All Chapters of When we are one : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

As Anika lays curled beside me, the soft rise and fall of her breath steadying, I sit up and turn toward her, unable to resist the magnetic pull of her body—even now, when the chaos has quieted. My eyes fall to the gentle curve of her stomach, still flat, but alive with meaning.My fingers trace slow circles around her belly button, reverent. There’s life in here. Two lives.If you’d asked me a week ago, I would’ve thought this was crazy. Hell, a month ago, I didn’t even believe in fate. Now I’m lying in bed next to a woman who carries not just my heart—but my children.I bend down and press a kiss to her stomach, and warmth floods my chest. “Hi, you two,” I murmur quietly, my lips ghosting against her skin. “It’s your daddy. I already love you both more than anything. I promise you—I’ll protect you, always.” Behind me, I feel the shift in Anika’s breathing. I glance up and find her smiling, her eyes soft with something more than love—something sacred. I kiss a slow trail up her

Dinner ends with the usual hum of pack chatter, but my focus stays fixed on Anika. The room may be full, but she’s my anchor—and tonight, there’s something heavy pressing on her spirit. I don’t push her to speak. Not yet. Instead, I take her hand and lead her out through the side doors, past the gardens and toward the stables. The moonlight casts soft silver over her hair, and Ezra hums with approval at the sight. She’s breathtaking, he whispers, and I agree with every part of me. We saddle up my black gelding, Storm, and I pull her up to sit in front of me. The warmth of her body rests against mine, but she still shivers. Not from the chill of the night air—but something deeper. Fear. Dread. We ride into the darkness, the rhythm of hooves like a steady drumbeat against the earth. The forest around us hums with life, but there's a stillness within Anika that unnerves me more than any threat lurking in the trees. Her body trembles slightly, and I tighten my arms around her waist.

The ride back feels different. The air is heavy, and every rustle in the trees sets my senses on edge. Anika rides just ahead of me, the glow of the vial tucked safely beneath her shirt like a second heartbeat. She hasn’t spoken since Gretel’s warning. Neither have I. Because the witch’s words echo louder than either of us want to admit. “One of them is working with the rogues.” The pack. My pack. The people I’ve trained with, protected, trusted. The same people who raised me, who call me their future Alpha. One of them would see Anika dead. Would risk everything—our unborn pups, our future—for what? Power? Revenge? Ezra snarls low in my chest. He’s not just angry. He’s ready to rip someone apart. When we finally reach the edge of the pack lands, I slow the horse. Anika stops too and turns to me, her hair whipping softly in the wind. The moonlight kisses her features, but there’s tension in her jaw. She feels it too—the shift, the change, the threat. “Do you believe her?” she a

The underworld is nothing like the stories. It’s darker. Wetter. More alive in the most wretched ways. The air is thick—so heavy with dampness and rot it clings to the skin like filth you can’t wash off. Shadows move here, even when there’s no light. And the light… when it comes, it burns blue. Unnatural. Unforgiving. Slaves shuffle along narrow paths of stone, bare feet calloused and bloodied. They wear only the ragged scraps of what could once be called clothes—potato sacks, really. Their wrists, ankles, and throats are bound in gleaming, rune-etched chains. Not made of steel. No, these are forged from magic itself. Ancient. Absolute. They don’t just restrain the body—they leash the soul. These people were once powerful. Now they’re hollowed out. And yet… they glow. Faintly. Dimly. As if whatever magic they once wielded hasn’t quite been extinguished. “Misfits. Monsters. Exiles.” That’s what they’re called up above. But down here? They’re survivors. They belong. This plac

We’ve been out here for hours. The moon is high and the forest heavy with dew, the silence broken only by the tired footfalls of my pack and the occasional rustle of leaves. Everyone’s running on fumes—and honestly, so am I. We haven’t found anything. No tracks. No trail. Just the lingering stench of rogues that now feels more like a warning than a lead. “Corbin,” Ezra growls low in my head, frustration vibrating through the bond. “Can we go back to Silvara and Anika now? I have a bad feeling. Something’s off. We’re too far away from the pups… and I don’t trust Briar.” That last word drips with venom. Ezra’s jealousy is never subtle. “He wants her for himself,” he growls again. “He always has. He hides behind loyalty, but it’s a lie.” I sigh, rubbing my temple as I scan the trees. “Ezra,” I reply internally, firm. “We have to trust him. We can’t be in two places at once, and if there really is a traitor among us, we need answers. Protecting our mate doesn’t mean anything if th