The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 210

Over depowe

Clam

Overstepping

The bell had rung hours ago, but Iva’s mind was still spinning.

Classes had begun like a thunderclap-loud, sudden, and impossible to ignore. Professor Thomas’s history lecture had droned on for what felt like an eternity, but she had hung on every word, her pen flying across the notebook as she took notes. Then came practical magic theory, then pack politics, then a brutal session of endurance training that had left her lungs burning and her legs trembling.

It was a roller coaster.

Intense. Relentless. Exhausting.

And Iva loved every second of it.

She had always enjoyed studying. Back in her original pack, before everything fell apart, she had been the one sneaking into the pack library after hours, devouring books while the other pups slept. Learning was her escape. Her weapon. Her way of proving that she was more than just a disappointment.

Now, with the weight of the future pressing down on her shoulders, that hunger had only grown.

She was the future crown princess.

The thought still felt strange-foreign, like a dress that didn’t quite fit. Crown princess. Mate of the future Lycan King. She turned the words over in her mind, testing them, trying to make them feel like her own.

She could not be less than Caleb.

He was power and grace and centuries of royal blood. He had been trained since birth to lead, to command, to rule. She had been trained to survive.

But surviving wasn’t enough anymore.

She had to be the best version of herself. Not for the crown. Not for the title. For him. For the bond. For the life they were building together,

So she threw herself into her studies with a ferocity that made even her professors raise their eyebrows. She answered questions before anyone else could open their mouths. She borrowed extra books from the library and read them.

By the time the final bell rang, she was exhausted.

But happy.

The kind of bone-deep happiness that came from pushing yourself to your limits and discovering that your limits were further than you thought.

She walked back to the dormitory with heavy steps and a light heart, her bag bulging with books and notes. The sun was setting behind the trees, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. Students milled around her, laughing and talking, their voices blending into a comforting hum.

Lori had gone ahead earlier, claiming she needed to study for a test. Iva had wanted to join her, but something had held her back.

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Something she needed to think about

She found a quiet bench near the edge of the campus, hidden from the main pathways by a cluster of ancient oaks. She sat down, dropped her bag at her feet, and stared at the sky.

Claim

The pressure from finding out about Lori’s mate had been sitting on her shest all day like a stone. Every time she looked at her friend, she saw the red thread. Every time she heard Attia’s voice echo through the halls, she felt the weight of what she knew.

But sitting here now, in the quiet, with the sunset painting the world in gold-

She realized something.

She had been a judgmental arse.

The thought hit her like a splash of cold water. She sat up straighter, her eyes widening as the truth settled into her bones.

It was not her place to decide who Lori should mate with. It was not her decision. It was not her role to judge whether Attia was worthy or not, whether the age difference mattered, whether the Moon Goddess had made a mistake.

Iva had reacted the way she had because of her own past. Because of Nick. Because of the way he had looked at her like she was nothing, like she existed to serve his needs and nothing more. She had projected her own fears onto Lori’s bond, assuming that power and dominance automatically meant cruelty.

But Attia was not Nick.

She didn’t know him. Didn’t know his heart, his history, his capacity for love. She had judged him based on a first impression and his aura and the coldness in his eyes.

And she had been wrong.

“Avalon,” she thought, reaching for her wolf. “I’ve been an idiot.”

Avalon’s voice came warm and relieved. “Iva… I am happy that you saw the truth.”

“I judged him. I judged their bond. I acted like I had the right to decide who was worthy of Lori.”

I

“You did. But you also recognized your mistake. That is what matters.” Avalon replied.

Iva leaned back against the bench, staring at the clouds.

“In fairness,” she admitted, “our role as the Messenger is quite difficult. We need to point the fated bonds… but it’s not up to us to decide who is matched to whom. This is the Goddess’s will. It is just so hard to stay objective.”

“Yes, is very easy to overstep,” Avalon agreed. “And the sooner you accept that, the easier your role will

become.”

Iva closed her eyes, shame washing over her.

She thought about Lori’s face when she had mentioned the boy in her class. The way her eyes had

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softened. The way her cheeks had flushed. The hope that had flickered beneath her self-deprecating words.

And Iva had been sitting there, knowing the truth, judging the Goddess’s choice.

“Stupid,” she thought. “So stupid.”

“Not stupid,” Avalon corrected gently. “Human. You are learning. That is all any of us can do.”

Iva opened her eyes and watched the sun sink lower.

Claim

She had fully grasped the difficulty of her role now. Being the Messenger wasn’t just about seeing threads and pointing out matches. It was about trust. Faith. Letting go of her own biases and believing that the Moon Goddess knew what she was doing.

Even when it didn’t make sense.

Even when it scared her.

Even when the match seemed impossible.

“The next step,” Iva thought, “is to speak with Lori.”

“The sooner, the better.”

She thought about the boy Lori had mentioned. The one in her history class. The one she watched from across the room.

That was the complication they didn’t need.

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