The Messenge (Iva and Nick) novel Chapter 409

Summary for Chapter 409: The Messenge (Iva and Nick)

The Messenger werewolf novel Iva and Nick Chapter 409, by Elle Vintea read online Free PDF

The Price of the Wolf

The Price of the Wolf

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The illusion shattered so violently that Iva gasped as she was thrown back into reality, her body jerking against the cold stone beneath her while Caleb caught her shoulders before she could slide from the ritual platform, his face immediately appearing above hers with an expression of raw alarm.

“Iva, look at me.”

She blinked several times, struggling to understand where she was, because for a few disorienting seconds she could still see the darkness from the vision surrounding her, still hear the low growl of the wolf trapped behind those impossible black chains, and still feel the burning pain that had ripped through her when she had tried to touch them.

Then the candles came back into focus.

The stone chamber returned.

Caleb’s hands were on her shoulders.

Melissandre stood motionless beside the ritual circle, staring at the dark symbol that had appeared across the stone.

“What does it mean?” Caleb demanded, his voice controlled but carrying an edge that betrayed how close he was to losing that control.

Melissandre crouched beside the circle and carefully touched the blackened symbol with two fingers before withdrawing them.

“It means a forbidden technique was used on Iva.”

Iva pushed herself upright.

“What kind of technique?”

Melissandre looked at her.

“One designed to lock an inner wolf away from its human.”

Iva’s breath caught.

“Avalon?”

“She is not gone.”

The words struck Iva with such force that she almost forgot how to breathe.

The Price of the Wolf

Melissandre’s expression remained grave.

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“What you saw was not the memory of a dead beast, and it was not your mind creating something because you desperately wanted to find her.”

She looked directly at Iva.

“Avalon is still inside you, but the connection between you has been forcibly sealed.”

Caleb’s jaw tightened.

“Can you break it?”

“I can investigate it, but I will not break it blindly.”

“Why?”

“Because whoever created this knew what they were doing.”

Melissandre rose slowly, her fingers brushing against one of the ancient symbols carved into

the stone.

“The bond between a wolf and its human is not something that can simply be switched off and restarted without consequences.

Iva’s fingers trembled.

“Can you repair it?”

“I need to examine the ritual more deeply before I can answer that.”

Hope flickered briefly inside Iva, but Melissandre’s next words extinguished it.

“And even if I manage to undo it, I cannot promise that Avalon will return unchanged.”

Iva stared at her.

“What does that mean?”

“The damage may already be permanent.”

The words seemed to drain the warmth from the chamber.

Caleb’s expression hardened.

“You said she is still there.”

“She is.”

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The Price of the Wolf

“Then we bring her back.”

“It may not be that simple.”

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Melissandre’s voice remained calm, but there was something grave beneath it that made Iva’s stomach tighten.

“When an inner wolf has been forcibly separated from its human for too long, the bond can deteriorate, and restoring it does not necessarily restore the relationship that existed before.”

Iva swallowed.

“What could happen?”

“The wolf might return confused, frightened or unstable, because she may no longer recognize you as the other half she once trusted.”

Caleb’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you saying Avalon could hurt her?”

“I am saying that it is possible.”

The silence that followed felt unbearable.

Iva looked down at her hands.

“So what happens if she comes back and she isn’t herself anymore?”

Melissandre took a slow breath.

“In the worst cases, the beast becomes increasingly unstable, reacting through instinct rather than reason, fighting against its human instead of protecting her, until eventually the human side can no longer control the connection.”

Iva’s face went pale.

“And then?”

Melissandre looked directly at her.

“Sometimes, in cases like these, the safest choice is for the human side to continue without the wolf.”

Iva stared at her as though she had spoken another language.

“Without Avalon?”

The Price of the Wolf

“Yes.”

“But she’s part of me.”

“I know.”

“Then how can I live without her?”

“You can.”

Iva’s eyes filled with tears.

“But I don’t want to.”

Melissandre did not look away.

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t.”

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Iva’s voice cracked as she climbed from the ritual platform, Caleb immediately moving closer without touching her until she reached for him herself.

“I already lost my memories, I lost everything I thought I knew about my life, and now you’re telling me that even if Avalon is still inside me, I might have to choose between having her back and keeping myself safe.”

Caleb finally took her hand.

His fingers closed around hers with careful strength.

“You are not choosing anything today.”

Iva looked at him.

His eyes were intense and unwavering.

“We are going to find out exactly what was done to you before anyone makes a decision about your future.”

Melissandre watched them for a moment before speaking.

“That is the right approach.”

Caleb turned toward her.

“Then investigate it.”

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The Price of the Wolf

“I will.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know.”

His expression darkened.

“You must have some idea.”

Melissandre shook her head.

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“I need to trace the magic first, determine when it was created, and understand what was hidden inside it.”

Iva suddenly remembered the vision.

“The chains…”

Melissandre looked at her.

“I saw Avalon.”

The witch waited.

“She was trapped in darkness, and something was wrapped around her.”

“Chains?”

Iva nodded.

“But there was something else.”

“What?”

“Avalon looked at me.”

Iva’s voice became smaller.

“She was trying to reach me.”

Melissandre’s expression changed.

“And then?”

“I touched the chains.”

Iva shuddered.

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The Price of the Wolf

“I heard a voice.”

Caleb’s eyes narrowed.

“What voice?”

“I don’t know.”

She looked toward the witch.

“It sounded like me.”

Melissandre went completely still.

“What did it say?”

Iva closed her eyes, searching through the fading remnants of the vision.

“My name.”

The candles suddenly flickered.

Every flame bent toward the ritual circle.

Caleb stepped in front of Iva instinctively.

“Melissandre.”

“I see it.”

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The witch approached the blackened symbol and watched as a thin silver line slowly appeared across its centre, followed by another and then another, until the lines connected into a symbol neither Caleb nor Iva recognized.

“What is it?”

Melissandre did not answer.

“Melissandre.”

The witch finally looked at Iva.

“That voice you heard was not part of the memory.”

Iva’s stomach dropped.

“Then what was it?”

Melissandre stared at the glowing symbol.

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The Price of the Wolf

“Someone else is trapped inside the seal.”

Before anyone could move, something scratched beneath the stone.

Once.

Twice.

Then a third time.

Iva’s fingers tightened around Caleb’s.

And from somewhere deep inside her mind came a faint whisper.

Not Avalon.

Not this time.

You finally found me.

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