The Messenge (Iva and Nick) novel Chapter 443

Feeling Back

For several seconds, neither of them moved.

+25 Paints

Caleb stood beside Iva’s bed, his heart hammering against his ribs, while she watched him with an expression that shifted between confusion, suspicion, and something neither of them seemed willing to

name.

He had imagined this moment a thousand times in the life he remembered.

He had imagined holding her, kissing her, hearing her laugh, and waking beside her without the fear that one day she might disappear from his arms. But in those memories, Iva had known him. She had loved him. She had chosen him.

This girl was still discovering who he was.

And yet the bond between them was alive, pulsing beneath his skin with an intensity that made every rational thought feel painfully inadequate.

“What are you doing in my room?” Iva repeated.

Her voice was quiet, but there was a firmness beneath it that reminded him she was not someone who could be distracted by a charming smile or an easy excuse.

Caleb lowered his hand.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“That explains why you’re awake. It doesn’t explain why you’re standing beside my bed.”

“No.” He exhaled slowly. “It doesn’t.”

Iva drew the blanket closer around herself, suddenly aware of how close he was. She could feel something strange in the air between them, a pressure that seemed to gather whenever their eyes met, as though an invisible thread connected them and tightened with every breath.

She had felt it before.

By the lake, when he had pulled her into his arms without warning. In the car, when his gaze had lingered on her for a fraction longer than necessary. Even during their earlier conversation, when he had questioned her claims about being the Messenger and his fated mate, something inside her had reacted to his presence in a way she couldn’t explain.

Now, with him standing only inches away, the sensation was almost unbearable.

It was warmth beneath her skin, a strange fluttering in her chest, and a restless awareness of him that made her want to move closer even as her instincts warned her to be careful.

His wolf stirred restlessly, pressing against the confines of his mind.

“Mate.”

Chaos’s voice was low and urgent.

Feeling Buch

“She feels us. Look at her, Caleb. She’s fighting the same pull.”

“I know.”

“Then stop pretending you don’t want to touch her.”

Caleb opened his eyes.

+25 Points

Iva was watching him, her lips slightly parted, her breathing no longer as steady as it had been moments earlier. She seemed overwhelmed by the intensity of the connection, and he could see the questions gathering behind her gaze.

He should have stepped away, let the past repeat itself.

But when Iva lifted her eyes to his, something inside him gave way.

“Iva, he murmured.

He moved closer, slowly enough that she could see every movement and turn away if she wished.

“I have been wrong about you,” he said.

Iva blinked, confused.

“That’s an understatement.”

A faint, almost helpless smile crossed his face.

“Yes. It is.”

He was close enough now to see the tiny changes in her expression, the uncertainty giving way to curiosity, the way her gaze kept returning to his mouth before quickly darting back to his eyes.

The air between them seemed to thicken.

“I should have trusted you when you told me who you were,” he continued. “Instead, I questioned you aş though you had something to prove. I allowed my doubts to speak louder than your words, and I treated you unfairly.”

Iva’s breath caught.

This was not the response she had expected from the man who had seemed so determined to challenge everything she told him.

“And now?” she asked softly. “What has changed?”

Caleb’s gaze dropped to her lips for one dangerous second before returning to her eyes.

“Now I’m trying to stop making the same mistake.”

He lifted his hand, pausing before touching her cheek.

“May I?”

The question seemed to surprise her more than anything else he had said.

Feeding Back

After a moinent, Iva gave a small nod

His palm settled against her face.

+25 Points

The contact was gentle, almost reverent, yet the effect on them both was immediate. The bond flared with such sudden intensity that va caught her breath, her eyes widening as warmth rushed through her body. Caleb felt it too, a familiar ache of longing that threatened to overwhelm the restraint he had been fighting to maintain.

He brushed his thumb lightly across her cheekbone.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “For doubting you. For making you feel as though you had to convince me of something that should never have been yours to prove.”

Iva searched his face.

“And you believe me now?”

“Yes.”

“That I’m the Messenger?”

“Yes.”

“And that we’re fated mates?”

His jaw tightened, not with doubt this time, but with the effort of containing everything those words meant

to him.

“Yes, Iva.”

The certainty in his voice silenced her.

She had expected arrogance, perhaps a calculated attempt to charm her, but there was something almost painful in the way he looked at her, as though the answer had cost him more than she could possibly understand.

“Why?” she whispered.

Caleb’s hand remained against her cheek.

“Because I was a fool.”

A startled laugh escaped her, but it faded when he leaned closer.

“And because,” he continued, his voice dropping to a rough whisper, “I don’t want to spend another moment treating you like a stranger.”

Her heart began to race.

“Caleb…”

He stopped just inches from her face.

He could feel the warmth of her breath, see the uncertainty in her eyes, and sense the invisible bond

Feeling Back.

stretching between them. His wolf was nearly frantic, but Caleb forced himself to remain still.

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