The Matchmaker (by Sophie Smith) novel Chapter 125

CHAPTER 125

The office had gone quiet. Not the kind of quiet that soothed–it pressed down like fog, thick and unmoving. Saphira sat hunched over the map, elbows braced on the edge of the desk, fingers tracing the jagged ridges of Silvermoon teritory. Entry points. Escape routes. Contingencies. Her mind moved like a blade, but her chest felt tight, constricted. Too many unknowns. Too many ways this could go wrong.

Behind her, a sigh broke the silence. Not sharp. Not thoughtful. It was frayed–like something unravelling.

“I’m terrified,” Nikolas said, voice low. “Of something happening to you if you go.”

Her hand stilled mid–gesture, hovering above the parchment. The words didn’t just interrupt her–they shattered her focus. She turned slowly, as if afraid that moving too fast would break the fragile moment.

Nikolas stood by the window, his silhouette framed by the fading light. His shoulders were rigid, but his face… his face was stripped bare. No trace of the infamous Nikolas Arrax. No steel. No command. Just a man–haunted and afraid.

Saphira’s breath caught. He looks like a boy who’s just realized the world can take things from him.

She rose, the chair scraping softly behind her, and crossed the room in swift, purposeful strides. Her hand found his chest; fingers splayed over the steady thrum of his heart. “Nikolas…”

He looked down at her, and his eyes–usually molten gold and unreadable–flickered with something fragile. “I know I’m not the most romantic,” he said, voice rough. “Or passionate. I’ve never had a partner before. Never needed one.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “But now I’ve found you… I can’t do life without you anymore. You’ve become the most important person to me. And the thought of losing you-” He exhaled shakily. “It kills me.”

Saphira blinked, stunned. Her heart thudded hard, not from fear–but from the sheer weight of his words. Nikolas Arrax doesn’t say things like this. Not to anyone. Not ever.

She reached up, her fingers brushing along the sharp line of his jaw, tracing the tension there. “I don’t need you to shower me in romance,” she whispered. “You’ve given me a new life. A new purpose. But aside from all that…” Her voice faltered, then steadied. “I can’t sit on the sidelines forever.”

Nikolas pulled her into his arms, wrapping her in a hold that felt more like a plea than an embrace. His grip was firm, almost desperate, like he was anchoring himself to her. “It wouldn’t be so bad if I went with you.”

Saphira stiffened, then pulled back, her palms pressing against his chest. “No. You can’t leave the pack. Not now. It’s too risky.”

He nodded, reluctantly. “I know. I just… I don’t like it.”

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Then he stepped back, just enough to see her fully, and lifted his hands to cup her face. His thumbs brushed her cheekbones with reverence, and his gaze locked onto hers. “You’re my everything now.”

Saphira’s breath hitched. She looked into his eyes–really looked. The fire. The fear. The love. It was all there, laid bare and trembling.

He means it. Every word. And gods help her; she feels it too.

Saphira’s fingers curled around the lapel of Nikolas’s shirt, knuckles pale with the pressure. She wasn’t holding him to keep him close–she was holding herself together. The steady heat of his body seeped into her palms, anchoring her in the moment. Her heart was still echoing from his confession, each beat reverberating like a drum against her ribs. The truth of it settled inside her like a blade–sharp, beautiful, terrifying. Everything felt more fragile now. More real.

Her voice came out barely above a whisper, raw with emotion. “You’re my everything too, Nikolas. I wouldn’t ever put myself in danger without cause. Especially now.”

His jaw flexed, a flicker of tension passing through him like a tremor. His gaze dropped to the floor, lingering there as if the words he needed were buried in the grain of the wood. When he looked back up, his eyes were steadier–resolved. “As much as I want to,” he said slowly, “I can’t be selfish. I can’t keep you locked up out of my own fear.”

Her brows drew together, confusion tightening her chest. What is he saying? Her grip loosened, fingers slipping from his shirt as she took a half–step back, needing to see his face, fully. “What are you saying?”

He exhaled, the sound rough, reluctant, like it scraped against something inside him. “I think it’s a good idea for you to go.”

CHAPTER 125

Her breath caught, sharp and sudden. “You’re serious?”

He nodded once, golden eyes unwavering. “I am. Despite everything in me screaming not to let you out of my sight… you’re right. If Fing’s going to be the bait, you’re the next best option to finding Asher, Talia, and Sam. And we need to move fast.”

Saphira’s mouth parted, gratitude swelling in her chest like a tide, but before she could speak, Nikolas raised a hand–gentle, commanding.

“But,” he said, voice firmer now, the commander in him rising to the surface, “I have the final say on who goes with you. And yes, you’ll have a say thes

She nodded, her expression softening, the tension in her shoulders easing just slightly. “Agreed. But we both need to trust the team. Trust that they’r me safe.”

Nikolas stepped closer, his hand sliding behind her neck, thumb brushing the edge of her jaw with reverence. The touch was soft. “You have to come back to me.”

Saphira leaned into him, her forehead nearly resting against his. I will. I have to. Not just for the mission–for him. For us. “I will”

The moment hung between them, quiet and charged, like the breath before a storm. This is what it means to be tethered to someone–not just in lose, but in war. In purpose. In survival. In the promise of return.

Then, a knock at the door shattered the stillness.

Nikolas didn’t flinch. He straightened, his hand falling away from her slowly, reluctantly, like letting go of something sacred. “Come in,” he called.

The door creaked open, and one by one, everyone filed back in–Jed, Finn, Amara, Zafira, Anastasia, Raven, and Jasper. Their faces were expectant, tense, ready. Saphira didn’t move from Nikolas’s side. Not yet.

Her gaze swept the room, then landed on Raven. “Where are the other witches?” she asked, realizing with a flicker of unease that she didn’t even know their

names.

“They’re working on protection spells,” Raven replied, folding her arms. “Potions we can take with us.”

“Good idea,” Zafira added, nodding.

“But they’ll stay here to protect the pack too,” Raven continued.

Nikolas nodded, already moving toward the head of the table. Saphira followed, her steps steady, her mind sharpening. “Good, we need to be prepared for anything.”

Everyone settled around the table, the air thick with anticipation. Finn leaned forward, his voice cutting through the quiet. “Let’s get this plan sorted then.”

Saphira’s fingers brushed the edge of the map, her eyes narrowing. Time to stop surviving. Time to start leading.

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