When we are one

Chapter 26 Anika

I lay on the bed, my hand drifting over the small bump beginning to form on my belly. It’s still barely there, but I feel it. Them.

The twins.

Ours.

It’s wild how fast everything is changing. My body isn’t just mine anymore.

It’s ours—mine, Silvara’s, and theirs.

And the power… it’s different now. It thrums beneath my skin, more alive than ever before. I can feel them stirring. Not just in my womb—but in my spirit.

“They are strong already,”

Silvara’s voice floats gently into my thoughts, protective and warm.

“They carry a piece of you. And a piece of him. But something more, too. Something older.”

I blink, tears welling.

“My little peas,” I whisper aloud, a quiet sob slipping through the words.

I never imagined I’d have this.

A mate. A home. A family.

The thought should bring me peace.

But it doesn’t.

Because someone is trying to destroy it again. And this time, the fury in my chest burns brighter than the fear.

“Let them try,”

Silvara snarls.

“I’ll rip them apart.”

A knock sounds at the door, and I freeze. A surge of heat flares from my palm.

“Who is it?” I call, my voice laced with fire. Literally. A flickering flame dances above my skin. My body reacts faster than I can think now.

“It’s me. Briar,” comes the reply. He sounds… cautious. Hesitant. “Anika… are you okay? I don’t need to come in, but your energy—it shifted. I’m worried.”

Worried? From Briar? That’s new.

I glance at the flame hovering above my hand, the heat pulsing like a second heartbeat.

“You’re not alone,”

Silvara reminds me gently.

“But your power is your own. Learn to hold it—not hide it.”

I dart into the bathroom, thrusting my hand under the cold tap. The fireball hisses and dies, smoke curling up from my palm like a final warning.

“Little rogue…”

I nearly leap out of my skin.

“Corbin!” I whirl, breath catching. “You can’t sneak up on people like that!”

His arms are folded, eyes sharp. “You set the bond on fire, Anika. The whole house felt that flare. I ran up here because I thought—”

“I know,” I mutter, brushing past him. “Good. Maybe now the little she snitch will back the f**k off from my pack.”

That was too much. But I can’t stop myself. I’m burning again—on the inside.

Corbin grabs my waist, pulling me in tight. “Easy, little rogue. You’re radiating fury right now. Ezra’s pacing like a caged beast.”

“And I am ready to fight,”

Silvara growls in unison with Ezra’s presence.

“No one threatens what’s ours.”

“I think the mum in me is already kicking in,” I whisper. “I’m so on edge. Everything feels… dangerous.”

He kisses the top of my head. “We all feel it. But you said something. About a she?”

Oops.

My jealousy got the better of me.

“Yeah,” I say carefully. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just… a feeling.”

Corbin frowns. “Anika, you had a fireball in your hand. I watched you extinguish it under water. That’s not just a feeling.”

“You’re evolving,”

Silvara murmurs inside me.

“Not just as a mother. As something more. You were forged in fire, Anika. Stop fearing it.”

I exhale slowly. “Fine. Something’s off. I feel like that b***h grace is the snitch. Like she is just waiting for the right moment to strike.”

His jaw clenches, possessive energy rolling off him.

“We’ll tread lightly,” he promises. “And when we catch her out —grace won’t get a second chance.”

He places a hand over mine, both resting on the tiny bump between us.

“I will burn the world before I let them touch you.”

I lean into him, the fury inside slowly quieting.

“Not burn it,”

Silvara corrects softly.

“Change it. Reclaim it. Together.”

And just like that… the fire begins to feel like mine again.