When we are one

Chapter 28 Anika

I jolt awake, my breath catching in my throat as my entire body tingles—like static crawling beneath my skin. My chest rises and falls rapidly, but it’s not panic. It’s power. Unrestrained. Untamed.

My eyes flash in the mirror across the room—amber, molten, glowing. My pupils dilated so wide they nearly swallow the color whole.

Shit. Not again.

“f*****g Grace,” I growl through clenched teeth.

I feel it before I see it—my soul tugging free, slipping loose from my body like smoke rising from embers. Another out-of-body projection. Another trip into a realm I didn’t ask for.

I blink, and I’m no longer in the pack house.

No soft blankets. No Corbin.

No safety.

Instead, the air is damp, thick, and foul with the scent of rot and rusted blood. Stone walls close in around me, slick with mildew. My bare astral feet hover above the floor, but I feel the wrongness in every inch of this place.

“Not here…”

My voice echoes in my own head, dread clawing its way up my throat.

I know this place. The cellar. His cellar.

“f*****g Elias,” I whisper, my voice cold and filled with venom.

Grace, of course, stands at the center of it all. That smug twist on her perfect lips. So poised. So manipulative. And so utterly foolish.

She doesn’t realize what she’s dealing with.

She doesn’t know Elias the way I do.

But I remember.

He isn’t just an old vampire. He’s a monster from before monsters had names. I crossed paths with him more times than I care to count during my years below—his hunger insatiable, his mind twisted. He feeds on chaos. On prophecy. On power. And Grace just walked right into his lair wearing perfume and pride.

“You’re playing with fire, you idiotic, snake-hearted brat.”

I hover silently, hidden in the ethereal veil of the astral plane. I shouldn’t even be able to reach this place—not after being banished from the underworld for so many lifetimes. But something’s changing. My power is breaking through barriers that once held me down.

I can feel the world shifting around me.

Silvara stirs beneath the surface, her voice edged with a growl.

“He is not to be trusted. He’s tasted divine blood before. If Grace offers him yours, he will drain the world to get it.”

The bile rises in my throat as I listen to them scheme. Their voices drip with manipulation—Grace talking of me like I’m some obstacle to be eliminated, Elias chuckling like a predator who’s just been told the hunt is back on.

If Elias weren’t already half-rotted inside, I’d spit on his grave.

But this isn’t over. Not yet.

My projection ripples, flickering as emotion pulls me back toward my physical form. My connection to the pack, to Corbin… to the twins growing inside me, tugs at my soul like a lifeline.

Before I return, I glare down at Grace, memorizing every line on her conniving little face.

“You want a Luna war, sweetheart?” I whisper to the shadows. “Then you’ve just declared one.”

And with that, I let the darkness pull me home.

I gasp sharply, fingers clawing into the bed sheets as the world rushes back into focus. My body jerks upright, chest heaving, the echo of Elias’s voice still ringing in my ears like a curse.

Everything feels too loud.

Too real.

The familiar scent of pine and storm clings to the room, grounding me. I blink, adjusting to the soft light spilling through the curtains—but Corbin isn’t here.

Where is he?

Before the panic can spiral, the door swings open and Briar steps in with a speed that’s not entirely human. His eyes land on me—wide, wild with concern.

“Anika,” he breathes, relief and panic colliding in his voice. “Are you okay?”

He’s beside me in an instant, crouching like he might catch me if I fall again. For a moment, I swear he can feel the chaos in my chest, the lingering chill from the astral plane.

“I’m okay,” I manage, though my voice wavers. “It’s alright. I’m back.”

His hand brushes against my forehead—a soft, protective touch. It calms me for half a second. Then he stands, offering his hand to help me up.

I take it, but the second I’m on my feet, I pull away.

“Where’s Corbin?”

Briar hesitates. That pause is too long.

“He… left,” he says, trying to keep his tone light. “While you were still sleeping. Something about tracking rogues and investigating possible traitors among the pack.”

No. Not now. Not alone.

“He asked me to stay and keep watch over you,” Briar adds, voice softer. “To make sure you were safe.”

“Safe?” I scoff, pushing past him and heading for the door. “No one’s safe if Grace keeps playing the games she’s playing.”

Briar calls my name, but I don’t stop. I whirl around at the doorway, heart racing.

“I need to find Corbin. Now. But you—you need to go to Luna Olivia. Tell her Grace has gone too far this time. She’s consorting with Elias.”

His eyes widen in disbelief. “The Elias?”

“Yes.” I nod firmly. “And if we don’t act now, this pack won’t survive what’s coming.”