The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 127

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The alarm rang too early

Too loud. Too sharp.

It cut through the silence of the room like a blade, pulling Iva abruptly from the shallow, restless sleep she had barely managed to fall into.

She groaned softly, her brows knitting as she instinctively tried to move, her hand reaching toward the nightstand-

But she couldn’t.

She frowned.

Confused.

Her body didn’t respond the way she expected.

Something was holding her down. Something warm, heavy, strong.

Her breath caught slightly as awareness returned in fragments, her senses sharpening slowly as she realized exactly what that “something” was.

Caleb.

Her eyes widened just a little as she turned her head carefully, her movements slow and cautious so she

wouldn’t wake him.

He was wrapped around her.

Completely.

One arm draped firmly over her waist, pulling her back against his chest, his body pressed against hers, radiating heat, solid and unyielding even in sleep.

He was holding her like she belonged there.

Like letting go was not an option.

Iva swallowed softly, her heartbeat picking up as she tried-carefully-to slide her arm free, stretching it just enough to reach the alarm.

It took effort.

More than she expected.

But after a few seconds of awkward shifting, she managed to tap the screen and silence it.

The room fell quiet again.

Except for the steady rhythm of his breathing behind her.

14

< Mare

For a moment-

She didn’t move.

Didn’t rush.

Slowly, she turned her head just enough to look at him.

And her breath softened.

Caleb was still asleep.

Deeply.

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His features relaxed in a way she had not seen before, the usual tension gone, replaced by something almost peaceful, almost… younger. And she realised, with a pang in her heart, that he had no idea how old he was.

Her cheeks warmed instantly.

Because memories came rushing back.

His kisses from last night.

The intensity.

The way he had pulled her into him like he couldn’t get enough, like the space between them had been unbearable.

And how she-

How she had given in.

Again,

Her lips parted slightly as her face flushed deeper, her gaze dropping for a moment.

“I barely slept…” she murmured quietly, more to herself than anything else.

Maybe an hour.

If that.

Her head was already starting to pound, a dull ache forming behind her temples, the price of exhaustion catching up with her.

But she didn’t have the luxury to stay.

She had work.

Real life.

Responsibilities that didn’t disappear just because her world had suddenly turned upside down.

Carefully, slowly, she shifted again, this time managing to slip out from his hold, though it took effort, his arm resisting even in sleep, tightening for a second before finally loosening.

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She paused.

Waiting.

But he didn’t wake.

Not even a little.

Her gaze lingered on him one last time.

Then she stood.

Quietly.

She dressed in silence, moving around the room with soft steps, glancing back once or twice as if expecting him to wake, to stop her, to say something-

But he didn’t.

And somehow…

That stung more than she expected. He was a Lycan, he should have sensed her movements.

With a quiet breath, she grabbed her things and left the apartment.

The hallway felt colder.

The distance immediate.

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