The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 156

Punishment 1-1

The bond between them roared to life, flooding her senses with him-his scent, his heat, the raw power that radiated from his still form. Every nerve ending sparked. Every hair on her arms rose. She could feel him in her bones, in her blood, in the very marrow of who she was.

But then a shiver of fear traced down her spine.

Since the moment she had met him, she had never seen him like this.

His face was carved from stone. His jaw was set. His eyes-those beautiful eyes that had looked at her with passion and hunger-were dark. Not with anger. Something deeper. Something colder.

Dominant.

Composed.

Serious.

His aura filled the room like a living thing, pressing against her skin, making it hard to breathe. It wasn’t threatening exactly. It was something worse.

It was judgment.

And it sent shivers down her spine.

Iva’s throat worked. She swallowed hard, her fingers curling against the door behind her. She had faced down running away from her pack. She had survived her mate rejection.

But this?

This was terrifying.

“Hi,” she said.

Her voice came out gingerly. Small. Unsure. Nothing like the woman who had faced a Lycan Prince in his own bedroom.

Caleb didn’t move.

He didn’t blink. Didn’t smile. Didn’t give her any indication that her greeting had even registered. He simply sat there, watching her, waiting.

The silence stretched between them like a wire pulled taut.

Iva’s mind raced. How had he found her, as she was sure that he covered her tracks properly? How long had he been sitting in that chair?

She opened her mouth to ask him.

She never got the chance.

“Come here.”

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Punishment

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Two words. Spoken in a voice so low, so controlled, so utterly commanding that they landed like physical blows. His tone allowed no argument. No negotiation. No delay.

Come here.

Iva’s breath caught. Her body responded before her mind could catch up a flush of heat, a pulse of want, a shiver that started at the base of her spine and radiated outward.

But beneath the want was something else.

Fear.

His words and his intensity sent shivers down her spine for a different reason now. This wasn’t the Caleb who had kissed her forehead. This was something else entirely. Something she had caught glimpses of

before but never faced head-on.

The future Lycan King.

For a moment-just a moment-her eyes darted to the door.

The thought passed through her mind like a shadow.

What if she ran? What if she turned the handle and fled into the morning and never looked back? What if she disappeared into the forest and let the trees swallow her whole?

It was a coward’s thought.

She dismissed it immediately.

Not because she was brave. But because she knew-deep in her bones, deep in the bond that tied her to him-that running wouldn’t change anything. He would catch her in a glimpse.

Caleb’s voice cut through her chaotic thoughts like a blade.

“I am waiting.”

Same tone. Same dominance. Same terrifying composure.

Her legs felt unsteady beneath her. Each step toward him was a battle-her instincts screaming at her to run, her body screaming at her to kneel, her heart screaming at her to explain. She took one step. Then another. Then another.

She could feel his eyes on her.

Burning into her. Measuring her. Weighing every hesitation, every breath, every tremor in her hands.

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