The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 56

< Caleb Adam

Then he spoke again.

“Seat belt.”

The word wasn’t loud.

It didn’t need to be.

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Her body moved instantly, hands fumbling as she pulled the belt across her chest and clicked it into place. The sound felt deafening in the charged silence

Only then did he start the car.

The SUV rolled forward smoothly, merging into the night as if nothing extraordinary was happening-while Iva’s world threatened to implode.

Minutes passed.

He didn’t look at her.

Didn’t speak.

Didn’t acknowledge her at all.

The tension built with every second, coiling tighter and tighter inside her chest. Her thoughts spiralled wildly.

What does he want?

Did he feel it? The thread? The bond?

Impossible.

For Lycans, finding a fated mate was even rarer, even more complicated than for werewoves. Their instincts were buried under discipline and secrets older than most packs. Surely… surely he didn’t know.

Then why was she here?

Her pulse spiked again as panic threatened to take over.

Where are we going?

The city lights blurred past the window, unfamiliar streets replacing familiar ones, and she felt her composure crack. Her breathing quickened despite her efforts to control it, chest rising too fast, too shallow.

Before she could stop herself, a small, shaky sound escaped her.

He spoke instantly.

“Calm down,” he said, voice low, edged with command. “Or your heart will stop from that much agitation.”

Heat rushed to her face.

She flushed deeply, mortified, and forced herself to slow her breathing, counting each inhale like her life

25

Caleb Adama

depended on it-which, given the circumstances, it might.

-I’m fine,” she muttered, though it was a lie.

+25 Points

Her hands clenched in her lap, knuckles white, as she tried desperately to gather the shattered pieces of her control.

He still didn’t look at her.

And somehow, that was worse.

The smooth hum of the engine changed, the road beneath the tires no longer public asphalt but something narrower, quieter-private.

Iva noticed it instantly.

RESTRICTED ACCESS – PRIVATE PROPERTY

NO TRESPASSING

The signs flashed past her window one after another, each one tightening the knot in her stomach. The city lights thinned, replaced by tall trees and shadows that swallowed the road whole. Her pulse quickened again, despite her efforts to stay calm.

He didn’t slow down.

Didn’t explain.

Didn’t need to.

The SUV finally curved off the road and came to a silent stop near a lake, its surface smooth as black glass beneath the moonlight. The place felt untouched, secluded, ancient-like the land itself bowed to whoever owned it.

A shiver ran through her body as the engine cut off.

The silence was deafening.

He killed the engine and opened his door, and stepped out without a word, Iva fumbled with her seatbelt, fingers clumsy, heart pounding so hard it made her lightheaded. Before she could readh for the handle, her door opened from the outside.

She startled.

He stood there.

So close.

For the first time since getting into the car, there was no distance between them-no barrier, no illusion of safety. His presence hit her full force, raw and overwhelming, and she nearly fainted on the spot.

She slid out of the car on unsteady legs.

Their eyes met.

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The invisible red thread

It burned now.

No longer faint or distant, it pulsed with heat and life, glowing fiercely as it connected her chest to his. It felt alive, tugging, tightening, as if insisting she acknowledge it.

She swallowed hard.

As she stepped forward, her arm brushed against him by accident.

A sharp, electric current snapped between them.

Iva gasped and jerked back, eyes wide.

“The bond is alive,” Avalon whispered, awe and tension braided together.

Iva’s heart raced-and then stuttered.

Because he felt it too.

She saw it in the way his brows drew together, in the flicker of surprise that crossed his face before it was buried beneath iron control. His gaze dropped briefly to where their bodies had touched, then lifted again, sharper now, assessing her from head to toe.

Not lust.

Not curiosity.

Recognition?

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