The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 205

Saphira stood beside Nikolas, her hand resting lightly on his arm, the warmth of their flight still lingering in her chest. Nikolas had already shifted back, his wings tucked away.

She was about to suggest getting some lunch when a familiar scent hit the air.

Jed.

He emerged from the treeline, boots dusty, jacket slung over one shoulder, his expression unreadable but his eyes sharp. Saphira straightened instinctively, her heart giving a small, hopeful thump.

Nikolas stepped forward, his voice calm but curious. “Was it successful?”

Jed nodded once. “Yes. We need to meet. There’s a lot and it isn’t what you will be expecting.”

Before he could say anything else, the front door of the pack house burst open.

Raven came flying out, hair bouncing, boots barely touching the steps. “Jed!”

She practically launched herself into his arms, wrapping around him with a force that made him stumble back a step. Jed caught her easily, arms locking around her waist, his face breaking into a rare smile.

Saphira laughed, the sound bubbling up before she could stop it.

Raven pulled back slightly, cheeks flushed. “Sorry. I just... sorry.”

Jed shook his head, still holding her. “Don’t be.”

Nikolas chuckled, stepping beside Saphira. “Office in an hour,” he said, glancing at Jed. “You two can have your catch-up time first.”

He winked, and Jed gave a dry smirk in return.

Nikolas slid his arm around Saphira’s waist, pulling her close as they turned toward the house. “Come on,” he said, laughing softly. “Let’s leave them to it.”

They walked in comfortable silence for a few steps, then entered the office together. Saphira took a seat at the table then spoke, her voice quieter. “I want to speak to Lupus soon.”

Nikolas glanced at her, sensing the shift in her tone. “You’ve been thinking about what to do with him?”

She nodded. “And about what you said. About Damon. You bound him. Made him human. I keep wondering if I should do the same to Lupus.”

Nikolas was quiet for a moment, then said, “After everything, he does deserve it. But… do you think it’s too much?”

Saphira frowned. “You did it to Damon.”

Nikolas took a seat next to her, turning to face her. “Damon betrayed the pack. He gave intel to the Elders. He put lives at risk. That was about protecting everyone.”

He reached out, brushing her hair back gently. “Lupus is different. This isn’t about the pack. It’s about you.”

Saphira’s chest tightened. “It’s personal.”

Nikolas nodded. “And that makes it harder. You’re not just punishing him. You’re deciding what justice looks like for yourself.”

She looked down, her fingers curling into the edge of her sleeve. “I’m not sure then.”

Nikolas tilted his head, thoughtful. “What if we put him with Ruby? She betrayed you. He betrayed you. Then he betrayed her. Maybe being confined together is punishment enough, for now.”

Saphira considered it, her mind flicking through memories, through pain. Then she nodded slowly. “Alright. For now. While I figure out what long-term justice looks like.”

Nikolas squeezed her hand. “I will be there to help you figure it out when you decide to.”

Saphira nodded and leaned into him. *This will be enough for now.* She thought.

An hour passed, and the office filled with quiet tension as Jed and Raven stepped inside. Saphira sat beside Nikolas at the table. Jed and Raven took the seats opposite, the air between them charged with something unspoken.

Saphira watched Jed closely. He’d cleaned up since arriving, but the tension in his shoulders hadn’t eased. His jaw was tight, his eyes sharper than usual. Something was coming. She could feel it in the way his gaze flicked to Nikolas, then to her, then back again.

Nikolas leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. “Alright, Jed. What did you find?”

Jed exhaled slowly, then placed a notepad on the table. “The Matchmaker’s structure is more layered than we thought. It’s not just regional hubs and recruiters. There’s a central council, hidden and protected by magic. They call themselves the Core.”

Saphira’s stomach tightened. “More Elders?”

Jed shook his head. “No. The Elders were a front. Public faces. Enforcers. But the Core made the decisions and controlled the Elders. They’ve been manipulating pairings for decades, sometimes centuries. Not just for control. For bloodline engineering. Power consolidation.”

Raven’s eyes widened. “Bloodline engineering?”

Jed nodded. “They’ve been tracking supernatural traits, magic, resilience, psychic bonds. Pairing people to create outcomes. Sometimes separating them to prevent them. And on top of that, only allowing same species mates.”

Nikolas’s jaw clenched, his voice low. “But they paired Saphira and me, they had no way of knowing Saphira's true self surely, so that doesn’t make sense.”

Jed met his gaze. “Either they did know and they wanted you to kill Saphira, or they didnt know but suspected you could bond. Essentially they built the system to stop bonds like yours from ever forming while maintaining a pure world so either is possible.”

Saphira’s breath caught. Her fingers tightened around the mug, knuckles pale. “So what do we do?” she asked, voice steady despite the storm inside her. “The Elders were hard enough.”

Jed pulled the notepad open, flipping to a marked page. “This is a list of known Core members. Locations. Some are embedded in other packs. Some are rogue. But they all meet weekly at the Matchmaker.”

Nikolas took the notepad, scanning the names. “Any allies? Like they had with the Silvermoon and Cinderwood packs?”

Jed shook his head. “None that I could confirm. That job was handled by the Elders. But now that they’re gone… who knows what’s shifting.”

Saphira leaned forward, her brow furrowed. “So if the Core’s the ones actually in control, there’s nothing stopping them from creating a new circle of Elders. Recruiting new packs.”

“Exactly,” Jed said. “From what I could learn they’re already rebuilding.”

“Then we need to move quickly,” Nikolas said, voice firm. “Eliminate them before they strengthen. We’ll bring in the others and inform them of what’s happening, then we will check progress on the antidotes and go from there.”

“I’ll go round everyone up,” Raven said, already rising from her chair.

“Thank you,” Nikolas said, nodding to her.

Raven slipped out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

Saphira sat back, her gaze drifting to the notepad. The names blurred slightly, her thoughts spinning. *We were so wrong about everything. All this time…*

She took a slow breath, then looked at Nikolas beside her. *I just hope we are strong enough to beat them.*