The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 39

The Search-2

“I can’t find her,” the Alpha repeated between his teeth.

A memory flashed through his mind-the strange disturbance he’d felt earlier, the sudden ripple in the pack bond, the chaos at the ceremony.

His eyes widened.

“No,” he whispered. “Impossible…”

But deep down, he already knew.

The Alpha straightened, power flooding the room as his aura surged outward like a shockwave.

“All pack members,” he mind-linked, his voice booming through every connected mind, “this is an Alpha

command.

Find Iva.

Now.

I need to speak to her urgently.”

Nick stood frozen, his chest hollow, the emptiness inside him throbbing painfully.

For the first time, the thought struck him with terrifying clarity-

What if she was telling the truth?

Hours passed, heavy and merciless, grinding down everyone’s nerves one by one.

At first, the Alpha had been certain it was only a matter of time. Iva could not have gone far. She was young, newly shifted, untrained in stealth compared to seasoned wolves. Fear, he thought, would slow her down. Confusion would make her careless.

He was wrong.

୮

As the moon climbed higher and then began its slow descent, the truth started to settle like a suffocating fog over the pack.

Iva was gone.

Not missing.

Gone.

The pack territory was sealed within minutes of the Alpha’s command. Patrols doubled, then tripled. Borders were reinforced. Trackers fanned out in perfect formation, noses to the ground, eyes sharp, muscles coiled for pursuit.

And then came the first shock.

15

The Search.

+25 Points

There’s no scent,” one of the senior trackers said, confusion creasing his weathered face. “None. It’s like she vanished.”

The Alpha snarled. “Impossible. Try again.”

They did. Again and again. Along the borders. Near the ceremony grounds. By the forest line. At the roads leading out of pack land.

Nothing.

No panic scent. No fear trail. No residual wolf signature.

It was as if the land itself had swallowed her whole.

Inside the Alpha house, the atmosphere was tense enough to crack bone.

Rana sat stiffly on the edge of a chair, hands clenched in her lap, her face pale and drawn. Rhys stood near the wall, arms crossed, jaw tight, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze. Teachers from the high school were brought in one by one. Guards. Students. Anyone who might have seen her last.

The questions repeated endlessly.

“When did you last see her?”

“Did she say anything unusual?”

“Did she seem afraid?”

“Did she mention leaving?”

No one had answers.

Her teachers shook their heads. “She attended class. Quiet. Distracted, maybe, but that’s all.”

Her classmates offered shrugs, awkward glances. Some smirked. Some looked uncomfortable. None had noticed her slipping away.

Then they searched her room.

At first glance, everything looked… normal.

Her bed was neatly made. Her clothes were folded. The shelves were orderly. No obvious signs of panic, no overturned drawers, no rushed packing.

For a brief, foolish moment, Rhys exhaled in relief. “See? She’s just hiding somewhere. She’ll come back.”

Rana didn’t respond.

She moved slowly, methodically, her eyes scanning the room with a mother’s instinct. She opened drawers. Checked boxes. Ran trembling fingers along familiar edges.

Then she froze.

“No,” she whispered.

215

The Search-z

They all turned to her.

+25 Points

Her hands shook as she pulled open the small wooden box Iva had kept tucked beneath her bed. The one she rarely touched. The one that held the pieces of her official existence.

It was empty.

Her birth certificate.

Her identification papers.

Gone.

Rana’s breath hitched as the reality slammed into her chest. “She planned this,” she whispered brokenly.” She planned everything.”

The room erupted.

“She ran?” someone gasped.

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