"Cousin, as you see, we are here. And it seems we need to have a conversation on a few topics not only one," said Samira raising an eyebrow.

"Mila, did I...?" said Erik, completely disregarding Samira's presence. But Mila was already out the door, trying to escape the situation.

She did not get very far. Erik was apparently not interested in dealing with his cousin at that point and followed her.

"I hurt you," he said before she could knock on Angel's door.

He leaned against it blocking her way. in Mila's state that wasn't likely the best or most sensible decision. 

"A bit," replied Mila, still uncertain how and what to feel.

"I am sorry. I am so awfully sorry. I will never touch you again or even get close to you."

"Well..." sighed Mila looking him up and down. "You can indeed kill me pretty easily; you were right about that. You didn't however. Those are just bruises and you didn't mean to. I knew the potential danger and chose to disregard your clear warnings."

"No Mila, you should be angry with me now. I hurt you. People that hurt you don't deserve sympathy."

"Maybe, but I am not. I am just not. You warned me and I didn't back off. Can we not train it? So that you don't hurt me anymore? I mean you did stop when I told you to."

"Show me how bad it is," demanded Erik frowning.

She didn't like it when Alpha-Erik was surfacing but there was also something about that authoritative tone that made her obey.

"I am sorry. I just can't handle the guilt. I'll rather die than hurt you in any way," he said in a much softer voice, touching the pink skin.

"I know you are not evil and didn't hurt me on purpose. I am tougher than you think. These are just bruises, as I said, and we are good. "

"No, not on purpose. Neither did your father hurt you on purpose; he was drunk but he hurt you all the same. I might not mean to, but I can kill you all the same and I don't want to."

His words were irritating Mila. Why was he going there, to stir in her personal trauma? 

"You see, Erik," said Mila, looking up,  caressing his face, and locking their gazes. "I don't have much to live for. I would not feel sorry if I die, and if I die by your hand it would not even be the worst option."

"Why are you doing this, Mila?" asked Erik while he looked at her almost in trance, soothed by her touch on his face. "And saying this? You shouldn't say such things."

"Do what?"

"Look at me like this. I feel it is so hard to resist."

"To do what? I am pretty sure it is not killing me," said Mila smiling with a hint of mischief.

Life was short in the end, and she wanted to enjoy it. They both should try to enjoy it.

"No, but it is a very thin line."

And there they were again, with Mila pressed against a wall between his arms.

Don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. Be gentle...

"Help me, walk it," he said with dilated pupils breathing heavily, only centimeters apart from her lips.

"It's ok. I trust you. Look at me, and remember in your heart and in your touch it's me."

So Erik kissed her, with open eyes and alert senses, keeping the beast from taking over and silencing the voice in his head that kept telling him that Mila was his, his alone and he should claim her. Mila felt it too, while he did it, as she again dipped into his mind without being able to control that.

"So you are his girl after all," said a familiar voice that made Erik break the kiss.

"Akin."

"Yes. I don't know. You must be a witch or so, but I swear I can still smell our mate bond. If she is your girl you should claim her before somebody else does," spat Akin with a provocative smile splattered over his face.

Erik's eyes just lit up in response and he bared his fangs.

"Don't push it, Akin. You know I can kill you."

"You could, but you can't afford a war right now."

"Come," said Erik to Mila grabbing her hand and leading her downstairs.

Erik knocked at a door and entered without waiting for the answer.

A big-eyed Samira stared back at them.

"Mila is sleeping here tonight," he said.

"Is she now?" asked Samira raising an eyebrow for the second time that day.

"Am I?" asked Mila also.

"Yes, you are. We are leaving in the morning and need some sleep. I need to know you are protected."

"But Samira does not need beauty sleep, right? And dealing with a cranky Dahiru in the morning is also nothing? " said Samira sarcastically.

"Please," answered Erik looking her in the eyes.

"Oh you know I can't resist that look. Go away now. Me and Mila will have a girls' slumber, it seems. Go tell Dahiru," she said and smiled resignedly and somehow amused.

When the door closed after Erik, Mila was left with a still smiling Samira that was looking at her scrutinizingly.

"I think we need to have a conversation, Milena. Come put your PJs on. We can talk afterward; like a real slumber party."

Intimidating. Samira was intimidating her. Mila took her in as she was: tall, beautifully curvy, and certainly not shy. Whatever she would want to talk about would not be an easy conversation.

"I... I will go get my clothes from my room."

"Most certainly not. You are not going to go out there. I will give you some clothes to sleep in. If you step out there tonight we will have a massacre."

Another strange encounter was not something Mila was looking forward to, so she just obeyed, brushed her teeth, and put Samira's nightgown on. It was beautiful, made of pure silk and it felt amazing on the skin, but it was also loose all over and too long for her.

To not have to talk too much she slipped into bed and laid down facing the wall.

"Erik is being irresponsible. That is very unusual for him. He is reckless, stubborn and uncalculated when it comes to you. He had been like that only regarding Katharina. She knew he loved her unconditionally and used that shamelessly. He has to look out for a lot of people and he does that with the price of his life and happiness, but there are not many people looking out for him, only me and Michael," said Samira, in a calm but stern voice. It sounded like a sermon. It most certainly was one. 

"Why are you telling me this? I didn't ask for any of it."

Mila felt irritated by Samira's words. She was not trying to use anybody; if something she was being used and tricked by the universe.

