The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 318

Bloodfang Pack

The unconscious woman lay still in the guest room, her breathing shallow, her face pale. Lori sat beside her, her hand resting gently on the woman’s wrist, monitoring her pulse. It was faint but steady-a fragile thread of life that Lori was determined to protect.

“She’s fighting,” Lori murmured, more to herself than to anyone else. “Her wolf is still there, barely. But she’s fighting.”

Attia stood in the doorway, his expression grim. He had just finished telling Lori about the trespassers-the four young wolves who had demanded the woman’s return.

“They’re not going to give up,” he said quietly. “They looked like they would return. And when they do, they won’t be alone.”

Lori’s hand tightened on the woman’s wrist.

“What could she have done to deserve this?” she asked, her voice trembling with anger. “What crime could possibly justify torture, wolfsbane bullets, and being hunted like this?”

Attia shook his head slowly.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But we need to take precautions. They seemed determined. And if they come back, they’ll come prepared.”

Lori looked at him, her eyes full of fear and determination.

“Then we’ll be ready,” she said.

True to Attia’s hunch, two days later, a convoy of dark SUVS rolled onto their property.

The vehicles moved slowly, deliberately, their tinted windows glinting in the afternoon sun. Dust rose in thick clouds around them, settling over the fields like a shroud. Attia watched from the porch, his body tensed, his eyes narrowed.

He had expected them to return.

He had not expected them to come in force.

The SUVS stopped in a semicircle around the farmhouse, their engines rumbling. The doors opened, and wolves began to pour out-large, imposing figures, their auras radiating power and menace.

Attia stepped off the porch, his posture deliberately relaxed. He walked slowly toward the

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convoy, his hands at his sides, his expression carefully neutral.

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A man stepped forward from the lead vehicle. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with cold eyes and a cruel mouth. His aura marked him as a Beta-powerful, confident, accustomed to

obedience.

“Are you the owner?” he asked, his voice dripping with condescension.

Attia stopped a few feet away, his eyes sweeping over the assembled wolves. He noticed the four young wolves from the previous encounter standing at the back of the group, their faces twisted with smug triumph.

“This is private property,” Attia said, his voice lazy, almost bored. “And I don’t recall inviting any guests.”

The Beta’s eyes narrowed.

“We’re from the Bloodfang Pack,” he said, his voice sharp. “We’re here on official business. A prisoner escaped from our territory, and we believe she’s being harbored here.”

Attia’s expression didn’t change.

“Is that so?”

The Beta’s jaw tightened.

“Don’t play games with me. We know she’s here. Hand her over, and we’ll leave peacefully.”

Attia looked at him for a long moment.

Then he laughed-a low, dismissive sound that made the Beta’s face flush with anger.

“You can be from the Moon herself,” Attia said, “but as far as my knowledge goes, our laws are clear. You cannot enter a registered lone wolf’s territory without an invitation.”

The Beta’s eyes widened.

The other wolves shifted uneasily. They hadn’t expected this. Hadn’t expected the lone wolf to know the law-a law that few packs bothered to remember, a law designed to protect those who had chosen to live outside the pack system.

“You’re-you’re a registered lone wolf?” the Beta stammered.

Attia’s smile was thin and cold.

“I am. And I suggest you and your pack leave. Immediately.”

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Bloodfang Pack

The Beta’s face contorted with rage.

“This isn’t over,” he snarled. “We’ll be back-”

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“I don’t think you will,” Attia interrupted. “Because if you come back without an invitation, I’ll have no choice but to file a formal complaint with the Council. And I’m sure they’d be very interested to hear about the Bloodfang Pack’s habit defying the law.”

The Beta’s face went pale.

“You wouldn’t dare-”

“Try me,” Attia said softly.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Then, with a growl of frustration, the Beta turned and stalked back toward the lead vehicle.

“Get in,” he snapped at his pack. “We’re leaving.”

The SUVS roared to life and turned, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

Attia stood alone in the driveway, his heart pounding, his body thrumming with adrenaline.

He had won this round.

But the war was far from over.

Attia stepped back inside the farmhouse, his heart still pounding from the confrontation with the Bloodfang Pack. He had expected to find Lori still tending to the unconscious woman, still monitoring her fragile pulse.

Instead, he found the woman awake.

She was sitting upright on the bed, her body trembling, her face streaked with tears. Lori was beside her, her arms wrapped around the woman’s shoulders, murmuring soft reassurances.

The woman’s eyes were wild with panic, darting around the room like a trapped animal. Her breathing was rapid and shallow, her hands clutching at Lori’s arms with desperate strength.

Attia crossed the room quickly, dropping to his knees in front of the bed.

“Shhh,” he said, his voice low and soothing. “It’s okay. You’re safe. They’re gone. No one is going to hurt you.”

The woman’s eyes focused on him, her gaze sharpening with recognition.

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Bloodfang Pack

“You-you sent them away?” she asked, her voice cracking.

“I did. They’re gone.”

The woman let out a choked sob.

“You wouldn’t hand me over to them?” she asked, her voice desperate. “You wouldn’t-”

Attia reached out and took her hand, his grip gentle but firm.

“I have no intention of handing you over,” he said. “You’re safe here.”

The woman’s body sagged with relief, fresh tears streaming down her face.

“What is your name?” Attia asked softly.

The woman swallowed hard and hesitated before replying..

“Meriem,” she whispered. “My name is Meriem.”

Attia nodded.

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