The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 161

Saphira’s gaze swept the clearing, Arrax wolves limping, vampires bloodied and crouched low. Silvermoon fighters lay sprawled across the dirt, some groaning, some still. And yet, more kept coming. More teeth. More claws. More blind loyalty.

She stood beside Nikolas, claws digging into the scorched earth. He was mid-swipe, his tail knocking two wolves aside with brutal force, his roar splitting the air like a war drum.

*They’re just loyal,* Saphira thought, her heart aching beneath the fury. *Most of them don’t even know what they’re fighting for. They’re following orders. Just like they are trained to do.*

Nikolas’s voice slipped into her mind, sharp and steady even as he lunged at another attacker. *“What are you thinking?”*

Saphira’s eyes narrowed. She watched another Arrax wolf go down, a Silvermoon fighter collapsing beside him in a tangle of limbs and blood. Her jaw clenched. *“I’m thinking that I’ve had enough.”*

Without waiting, she shifted, scales melting into skin, wings folding, claws retracting. Her boots hit the ground hard, her breath sharp and fast. She stepped forward, smoke swirling around her legs, the battlefield parting just enough for her to walk through.

She stopped in front of Lupus and Cassandra, still held in place by the witches’ spell. Raven’s voice echoed faintly behind her, steady and relentless in chant. Magic shimmered around the pair like a cage of light.

Saphira’s voice rang out, clear and commanding. “Lupus. Tell your pack to stand down. Give up.”

Cassandra’s head snapped toward her, eyes gleaming with disdain. “We’ll never do that.”

Saphira didn’t flinch. Her gaze locked on Lupus. “I wasn’t speaking to you.”

She stepped closer, her voice dropping low, fierce. “You’ve already injured your son. We have Ruby held in a cell. What more do you need to lose before you stop? You won’t win this fight.”

Lupus hesitated. His eyes flicked to Cassandra, searching her face for something, permission, perhaps. She shook her head slowly, lips pressed into a thin, unyielding line.

He turned back to Saphira. “No. We won’t give up. We will win, one way or another.”

Saphira’s fury surged. Her hands curled into fists, heat rising in her chest, her skin tingling with the threat of flame. “If you don’t tell your pack to stand down, I will burn them all. Right here. Right now.”

Cassandra laughed, the sound brittle and mocking. “Dragons don’t have that ability. Unless you plan to take us out with little balls of fire, it might take a while.”

Saphira didn’t bite. Her voice dropped, cold and steady. “You have no idea what I’m capable of. Do you really want to risk your pack on it?”

Cassandra’s smile faded. “If it means getting my daughter back, then yes.”

Saphira’s breath caught. Her voice softened, incredulous. “What about your son?”

Cassandra’s eyes didn’t flicker. “He died all those years ago when he went over that ledge. That’s that. This person who is still alive is no son of ours.”

Saphira stared at her, stunned. *She dismissed him. Just like that. Like he was nothing.*

Her voice turned sharp, cutting. “Then if that’s how you feel, I’ll kill Ruby. Then I’ll kill you. It’s your choice. Make it wisely.”

Cassandra’s voice sliced through the smoke, sharp and mocking. “You wouldn’t do it,” she said, chin tilted, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. “You’re not a killer. You might be a dragon, but you’re still weak.”

Saphira’s jaw clenched. Heat surged up her spine, coiling in her chest like a storm waiting to break. Her fists curled at her sides, nails biting into her palms. Her breath came shallow, controlled only by sheer will.

*She doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know what I’ve survived. What I’ll do to protect the people I love.*

Before she could speak, Nikolas’s voice slipped into her mind. *“Ignore her. She’s trying to piss you off.”*

Saphira inhaled through her nose, slow and deep. Her shoulders rolled back, spine straightening. She let the fury settle into something colder, sharper. Her stance firmed, her voice like ice. “Have it your way,” she said, turning from Cassandra, her body already preparing to shift.

“Wait!” Lupus’s voice cracked through the tension like a whip.

Saphira turned sharply, eyes narrowing. Cassandra’s head snapped toward him; her voice laced with venom. “What are you doing?”

Lupus didn’t look at her. “Shut up,” he growled, jaw tight. Then he turned to Saphira, his expression unreadable. “I’ll tell the pack to stand down… if you give us Ruby.”

Saphira’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll take you to Ruby.”

Cassandra scoffed, stepping forward as far as the spell would allow. “We’ll take her and leave.”

Saphira stepped closer, her boots crunching over broken stone and ash. “No. This isn’t a negotiation. I’ll take you to Ruby, or no deal.”

Lupus hesitated. His gaze flicked between Saphira and Cassandra, then to the battlefield littered with the wounded and the dead. His shoulders sagged. “Deal.”

Cassandra’s lips curled in disgust. “You’re making a mistake, Lupus.”

“Shut up,” Lupus snapped again, louder this time.

Saphira didn’t blink. “Tell your pack to stand down.”

Lupus’s face went blank, his eyes distant as he reached out through the mind-link. Saphira watched the Silvermoon fighters. One by one, they began to slow. Claws lowered. Growls faded. The chaos stilled like a tide pulling back from shore.

Nikolas shifted beside her, his dragon form melting into human. His voice brushed her thoughts, warm and proud. *“That was brilliant, well done.”*

Then aloud, firm and clear, he said to Lupus, “Send them home. Now.”

Lupus’s face went blank again. Saphira and Nikolas stood shoulder to shoulder, watching as the Silvermoon pack began to move, some members limping, dragging, retreating. The Arrax pack held their ground, tense but still. Jasper and Sam flanked the edges, eyes sharp and unblinking. Raven remained locked in her spell, her lips moving, her gaze flicking over her shoulder every few seconds.

Saphira’s breath eased. Her shoulders dropped slightly. *It’s over. Finally.*

But then there was sudden movement.

The Silvermoon wolves closest to her shifted, their bodies tensing, muscles coiling like springs.

Saphira’s eyes snapped to them, instincts flaring. No...

And then she heard it.

“No deal,” Cassandra said, her voice cold and final.

The wolves lunged.

Saphira barely had time to brace before they were on her, claws tearing, teeth sinking. She cried out, her body twisting, trying to shift, trying to fight. Pain exploded across her ribs, her shoulder, her back. She hit the ground hard, her vision blurring as fur and fangs closed in.

She heard Nikolas roar, heard the scramble of her pack, shouts, snarls, the thunder of feet, but they couldn’t reach her. Not fast enough.

*‘Vaelora,’* she gasped inwardly, her body screaming in pain. *‘Help me.’*

The dragon stirred within her, ancient and furious, her voice like fire in Saphira’s blood.

*‘I’m here,’* Vaelora whispered. *‘Let’s show them what weakness looks like.’*