The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 210

The office was full now, Asher, Zafira, Anastasia, Sam, Jasper, Talia, Finn, and Amara, all seated around the table, their postures tense, eyes flicking between Saphira and Nikolas.

Nikolas stood slowly, his hands braced on the edge of the table. His voice was calm, but it carried weight. “The Core are meeting in three days, this is when we will strike.”

A beat of silence.

“What?” Finn leaned forward. “Three days?”

“That’s not enough time,” Talia said, her voice tight. “We’re not ready for that.”

“We barely know what we’re walking into,” Jasper added. “We need more time.”

Saphira felt the echo of her own earlier panic ripple through the room. It was written on their faces. Fear. Doubt.

Nikolas raised a hand, steady and commanding. “I know it’s fast. I know it’s not ideal. But we’ve been training already for a while. We took down the Elders. We’ve already done the impossible once.”

The room quieted, the words settling like stone.

“But now we push harder,” he continued, voice gaining momentum. “No more holding back. No more half-measures. We train like it’s real, because it is. We go in as a unit, or we don’t go in at all.”

He looked around the table, meeting each gaze in turn. His eyes didn’t waver. “Here’s the plan. We strike in two waves. First, we take out the staff and informants, cut off their eyes and ears. Jed, Jasper, Finn, Raven, you four will lead that phase. One leader from each species. Coordinate the teams. Make sure everyone’s ready.”

Jed nodded, already calculating. Jasper’s jaw tightened, his eyes sharp with resolve. Finn and Raven both gave a firm nod.

“Once the outer rings are down,” Nikolas said, “we move on the Core. That’s when Saphira and I step in. We will lead the charge, but we need you all with us.”

Saphira felt the room shift again, this time not with fear, but focus. The kind that comes when the path is clear, even if it’s steep.

“For training,” Nikolas continued, “Today and tomorrow morning you stay in your usual groups. Push harder than ever. Then from tomorrow afternoon, we train as one. Full pack coordination. I want everyone to know how the others move, how they fight, how they fall.”

He turned to Amara, his tone softening. “After this meeting, I’ll come to the hospital. Help with the antidote. I’ll donate blood if you need it.”

Saphira added, “I’ll come too. Whatever you need, we’ll make sure you have it.”

Amara gave a grateful nod, her voice quiet. “Thank you. That will be extremely helpful.”

Nikolas looked to Raven. “Today, you’ll be with me and Saphira. We need to work on the spells, especially if we’re going to try that open mind-link. And Saphira and I need to refine our new abilities then we will join the rest of the training tomorrow.”

Raven nodded, still quiet from the earlier revelation, but her eyes were steady. “Understood. I will make sure the witches know what to work on for today.”

Nikolas scanned the room one last time, his voice low but resolute. “We’ve come this far together. We finish this together.”

Saphira looked around the table. Determined faces. Focused eyes. But beneath it all was fear. Not weakness, but the kind born of knowing exactly what’s at stake. Lives. Bonds. Futures.

Still, no one backed down.

One by one, they stood and filed out, murmuring plans, already shifting into motion. The storm was coming, and they were choosing to walk into it.

Raven lingered at the door, her voice soft. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

Saphira nodded. “We will go to the hospital now and then meet you in the pack garden, we might need the open space.”

Raven nodded and walked out, as the door clicked shut behind her, Saphira exhaled, the weight of the unknown pressing against her. Three days. No turning back now.

The hospital wing was quiet, the sterile scent of herbs and steel lingering in the air. Saphira walked beside Nikolas and Amara, their footsteps echoing softly against the tiled floor. Shelves lined the walls, vials, scrolls, and spell-bound instruments arranged with meticulous care. Half science, half magic.

Amara led them through a side corridor into a small lab where two doctors waited, both dressed in pale robes marked with the sigil of the healing order. One, a woman with silver-threaded hair and sharp, discerning eyes, stepped forward.

“We’ve prepared the antidotes,” she said. “All formulas are stable. The only thing missing is the blood infusion.”

Saphira nodded. “And the rest?”

The second doctor, a younger man with ink-stained fingers, gestured to a tray. “Spell-lined bandages for open wounds. They’ll seal and shield against infection, but only for a few hours. Just enough to get someone back to us.”

“And this,” the woman added, lifting a small vial of shimmering liquid, “is a pain-numbing elixir. Fast acting, but temporary. It won’t heal, just dull the edge.”

Nikolas stepped forward. “Thank you. For the antidotes, use my blood. And Saphira’s. For all of them.”

The older doctor blinked. “Just both of yours? Are you sure that will work. We would suggest using blood from the same species.”

“Trust me,” Nikolas said, voice steady. “It will work. For the whole pack.”

Saphira turned to him, brows furrowed. “Are you sure?”

Nikolas met her gaze, then mind-linked her with quiet urgency. *“Check with Vaelora. Vorthar told me to do it and that it will work.”*

Saphira closed her eyes, reaching inward. *‘Vaelora? Is it true? Will our blood work for everyone?’*

The answer came like a whisper wrapped in flame. *‘Yes. It will work for our pack members, regardless of what they are.’*

Saphira opened her eyes and nodded. “Do it,” she said to the doctor. “Use our blood.”

The woman studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. We’ll begin now.”

Amara rolled up Saphira’s sleeve first, setting out the vials and instruments. The process was swift, two clean draws, one from Nikolas, one from Saphira. Neither flinched.

Once the samples were sealed and marked, the doctor bowed her head. “Thank you. We’ll have the antidotes ready in two days.”

Nikolas nodded. “We’re grateful.”

As the doctors turned to begin their work, Saphira gently pulled Amara aside. “How are you and my niece doing?”

Amara laughed softly. “You don’t know it’s a girl yet. But we’re doing well. Not many symptoms, which helps.”

“That’s good,” Saphira said. “Let me know if anything changes. Or if you or my Neice need anything.”

Amara hesitated, then lowered her voice. “Actually… if it’s not too much trouble, could you find out why that Witch hid my pregnancy? Why she made me believe I’d lost him or her?”

Saphira’s expression softened. “Yes. I’ll see what I can uncover.”

“Thank you,” Amara whispered.

Saphira nodded, then rejoined Nikolas. As they exited the hospital, the air cooler now against her skin, Nikolas spoke quietly.

“That’s not going to be possible.”

Saphira turned to him, frowning. “Why?”

He met her eyes; regret etched into his features. “Because the witch is dead.”

Saphira’s mouth dropped.

The silence that followed was heavy. And final.