The Messenger

Library

The moment their footsteps faded down the hallway and the low murmur of voices shifted toward her father’s office, Iva moved.

Her body reacted before her mind could fully catch up, muscles tight, breath shallow, every nerve screaming that she had only seconds. She slipped away from the pantry like a shadow, careful not to let the floor creak beneath her feet, and hurried up the stairs, her heart pounding so hard she was sure the entire house could hear it.

Once inside her room, she shut the door softly—too softly, as if any louder sound might betray her—and then locked it.

The click of the lock echoed in the silence.

Only then did her strength give way.

Her back slid down the door until she was sitting on the floor, knees pulled to her chest, hands shaking uncontrollably. Her stomach churned violently, and for a brief, terrifying moment she thought she would throw up right there, bile burning her throat, the words she had overheard replaying in her mind like a curse.

Breeding stock.

Pure.

An exchange.

Her own father.

Her own Alpha.

“Iva,” Avalon’s voice whispered inside her mind, steady and warm, wrapping around her like invisible arms. “Breathe with me. Slow. In… and out.”

Iva pressed her palm against her mouth and obeyed, inhaling shakily, then exhaling in broken gasps. Avalon guided her gently, grounding her, pulling her back from the edge where panic threatened to swallow her whole.

“They were talking about me like I’m not even a person,” Iva whispered hoarsely. “Like I’m… a thing. Something to trade.”

Her chest ached as if someone had reached inside and crushed her heart in their fist.

“Where is the pack?” she continued, tears finally spilling over, hot and unstoppable. “Where is the solidarity, the protection? They preach about loyalty, about unity, about how a pack defends its own… but when it mattered—when I mattered—none of that existed.”

Avalon’s presence pressed closer. “Their failure does not define you,” she said softly. “Their corruption is not your worth.”

Iva let out a broken laugh that sounded more like a sob. “Even my father,” she whispered. “He didn’t hesitate. Not once.”

For a long moment, there was only silence, broken by her uneven breathing.

Then Avalon spoke again, carefully. “We will survive this. In the end we are The Messenger.”

Iva wiped her tears with the back of her hand and slowly forced herself to her feet. She walked to the bed and sat down, shoulders slumped, eyes burning, her reflection in the mirror looking older somehow—harder.

“You know what?” she said quietly after a while. “Maybe it’s better this way.”

Avalon paused.

“If they see me as nothing but a burden, a bargaining chip,” Iva continued, her voice steadier now, resolve slowly replacing despair, “then there is nothing left to keep us here.”

She swallowed. “Nothing… except Mom. And Lori. And her family.”

That hurt the most.

But pain, she was learning, could not be allowed to chain her.

She stood and moved to the loose floorboard beneath her bed, lifting it carefully. Her heart pounded as she slipped the provisions inside—dried food, basic supplies—her ears straining for any sound outside the room.

Every second felt stolen.

When she finished, she replaced the board and sat back on her heels, chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Just a little longer,” she whispered. “Just a little.”

She reached for her mobile phone and opened her checklist.

Documents.

Clothes.

Savings.

Escape route.

Timing.

Provisions.

One by one, she ticked the boxes.

All of them.

Her hand stilled at the last line.

Lycan Academy — Acceptance or Rejection Letter

The space beside it remained empty.

A tight knot formed in her chest. That letter… it felt like a fragile thread of hope, a chance not just to escape and be protected for the next three years, but to belong somewhere that did not see her as expendable.

“With or without it,” she whispered to Avalon, her voice quiet but unbreakable now, “we are leaving.”

Avalon’s answer was firm, resolute.

“Yes. And when we do… we will never look back.”

Iva lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, heart still racing, fear still alive—but beneath it, something new had taken root.

Determination.

They had already decided her fate.

But they had underestimated one thing.

She was no longer waiting to be saved or wanted to be accepted.

--

The last day of school arrived too fast and too slow at the same time.

