The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 154

Hello, Iva-1

The ceremony ended, but for Iva-

Nothing truly ended.

It only began.

The moment the final words were spoken and the students started rising from their seats, the grand auditorium dissolving into movement and chatter, Iva remained frozen for a heartbeat longer, her body locked in place while everything inside her spiralled out of control.

Because she had seen him.

Caleb.

Not as a memory, not as a dream.

But real.

Alive.

Present.

And the moment her eyes had landed on him-

The mate bond had snapped into place with a force so violent it had nearly stolen the air from her lungs.

Even now, as she stood up mechanically, blending into the crowd, her entire being trembled.

It was unbearable.

The pull.

It wasn’t just strong, it was consuming.

Like an invisible thread wrapped around her chest, tightening, dragging her toward him with relentless insistence.

“Mate is here.”

Avalon’s voice echoed inside her mind, no longer calm, no longer composed, but pacing wildly, almost feral, her presence restless and overwhelming.

“Mate is HERE.”

“I know…” Iva whispered under her breath, her voice shaking as she forced herself to move forward with the wave of students, unobserved.

But her words, they held no power this time.

Because for the first time since Avalon had awakened-

Reason was not enough.

14

Hello Iva 1

Instinct had taken over.

And instinct did not listen.

“Go to him,” Avalon urged, her tone sharp, desperate. “He is ours. We need to go to him.”

Claim

Iva clenched her jaw, her fingers curling into fists at her sides as she fought against the urge, each step feeling heavier than the last.

“No,” she whispered again, more firmly this time, though her voice still trembled. “We are not going to him.”

But even as she said it, her body betrayed her.

Because during those last minutes of the ceremony-

After his name had been spoken-

After he had stepped forward-

She hadn’t been able to look away, not even for a second.

Her eyes had devoured him from afar.

Hungry.

Desperate.

Helpless.

He was… even more.

More imposing.

More powerful.

More devastating than she remembered.

His presence alone commanded the entire room, bending the attention of hundreds toward him effortlessly, as if he belonged above them all-

Untouchable.

Unreachable.

And yet-

He was hers.

The thought sent a dangerous shiver through her body.

Her knees pressed together instinctively as flashes of memory surged through her mind without warning-

His hands.

His voice.

4

Hello Iva 1-

His heat.

The way he had taken her apart and rebuilt her with nothing but a touch-

“Iva…” Lori’s voice broke through faintly, but Iva barely registered it.

Claim

“No… no…” Iva whispered under her breath, her breath uneven as she shook her head slightly. “Please…”

“Please… Moon Goddess…Don’t let him notice me.”

Because if he did-

She knew.

She wouldn’t be able to run.

The moment the ceremony officially ended, Iva didn’t hesitate.

She bolted.

Not running outright-

But moving fast enough to disappear into the mass of students flooding toward the exits, her head down, her senses overwhelmed, her heart pounding violently against her ribs.

Only when she stepped outside-

Only when the fresh air hit her face-

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