The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 192

Mira-2

“Lori,” he said finally. “Your best friend from your pack.”

Iva blinked. “You remember that?”

“I remember everything you tell me.

Her heart did something complicated in her chest.

“Okay,” Caleb said. “I can’t wait to meet Lori.”

Iva’s face lit up. “So you’re okay with it? With me going back?”

Caleb’s expression sobered. “I told you that I would support you and your choices, and there were not just words. But, your return to the Academy depends on one condition.”

She already knew what he was going to say before he said it.

“You will have an assigned escort with you. At all times.”

Iva’s smile faded. “Caleb-”

“Low profile,” he interrupted. “Not visible to anyone. They won’t interfere with your classes or your friendships. They’ll just… watch. From a distance.”

Iva’s jaw tightened. She wanted to argue. Wanted to tell him that she didn’t need a babysitter, that she had survived on her own, that she could take care of herself

But she saw the look in his eyes.

The fear beneath the calm. The memory of waking up to an empty bed. The days he had spent searching for her, not knowing where she was.

“This isn’t about control,” he said softly, as if reading her thoughts. “This is about keeping you safe. I can’t be there to protect you, so I need someone who can.”

Iva held his gaze for a long moment.

Then she nodded.

“Okay,” she said reluctantly. “Low profile, Not visible. No interference. I don’t want to attract the attention in the Academy.”

Caleb exhaled, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.

“Thank you.”

He kissed her then-deep and slow and full of everything he couldn’t say. When he pulled back, his forehead rested against hers.

“I’ll be gone three days,” he said. “Maybe four. Then I’m coming straight to the Academy.”

Iva’s throat tightened.

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Mira-2

“Three days,” she repeated.

“Three days.”

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She kissed him again, pouting every promise she could into it. *I won’t run. I won’t disappear. I’ll be here when you come back.*

When they finally pulled apart, the sun had begun to rise, painting the room in shades of gold and pink.

Caleb dressed in silence. Iva watched him from the bed, memorizing the way he moved, the flex of his muscles, the concentration on his face as he prepared himself. He looked like a warrior preparing for battle, only that he was wearing an expensive suit.

In a way, she supposed he was.

“Your escort will meet you at the Academy gates,” he said, shrugging into his jacket. “Her name is Mira. She’s one of my best.”

Iva’s eyebrows rose. “Her?”

“She’s less conspicuous than a male guard. People underestimate her.” His lips curved slightly. “Mistake.”

Iva swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood. She crossed to him and straightened his collar, smoothing the fabric over his shoulders.

“Be careful,” she said.

Caleb’s hands settled on her hips.

“Always.”

He kissed her one last time-quick, fierce, desperate-and then he was gone.

The door closed behind him with a soft click, and Iva stood alone in the middle of the room, the bond still humming with the echo of his presence.

She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the phantom warmth of him.

*A few days.*

She could do this.

The journey to the Lycan Academy took most of the morning. The castle provided a car-simple, unmarked, nothing that would draw attention. Iva watched the landscape change through the window rolling hills giving way to dense forest, the towers of the academy appearing on the horizon like a promise.

When the car stopped at the gates, a figure stepped out of the shadows.

She was tall and lean, with cropped dark hair and eyes the color of winter ice. She wore simple clothes- dark pants, a fitted jacket, boots that looked practical for running. And she moved like a weapon.

“Mira,” Iva said, stepping down from the car.

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Mira-2

The woman inclined her head. “My lady.”

Iva. Just Iva.”

Mira’s lips twitched the barest hint of a smile. “Iva, then. I’ll be staying out of sight, but I’ll be close. If you need me, call my name. I’ll hear you.”

Iva nodded, trying to ignore the strange sensation of being watched. Protected. Guarded.

She had spent so long alone. So long invisible.

Now she had a mate who would burn the world for her. A queen who called her family. A king who had welcomed her. And a shadow who would follow her wherever she went,

It was overwhelming.

But not unwelcome.

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