Iva felt it in every step she took down the corridor, in the way her heart beat too loudly in her chest, in the way her palms were damp no matter how many times she wiped them against her jeans. This was it. The final hours. The final chance.

Her gaze darted toward the library doors as she clutched two old textbooks to her chest, rehearsing the excuse in her head for the hundredth time.

Returning books. Just returning books. Nothing strange about that.

Even though she knew it was strange.

Who went to the library on the very last day of school, when lockers were being emptied, friendships sealed with tears and laughter, and everyone’s mind was already somewhere else? Still, she forced herself to walk calmly, to keep her head down, to look like she belonged.

Her heart thundered as she slipped inside.

The familiar smell of paper and dust wrapped around her like a thin shield, and for a brief moment, relief washed through her. The library was quiet. Too quiet. No students in sight. No teachers hovering.

Moon Goddess, please, she whispered silently as she moved between the tall shelves, weaving through the narrow aisles until the row of computers came into view.

Just a few more steps.

Her pulse raced harder now, anticipation tightening her chest painfully. Acceptance or rejection—either way, this would give her clarity. Either way, she would know.

Then—

A sound.

Soft. Muffled. A breathy, broken noise that did not belong in a library.

Iva slowed.

Her wolf senses flared before her mind could fully process what she was hearing. The air shifted. Her nose caught it next—sharp, unmistakable.

Arousal.

“Oh no, damn it!” she whispered, eyes widening. “No, no, no… not now.”

Her stomach dropped.

This was the last thing she needed. She had hoped—prayed—that she would be alone. She took a careful step back, scanning the aisles, trying to figure out how to retreat unnoticed.

Then she heard a voice.

A familiar voice.

Her blood turned cold.

She took two hesitant steps forward before her body and curious mind betrayed her and froze completely.

Ella.

Ella was sprawled across one of the library desks, skirt hiked up, her head thrown back in pleasure. And standing between her legs—

Mark.

Nick’s future Beta.

His hands were gripping her thighs, his mouth between her legs.

For a second, Iva couldn’t breathe.

The scene slammed into her like a physical blow, shock rooting her to the floor as her mind screamed at her to move, to run, to get out.

And then Ella’s eyes snapped open.

They locked onto Iva.

Everything shattered.

“f**k! There!” Ella screeched, her face twisting with rage. “She saw us! Catch her!”

Iva turned on instinct, panic flooding her veins, and ran.

She didn’t get far.

Rough fingers fisted into her hair, yanking her back with brutal force. Pain exploded across her scalp as she cried out, her books falling uselessly to the floor. She was thrown down hard, her knees slamming against the tiles, the air knocked from her lungs.

Mark loomed over her, eyes dark, breathing heavy.

Ella jumped off the desk, straightening her clothes with shaking hands, fury blazing in her eyes.

“You disgusting little rat,” Ella hissed, stalking toward her. “You think you can spy on us now?”

“I—I wasn’t—” Iva gasped, her palms scraping against the floor as she tried to push herself up, but Ella’s palm collided with her face.

Something in her snapped.

Her heart was pounding, fear and anger colliding violently inside her chest, and before she could stop herself, the words spilled out.

“Does Nick know?” she demanded hoarsely. “Does he know you’re doing this with his future Beta?”

Ella froze.

For half a second, pure panic flickered across her face.

Then it twisted into something far uglier.

“You useless runt, shut your mouth!” Ella screamed, her voice echoing off the shelves. “You don’t get to say his name!”

She turned sharply to Mark, her eyes blazing. “Teach her a lesson. Make sure she never opens that filthy mouth again.”

Mark hesitated for a fraction of a second, as despite everything Iva was still a Gamma’s daugher.

Then his jaw clenched.

Iva’s heart slammed violently against her ribs as dread washed over her, cold and suffocating. She scrambled backward, hands shaking, her wolf snarling inside her skin.

Avalon— she cried silently.

The library, once a place of refuge, now felt like a trap.

And she realized, with terrifying clarity, that this had gone far beyond humiliation.

This time… they meant to hurt her.