The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 64

Unwanted Attention 2

+25 Points

Unwanted Attention-2

A fragile, tired honesty escaped her before she could stop it.

“It’s this,” she said quietly, “or sleeping under a bridge.”

The words hung between them.

For the first time that night, something in Caleb’s composure cracked – not outwardly, not dramatically, but in a subtle shift of breath, a tightening in his expression that did not belong to indifference.

He studied her as if reassessing something fundamental.

Not the Messenger.

Not the bond.

Her.

The red thread between them glowed faintly in the dim interior of the car – steady, undeniable.

His gaze lifted back to her eyes.

Intensity filled the silence.

Iva lingered for one heartbeat too long before speaking.

“Thank you… for the ride,” she said awkwardly, fingers already on the handle. The words felt small compared to everything that had happened – the bond, the revelation, the warning, the silence between them.

He gave no reply.

She stepped out into the cold night air, the door closing with a soft thud behind her. The warmth of the car vanished instantly. The world returned – cracked pavement, flickering lights, distant traffic, the sour smell of cheap alcohol.

Her shoulders drew in instinctively as she approached the entrance.

They were there again.

The two men who lingered near the building most nights – shadows with voices, laughter without warmth. The first day she had seen them, fear had frozen her in place. Now she had learned to breathe through it, to look past them, to move forward.

Survival meant adaptation.

“Hey… pretty girl..” one of them slurred, pushing off the wall with exaggerated confidence. “Finally… let’s go. for that date, yeah? I’ll show you a real good time.” Before laughing with the other guy in a suggestive

manner.

Iva forced a polite, distant smile, eyes lowered.

“Not tonight,” she murmured, trying to slip past him without escalating anything.

1.4

+25 Points

He shifted-blocking her path.

Closer now.

Too close.

His breath reeked of alcohol. His hand hovered near her arm, not touching yet… but claiming space that was not his.

“Don’t be like that,” he insisted, voice thick. You’ve been playing hard to get long enough.”

Her pulse quickened. She measured her options – keep calm, keep moving, do not provoke.

“There’s nothing to get,” she replied softly, attempting to sidestep him again, like in the past.

But this time, he moved with her.

Insistent.

Persistent.

Unpredictable. Closer… way too close.

Then-

A violent sound split the air.

A body slammed into the wall beside the entrance with a sickening impact, followed by a choked groan. The man who had blocked her now hung half-upright, half-collapsed, held in place by a force she did not need to see to understand.

Iva spun around.

And froze.

Caleb stood there.

No movement.

No visible effort.

୮

But the air around him…. it pressed down like a physical weight. His aura radiated outward – controlled fury wrapped in absolute authority. The second drunk had vanished entirely, retreating into darkness without a word.

When he came out of the car? She didn’t feel a thing and she had wolf instincts!

Caleb did not look at her.

His gaze remained fixed on the man struggling against the wall, dark eyes devoid of mercy.

“Get in the car,” he said.

The command cut through the night like a blade.

Iva blinked, stunned. “I… it’s fine, I can-”

UnwantedAttention-2

He turned his head.

+25 Points

And for the first time since leaving the lake, she saw unrestrained dominance in his expression. Not anger directed at her – but something far more dangerous.

Possession of the situation.

Control.

Decision already made.

His voice dropped, each word deliberate, chillingly calm.

“In. The. Car… Now.”

Her breath caught.

The bond pulsed sharply between them, hot and undeniable. Avalon stirred beneath her skin, alert, tense, whispering a warning she could not fully decipher.

Behind Caleb, the man slid to the ground, unconscious or unwilling to move.

Caleb never looked back at him.

His attention was entirely on her now.

Waiting.

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