The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 203

< Friends 2

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Friends-2

The words hung in the air between them.

Iva wanted to argue. Wanted to tell Lori that she was wrong, that love didn’t care about status or bloodlines or pack names. But she remembered her own doubts. Her own fears. The way she had looked at Caleb in the beginning and thought *someone like him could never want someone like me.*

She understood.

“What’s his name?” Iva asked softly.

Lori was silent for a long moment.

“I don’t know,” she finally said. “I’ve never spoken to him. I just… watch him. From across the room. Like a weirdo.”

“You’re not a weirdo.”

“I’m a little bit of a weirdo.”

“A little bit,” Iva conceded. “But you’re my weirdo.”

Lori laughed, and some of the tension in her shoulders released.

They walked in silence for a while, passing beneath the archway that led to the canteen. The building rose before them-an old stone structure with tall windows that glowed with warm light. The smell of food drifted through the open doors, rich and savory, making Iva’s stomach growl.

She realized she hadn’t eaten properly since breakfast.

“Lori,” Iva said as they approached the entrance.

“Yeah?”

“The goddess has a plan for you. For everyone. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t.”

Lori glanced at her, eyes soft.

“You really believe that?”

Iva thought about Caleb. About the bond. About the way she had run from him, fought him, doubted him- only to end up exactly where she was supposed to be.

“I really do,” she said.

Lori nodded slowly. Then she pushed open the canteen door, and they stepped inside.

The canteen was crowded, as always.

Long wooden tables stretched across the hall, filled with students laughing and talking and arguing over food. The air was thick with the scent of roasted meat, fresh bread, and something sweet baking in the

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< Friends-2–

kitchen.

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tva and Lori joined the queue, grabbing trays and moving through the line. Iva piled her plate with food-

more than she normally would have-but her body was demanding fuel after Marik’s class.

They found an empty table near the window and sat down.

For a while, they ate in comfortable silence.

Then Iva noticed the stares.

They came from every direction. Students at nearby tables, glancing at her and then looking away quickly. Whispers that started the moment she sat down. Eyes that lingered a moment too long.

Her stomach tightened.

*They know something,* she thought. *Or they suspect something.

“People are looking at you,” Lori observed, her voice low.

“I noticed.”

“Is it because of Marik’s class? The whole… defeating four opponents thing?”

Iva shrugged, but unease coiled in her chest. “Maybe.”

But she knew it wasn’t just that.

The awakening ceremony. The bond with Caleb. The secrecy that was supposed to protect her identity. Had something leaked? Had someone talked?

She thought about Mira-the shadow guard assigned to protect her. She hadn’t seen the woman since entering the canteen, but she knew Mira was close. Watching. Waiting.

“Iva.” Lori’s voice pulled her back. “You’re spiraling. I can see it on your face.”

Iva forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.” Lori stabbed a piece of meat with her fork. “But fine. Keep your secrets. I’m used to it.”

The words were light, teasing, but they carried an undercurrent of something else. Something that made Iva’s heart ache.

“I’m not keeping secrets from you,” Iva said quietly. “Not on purpose. There’s just… a lot I can’t talk about. Not yet. Not here.”

Lori studied her for a moment. Then she nodded.

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