The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 160

Saphira’s claws tore into the earth as she pulled Anastasia gently aside, shielding her with the curve of her wing. Anastasia's dragon staggered, her scales dulled to a pale sheen, breath ragged and shallow. Blood streamed from the wound in her wing, dark and glistening, pooling beneath her feet.

Behind them, the battlefield roared.

Wolves collided mid-air, snarling and snapping. Vampires blurred between trees, blades flashing. Spells cracked like thunder, lighting up the dusk in bursts of violet and gold. The ground shook beneath the weight of dragons landing, wings slicing through smoke and chaos.

Saphira leaned in, her voice slipping through the mind-link like a whisper through flame. *“Stay in dragon form. You’ll be more protected. But stay back, I’ll shield you as much as I can.”*

*“Okay,”* Anastasia replied, but her voice was thin, strained. Saphira felt the pain radiating through the link like static, sharp and dissonant.

She turned inward. *‘Vaelora, Anastasia’s hurt. Badly.’*

Vaelora’s response came instantly, her tone grim. *‘There was something laced on the blade. Poisoned. It’s slowing her down.’*

Saphira’s chest tightened, fury rising like fire in her throat. *They planned this, and they were aiming for me.*

She turned back toward the Silvermoon pack, her body shifting forward, wings flaring wide. More wolves were shifting, snarls rising like a storm. The ground trembled beneath their paws, claws gouging into the soil as they prepared to charge.

Then, like a wave crashing into the shore, the rest of the Arrax pack arrived.

Dragons dove from the sky, wings slicing through smoke. Wolves surged from the trees, howling as they collided with Silvermoon fighters. Vampires blurred between bodies, striking with surgical precision. Finn moved like a ghost, his wolf form weaving through enemies with lethal grace, jaws snapping, claws raking.

Saphira’s heart surged. *We’re here. We’re fighting.*

Asher landed beside her, his dragon form fierce and blazing. He knocked two wolves aside with a sweep of his tail, his eyes scanning quickly. He looked at Anastasia, then back to Saphira, concern etched deep into his features.

Saphira focused, testing the mind-link. *“Asher. Can you hear me?”*

*“I can.”* His reply came through.

*“Anastasia’s badly hurt. She needs to get back to the pack. Amara has the medical team ready. Can you carry her?”*

*“Yes,”* he replied without hesitation.

Saphira turned to Anastasia, her voice soft but firm. *“Shift back. Asher’s taking you to safety.”*

She glanced toward Nikolas, who was holding the line, his dragon form a wall of fury, tail lashing, claws flashing, keeping any Silvermoon wolves from getting close. His roar split the air, sending two attackers skidding backward.

Anastasia nodded weakly and shifted, her form collapsing into human shape, trembling. Asher moved quickly, scooping her up with care, his wings already spreading.

*“I’ll be back as soon as I can,”* he mind-linked, and then he was gone, rising into the sky, carrying her toward safety, his silhouette vanishing into the clouds.

Saphira watched them disappear, her heart heavy. Please be okay. Please hold on.

A snarl snapped her attention back. A Silvermoon wolf lunged toward Zafira, only to be intercepted mid-air by Jed’s claws. Another spell exploded behind her, sending dirt and flame into the sky.

Saphira turned, wings flaring wide, claws gleaming.

Saphira launched herself back into the fray, wings slicing through smoke and ash as she landed beside Nikolas. His dragon form towered beside her, scales gleaming, eyes locked on the chaos ahead. Without a word, they moved together, tail swipes timed to knock back lunging wolves, wings flaring to shield the injured and disorient the enemy.

A Silvermoon wolf darted toward Nikolas’s flank, low and fast. Saphira twisted, her tail cracking against its ribs, sending it sprawling. Another leapt at her from behind, claws outstretched. Nikolas spun, his wing slamming into the wolf mid-air, knocking it into a tree with a sickening crunch.

*We’re in sync,* she thought, breath steadying. *This is what we trained for.*

The rest of the Arrax pack surged around them, Finn weaving through the fight with deadly precision, Zafira’s dragon form roaring as she tore through the enemy line, Jed shielding two injured wolves with his body while striking down another. The Silvermoon pack was thinning, their formation breaking, but they were still dangerous.

Saphira and Nikolas pressed forward, step by step, carving a path through the chaos. She caught glimpses of bloodied fur, scorched earth, and the glint of blades. Her claws tore through a wolf’s shoulder; Nikolas crushed another beneath his weight. They didn’t stop. Couldn’t.

Ahead, Raven and two witches stood in a tight triangle, their hands raised, voices chanting in unison. Magic shimmered around them, a glowing net of energy encasing Lupus and Cassandra. The two stood frozen, unable to move, their eyes darting with fury.

*Part of me wishes they’d done that before Cassandra threw the knife,* Saphira thought bitterly. *But this is war. There are bound to be casualties, I can’t be angry at that.*

She pushed the thought aside and kept moving. A vampire stumbled nearby, blood pouring from a gash in his leg. Nikolas shifted, shielding him with a wing while Saphira knocked back the wolf that had been closing in.

As they neared the centre, the air grew heavier. The spell around Lupus and Cassandra pulsed like a heartbeat, and the wolves still fighting grew more erratic, more reckless.

Suddenly, a blur of fur shot toward Nikolas, another Silvermoon wolf, larger than most, eyes wild. Finn intercepted, slamming into the wolf mid-charge. They rolled across the ground, snarling, biting. But the wolf was stronger. It sank its teeth into Finn’s shoulder, and he howled in pain.

Saphira’s head snapped toward the sound. Lupus, still frozen, shouted, “Connor!”

Saphira blinked. *Connor? That’s his son? Now he cares?*

She glanced at Cassandra. Her face was blank. Unbothered. Unmoved.

Nikolas lunged, claws tearing into the wolf’s side, forcing it off Finn. The younger wolf staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his shoulder. He shook it off, jaw clenched.

Saphira stepped closer, her voice slipping into the mind-link. *“Finn. You’re hurt. Get back to the pack. Amara’s waiting.”*

There was a pause. Then, *“I’m fine.”*

*“You’re not. Go. We’ve got this.”*

Finn hesitated, then nodded once and turned, limping toward the rear line.

Saphira exhaled, her gaze snapping back to the fight. The spell around Lupus and Cassandra was holding. The Silvermoon pack was crumbling.

*Time to end this.*