The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 229

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Prince Caleb.

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She had heard Ivà describe him, of course. Had seen photographs in the royal bulletins and him on stage at the opening ceremony, But nothing had prepared her for the reality of standing before the future Lycan King.

He was drop-dead gorgeous.

And absolutely terrifying.

The cold authority that clung to him like a second skin made Lori’s throat tight. This was a man who commanded armies, who shaped nations, who could end lives with à single word.

But then he looked at Iva.

And his entire face softened.

The cold melted. The power receded. The man behind the crown emerged-warm, devoted, hopelessly in love.

Lori’s tension eased, just slightly.

“Lori,” Iva said, her voice bright with forced cheerfulness. “I believe it’s time you met my mate. Caleb, this is Lori-my best friend. Lori, this is Caleb.”

Lori smiled-tense, trembling, but genuine.

“Your Highness,” she said, bowing her head.

Caleb extended his hand. “Please. Just Caleb. Any friend of Iva’s is a friend of mine.”

His voice was warmer than she had expected. She shook his hand, surprised by the gentleness of his grip.

“Come in,” Lori said, stepping back and gesturing toward her small room. “Both of you. Please.”

Iva and Caleb stepped inside. The room, already small, felt positively crowded with the two of them in it. Lori closed the door and leaned against it, her hands clasped behind her back.

Iva’s eyes met hers.

r

Lori didn’t have to ask. The question was written all over her face-in the furrow of her brow, the tightness of her jaw, the desperate hope that she was trying so hard to hide.

Iva spoke without being asked.

“We informed him.”

Lori’s breath caught.

“Now,” Iva continued gently, “it will be up to you two to figure it out.”

Lori felt the blood drain from her face. Her knees went weak. She gripped the door handle behind her to keep from sliding to the floor.

“How did he take it?” she whispered.

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Iva exchanged a glance with Caleb.

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“As expected,” Iva satd carefully. “Shock, mostly. Confusion. He needs time to process.” She paused. “But as I said… it is up to you two to figure things out.”

Lori nodded slowly.

She didn’t trust herself to speak.

Iva crossed the room and took her hands. “I know is not easy.”

A tear slipped down Lori’s cheek.

Iva wiped it away with her thumb.

“He didn’t reject you, Lori. That’s what matters right now. Everything else… you’ll figure it out together.”

Lori nodded again, not trusting her voice.

Iva hugged her-fierce and quick-and then stepped back to Caleb’s side.

“We should go,” Caleb said quietly. “Give you some time.”

Lori walked them to the door. She hugged Iva one more time, then shook Caleb’s hand again.

“Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”

Caleb’s eyes were kind. “Take care of yourself, Lori. And remember-whatever happens, you are not alone.”

Then they were gone.

The door clicked shut.

Lori leaned against it, her heart pounding, her mind spinning.

*He didn’t reject me,* she thought. *He didn’t say no.*

But he hadn’t said yes, either.

She pushed off from the door and walked to her small bathroom. She needed to clear her head. Needed to stop thinking. Needed to do something other than pace and panic.

She turned on the shower-as hot as she could stand it-and after removing her clothes she stepped under the spray.

The water pounded against her skin, washing away the sweat and the tension and the tears she hadn’t even realized she had shed. She stood there for a long time, her forehead pressed against the cool tile, her breathing slow and steady.

“What now?” she asked Layla.

“We wait,” her wolf replied. “We prepare. We hope.”

Lori turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around her body and

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