The Messenge (Iva and Nick) novel Chapter 414

Invitation

The journey back to the castle was wrapped in a silence that seemed almost too heavy for the small space inside Caleb’s car, because neither of them appeared to know what could possibly be said after everything they had learned that day.

Eva sat beside him, staring through the window for several minutes before her eyes slowly drifted toward his profile.

Caleb looked impossibly composed behind the wheel.

His shoulders were broad beneath his dark shirt, his hands rested firmly against the steering wheel, and the hard line of his jaw seemed even more pronounced whenever his attention shifted toward the road ahead.

There was something imposing about him.

Something powerful.

Something that made the air around him feel different.

Eva swallowed.

This man was her mate.

Her freaking mate.

The thought still felt completely surreal.

Lori had told her everything she could remember, including the part that seemed almost

absurd when placed beside everything else.

Caleb Adama was the Crown Prince.

The future Lycan King.

And somehow, this intimidating, breathtaking man had apparently loved her.

Eva looked away before he could notice.

He was drop-dead gorgeous.

There was no denying it.

Even now, with her memories fractured and her mind still struggling to understand the life

she had supposedly lived, her body reacted whenever he came close.

Her heart accelerated.

Her skin warmed.

Something inside her seemed instinctively drawn toward him.

But was that love?

No.

At least, she did not think so.

It felt like instinct.

The strange pull of a mate bond that existed somewhere beneath everything she had

forgotten.

And that frightened her more than she wanted to admit.

Because if the attraction was only the bond, what would happen if her memories never returned?

Would she ever remember loving him?

Would she remember what they had been?

Would she look at Caleb one day and feel nothing beyond the strange instinct that told her he

belonged beside her?

Eva pressed her fingers against her chest.

The thought hurt more than she expected.

Caleb glanced toward her.

“You’re quiet.”

“So are you.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

“I was trying not to overwhelm you.”

Eva looked at him again.

“You don’t have to do that.”

His eyes returned to the road.

“I think I do.”

She wanted to ask what he meant, but she remained silent.

Soon the castle appeared beyond the trees, enormous and illuminated against the darkness.

When Caleb parked, he came around and opened her door.

Eva stepped out, and for a moment she simply stared at the imposing royal residence.

She still couldn’t believe this had once been her home.

Or perhaps it had never truly felt like home after everything that happened.

Caleb walked beside her toward the entrance.

“Would you like to have dinner with my family?”

Eva hesitated.

The thought of sitting among the royal family, pretending everything was normal while she

was still trying to understand who she was, felt exhausting.

“Not tonight.”

Caleb stopped.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded.

“I think I’ve had enough for one day.”

His expression softened.

“Of course.”

“Maybe another time.”

His eyes warmed.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Eva smiled faintly before disappearing toward her room.

The moment she entered, she found Youssef awake.

Her entire expression changed.

“There you are.”

She lifted him into her arms, holding him against her chest.

He immediately reached for her face.

Eva laughed softly.

“You are growing too quickly.”

Youssef answered with an excited sound, grabbing at a strand of her hair.

“Oh, really?”

She kissed his cheek.

“You think that’s funny?”

For the first time all day, Eva felt something inside her settle.

This little boy was hers.

That was one truth nobody could take from her.

She played with him until his laughter filled the room, then gave him his bath, changed him

into his sleeping clothes, and finally settled him into bed.

By the time she climbed beneath the covers herself, exhaustion had taken over.

She closed her eyes.

Only for a moment.

She must have fallen asleep.

Because when she opened them again, the room was completely dark.

Eva immediately sensed someone nearby.

Her body tensed.

A dark silhouette sat on the edge of her bed.

She stopped breathing.

The figure moved closer.

A large hand gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

There was something strangely familiar about the tenderness of the gesture.

The figure bent toward her.

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