The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 55

The game room had quieted, the once lively hum of voices and bursts of laughter now reduced to soft murmurs between the four of them.

Saphira curled up on the large sofa, tucking her legs beneath the blanket she had pulled over herself. The fabric was soft, insulating her against the cool night air creeping in through the slightly open window. Amara leaned against her side, shifting to get comfortable, her presence steady and familiar, while Raven and Talia sprawled across from them, their bodies sinking lazily into the cushions.

Raven let out a deep, contented sigh, stretching her legs out with a slow ease. “Alright,” she mused, her voice lighter than before. “Since we’re here, and no one’s running around screaming about winning another round of pool, let’s talk.”

Saphira raised a brow, tilting her head slightly. “Talk about what?”

Talia smirked, propping her elbow onto the armrest. “You know, past traumas.”

Raven exhaled, taking the lead. “I was shunned from my coven. They kicked me out as a young child,” she continued, voice quieter now. “They didn’t just cast me out, they made sure I had nothing. No resources, no allies, no identity outside of what they had stripped away.”

Talia reached over without hesitation, squeezing Raven’s arm gently, offering silent reassurance between them.

Raven exhaled slowly, the tension in her shoulders easing just slightly. “Then a few years passed and Jed found me,” she murmured, the faintest trace of a smile surfacing. “No one knew what to do with me at first, thought I’d be trouble, honestly.”

Amara scoffed softly, shaking her head. “You? Trouble? Impossible.”

Raven shot her a look, then let out a small laugh. “Anyway, this pack helped me. Gave me a place to call home. And I don’t think I’ve ever looked back.”

Saphira hesitated for a moment, then asked gently, “Do you not miss them?”

Raven was quiet for a beat, her fingers flexing against the blanket before she shook her head. “Not anymore,” she admitted. “I did at first. Of course, they were my covern.” She let out a breath, steadying herself before continuing. “But then this pack made me see how family and how a pack should really be.”

Saphira’s chest tightened with something warm, something understanding.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” she said, meaning every word.

Amara nodded beside her, a soft smile curling her lips. “Me too.”

Then, Talia shifted, adjusting the blanket draped over her legs, her fingers tracing the soft fabric as she spoke.

“My turn, I guess. I fell for another vampire.” Talia exhaled, her fingers tightening slightly around the blanket before continuing. “He was the one who approached me first. He took me on dates, gave me gifts, made me believe it was perfect.”

Saphira studied her closely, sensing the slight shift in her expression, the way her jaw tensed, the faint flicker of something unreadable in her eyes.

Then, Talia exhaled, her breath shallow. “He had a mate.”

“I didn’t know at first,” she admitted, voice quieter now. “But when I did, I tried to leave, tried to step back. But by then… it was too late.”

Her fingers curled around the edge of the blanket, gripping it as though hugging herself against the memory.

“His mate wasn’t just anyone,” she continued. “She was powerful. And my so called affair... well, lets just say I wasn’t forgiven.”

Saphira could hear the bitterness in her voice, the way it still lingered, even now, even after all this time.

“They banished me,” Talia murmured, shaking her head slightly. “Told me I was a disgrace.”

She scoffed lightly, but the sound carried no humour.

“So, here I am.” She forced a smirk, though it was brittle, fleeting. “Their disgrace.”

Amara straightened slightly, frustration flashing across her features. “But it wasn’t your fault, it was his!”

Talia let out a breath, eyes flickering toward Amara briefly. “No one believed me,” she admitted. “He was higher in status. Outranked me. So, I was shunned, and he walked away without consequence.”

Before anyone could press further, Talia shifted, forcing a lightness into her tone that didn’t quite match her expression. “Anyway, that’s me. Amara, you’re up.”

Amara's voice was quieter now, more careful. “Well, my story isn’t as dramatic, but…” She pulled her knees up slightly, wrapping her arms around them, folding herself in like she could protect the memory from hurting too much.

“I was an orphan. And since no one really wanted me around, once I was old enough they sent me straight to the Matchmaker.”

Saphira inhaled sharply, her chest tightening instantly.

She had felt that, truly felt that.

It wasn’t just abandonment. It was being discarded, shuffled away into a system that treated people as transactions.

“I didn’t get a choice,” Amara admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “I was just… sent away. The same way my parents did when I was born.”

Something in her tone cracked, even though she held herself.

Without hesitation, Saphira reached for her hand, squeezing it firmly between her own.

“You’re home now,” she murmured, meaning every word. “Whatever path you took, you landed exactly where you belong.”

Amara swallowed, her grip tightening around Saphira’s fingers.

Talia and Raven nodded, their agreement silent but full of understanding, full of acknowledgment.

Then, after a moment, Talia tilted her head. “So, what’s your story, Saphira?”

The room felt smaller for a moment, like the walls had shifted inward, pressing against her.

Saphira took a deep breath, steadying herself.

“I was never fully accepted into the pack. Not since I was a baby,” she started, her voice even, but there was an edge beneath it. “Because my father had a fling, an affair, whatever it was, with someone outside the pack.”

She exhaled, tracing the hem of the blanket absently.

“My half-sister hated me the most. So she framed me for murder…” She hesitated, her pulse thrumming in her ears before she forced herself to say it. “Of Finn. Actually.”

Raven and Talia stiffened.

Their expressions dropped in shock, their bodies straightening, like the air had been yanked out of the room.

“What?” Raven breathed.

Talia’s eyes narrowed, searching her face. “Did you prove them wrong?”

Saphira shook her head slowly. “I didn’t get a chance, I didn't know how to prove them wrong or get any proof. Then I was sent to the Matchmaker. It wasn’t until I came here that I even knew Finn was still alive.”

Silence settled thick between them.

Then, Raven leaned forward, her voice full of determination.

“Well, we all have bad pasts,” she murmured. “But we’re here together now. And we’re safe.”

She glanced at each of them, holding their gaze, making sure they felt the weight of it.

“Our new sisters,” she continued. “Family. Best friends.”

Saphira exhaled slowly, looking around at the faces surrounding her, the warmth, the understanding, the way none of them judged, only listened.

Everyone smiled, letting the moment settle between them, unspoken but felt.

And for the first time in her life, Saphira felt like the weight she had been carrying had shifted.

She had found her pack. And that meant everything.