When we are one

Chapter 14 Corbin

She’s shaking in my arms.

Her body is feverish, her breathing short and ragged. Every inhale floods my senses with her scent—rich, sweet, completely intoxicating. It’s like wildflowers and fire and rain. But there’s an edge to it now, something sharp and desperate. She’s calling to me.

No… she’s pleading for me.

Ezra is pacing, snarling, nearly wild.

She’s burning.

She needs us. Now.

Why do you wait?

Because I have to be sure. Even if every cell in my body is screaming to claim her again. Even if every instinct I’ve ever buried is howling at me to take.

I lay her gently on the bed. Her skin is slick with sweat. Silver lashes flutter as she tries to wake, but she’s somewhere between the physical and the bond—caught in the heat that was never supposed to come so soon.

“Anika,” I whisper, brushing her hair from her face. “I’m here.”

She whimpers at the sound of my voice, her lips parting as if to speak. But the bond flares instead. Her need slams into me like a wave, and I stagger back, nearly choking on it.

Ezra surges up in my chest, clawing at the edge of my control.

Ours.

Mate in need.

Touch her. Calm her. Now.

I climb onto the bed, pulling her gently into my lap. She curls into me instinctively, burying her face in my neck. Her breath is hot against my skin. Her hands fist my shirt, clutching me like I’m the only thing tethering her to this world.

And maybe I am.

The wolf in me knows what to do. Ezra’s instincts merge with mine until there’s no difference. No boundary. We are one being, one purpose, one promise.

Protect. Soothe. Anchor.

I press kisses into her hair, her temple, her cheek.

“I’ve got you,” I murmur. “You’re safe. Let go.”

Her hips shift in my lap and a broken moan escapes her lips. The sound nearly undoes me. I grit my teeth, holding her closer, whispering into her skin.

“You’re in heat, Anika. Your body’s calling to mine. But I won’t take you unless you ask. I’ll be here. I’ll hold you through every wave. I’ll carry this heat with you.”

She whimpers again, and this time her eyes flutter open. Glowing. Silver and wild.

“Corbin…” Her voice is wrecked. “It hurts.”

That’s all it takes.

Something snaps in me.

Ezra pushes to the forefront, and I let him. He wraps our arms around her with pure reverence. He noses along her jaw, her neck, the bond mark that still glows faintly between us.

“You’re not alone,” I hear myself say, voice rough, almost inhuman. “We’ll take the pain, little wolf. We’ll ground you. Let it burn. We can handle the fire.”

She arches into us like she trusts that.

And she should.

Ezra surrounds her like a shield. I let our scent wrap around hers, mingling, syncing. It calms her. Her tremors slow. Her breathing steadies.

I feel her surrender.

Not in weakness. In trust.

Her heat crashes over her in waves. She cries out once, and I pull her closer, rocking her through it.

Time blurs.

We don’t move from the bed. Not for hours.

I strip off the sweat-damp clothes clinging to her body only to replace them with the warmth of mine. I keep skin-to-skin contact—just as the wolf within knows is needed. I kiss her mark again and again, until the pulse beneath it slows. Until her claws retract. Until the desperation gives way to peace.

Ezra whispers through me in low growls and words not made for the human tongue.

Ours.

No one else touches her.

She is moon-blessed. Sacred. Mate.

Eventually, she falls into a deep sleep, curled in my arms, her body finally spent and comforted. Her scent is no longer desperate. It’s settled, satisfied. Warm honey and ash.

I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, my heart still thundering in my chest. Every breath she takes is another promise.

I will never let her suffer alone again.

Not while I breathe.

Not while Ezra and I are alive.

I close my eyes and feel her body rising and falling against mine. The fire is burned out for now, but it’ll return. We both know it.

Next time, she won’t go through it unprepared.

Next time, I won’t hold back.

Next time, I will mate her properly—under the moon, in front of our pack.

Let the world try to stop me.