stretched her arm out and he came closer and rubbed his head against her palm.

"Aww, you are a big softie you..." said Mila petting his head.

When they exited Yelena whistled from the balcony.

"We are only going for a walk," said Mila.

"Fine but don't go too far," she screamed back. 

They walked into the woods and Angel tugged at her sleeve.

"Man, it's really a pain you can't talk in your wolf form. Do you want me to get on your back?!"

Angel moved his head in approval.

"You sure it's okay?"

He did it again.

"Tell you what, it sounds like fun," said Mila climbing on his back.

He started running. The speed was incredible and the wind felt cold slashing against her face and making her cheeks turn pink. She was dizzy and blissful. It was magical like everything else lately. 

In twenty minutes they reached the clearing with the lake. That night it seemed even more mystical. The stars and the moon were mirrored in the frozen water surface and the air was hot and heavy even in the middle of January. Mia sat down on a rock and Angel stretched out at her feet.

"You know man. I actually like you, but Jesus I can't live like this... You guys are crazy. And Erik, there are times when I like him too, but then he does something very mean and I instantly regret it."

Angel gave an acknowledging howl.

Suddenly something moved behind the trees and Angel stood up alert signaling her to get behind him and bared his fangs.