The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 217

The hallway outside the dining hall was quiet, inside, the pack was beginning to gather, cutlery clinking, chairs scraping, voices low with anticipation.

Anastasia pulled Saphire aside slightly, Nikolas glanced between them, then gave a gentle nod. “Take a moment. I’ll wait inside.”

Saphira watched him go, then turned to her mother. Anastasia stood with her hands loosely clasped, her expression unreadable.

They moved toward the window at the end of the corridor, where the last light of day spilled across the floor in golden streaks. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Anastasia broke the silence, her voice soft. “You get the same look I do before something big.”

Saphira gave a faint smile. “What look?”

“That quiet storm behind your eyes. Like you’re already halfway through the fight.”

Saphira exhaled, folding her arms. “I’m trying not to be. I want to be here. I want to lead with clarity, not fear.”

“You are,” Anastasia said gently. “You’ve been leading since the moment you chose to fight.”

Saphira looked down, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m scared, Mum.”

“I know,” Anastasia said, stepping closer. “That’s why you’ll do it right. Fear doesn’t make you weak, Saphira. It makes you careful and determined. It means you care.”

Saphira’s throat tightened. “I just… I don’t want to lose anyone. I don’t want to lose what I have finally found after all these years… my family.”

Anastasia reached out, cupping her face with both hands. “Listen to me. I believe in you. I believe in the woman you’ve become. You are brave, and kind, and terrifyingly strong. And if something happens, if I don’t make it back…”

“Mum…”

“No. Let me say this.” Her voice trembled, but she didn’t look away. “If something happens, I need you to know how proud I am of you. Not just for what you’re doing tomorrow. For everything. For who you are. You’ve already made me proud a hundred times over.”

Saphira blinked hard, her voice cracking. “Don’t say goodbye.”

“I’m not,” Anastasia said, pulling her into a hug. “I’m saying I love you. Just in case.”

Saphira clung to her, burying her face in her mother’s shoulder. “I love you too. So much.”

They stood like that for a long moment, mother and daughter, warrior and guide, wrapped in quiet strength and the ache of unspoken fears.

Then Anastasia pulled back, brushing a tear from Saphira’s cheek with her thumb. “Now come on. They’re waiting for you.”

Saphira nodded, steadier now. “Let’s go.”

Dinner had ended slowly, like the last notes of a song no one wanted to stop playing. The usual chatter had faded into a thoughtful hush. Plates were cleared, mugs drained, and the pack were sat waiting for the final meeting.

Saphira stood from the table, brushing her hands on her trousers to steady herself as she stood more than clean them. Nikolas rose beside her, and together they walked to the front of the dining hall. The room fell silent before they even spoke.

Nikolas’s voice carried, low and steady. “Thank you. For your strength. For your trust. For showing up, again and again, and becoming more than we ever imagined.”

He paused, letting the words settle. Letting the weight of them land.

“Tonight is our last night here before we move. At one a.m., we leave. Those who cannot fight will stay behind, protected by a few of our best. You’ll be safe. We’ve made sure of that.”

A few heads dipped. Some eyes dropped, not in shame, but in quiet understanding. No one wanted to be left behind, but everyone knew the cost of going.

“For the rest of us,” Nikolas continued, “we move as one. We’ll travel in groups, each led by Jed, Finn, and Jasper. They’ll arrange the teams to make sure every group is balanced. Wolves. Vampires. Witches. Dragons. No one goes in without backup. No one moves alone.”

He stepped toward the map pinned to the wall behind him, fingers brushing the edge of it. “We’ll reach the outer edge of the Matchmaker’s territory before dawn. Once we’re in position, we scout. Quietly. We take out staff and informants first. Leave the participants, they’re not our enemy.”

Saphira stepped in, her voice calm but edged with steel. “If any staff surrender, secure them. Guard them. No unnecessary harm. We’re not here to punish, we’re here to dismantle.”

Nikolas nodded. “And when it comes to the Core members, Saphira and I will lead. That part won’t be easy. We don’t know the strength they have and I want to make sure you are all safe.”

A ripple moved through the room. Not fear, readiness. The kind that settled in your bones when there was no turning back.

“You need to be sharp,” he said. “Watch each other’s backs. Trust your teams. Trust your instincts.”

Saphira took a breath and stepped forward. “The mind-link will be open the entire time. If anything shifts, terrain, movement, injuries, you speak through it. No shouting. No confusion. Just clarity.”

She looked around the room, meeting every gaze she could, young wolves with tense shoulders, witches with steady hands, vampires with stern expressions. “You’ve trained for this. You’re ready.”

Nikolas’s voice softened. “Rest now. Pack light. We meet out front at one a.m.”

No one spoke. But the silence was full of resolve, of unity, of something deeper than fear.

One by one, they began to rise. Not rushed. Not panicked. Just ready.

And as the room slowly emptied, Saphira and Nikolas stood together, watching their pack move with purpose.

The pack house had quieted. Inside their room, Saphira sat on the edge of the bed. Nikolas crossed the room and knelt in front of her, resting his hands on her knees.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

She nodded, then shook her head. “I don’t know. I just needed a moment. With you. Before everything changes.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her gently into his lap, her legs folding around him. “Then take it. Take all of it.”

They sat like that for a while, no words, just breath and heartbeat and the quiet rhythm of being together. His thumb traced slow circles on her back. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt.

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“I know,” he said. “Me too.”

“But I’m not scared of the fight,” she added. “I’m scared of losing what we’ve built. What we are.”

Nikolas tilted her chin up, meeting her eyes. “We won’t lose it. We’ll protect it. Together.”

She searched his face, then kissed him, slow, steady, hungry. When they pulled apart, her voice was steadier.

“Promise me,” she said.

“I do,” he replied. “Every day.”

They lay down together, tangled in blankets and quiet warmth. No urgency. No strategy. Just the soft hush of breath and the comfort of knowing they didn’t have to face the dark alone.

And as sleep began to pull them under, Saphira whispered, “I love you.”

Nikolas’s voice was already fading, but sure. “I love you too.”

Outside, the moon kept watch.

Inside, they rested, together.

Tomorrow, they would face the Core.