<b>CHAPTER </b><b>115 </b>


    Once thest fork clinked against an empty te and the quiet hum of eating faded into the low crackle of the hearth, Niks leaned forward, elbows braced on the edge of the table. His gaze settled on Jed, steady and expectant.


    Saphira shifted in her seat, brushing a crumb from herp. The tension in the room hadn’t lifted with the meal–it had only settled deeper into her bones.


    “Tell us what happened while you were out,” Niks said.


    Jed wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then nodded, his shoulders still dusted with fatigue. “We got lucky, really. Picked up Damon’s scent quickly during the search. Raven used a locator spell. to keep us on track.”


    Saphira tilted her head, eyes flicking to Raven. Of course <i>she </i><i>did</i><i>. </i><i>Raven </i><i>always </i><i>finds </i><i>a </i><i>way</i><i>. </i>Her


    fingers curled around the edge of the table, grounding herself.


    Jed’s voice dropped slightly. “It led us to the Mistwood Pack. That’s where things got…plicated.”


    Saphira leaned forward, her brows knitting. “What do you mean?” Her voice was quiet, but the weight behind it was unmistakable.


    Jed nced at Raven, who gave a small nod, her fingers absently tracing the rim of her ss. “Mistwood’s always been like <b>us</b>–mixed, peaceful, open. But when we arrived, we noticed a divide.


    Some of the older members… they weren’t so involved with the rest of the pack.”


    Saphira’s stomach tightened. <i>That </i><i>kind </i><i>of </i><i>shift </i>doesn’t <i>happen </i><i>overnight</i>.


    Raven leaned in, her voice low and deliberate. “They’ve been having private meetings with Damon. I


    cast a spell to hear some of the conversation.”


    Saphira’s brows drew together, her hand drifting to napkin on the table.


    Raven’s voice dropped further. “The elder Witches seem interested in joining the Elders. They think


    they’ll be initiated as true Elders–but they don’t know the full truth.”


    Jed’s jaw tightened. “Damon didn’t mention anything about the pure pack vision. Which means


    Mistwood’s a target. And they won’t know until it’s toote.<b>” </b>


    Zafira’s hand clenched around her fork, knuckles pale. “That’s awful. They need to know the truth.”


    Saphira nodded slowly, her jaw tight, heart thudding against her ribs. <i>They </i><i>deserve </i>to <i>know</i>. <i>Before </i><i>they’re </i><i>swallowed </i><i>whole</i>. <i>Before </i><i>the </i><i>Elders </i><i>turn </i><i>another </i><i>home </i>into a <i>battlefield</i>.


    “Agreed,” she said, her voice like flint. “We can’t let them walk into this blind.”


    Niks exhaled slowly, the sound barely audible over the soft chatter in the room. He rubbed his thumb along the edge of his mug; eyes fixed on the grain of the wood as if weighing each word before he spoke.


    “We’ll need to find out who to contact,” he said, voice low but resolute. “Someone we trust from


    Mistwood. We may need to speak to a few pack members<b>, </b>see if anyone’s close to someone from there. But we can’t risk saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. If it gets back to the Elders…”


    He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.


    Saphira’s fingers tightened around the napkin on her knee, the fabric crumpling beneath her grip. <i>One </i>wrong <i>word </i><i>and </i><i>our </i><i>whole </i><i>n </i><i>is </i><i>doomed</i>.


    “I’ll speak to a few people,” Anastasia said, sitting straighter. Her shoulders squared with quiet resolve. “I know a few of them that have connections to other packs. We could get lucky and


    Mistwood be one of them.”


    Zafira nodded, her expression thoughtful, fingers tapping lightly against the table. “I’ll help. We can


    reach more of the pack quicker that way.”


    Saphira leaned forward, heart thudding with urgency. “I can help too.”


    Zafira turned to her, her tone gentle but firm. “We should be okay to sort it ourselves. Plus, I think


    you need to focus on your training first.”


    Saphira blinked, breath catching in her throat. <i>Training</i><i>? </i><i>After </i><i>everything</i><i>? </i>Her mouth opened slightly, but before she could speak, Raven cut in.


    “She’s right,” Raven said, her gaze steady. “What happened with Ruby in the room was incredible- but you had no control in that moment. You knew it.”


    Saphira’s dragon stirred within her, a low huff of protest curling through her chest like smoke. <i>They’re </i><i>right</i><i>. </i><i>I </i><i>had </i><i>no </i><i>control</i><i>. </i><i>Not </i><i>really</i><i>. </i>


    Her fingers loosened around the napkin, and she swallowed hard, gaze dropping to the table. “This time… we were lucky,” she said quietly. “She let me take control back eventually. But I realised I didn’t have it in that moment. So, I was lucky she gave it back really.”


    She didn’t speak her dragon’s name aloud. That name was sacred–woven into the bond between her, her dragon, and her mate. To say it here would be like offering a piece of her soul to the room.


    Niks reached beneath the table and squeezed her thigh, supporting her. “That kind of control with the height of your emotionses in time,” he murmured. “And with practice.”


    He leaned in and kissed her temple, his breath warm against her skin. “I still think you were


    incredible.”


    Saphira smiled, the warmth of his words softening the ache in her chest.


    Finn, from across the table, raised a brow. “You know I can hear you.”


    Saphira and Niks justughed, the sound light and fleeting–like a breath of air before the storm.


    Raven leaned back in her chair, her eyes scanning the group before settling on Saphira, Zafira, Amara, and Anastasia. “How about an hour of girl time?” she asked, a yful glint in her eye. “We can catch up in the game room while the men figure out how to approach Damon.”


    Saphira’s hand paused mid–reach for her ss. <i>Perfect</i>. She didn’t hesitate. “I’m in,” she said, her tone light–but her mind already racing. <i>Time </i>to <i>corner </i><i>Raven </i><i>about </i><i>Jed</i><i>. </i>


    Anastasia smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Sounds nice. A breather before we get to work speaking to everyone.”


    Zafira nodded, already rising from her seat. “Agreed. We’ll need the energy.”


    Saphira stood, smoothing her hands down her sides. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to Niks’s cheek, lingering just long enough to feel the warmth of his skin. “Don’t let Damon get under your skin,” she murmured.


    Niks gave her a soft smile, his hand brushing hers as she pulled away. “I’ll be fine. Go enjoy


    yourself.”


    Amara mirrored the gesture, kissing Finn’s temple with a quietugh. Saphira caught the way Finn’s hand lingered on hers a moment longer than necessary.


    As they turned to leave, Saphira’s gaze flicked to Raven–who hovered beside Jed, her posture unusually hesitant. Their eyes met briefly, and they exchanged a smile. But something in the way Raven lingered, the way Jed’s smile softened just for her, made Saphira squint slightly.


    <i>There </i><i>it </i><i>is </i><i>again</i>.


    She didn’t say anything. Not yet. But the evidence was stacking.


    As she turned, she caught Niks watching Jed with the same narrowed gaze. Then he looked at her. -and they shared a knowing smile.


    <i>He </i><i>sees </i><i>it </i>too.


    “See you soon,” Raven said, and the girls offered a chorus of goodbyes before heading toward the game room, their footsteps echoing down the hall.


    Saphira walked beside them, her thoughts already sharpening. <i>Time </i><i>to </i><i>get </i>answers<i>. </i>


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