The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 82

The Message-2

“Stay there,” Tina said gently. “I’llenly she nearly cried.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Footsteps retreated.

The restroom door closed again.

Silence returned.

Iva sagged slightly against the wall of the cubicle.

Avalon paced inside her mind, agitated.

Time passed slowly.

Too slowly.

Every few minutes another wave of heat rolled through her body.

Her skin felt overly sensitive.

Her heart beat too fast.

Her senses sharpened.

Even the faint smell of cleaning chemicals in the restroom felt overpowering.

Then the door opened again.

Footsteps.

“Iva?”

Tina.

“I’m here,” Iva replied weakly.

Tina stopped outside the cubicle.

“I talked to Sergio,” she said. “He told me to tell you to take the rest of the day off.”

Iva blinked.

Relief nearly knocked the air out of her lungs.

“Oh…”

“That’s really kind of him,” she said softly.

Tina chuckled lightly.

+25 Points

1/7

< The Message?

“Well, the last thing we need is someone sick in the kitchen, so I think he figured it was safer.”

tva managed a faint smile.

“Probably.”

“Do you need help getting home?” Tina asked.

Iva hesitated.

Home.

But there was one enormous problem.

Caleb.

Her stomach dropped.

Mortification flooded her.

She would have to tell him.

Her face burned just thinking about it.

“I… I’ll manage,” Iva said quickly.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Tina didn’t push.

“Alright. Just rest, okay?”

“I will. Thank you.”

“Feel better!”

The door closed once more.

Iva sat frozen in the cubicle.

Her heart pounding.

Her mind spinning.

Slowly-very slowly-the horrifying realization settled in.

She couldn’t hide this.

Not from him.

Her hands covered her face.

“I want the earth to swallow me,” she muttered miserably.

+25 Points

217

The Message

Avalon didn’t disagree.

“You need him.”

Iva groaned softly.

“I know.”

And that somehow made it worse.

Because calling Caleb now…

Meant admitting exactly what was happening to her.

And the thought of that conversation made her want to disappear.

+25 Points

Caleb had attended hundreds of meetings in his life. Boardrooms. War rooms. Strategy sessions with Alphas. Political negotiations where every word was measured like gold.

He was used to pressure.

Used to making decisions while ten different interests pulled in opposite directions.

And yet-

For the first time in years, his mind went completely blank during one of these meetings.

He stared at his phone.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

As if rereading the message might somehow change the words.

It didn’t.

The text remained exactly the same.

Short.

Direct.

Devastating.

I’m sorry to bother you. Something is wrong. My wolf says I’m going into heat. I don’t know how to reach the penthouse in my condition.

For several seconds Caleb simply sat there.

Still,

217

< The Message 2

Silent

Completely frozen.

+25 Points

Across the long conference table, half a dozen executives were discussing projected expansion numbers for the Northern territory. A large digital screen glowed with charts and graphs.

None of it registered.

His brain had short-circuited.

His fingers tightened slowly around the phone.

Heat.

Iva.

The two words collided violently in his mind.

His Lycan surged awake instantly.

Chaos rose like a thunderstorm behind his ribs.

MATE.

Caleb inhaled sharply, not this insanity again from his inner beast.

Yet, his body reacted before logic could catch up.

A fierce, primal instinct erupted in his chest.

Go to her.

Now.

Bring her here.

Hide her.

Protect her.

T

Lock the doors of the penthouse and make sure no male within a hundred kilometres could even breathe the same air as her.

His jaw tightened.

Because his rational mind immediately pushed back.

Control yourself.

This was exactly how disasters started.

Impulses.

Instincts.

4/7

<The Message?

Losing control.

Caleb slowly leaned back in his chair.

Around the table the discussión continued, oblivious.

But inside his head-

Chaos.

Pure chaos.

A thousand thoughts collided.

Heat cycles were dangerous for unmated wolves.

Especially in cities.

Especially around other wolves.

Her scent alone could turn half the restaurant into a battlefield.

Unmated males would lose control.

Fights.

Territorial aggression.

Possibly worse.

His grip on the phone tightened further.

Then Chaos spoke again.

“She needs us.”

Caleb closed his eyes briefly.

“Yes,” he muttered under his breath.

Across the table someone paused.

“…Your Highness?”

Caleb opened his eyes again.

Calm.

Controlled.

Composed.