bCHAPTER /bb113 /b

    Everything fractured into slow motion.

    Ruby’s wolf erupted forward–muscles coiled, ws scraping the floor, teeth bared in a bsnarl /bbthat /bsliced through the tension. Her eyes locked on Saphira with feral intent, wild and unrelenting.

    Saphira’s breath caught–but only for a heartbeat. She was ready.

    Her body tensed, fingers curling instinctively, and the shift surged through her like a tidal wave. Bones stretched, skin burned, and Vaelora rose–unstoppable, furious, ancient. The dragon didn’t wait for permission. She imed the space with a roar that vibrated through Saphira’s ribs..

    Finn moved just as fast. Saphira saw the twist of his spine mid–air, the ripple of fur bursting across his skin. His snarl met Ruby’s as he collided with her, intercepting her path with brutal precisionb. /bws shed. Teeth snapped. The sound of impact was sickening.

    Just like that night.

    iHe’s /iistill /iiprotecting /iime/i.

    The thought hit her like a punch to the chest. Her heart stuttered, then roared to life.

    The room exploded–ss shattered, amp spun through the air, papers fluttered like panicked birds. Finn’s shift had torn through the space, leaving no room for anyone else. A bookshelf toppled. A vase burst. The air thickened with dust and heat.

    Raven, Niks, and Amara were pinned against the back wall, eyes wide, breath held, the door blocked by chaos.

    Saphira’s control slipped. Vaelora wed forward, demanding release. iI /iican’t /iihold /iiher /iiback/i, Saphira realized. iAnd /iiI /iidon’t /iiwant /iito/i.

    i‘/iiDon’t /iikill /iiher/ii,/ii‘ /ishe warned inwardly, voice low, trembling with restraint. ‘iWe /iistill /iineed /iianswers/ib./bb‘ /b

    Vaelora’s growl rumbled through her chest, vibrating her bones. ‘iUgh/ii, /iifine/i. iBut /iI’m idone /iiying /inice.‘

    Finn’s sharp yelp sliced through the noise. Saphira’s head whipped toward him–blood streaked his nk, Ruby’s jaws still snapping.

    Vaelora responded instantly.

    With a guttural huff, she unfurled one massive wing and mmed it into Ruby’s side. The impact cracked the air. Ruby flew backward, crashing into the desk–wood splintered, shards skittered bacross /bthe floor. She rolled, snarling, then lunged again.

    CHAPTER b113 /b

    Saphira stepped forward, her bare feet crunching over debris. Valora’s wing extended bagain/b, protective, blocking Ruby’s path to Finn. Her dragon instincts surged–hotb, /bpossessiveb, /bancientb, /b

    Ruby darted left, trying to nk. Vaclora twisted, tail whipping across the floor and knocking bRuby /boff bnce. Saphira followed the movement, her body low, her breath steady. She leapt, ws. grazing Ruby’s shoulder, forcing her back.

    iIt’s /iour turn to protect our family.

    Ruby staggered upright, blood streaking her muzzle, defiance still burning in her eyes. She crouched lowb, /bready to strike again.

    Saphira didn’t flinch. She let Vaelora rise fully within herb, /bspine straightening, jaw tightening. Together, they roared..

    The sound was primal–deep, resonant, enough to shake the walls and rattle the bones of everyone

    present. Heat pulsed outward, not me, but the threat of it. Controlled. Intentional. A warningb. /b

    Ruby froze.

    Her ears ttened. Her tail tucked. Slowly, she lowered herself, baring her neck in submission. Thenb, /btrembling, she shifted back.

    Saphira exhaled, her chest rising and falling with the weight of it all. i‘/iiThank /iiyou/ibi,/i/b‘ she whispered to

    Vaelora, her voice soft, reverent.

    And then she shifted back, her body folding into itself, breath steadying. She stood tall beside Finnb, /bher gaze locked on Ruby, her heart thudding with quiet resolve.

    iThis /iis iour /iihome/i. iAnd /iino /iione /iithreatens /iit iwithout /iiconsequence/i.

    Ruby’s entire demeanor had fractured. Her shoulders curled inward like she could shrink herself out of sight, eyes wide and ssy, breath hitching in shallow bursts. She stared at Saphira–not with defiance now, but with something rawer. Rècognition. Fear. Like she was seeing the truth for the first time and didn’t know how to survive it.

    “You’re… a dragon,” Ruby whispered, voice barely more than air.

    Saphira tilted her head, letting the silence stretch. Her lips curved into a slow smirk, chin lifting with quiet pride. She finally sees it. Not just the shift–but the power. “You have no idea who I am now,” she said, voice low and steady, each word deliberate. “But if you ever try anything like that again…b” /bHer gaze sharpened, a flicker of heat behind her eyes. “I won’t hold back a second time.”

    Ruby flinched.

    Niks stepped forward, the soft brush of his shoulder against hers grounding her. He breached /bbfor /b

    her hand, fingers warm and steady as they closed around hers. The gentle squeeze sent a ripple through her chest–anchoring, reassuring. He’s here. He saw it all. And he’s still with me.

    “You made a mistakeing here,” Niks said, his voice calm but edged with steel. “And an even bigger one underestimating us. Unless you decide to change your mind and tell us everything you know, you’re not going anywhere.”

    Movement caught Saphira’s eye–Raven slipping back into the room, silent as shadow. iWhen /iidid /iishe /ileave? Behind her, several warriors followed, their steps measured, expressions unreadable. But

    Saphira recognized them. The meeting. The quiet nods. The loyalty.

    The warriors didn’t speak. They didn’t need to. They moved with purpose, surrounding Ruby like a closing. Ruby stiffened, her jaw tightening, but she didn’t resist. As she passed Saphira, her eyes narrowed, a sh of venom in her re.

    Saphira didn’t flinch. She held Ruby’s gaze, smirk still in ce. About time she was put in her ce.

    The door shut behind them, and the tension snapped like a taut wire finally released. A collective breath filled the room–relief, exhaustion, disbelief.

    Saphira turned slowly, taking in the wreckage. Splintered wood. Shattered ss. Scorch marks along the walls. The room looked like it had survived a storm–and barely.

    But before she could speak, her gazended on Finn. He was brushing dust from his shoulder, a faint grin tugging at his lips.

    “You okay?” she asked, stepping toward him, her voice softer now.

    Finn nodded, rolling his shoulder with a wince. “I’ve had worse,” he said, then chuckled. “But I’m impressed. It’s about time you put Ruby in her ce.”

    Saphiraughed, the sound bubbling up unexpectedly. iReal/ii. /iiUnfiltered/ii. /iiHers/i.

    Amara stepped forward, eyes bright. “It was incredible,” she said. “I never doubted youb./b”

    Raven nced around, one brow raised. “Shame the office didn’t survive.”

    Saphira shrugged, a yful glint in her eye. “Oops.”

    Laughter rippled through the room, light and cleansing. Niks pulled her into his arms, wrapping her in warmth and quiet strength.

    And Saphira let herself sink into it, the adrenaline ebbing, her heartbeat finally slowing. iShe /iihadn’t /iijust /iisurvived/ii. /iiShe’d /iiimed /isomething iback/i.