The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 215

By afternoon, the clearing had transformed. The sun hung low but warm, casting a golden haze over the trees. The entire pack had gathered, wolves, vampires, witches, and dragons, forming a wide semicircle around Nikolas and Saphira.

Nikolas stepped forward, his voice calm but clear. “Alright. First full session together.”

A few murmurs rippled through the group, nervous energy, a few raised brows, someone cracking their knuckles.

“We’re going to rotate the training,” he continued. “Wolves will go first, on the attack. Vampires next. Then witches. Dragons last.”

He let that settle, scanning the faces in front of him.

“That’ll wrap up today. Tomorrow, we shift focus. We’ll choose the strongest from each group to go up against the rest of the pack. Not to dominate,” he added, “but to test how we move as one.”

Saphira stepped up beside him, her voice steady. “Train hard, but don’t push past your edge. We don’t have time to recover from injuries. Know your limits. Respect each other’s.”

Nikolas nodded. “This isn’t about showing off. It’s about learning how to fight together. That’s what will keep us alive.”

A few heads dipped in agreement. Jed cracked his knuckles with a grin. Raven adjusted the cuffs of her sleeves, already calculating. Zafira rolled her shoulders, her stance shifting subtly as if ready to move.

“Let’s begin,” Nikolas said.

The wolves moved first. Finn led the charge, followed by two other senior wolves, they came in fast, low to the ground, agile, relentless. The rest of the group formed a defensive ring, rotating roles every few minutes. The wolves tested the perimeter with feints and sudden bursts of speed, forcing the others to adapt quickly or get knocked off balance.

Saphira and Nikolas stood back, arms crossed, quietly observing. They didn’t step in. Not yet.

Next came the vampires. Jasper led them, his movements sharp and deliberate. Their style was different, less brute force, more precision. They struck like needles, vanishing and reappearing, testing the witches’ reflexes. At first, the witches struggled to track them, but Raven called out quick adjustments, and the group began to hold their ground, casting shields and traps with growing confidence.

Then the witches stepped forward. Raven raised her hands, murmuring under her breath. The air shimmered, and suddenly the clearing was layered with illusion, walls that weren’t there, flickering shadows, false movement. The others had to navigate through it, relying on instinct, communication, and trust. Spells flew, binding, shielding, disorienting. It wasn’t about power. It was about control.

Finally, it was the dragons’ turn.

Saphira and Nikolas joined Zafira and Anastasia at the centre. They shifted partially, just enough to summon wings, claws, and fire, but held back the deeper magic humming beneath their skin. Today wasn’t about revealing everything. It was about cohesion.

They moved in formation, wings slicing through the air, their movements tight and deliberate. The witches cast moving targets. The wolves tried to intercept. The vampires darted in and out of range. The dragons adjusted, weaving between allies, shielding with wings, striking with precision and restraint.

By the end of the session, everyone was breathless. Mud-streaked. Grinning. A few collapsed onto the grass, laughing between gasps.

Nikolas raised a hand. “That’s it for today.”

A few groans of relief. One of the younger wolves flopped onto his back with a dramatic sigh.

“Tomorrow,” Nikolas said, “we test the best of each group. So rest up. Eat well. And remember, this isn’t about proving yourself. It’s about trusting each other.”

Saphira scanned the crowd, sweaty, scraped, tired. But something in their eyes had shifted. The younger wolves stood taller. The witches looked steadier. Even the vampires, usually aloof, seemed more composed.

They were tired. But they were ready.

She glanced at Nikolas. He met her gaze, and in that quiet look, everything passed between them.

They’d held their power back today.

But tomorrow?

Tomorrow, the pack would see what they were becoming, and that they can be trusted as their leaders.

#

Dinner had ended in a haze of laughter and aching muscles, the kind of exhaustion that felt earned. Plates were scraped clean, candles snuffed one by one, and the pack began to drift out.

Saphira stood from the table, her body was tired, but her mind was restless. She leaned toward Nikolas, her voice low. “I’ll meet you in our room. There’s something I need to do first.”

He paused, searching her face. “You alright?”

She nodded, offering a small smile. “Just to practice opening the mind-link.”

Nikolas didn’t press. “Okay. Good luck.”

She slipped out, her boots quiet on the stone floor as she moved through the hallways, she reached the movie room.

Empty.

The couches were scattered, the screen dark. She stepped inside and closed the door gently behind her, letting the silence settle around her.

Saphira sank to the rug, cross-legged, her hands resting on her knees. She closed her eyes and reached inward.

*‘Vaelora?’*

The dragon stirred instantly, her presence familiar. *‘You’re wanting to try something.’*

*‘I want to expand the mind-link,’* Saphira said. *‘Not just with one person but so the pack can speak to eachother too. Is it possible?’*

*‘It is,’* Vaelora replied, her voice like warm breath against Saphira’s thoughts. *‘But it will take time. You’re asking to stretch a thread into a web. That requires strength. Precision.’*

Saphira’s throat tightened. *‘We don’t have time.’*

*‘I know,’* Vaelora said gently. *‘I believe in you, in us to do this. Don’t focus on the people. Focus on the bond. The rhythm. Let it grow outward.’*

Saphira nodded, inhaled deeply, and tried.

She reached for the link she shares with everyone, then she pushed outward, trying to share the link.

Nothing.

She tried again. And again. Her brow furrowed, her fingers curling into the rug. Her chest ached with the effort.

On the fourth attempt, something flickered.

*“Saphira?”* Nikolas’s voice came through.

Then another, more surprised. *“Nikolas? What’s going on?”* Finn.

Her breath caught. *“I’m trying to open a link. A full one. With the pack.”*

*“You’re doing something right,”* Nikolas said. *“I can hear Finn.”*

*“And I can hear Nik,”* Finn added. *“Don’t stop now.”*

She tried again, reaching deeper, wider. The link wavered, stretched, then snapped. She cursed softly, pressing her palms to the floor, frustrated.

Minutes passed. Then an hour.

And then, something shifted.

The thread didn’t stretch. It bloomed.

One by one, voices joined her. Zafira. Jed. Raven. Asher. A hum of connection, not loud, but present. Like standing in a room where everyone was breathing in sync.

*“Holy… You did it,”* Raven said, her voice soft and proud.

Saphira opened her eyes, blinking back tears. *They're connected.*

*“I knew you could do it,”* Raven added, her voice echoing gently through the link.

*“This changes everything,”* Jed said, awe threading through his tone.

Nikolas’s voice came last. *“You’re incredible. We can use it in tomorrow’s training.”*

Saphira smiled, her chest full of quiet joy. She hadn’t just reached them, she’d connected them.

And for the first time, the pack didn’t feel like separate pieces.

They felt like one.