The Messenge (Iva and Nick) novel Chapter 415

The Man Who Had Never Stopped Loving Her

The moment Caleb stepped out of Iva’s room and the heavy wooden door closed behind him,

something inside him nearly broke.

He stood in the corridor for several seconds, completely motionless, his hands clenched at his

sides while every muscle in his body remained painfully tense, as though his entire being was fighting against an instinct that had been denied for far too long.

Her scent was still everywhere.

On his clothes.

On his skin.

Inside his mind.

And the memory of her sleepy voice agreeing to go on a date with him kept repeating itself until he could barely think about anything else.

Tomorrow.

She had said tomorrow.

Caleb dragged a hand through his dark hair.

*Don’t lose control,* he commanded himself, his jaw clenched so tight his teeth ached. *Don’t lose

control. Don’t lose control.*

He repeated the words like a mantra, each step carrying him further from her door, further from

the scent of her that clung to his clothes, further from the overwhelming urge to claim her.

The corridors of the castle stretched before him, familiar and endless. Servants bowed as he

passed, their eyes averted, their voices hushed. They could feel it-the tension radiating from him,

the barely contained power that crackled around him like a storm about to break.

He didn’t acknowledge them.

He couldn’t.

If he opened his mouth, if he allowed even a single word to escape, he was terrified that he would scream. Or growl. Or do something that would reveal the chaos raging inside him.

He reached his chambers and threw open the door, slamming it shut behind him with a force that rattled the paintings on the walls. The sound echoed through the room, a physical manifestation of the storm within.

He leaned against the door, his chest heaving, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

*Control.*

He repeated the word, over and over, trying to anchor himself to it. But the bond was relentless, a constant reminder of what he wanted, what he needed, what he couldn’t have.

Not yet.

Not until she was ready.

Not until she remembered.

He pushed off from the door and began stripping off his clothes, his movements jerky and impatient. The fabric seemed to cling to him, suffocating, trapping the heat that radiated from his skin.

He needed to cool down.

He needed to think.

He needed to stop imagining her face, her eyes, her lips-

He stepped into the shower and turned the water on full blast.

Ice cold.

The shock hit him like a physical blow, stealing the breath from his lungs. He pressed his palms against the cold tile, his head bowed, his eyes squeezed shut, and let the water pound against his heated skin.

It didn’t help.

The cold numbed his body, but it did nothing to cool the fire that burned inside him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her. The curve of her smile. The way her eyes lit up when she laughed. The softness of her voice when she spoke to Lori.

And beneath it all, the memory of her scent-warm and familiar, like coming home.

He was losing his mind.

He had waited so long. Searched for so long. And now that she was here, now that she was so close he could reach out and touch her, he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t tell her the truth.

Couldn’t claim her. Couldn’t show her how much he loved her.

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