The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 148

“They’re not going anywhere,” Saphira said, her voice steady, slicing through the cold air like tempered steel. She stepped in front of Amara, her stance protective, unyielding.

Lupus laughed, the sound low and cruel, echoing across the clearing like a threat. “And what exactly are you going to do about it?” He gestured toward her with mockery in his eyes, his smile sharp. “You, a human. And her, a weak, pathetic, broken wolf. No backup. No leverage. You should agree to the deal.”

Saphira didn’t blink. *Let him think I’m considering it.* She tilted her head slightly, letting her expression shift into something thoughtful, almost curious. “And if we did agree,” she said slowly, voice measured, “how would it go down?”

Lupus smirked, clearly pleased by what he thought was hesitation. “Once Ruby and Damon are out and safe, we’ll drop the spell. You’ll be free to crawl back into your little pack grounds.”

Saphira narrowed her eyes, her tone sharpening. “I thought the spell was blocking anyone from exiting too.”

The witch stepped forward, her cloak billowing unnaturally as if stirred by something more than wind. Her eyes gleamed with smug amusement. “I have my ways,” she said, voice like silk dragged across broken glass.

Saphira’s stomach twisted. *How powerful is this spell?* She reached out with her mind-link, her thoughts sharp and urgent. *“Nikolas. Are you there?”*

His reply came instantly. *“I’m here. What’s happening?”*

*“There’s a spell. It’s blocking entry, and maybe exit. I need to shift.”*

*“I’ll get Raven and the witches working on a counter-spell now,”* he said. *“Do what you need to do, just stay alive.”*

*“I promise.”*

While she mind-linked Nikolas, Saphira began pacing slowly, deliberately. Her boots crunched against the gravel, arms folded, her gaze drifting as if weighing the offer. She let her expression flicker with doubt, just enough to keep Lupus watching. *Buy time. Keep control. Protect Amara.*

Then she stopped. Her body angled slightly, half-shielding Amara. Her eyes locked onto Lupus’s, steady and cold.

“No,” she said. “It’s no deal.”

The witch scoffed, her voice rising. “You’re stupid. You don’t stand a chance against us. So why bother?”

Lupus took a step forward, menace in every line of his body. “Then it seems we have no choice but to take you both.”

Saphira stepped closer to Amara, her hand finding hers. Her grip was firm. She leaned in, voice low and urgent. “Shift.”

Amara didn’t hesitate. Her body rippled with energy, bones reshaping, fur bursting forth in a shimmer of silver and shadow. In seconds, the wolf stood beside her, low and ready, muscles taut, eyes burning with defiance.

Lupus laughed again, louder this time, his voice echoing with scorn. “What do you think that weak wolf is going to do? Protect you both?”

Saphira smirked, her grip tightening on Amara’s shoulder. “She’s not the one who’ll protect us.”

Confusion flickered across Lupus’s face. Even the witch tilted her head, uncertain now.

Saphira’s voice dropped, rich and resonant. “You have no idea who I am anymore.”

And with that, she let go.

Her body surged with heat, a roar of light bursting from her skin. Bones stretched, wings unfurled, scales shimmered like molten gold. The ground trembled beneath her as she rose, towering, her dragon form casting a shadow that swallowed the clearing whole.

Lupus staggered back, eyes wide with disbelief. The witch gasped, her spell faltering, hands trembling.

Saphira’s eyes, now golden and glowing, locked onto them both, her wings flaring wide.

*Now you see me.*

“Impossible,” the witch hissed, her voice cracking with disbelief as she stared at the towering dragon before her.

Saphira didn’t answer. Her wings flared wide, casting a shimmering shadow across the clearing. The witch raised her hands, magic crackling like lightning between her fingers, and hurled the first strike.

Saphira moved instantly, her body twisting with fluid grace, the spell missing her by inches. She swept her tail low, shielding Amara as she dodged behind her. Sparks exploded against the earth, but Saphira didn’t flinch. *Keep her covered. Keep her safe.*

Lupus stood frozen, his mouth slightly open, the same stunned expression carved into his face. He didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

The witch launched another volley, sharp, jagged bursts of energy that tore through the air. Saphira countered with a roar, her wings slicing through the spell, scattering it like ash. They circled each other, predator and predator, magic and might colliding in bursts of light and fury.

Then the witch saw it, Amara, who had dodged the opposite way, exposed for a heartbeat.

Saphira’s eyes widened. No.

The witch’s lips moved fast, her spell already forming.

*‘Vaelora,’* Saphira called inwardly.

*‘We have to protect her,’* Vaelora growled. *‘And the baby.’*

Saphira felt the surge before she could brace. Vaelora pushed every ounce of strength into her limbs, launching toward Amara with impossible speed. The spell struck just as she reached her, searing pain lanced through her back end, scales splitting, the force driving her sideways.

Saphira cried out, the sound primal and furious.

*We’re hurt,* Saphira thought, panic rising.

*‘I’m angry,’* Vaelora snarled. *‘But I need more control. I have a plan. Trust me.’*

Saphira didn’t hesitate. *‘I do trust you.’*

She released the reins fully.

Vaelora rose, fury and precision fused. Her wings beat once, twice, and then she unleashed it. A force burst from her, not fire, not wind, but something deeper. A pulse of raw power, ancient and wild, slammed into the witch like a tidal wave.

The witch flew backwards, her body twisting mid-air before crashing into a distant tree with a sickening crack. The spell she’d bound them in shattered, the air rippled, then sparkled, fragments falling like starlight to the ground.

Silence.

Lupus stared, pale and unmoving. His fear was no longer masked, it was carved into him.

Vaelora exhaled, then gently gave control back. Saphira shifted, her body folding back into human form, breath ragged but steady. Amara, still in wolf form, padded to her side, coping, shaken, but whole.

Lupus stepped forward, voice hoarse. “How?”

Saphira turned to him, her eyes still glowing faintly. “You can thank Anastasia,” she said. “My mother.”

Nikolas appeared at Saphira’s side in that moment, his hand on her shoulder, eyes scanning her for injury.

Lupus’ face went pale, he finally saw, she was mated to Nikolas and a dragon. A powerful duo.

He didn’t wait.

He turned and ran.

Jed stepped forward, hand already reaching for his blade. “I can get him.”

“Let him go,” Nikolas said quietly.

Then, louder. “Get the witch. Put her in the cells. Raven will bind her magic.”

The warriors nodded and rushed toward the fallen figure, lifting her limp body and carrying her back into the pack grounds.

Saphira turned to Nikolas, her breath catching. She stepped into him, arms wrapping around his waist, her head resting against his chest.

He held her close, steady and warm.

She exhaled deeply, the tension finally breaking.

*We’re still standing.*