All Chapters of When we are one : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“You are hereby sentenced to the surface to live eternity among the Walkers,” declares the Underworld Caretaker, slamming his druidic scepter into the obsidian floor—not once, not twice, but three times. The sharp, echoing cracks out like a death knell across the chamber.The care taker floats above us—an unnerving figure cloaked in a shroud of darkness. His face is bone-white, painted like a skull, and his voice carries the hollow weight of final judgment. Silence falls over the crowd, thick and tense. Onlookers watch with a mixture of awe and horror, craning for a better view of the condemned.They’ve come to see me.Today, I—Anika Rhodes—am exiled. Every eye in the room is fixed on me. Usually, I’d shrink under such scrutiny, but not today. Today, I don’t care. Because exile isn’t a punishment. It’s freedom. It’s a life above ground, away from the dread of the Underworld. Away from the chains, the rituals, the watching shadows. It’s a chance, however slim, to be something more tha

“Corbin, dear, we need to talk.”Mothers home. Great. I wonder what she has in store this time. Every time Luna leaves the house, she returns with a new agenda.Go I walk through the large pack house to see what I’m being summoned for. Typically, it’s just the Beta’s family and ours—the Alpha's—who live within these walls. But as I reach the top of the stairs, an unfamiliar scent hits me.It’s intoxicating.It pulls at me, lures me toward the guest bedroom like a magnetic force.“Ezra, settle down. We can’t just barge in there.”My wolf growls, not at all pleased with my restraint. He’s trying to take control, pushing at my skin, desperate to shift. But I’m stronger—for now.“Corbin, whoever’s in there... she’s our mate. I need to be closer.”“I know, Ezra. I feel it too. But we can’t scare her, and we definitely can’t make a scene. Luna wants to talk. We keep this under wraps for now.”Ezra growls in frustration but eventually concedes, settling down with a quiet whimper.I head down

"That damn woman," I mutter, fists slamming into the punching bag in a steady rhythm that borders on violent.The pain I felt earlier wasn't just emotional—it was physical, raw, as if my chest had been cracked open. And that shouldn’t be possible. We’re not mated. Not truly. She hasn’t even come into her wolf yet. And still, I felt every flicker of fear that tore through her.Wolves aren’t supposed to feel each other like this. Not until the bond is accepted. Not until both wolves are fully grown. Anika has no wolf. Not yet. So why the hell am I bleeding emotions that aren’t mine?I jab harder. Rage fuels each strike, sharp and fast.I keep seeing her face in that trance—hollow, haunted, her pain bleeding into me like we shared one soul. And when she came back...I wanted to hold her, keep her there in my arms where nothing could hurt her. Ezra whimpered when I left. He wanted to stay.But I can’t.She’s a rogue.She’s not meant to be mine.Even if my wolf howls otherwise.After traini

I think I broke Corbin.He hasn’t moved in minutes. Just stands there, eyes locked on something only he can see. A silent war rages inside him, and I know I’m the cause.Corbin is my mate. And I’m a rogue.A bond like ours shouldn’t exist—not between someone like me and the future Alpha. I shouldn’t have let it get this far. I shouldn’t have hoped.“I’ll fix this,” I whisper, mostly to myself.I lean in and press my forehead to his. He flinches, just slightly. I ignore the sting.“Corbin…” My voice trembles. “I’m going to reject the mate bond. You don’t have to worry. A rogue can’t be Luna. We both know that.”I try to pull away, but his hands clutch mine before I get far. His touch is warm, grounding—but it feels like goodbye.He blinks like he’s waking from a dream, and for a second, I think he’ll say something. But he doesn’t. And maybe silence is answer enough.I kiss his forehead—gentle, lingering. Then I turn and walk away.Pain follows me like a shadow.My wolf howls inside my

I can’t say Ezra didn't warn me. Since the moment we saw Silvara shift beneath the moonlight, he’s been restless—wild. There’s no denying the truth anymore: our wolves aren’t just a part of us. They are us, in ways we don’t even fully understand. And Ezra? He’s no longer content to watch. He wants Silvara. Needs her.The moment Anika shifted back into her human form, I felt it—the surge in our bond, electric and sharp. Her skin still glowed with the remnants of her transformation, her wolf’s essence lingering. I felt her hesitation. The fear. The heartbreak. She didn’t say it outright, but I could feel the storm inside her: A rogue doesn’t belong with an alpha.When she tried to reject me, I felt Ezra claw at my chest from within, roaring his denial. Her voice trembled, and mine broke alongside hers. I couldn’t go through with it—not then, not ever. I wasn’t strong enough to let her go. Ezra wouldn’t allow it, even if I tried.Ezra’s voice pressed into my skull, urgent and raw:“Don’t