"No, you didn't. Still here you are making out with him."

Blood crept into Mila's cheeks.

"I wouldn't mind in normal circumstances, but right now you are a weak spot in a war."

"What should I do, huh? I was kidnapped. I tried to run away but ended up almost dead every time. Should I kill myself to shorten the process? Or what exactly do you want me to do? It turns out almost every wolf creature wants to fuck me bloody, and the only one I might like is actively avoiding getting close to me. My parents hate me, I have no penny on my name and nowhere to go, and now you are shaming me for having kissed your cousin. I feel bad for having slept with him but he was there and was kind and I was so miserable."

When Mila finished saying her piece, she was straight out crying ugly. Samira only stared at her dumbfounded for a few minutes.

"Oh dear lord, girl. This is worse than expected," said Samira touching Mila's face and starting to wipe the tears away. "Erik slept with you when he was human..." continued Samira more for herself, lost in thought.

Feeling pathetic seems to be the default lately.

"It's all good, child," said Samira stroking her hair.

At that moment it felt motherly, or as a big sister would do, to Mila. Her touch was comforting even if her words weren't. Then the soothing moment was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Oh boy, this evening is getting more and more entertaining. I bet my money it's Charlotte. Listen to me Mila, don't tell people, least of all Charlotte that you slept with Erik," whispered Samira standing up to open the door.

Samira changed her frowning expression to a puzzled one when she saw who had been knocking.

"What can I do for you, Kiera?"

"Samira, I followed the smell trail of the little thing till here. I would like to talk to Mila."

"About?" asked Samira curtly.

"I want her to have dinner with me and Cohen."

"You call it dinner now? My goodness, this magic drives people crazy, not that you and Cohen weren't a bit excentric, to begin with. Mila does not want that."

"Let her decide, how about that?" said Kiera baring her fangs.

"I said no. Don't cross me," answered Samira in a deep, low voice and the whole room began to shake.

Kiera backed off a few steps with something similar to fear and awe in her eyes.

"My goodness, so it is true. Dahiru did indeed share his elemental power with you. Is it because of the welp you are carrying?" said Kiera slightly condescending.

"No. It's because he loves me and it's the dawn of a new era. You should talk to Cohen about it. How comes that didn't occur to him? You two share everything, don't you?"

"Do you want to fight me, bitch, to release pregnancy hormones?"

"You know you would lose," said Samira and started laughing heartily.

To Mila's surprise, Kiera joined her, and she couldn't help but think how weird wolf people sometimes were.

"Come on, let me talk to the little one. I only want to ask if she wants to join us for some fun."

"No. Erik will kill you and after that, he will kill me. Under no circumstances."

"Come on..."

"Leave, and I might just forget I saw you here," said Samira slamming the door shut and letting herself fall on the bed again.

Mila looked at her for some moments. She didn't seize to be intimidated by her raw beauty. Her dark brown curls were spilling over the sheets, such a beautiful mahogany color, and her skin was as flawless as her features, perfectly symmetrical. She and Dahiru would have the most beautiful baby in the world.

"Congratulations. For the pregnancy I mean," said Mila stuttering.

"Thanks." Samira smiled.

"How did Kiera know?"

"She could smell it on me. After six months it's traceable in your scent."

"What? Six months? You still look like a freaking ballerina, a curvy one..."

Samira laughed again.

"You are funny, Mila. Lycan babies take longer than human ones; a pregnancy lasts eighteen months."

"Oh, I see. How comes I didn't see kids till now?"

"Because we don't bring kids in dangerous situations. It takes time for us to conceive and bear a child; they are regarded as very precious. This baby will be the first of a new generation of alphas. There are many things relying on him or her if Erik turns out to not have children."

That was a sensitive topic but none of her concerns. How and with whom Erik will have children after she is gone...

"Charlotte will see to that, I am sure..." she said still, not being able to suppress it.

"Yeah... She just might have to wait sixty years more. I don't think Erik will take a lover as long as his mate is still alive, regardless of where you will be and what you will be doing."

The only thing that Mila could do was look at Samira incredulously.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"How does this mate thing feel?" asked Mila.

Samira's eyes were big and trimmed by thick black lashes like Erik's. They mirrored intelligence and kindness that distracted Mila for a while.

"Of course, it has different flavors from person to person but mostly like your personal catalyst and the most attractive person in the world in your eyes. You would just do anything for the other. You want to be and give everything he needs and wants. It does not feel like a sacrifice, you just want to. Now imagine how it is for Erik to feel all that while you feel exactly nothing. I am not sure why you slept with him, but I think you shouldn't have unless you want to stay with him."

"So magic makes him feel stuff."

"Not when he is human. However Mila, unfortunately even if you like him, your relationship is complicated, and will always be. Even if you stay with him and he does claim you as his mate, it will not be easy either. He will always be that one alpha with the fragile human mate that he always needs to cater to."

"Yeah well, what is he now? Not the guy with the dead mate that aided the bad guys in world war two?" said Mila, the words slipping out of her mouth.

"Touché, little one, it can indeed not be worse than that. Now sleep, we need to be in Sankt Petersburg tomorrow."

"How does it feel, the pregnancy I mean? Is it different for wolf people?"

"I couldn't tell as I am not human, but it makes me more fierce and more passionate. I feel every feeling deeper, every tone and taste richer. And I can feel its feelings too."

Mila smiled absentminded.

"Now sleep. It will be a long ride..."