bCHAPTER /bb119 /b

    Saphira brushed thest crumb from her te with the edge of her thumb, then stacked it atop Niks’s bwith /bbdeliberate /bcareb. /bbHer /bfingers lingered on the rim for a breath longer than necessary before she reached for the basket, the bwoven /bhandle cool against her palm.

    Niks was folding the napkin with slow precision, each crease smoothed.

    bThey /bstepped out together, the door clicking shut behind them. The corridor opened wide, stone cool beneath their boots. Their hands found each other instinctively, fingerscing with the ease of repetition. Saphira’s thumb brushed bthe /bbback /bbof /bhis hand once, absently.

    The morning air met them like a balm–crisp, edged with the scent of dew and distant pine. Sunlight spilled bacross /bbthe /bpath in long golden streaks, casting their shadows ahead like quiet sentinels. As they walked, the hum of pack life brose /baround them:ughter near the training yard, murmuring strategy by the forest edge.

    Saphira nodded to a witch she recognized, her fingers lifting in a subtle greeting. A young wolf shifter bowed his bhead /brespectfully as they passed. She was quickly learning that the Arrax Pack had always been a mosaic–wolves, witches, dragons, and more. Not just coexistence. Cohesion. She felt it in bevery /bnce, every shared nce of trust. iThis was /iwhat ishe /ifought for.

    Near the outer wall, a cluster of warriors stood in formation, gear strapped tight, eyes scanning the horizon. Niks slowed, his hand slipping from hers with a gentle squeeze before he stepped forward.

    “How are patrols?” he asked, voice low but firm. “Anything suspiciousb?/bb” /b

    Cael, a seasoned wolf with a scar running from temple to jaw, shook his head. “Nothing yet. But we’re increasing

    to be sure.”

    numbers

    Saphira moved beside Niks, arms loose at her sides but her stance shifting subtly–more alert. “Do we have the capacity for that?” Her voice was calm, but her mind was already calcting. iResources/i. iTraining/ii. /iiRisk/i.

    Cael nodded. “We’re elerating sessions for volunteers. Anyone who wants to be a warrior. But no one goes out without a

    seasoned lead.”

    She studied his face, eyes narrowing slightly. His posture was confident, not defensiveb. /bNo flicker of doubt. iThey /iiwere /iiadapting/i. iFast/i. iNot /iireckless/ii–/iiresponsive/ii. /iShe exhaled through her nose and nodded. “Good. That’s smart.”

    Niks pped Cael’s shoulder, the gesture firm but warm. “I’ll stop by the training grounds soon. For now, I’ll let you

    get on.”

    They resumed their walk, the path narrowing as it wound through tall grass and scattered trees. When they arrivedb, /bshe paused at the edge, arms crossing loosely over her chest. Her gaze swept the open space, thennded on Niks. b“/bSob… /bhow does this work? With control?”

    He stepped into the center, turning to face her as sunlight caught the edges of his hair. “We start by giving bVaelora /b

    control.”

    She blinked, brows lifting. “How? I only did that before because my emotions were so high.”

    Niks’s mouth curved into a half–smirk. “Then you need to get wound up.”

    Her arms tightened across her chest, fingers digging into her sleeves. “And how do I get control backb?/bb” /b

    He stepped closer, his voice softening. “Vorthar will help if needed. But you need to focus. I’ll walk you through some techniques before we begin.”

    Saphira nodded slowly, her gaze drifting to the center of the clearing. Vaelora was part of her. iBut /ipart wasn’t the same as whole. Today, she’d have to let go–and trust she could return.

    Saphira stood in the centre of the clearing, the wind tugging gently at her hair. The grass swayed around her ankles, and the trees whispered in the distance. Niks paced a slow circle around her, his voice calm but deliberate.

    “There are a few ways to regain control,” he said, stopping in front of her. “Depending on how strong your bond is bwith /bVaclora, some will work better than others.”

    Saphira nodded, her arms folded tightly across her chest. iShe /itrusted Vaclora–but trust wasn’t the same as control.

    “First,” Niks continued, “you ask. Just ask her to give it back. If she’s calm, she might listen.”

    Saphira tilted her head slightly. “And if she doesn’t?”

    “Then you use your consciousness,” he said. “You pull control back. Like tugging a thread through a knot.”

    She nodded again, slower this time. That sounded idoable/ii. /iiMaybe/i.

    “If that fails,” Niks said, stepping closer, “you demand it. And if even that doesn’t work… you force it.”

    Saphira’s brows drew together. “Force it? How?”

    Niks’s gaze held hers, steady and unwavering. “Vaelora is part of you. But your human self–your core–is stronger. Not physically, but internally. You just need to find the handle. The ce inside you where your will is anchored.”

    Saphira swallowed, her throat tight. Find ithe /iihandle/ii. /iiEasier said /iithan /iidone/i. “Okay,” she said quietly. “I’ll try.”

    Niks nodded, then gestured to the space around them. “Start by thinking of Ruby. Think of everything she did. Everything she was.”

    Saphira closed her eyes, letting the memories rise. Ruby’s voice. Her maniption. The way she twisted trust into fear. The pack house. The whispersb. /bThe way Saphira had doubted herself–had questioned her instincts.

    It didn’t take long.

    Her chest tightened, heat rising in her throat. Her fingers curled into fists. iStars/ii, /iiit’s /iall still ithere/i. iJust /ibeneath the isurface/i.

    She opened her eyes, breath sharp. “I feel like I’m going to burst. Now what?”

    Niks’s voice was low. “Release control. Just like before. Call Vaelora forward.”

    Saphira nodded, closing her eyes again. She reached inward, past the heat, past the ache, to the ce where Vora waited. ‘iCome /iiforward/ii,/ii‘ /ishe whispered in her mind. i‘/iiTake /iiit/i.‘

    The shift came fast.

    bHer /bbbody /bbstretched/b, bbones /breshaping, fire licking beneath her skinb. /bWhen she opened bher /bbeyes /bbagain/bb, /bshe was no lon looking bthrough /bher ownb. /bVaclora had taken control.

    And bthe /bblock was there.

    Thick. Imposingb. /bA wall between her and the reins.

    bVaelora /broared, wings ring wide, ws digging into the earth. Sheshed out, tail whipping through bthe /bbair/b. bSaphira /bcould feel it all–see through her dragon’s eyes–but she couldn’t steer. Just ilike /ibefore.

    Niks had shifted too. Vorthar stood across the clearing, massive and coiled, his eyes locked on her. Ready.

    Saphira remembered the steps. iAsk /iifirst/i.

    She tried. i‘/iiVaelora/ii, /iigive /iit iback/ii./i‘

    Nothing.

    She tried again. ‘iPlease/i. iLet /iime /iiin/i.‘

    The block pulsed stronger, pressing her further out. iShe’s /inot ilistening/ii. /i

    Before she could move to step two, Vaeloraunched into the air, wings slicing through the sky. Saphira’s heart leapt–bNo/bbi, /i/b

    inot /iiyet- /i

    But Vorthar was faster.

    He surged upward, intercepting her mid–flight, his body curling around hers in a controlled spiral. The force of his presence pressed against Vaelora’s fury, and something shifted. The block cracked.

    Control slipped back into Saphira’s grasp like a sudden breath.

    She shifted down, knees hitting the earth, breath ragged. Her hands trembled, her heart pounding. iHe /iidid /iiit/i. iSomehow/ii. /iiThe /iimate /iibond/ii? /i

    Niks was beside her in seconds, his hand on her back.

    Saphira looked up, eyes wide. “I wasn’t ready.”

    He smiled softly. “You were. You just didn’t know where to reach.”