The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 38

The Search-1

The room felt smaller with every word ‘Nick spoke.

He sat on the edge of the clinic bed, shoulders tense, jaw tight, his fingers digging into the thin sheet as if it were the only thing keeping him anchored. His father stood a few steps away, arms crossed, alpha aura simmering just beneath the surface. Luna hovered near the door, silent now, her worry etched deep into her face.

Nick swallowed hard.

“There… there was someone,” he finally said.

The Alpha’s head snapped up. “Go on.”

Nick let out an irritated breath, anger and disbelief twisting together in his chest. “It was Iva.”

The name fell into the room like a stone dropped into still water.

Luna stiffened. The Alpha didn’t move.

“She came up to me at school,” Nick continued, his tone defensive, almost scoffing. “Out of nowhere. Said we needed to talk. I thought she was just going to whine again, like she always does.”

The Alpha’s eyes narrowed. “And?”

“And she told me we were fated mates,” Nick said sharply, throwing his hands up. “Just like that. Said it with a straight face, like it was the most normal thing in the world.”

He let out a humorless laugh. “I thought she’d finally lost it.”

Luna inhaled sharply. “Nick…”

“She has been acting strange since her shift,” Nick pressed on, almost desperate to justify himself.” Withdrawn. Delusional. She’s the runt of the pack, for Moon’s sake. Weak. Small. Unremarkable. How could she possibly be-”

The Alpha’s growl cut through the room, low and dangerous.

Nick faltered but pushed on. “I told her it was impossible. That she was imagining things. I mean-you said it yourself, Father. She’s unworthy. She has nothing to offer the pack.”

The Alpha didn’t react.

That should have terrified Nick more than anger.

“And then,” Nick continued, his voice dripping with disdain, “she went even further with her lies. She claimed she was the Moon Goddess’ Messenger.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “Can you imagine that level of delusion?”

Silence.

Heavy. Suffocating.

1:3

The Search t

Nick frowned. “Father?”

The Alpha was frozen in place.

+25 Points>

His face had gone pale, his eyes distant, as if he were staring at something only he could see. For a long heartbeat, he didn’t breathe.

Then-

“YOU ABSOLUTE FOOL!”

The roar shook the walls.

Nick recoiled as his father stormed toward him, fury blazing in his eyes like wildfire. “Why” the Alpha snarled, “did you not tell me this immediately?!”

fhere

Nick jumped to his feet. “Because it was nonsense! She’s insane! There is no way she’s my mate-”

The Alpha grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard. “There are tests, you idiot! Ancient rites! Ways to confirm a Messenger’s identity!”

Niek stared at him, stunned. “What…?”

“You dismissed her without a second thought,” the Alpha continued, voice raw with rage. “You mocked her. You rejected her outright.”

Nick’s breath hitched. “I didn’t reject-”

“You did!” the Alpha thundered. “And you may have damned us all because of your arrogance.”

Luna stepped forward, trembling. “Are you saying… she could truly be…?”

The Alpha didn’t answer her.

Instead, his eyes glowed faintly as he reached out with his mind, searching, commanding.

Iva.

Nothing.

His frown deepened.

He tried again, pushing harder.

Still nothing.

A cold, sinking dread settled in his gut.

“No,” he muttered. “That’s not possible…”

His eyes snapped open.

“I never initiated her into the pack,” he realized aloud, horror creeping into his voice. “She has no official link.”

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