The Messenge (Iva and Nick) novel Chapter 393

The Revealing.

475 Porte

The Revealing

Iva stared at her reflection in the small, tarnished mirror, barely recognizing the woman who stared back.

Dark circles shadowed her eyes like bruises, their hollow depths a testament to countless sleepless nights. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, stretched thin over sharp cheekbones that had become more pronounced with each passing week. Her hair, once vibrant with life, now hung limp and lifeless around her shoulders.

She looked like a ghost.

She felt like one too.

The days had become an endless cycle of exhaustion and fear. During the day, she was constantly on edge-performing her duties for the nuns, caring for Youssef, and enduring Rauno’s increasingly persistent attention. Each interaction with him was a performance, a careful balancing act of maintaining distance without raising suspicion.

And at night, after feeding Youssef, when she finally collapsed into bed, the dreams came.

The dark figures, the chase, the suffocating presence that always seemed to be just behind her. She would wake gasping, her heart pounding, her body drenched in sweat. And when she finally managed to drift back to sleep, the cycle would begin again.

She was running on empty.

Her hands trembled as she reached for a brush, running it through her tangled hair with mechanical precision. She had to keep going. She had to stay strong. For Youssef. For herself.

But she didn’t know how much longer she could hold on.

The stress of being discovered was a constant weight on her chest, pressing down on her lungs, making it hard to breathe. Every glance in her direction, every whispered conversation, every unexpected encounter felt like a threat. She was surrounded by hunters, and she was running out of ways to hide.

She finished getting ready and made her way to the dining hall, her feet dragging with exhaustion. The familiar routine of morning chores was a comfort, a brief respite from the chaos of her thoughts.

But the moment she entered the hall, her heart sank.

Rauno was there.

And he wasn’t alone.

He stood near the entrance, a smile on his face, his hand resting lightly on the shoulder of a young woman with dark hair and a sharp, intelligent gaze. She was dressed in dark, form-fitting attire, her posture alert, her eyes scanning the room with the practiced awareness of someone used to danger.

Rauno’s eyes found Iva, and his smile widened.

“Iva,” he called out, his voice warm with affection. “Come here. I want you to meet someone.”

Iva’s stomach tightened, but she forced herself to smile and approach. She couldn’t refuse him. Not

The Revealing

without raising questions she couldn’t answer.

25 Points

Rauno gestured to the dark-haired woman, his expression proud.”This is Nela,” he said. “I realized that when I told you about being a hunter, about what happened to my family, it made you worry. It made you push me away. And Tunderstand why.”

He paused, his voice softening.

“Nela was once in your place. She was saved by the nuns from an unfortunate situation, just like you. And she found love with Ronald, one of our fellow hunters. Look at her now-two years later, she’s become one of the best logistics specialists for the work we do.”

Nela smiled at Iva, her expression warm but her eyes sharp and assessing.

“Nice to meet you, Iva,” she said, her voice smooth and friendly. “Rauno has told me so much about you.”

r

Iva forced herself to smile back, her hand trembling slightly as she extended it.

“Nice to meet you too.”

Nela took her hand, her grip firm and confident.

“I know this must be overwhelming,” she said, her voice dropping to a more intimate tone. “But I want you to know that you’re not alone. There’s a community here. A family. And when you’re ready, you can be part

of it.”

Iva nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Her mind was racing, her heart pounding with fear.

Rauno had brought someone to convince her. To show her that there was a place for her in their world, a future with them.

He had no idea that she was the very enemy he was sworn to destroy.

“I was just like you once,” Nela said, her eyes softening with the memory. “I was chased away by my own family. They threw me out like I was garbage, like I was nothing. I wandered for weeks, barely surviving, until the nuns found me. They took me in, gave me shelter, gave me purpose.”

She paused, her smile returning.

“And then I met Ronald. He was a hunter, one of the bravest men I’ve ever known. He saw me for who I truly was, and he didn’t judge me. He loved me. We’ve been together ever since.”

Rauno nodded, his expression proud.

“Nela is handling logistics for us now,” he added. “She’s our weapons expert. Super creative. Just now, she developed a new potion-something that can bring the hidden wolves’ nature to the surface. It’s a breakthrough. With this, we can reveal the beasts around us and take action.”

Iva’s throat tightened.

“The nuns have already added it to the water for everyone this morning,” Nela continued, her voice bright

The Revealin

with pride. “We’ll be able to identify any wolves hiding among us. It’s a game-changer.”

Iva’s blood ran cold.

+25 Points

She had drunk the water.

She had taken a sip of the water when she first entered the dining hall, a habit she had developed over the months of living at the abbey. She had thought nothing of it, had barely registered the taste.

But now, the realization hit her like a physical blow.

She was poisoned.

“Why?” she asked, her voice trembling despite her efforts to remain calm. “Do you suspect someone? Is there a wolf here that you’re trying to expose?”

Rauno laughed, a warm, reassuring sound that made her stomach churn.

“No, nothing like that. We don’t suspect anyone in particular. But we need to be prepared. The potion also has a secondary effect-it can resist Alpha commands for several minutes, long enough to escape. It’s a protection measure, more than anything.”

Iva felt sick.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to run. She wanted to grab Youssef and flee into the forest and never

look back.

But she forced herself to smile, to nod, to play the part of the grateful, curious young woman.

“That’s incredible,” she said, her voice barely steady. “You must be very proud of your work.”

Nela beamed.

“I am. It took months of trial and error, but finally, we have something that can truly make a difference.”

Iva’s stomach lurched.

“I’m sorry,” she said abruptly, her voice strained. “I need to check on Youssef. He’s been fussy this morning.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and fled the room.

The corridor stretched before her, impossibly long, the walls seeming to close in with each step. She stumbled, her hand pressing against the cold stone to steady herself.

The heat was growing stronger, more intense.

She looked down at her hands.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Her nails were growing-sharpening, curving into claws. The transformation was subtle, barely noticeable if you weren’t looking for it. But she was looking. And she could see it happening.

The Revealing

No. No, no, no,*

She had to hide.

She ran.

+25 Points

Her feet carried her through the familiar corridors, her heart pounding, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She reached her room and threw open the door, slamming it shut behind her.

She looked down at her hands again.

But how? As her wolf was long gone…?!

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