The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 211

Your Fated Mate Is…-1

The night had been merciless.

Iva lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, watching the shadows shift as clouds passed over the moon.

Every time Iva closed her eyes, she saw the red thread.

Every time she drifted toward sleep, the weight of the secret pressed down on her lungs like a stone.

She turned onto her side. Then her back. Then her stomach.

Nothing helped.

The bond with Caleb hummed faintly in the distance-a reminder that he was out there, somewhere, dealing with his own burdens. She thought about reaching out to him, telling him what she had discovered. But what could he do? What could anyone do?

The Goddess had made her choice.

And Iva had to be the one to deliver the news.

By the time the first pale light of dawn crept through the curtains, she had accepted the inevitable. There was no avoiding it. No delaying it. No softening it.

She had to tell Lori.

The question was how.

The canteen was already crowded when they arrived, filled with the clatter of trays and the murmur of conversation. Iva moved through the breakfast line on autopilot, scooping eggs and toast onto her plate without tasting any of it.

Lori chattered beside her, blissfully unaware.

“I have that history test today,” Lori was saying, reaching for a piece of fruit. “Professor Thomas said it’s going to be brutal. Like, ‘half the class will fail’ brutal.”

Iva nodded, not really listening.

“But honestly?” Lori smiled, her eyes bright. “I love every day here. Even the hard days. Even the days when I want to pull my hair out. This place… it’s the first place that’s ever felt like mine, you know?”

Iva’s chest ached.

She knew exactly what Lori meant. The academy had been her refuge too, once. A place where she could be someone other than the runt, the outcast, the girl who had been traded like livestock.

And now she was about to drop a bomb that would shatter that sense of safety.

They found a table near and sat down. Iva pushed her food around her plate, her stomach too tight to eat.

1/3

Your Fated Alte is.

Lori noticed, of course. Lori always noticed.

“You’re quiet this morning,” Lori said, her fork hovering mid-air. “Everything okay?”

Iva looked at her friend.

At her kind eyes. Her warm smile. The red hair that caught the morning light like fire.

“Tell her,” a voice whispered. “Just tell her. Rip off the bandage.”

But another voice-wiser, more cautious-held her back.

“Not here. Not now. Not like this. Not before a test paper.”

“Lori,” Iva said carefully. “We need to talk. Once you finish your test.”

Lori’s fork stopped moving.

Claim

Her smile faded, replaced by something sharper. More alert. She set down her fork and leaned forward, her eyes searching Iva’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Something’s wrong. I can see it on your face. You’ve been weird since yesterday. Weirder than usual.”

Iva forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “It can wait. Finish your test first. We’ll talk after.”

Lori’s jaw tightened. “Iva.”

“Lori. Trust me… I promise that is not something bad.”

They stared at each other across the table, a silent battle of wills. Lori’s eyes narrowed. Iva’s held firm.

Finally, Lori leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Fine,” she said. “But I’m not going to be able to focus on my test now. You know that, right? You just dropped a ‘we need to talk’ bomb and expect me to concentrate on history?”

“I have faith in you.”

“You’re the worst.”

“The worst best friend you’ve ever had?”

Lori’s lips twitched despite herself. “The worst best friend I’ve ever had,” she confirmed.

Some of the tension in Iva’s chest loosened.

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