"What are you doing out here?"

I jolted, unprepared to see Mila. I was more than surprised when she plopped down beside me.

"It's cold. Why are you outside?" She asked.

I discreetly wiped my face, "A girl can't enjoy the cold?"

"Not if they're endanger of losing a limb."

I felt her gaze on me. Quiet. Studying. Intense.

There was something about Mila that seemed unnerving.

She kind of reminded me of the wind. Silent and invisible, if that was what she intended, but dangerous all at the same time.

I didn't know her story and I was sure she had never told anyone either.

I shifted beneath her gaze, "Do I have something on my face?" I wiped my cheek, just in case. I didn't know exactly why I was crying outside, in the middle of the night, alone. I had just finished a patrol and Alexei was expecting me home soon. I still hadn't reconciled with the idea that I was now living with him. The transition had been easier than I thought it would be. It was as if we had been living with each other for the longest of times because we had settled into each other's space so effortlessly.

Mila sighed deep, "I apologise for forcing my presence here. I heard you sniffling, and I don't know. I thought I might keep you company until you were ready to go home. Crying alone in the middle of the night outside is something I've never done before, not that I cry or anything."

I laughed, swiping beneath my eyes again. "Now why do I feel like you're lying to me Mila?"

Mila grunted and played with her blonde locks. "Think what you want."

"Have you ever loved someone before?" I asked her.

Mila stiffened, "In what sense?" She asked warily, "There are different types of love that exist in the world. There's a love between friends, parent and child, between lovers-"

"Lovers. Have you ever been in love with someone so deeply, the simple thought of them makes your heart go crazy?"

"Um."

"I've fallen in love." I confessed.

"Uh, that's great." Mila squirmed, looking uncomfortable. I almost laughed at her genuine response to my declaration. She was probably regretting her life choice to sit next to me on this quiet, cold night. "Is that why you're crying? Because you're in love?" She asked after a few long seconds passed.

I laughed, feeling my eyes sting with more tears. "No, not really. I just didn't think I would fall in love with someone. Tonight, I've just come to a realisation that love is fucking scary."

Mila nodded, "Love is poisonous. It either creeps up on you or takes you out without warning. Sometimes you don't even know it's got you until it's too late and has already infiltrated every atom of your body."

"I think you're right." I nodded. "Yesterday, the realisation that I loved someone settled on me. Tonight, something in me wanted to resist the idea that someone out there possesses so much power over my heart and that alone scares me."

"Do you trust this person with your heart?"

I didn't need to think. I already knew the answer. It was unanimous. I was certain Mila knew the answer already. She didn't need my verbalisation to confirm my feelings. The truth was engraved on my face.

"I trust him with my life." I whispered.

Mila simply nodded, "There you go."

I took a deep exhale, allowing the air travel from my lungs. Faint fog appeared near my lips as I shivered from the chilly gust of wind that brushed by. "I can feel you keep looking at me from my peripheral. Is there something on my face?" I asked.

"There's nothing on your face. I just like to study people. Scan for weaknesses or strengths. Depends." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"And what did you get from me, other than me being madly in love part?"

Mila laughed but answered, "Loyalty. I see loyalty. A lot of it."

I nodded, "I like that."

"I also see an abundance of the self-doubt you carry close to your heart."

"You're good at this. You should be an Oracle or something." I chuckled although I wasn't the slightest humoured by her statement. It freaked me out that she could take one look at me and read my vulnerabilities like she was simply scanning through a restaurant menu.

Mila ignored my suggestion. "Why the self-doubt? From what I know, you're an Elite Syndicate Enforcer. You're good friends with the Alpha couple. They would do anything for you. You have a mate that is devoted to you. You seem to have everything. So, why the self-doubt?"

"It's nothing to do with those around me. Doubt has always been my enemy. It's still something I try to conquer every day."

"What was it like?" She suddenly changed topics.

I was confused by her curiosity. She wasn't looking directly at me, but I knew I had her full attention.

Call it intuition.

"What was what like?" I asked.

"When you were a Rogue. What was it like?"

"What was my life as a Rogue?"

"No, the journey to get here."

"You wanted to know how I ended up here?"

Mila nodded quietly, watching the stars sparkle. "Please."

"If I answer this, I think I get to ask you some questions."

Mila's lips pinched together but she nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Sure."

She certainly did not sound like she was 'sure'.

"What do you know about me?" I asked, curious.

She absently stroked the leather of her uniform, "Not much. People are tight-lipped here."

"So you've been asking around."

"Out of curiosity. I still don't trust this place, or the people. I wanted to make sure I didn't make a mistake. You weren't the only one I enquired about. No one gave me any answers."

"They just don't know what to make of you."

Mila nodded, "I'm not an easy person to get to know." She admitted.

I was surprised she was aware of this fact. "It may take time but once you have earned their trust and we have earned your trust, we'll be ok."

"Maybe I don't want or need your trust."

I gave her a bland look. "The fact that you personally have entered this Pack and have taken the name of the Shadow Hunters show exactly how much you trust this Pack. It might be a little right now, but it was enough to make you become part of this."

Mila abruptly looked away, shifting as if uncomfortable by my point. "Magnus needed me here."

"You're close with him?"

"Not really." She replied. When she didn't elaborate, I didn't push. I had a feeling that Mila would fully barricade herself if she was pushed too much over the edge.

"If you need a friend or someone to talk to, I could be that person." I offered tentatively. "We may not know each other well but I feel like we have enough in common to get each other. We don't even have to be friends. I can just be a listening ear."

"Uh, thanks." She ducked her head.

"I mean it. We're both former lone wolves. I'm sure your story isn't exactly sunshine and rainbows."

Mila snorted, "Definitely not that. I don't think many people have that luxury. I'm sure you can relate."

"True but let me be that person who listens for you. We don't even need to talk about you. I'm sure with time you'll learn to trust me or someone else in the Pack." I shared, rising to my feet.

"Are you trying to be my friend?" Mila asked quietly.

"I mean, we could be friends- "

"I don't do friendships." She shared, cutting me off abruptly.

"Then, we don't. I was never a fan of labels anyways." I patted my cheeks, noting the tears had completely dried, leaving the skin beneath my eyes stiff.

Mila didn't reply. She just stared at the sky above us, taking in the mysterious beauty of the night sky. I remained by her until a thick, wide cloud eclipsed the crescent moon.

"I'll see you around." I told Mila.

Mila cocked her head to the side, watching me. "I might think love is poisonous, but to some, it's the antidote they needed all along."

Her words lingered with me for a long time.