The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 301

Surprise Trip-1

The mirror reflected a stranger.

Iva stared at her own reflection, barely recognizing the woman who stared back. Her cheekbones were too sharp, her eyes too hollow, her skin too pale. The vibrant, determined woman who had taken on the mantle of Messenger had been replaced by a shadow of herself.

She pressed her palm against the cool glass, tracing the outline of her face. She could feel her ribs beneath her thin nightgown, could see the dark circles that had taken up permanent residence under her eyes. Sleep had become a luxury she could no longer afford. Each time she closed her eyes, she saw the letters, the roses. Each time she drifted off, she felt unseen eyes watching her from the shadows.

The stalker had won.

Not by hurting her physically, but by slowly, systematically dismantling her from the inside out. Day by day, she grew paler, thinner, more fragile. Her appetite had vanished completely. The thought of food made her stomach turn. Her body was in a constant state of fight or flight-adrenaline pumping through her veins, never allowing her to rest, never allowing her to feel safe.

She saw stalkers everywhere.

In the corridors. In the courtyard. In the faces of students who looked at her with awe and envy. Every shadow was a threat. Every whisper was a conspiracy. Every glance was a predator sizing up its prey.

Caleb had tried everything.

He had begged her to move back to the royal palace, where security was impenetrable, where she could sleep without fear, where she could heal. But she had refused.

“I can’t leave,” she had said, her voice thin but resolute. “I have work to do. The matching. The couples. If I leave now, everything I’ve built will collapse.”

Caleb’s frustration had been palpable.

“You’re killing yourself,” he had said. “You’re wasting away, and for what? For a mission that can wait? For a duty that can be paused?”

“It can’t wait,” she had replied. “Every day I delay, another couple loses their chance at happiness. Another bond goes unrecognized. Another generation slips away.”

Caleb had not argued further.

But she could see the worry in his eyes, the helplessness that gnawed at him. He was the Crown Prince. He had power, influence, resources. And yet, against this invisible enemy, he was powerless.

The King had been blunt.

“Someone with enough influence and money is behind this,” he had said, his voice heavy with authority. “Someone who knows how to cover their tracks. Someone who understands the system well enough to exploit its weaknesses.”

Surprise

Galch had listened, his jaw tight.

“How do we find them?”

The King had paused, his ancient eyes thoughtful.

“The most dangerous enemies are the ones who make no mistakes,” Caleb said. “But eventually, they slip. They grow overconfident. They make a move they shouldn’t. And when they do, we catch them.”

The King nodded, but his expression remained troubled.

“Do you really want to take this risk?” the King asked. “With Iva?”

“No,” Caleb admitted. “I don’t want to risk her at all. But she’s stubborn. She’s determined to finish her matching at the Lycan Academy. She won’t leave until her work is done.”

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