The Messenge (Iva and Nick) novel Chapter 394

The Midnight Escape

The moment the door clicked shut behind her, Iva’s legs gave out.

She collapsed to her knees on the cold stone floor, her body trembling violently, her breath coming in ragged, desperate gasps. Her hands-her hands were no longer her own. The claws that had begun to emerge in the corridor were now fully extended, sharp and deadly, curving from her fingertips like

weapons.

She stared at them, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing.

*This can’t be happening. How is it possible? *

She scrambled to her feet and rushed to the small mirror hanging on the wall. The reflection that stared back at her made her blood run cold.

Patches of fur were appearing on her shoulders, spreading up her neck and across her face. Her eyes now glowed with an amber light that was unmistakably wolf. Her features were caught in a grotesque in-between state-not fully human, not fully wolf, but a patchwork of both.

She looked like a monster.

Her hand flew to her mouth, stifling the scream that threatened to escape.

*Oh, Moon Goddess.*

She stared at her reflection, her mind racing.

The healers had been wrong. They had told her that her wolf was gone, that it had retreated so deeply that

it would never return. They had told her that she was wolfless, broken, incomplete.

But they had been wrong.

Her wolf was still inside her. Still alive. Still fighting.

But she couldn’t feel it. She could feel the proof of its existence-the claws, the fur, the amber eyes-but she couldn’t sense its presence. It was as if there was a wall inside her, a barrier that separated her from the part of herself that should have been her greatest strength.

She closed her eyes and focused inward, searching for any trace of her wolf.

Nothing.

Just a wall. Cold and impenetrable.

She opened her eyes and looked at her reflection again. The patches of fur on her face had receded slightly, but her arms were still covered in coarse, dark hair. Her claws were still extended.

She had to shift back.

She had to find a way to control this.

But no matter how hard she tried, no matter how desperately she willed her body to return to its human form, the patches remained. She could push back the fur on her face, but her arms stayed the same.

The Midnight Escape

She was stuck.

Partially shifted.

And surrounded by hunters.

A knock at the door made her jump.

“Iva? Are you there?”

It was one of the younger nuns, her voice light and concerned.

Iva’s heart pounded in her throat. She forced herself to respond, her voice steady despite the terror coursing through her.

“Yes, I’m here. I’m not feeling well. I think I have a stomach bug. I’ll get something later.”

“Oh, dear,” the nun said, her voice filled with sympathy. “Are you sure? Let me take you to the clinic. Sister Margaret can-”

“No!” Iva’s voice was sharper than she intended. She forced herself to soften it. “No, thank you. I just need to rest. I’ll be fine.”

There was a pause, then the nun’s footsteps retreated down the corridor.

Iva let out a shaky breath.

She had to shift back. She had to figure this out before someone discovered her secret.

She closed her eyes and focused, imagining herself as fully human. She pictured her hands, her arms, her body as they had been before the potion. She willed the patches of fur to disappear, willed her claws to

retract.

The fur on her face receded completely, but her arms remained the same.

She tried again.

Nothing.

She tried again.

The patches of fur on her arms faded slightly, but they didn’t disappear.

She was still stuck.

A second knock made her freeze.

“Iva.” Sister Ophelia’s voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that made Iva’s blood run cold. “It’s Sister Ophelia. Please open the door. We need to speak.”

Iva’s mind raced.

She couldn’t open the door. Not like this. Not with patches of fur still covering her arms.

“Just a moment,” she called out, her voice strained.

L

The Mittightnapo

She grabbed a shawl from the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders, covering her arms. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

She opened the door

Sister Ophelia stood in the corridor, her expression unreadable. Her eyes swept over Iva, taking in the shawl, the pallor of her face, the trembling of her hands.

“I heard you were unwell,” Sister Ophelia said. “I wanted to check on you.”

Iva forced a smile.

“I’m fine, Sister. Just a bit of a stomach bug.”

Sister Ophelia’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You look pale, child. Are you sure you’re not coming down with something more serious?”

Iva shook her head.

“No, I’m sure. I just need to rest.”

Sister Ophelia studied her for a moment longer, her expression unreadable.

“Very well,” she said finally. “But if you’re not feeling better by morning, I’ll have Sister Margaret come to see you. We can’t have you neglecting your health, especially with Youssef around.”

Iva nodded, her throat too tight to speak.

Sister Ophelia turned and walked away.

Iva closed the door and leaned against it, her body shaking with relief.

She had survived.

But she knew that she couldn’t stay here.

Not anymore.

Not with the hunters closing in.

Not with her wolf resurfacing in ways she couldn’t control.

She had to leave.

Tonight.

Iva moved through the darkness like a shadow, her bare feet silent against the cold stone floor, her heart pounding so loudly she was certain it would wake the entire abbey. The small bundle in her arms-her few possessions wrapped in a worn bedsheet-was clutched tightly against her chest, and Youssef was secured in a sling against her body, his tiny face peaceful in sleep.

She had fed him, changed him, and prayed with every fiber of her being that he would not wake. He had

14

The Midny

stirred once, his small mouth opening in a soft whimper, but she had rocked him gently, humming a lullaby under her breath, and he had settled back into slumber.

Now, she crept through the familiar corridors, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, her senses heightened by fear. She had timed her escape carefully, waiting until the deepest hour of the night.

*Please, Moon Goddess,* she prayed silently. Please protect us. Please guide our steps.*

The main doors loomed before her, massive and ancient, their iron hinges heavy with age. Her heart leaped with hope as she approached them, her steps quickening.

She reached the doors and paused, her hand hovering over the latch.

Just a few more steps.

Just a few more seconds.

She was about to open the door when a voice cut through the darkness, rough and cold, sending a jolt of pure terror through her body.

“It’s quite late for a walk, little bird. Going somewhere?”

Iva froze.

The blood in her veins turned to ice.

She turned slowly, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Rauno stood in the shadows, his arms crossed over his broad chest, his dark eyes fixed on her with an intensity that made her skin crawl. He was dressed in his usual dark attire, and there was a hardness in his expression that she had never seen before.

“I-” she started, her voice trembling. “I couldn’t sleep. I needed some air.”

Rauno stepped forward, his boots echoing against the stone floor.

“In the middle of the night? With your son wrapped up and ready to go? With your belongings bundled in a sheet?”

Iva’s throat tightened.

She had been caught.

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