Semua Bab DEAR EX, I AM YOUR UNCLE'S MATE: Bab 31 - Bab 40

Damian’s hand was still tight around my arm, his grip biting into my skin. His breathing was ragged, as if he was holding on to more than just me—like he was clinging to the last pieces of control slipping through his fingers.“I won’t let you leave me.” His voice was low, shaking with something between desperation and anger. His eyes, wild and fractured, bore into mine, but I didn’t look away. Not this time.“You have to,” I whispered, forcing my voice to remain steady even though my heart was pounding. “There’s no way out of this if you keep fighting.”Damian’s grip tightened, and I could see the conflict raging inside him. His face twisted, torn between the man he used to be and the one his paranoia had turned him into. For a moment, I thought he might snap, might drag me down with him. But then, slowly, his fingers loosened, and I pulled free, taking a step back.He didn’t stop me.“You’re making a mistake.” His voice was barely a breath, but the weight of it lingered in the air b

“You’re starting to sound like Damian.”The words slipped out before I could stop them. Elijah’s eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on the edge of the table in front of him. The room fell into an uneasy silence, the tension between us suffocating, palpable. He turned slowly, his gaze piercing through me like a blade.“What did you just say?”I stood my ground, the pack’s eyes burning into my back. My heart pounded in my chest, but I didn’t look away. “You’re pushing us into a war we don’t need, Elijah. That’s exactly what Damian did. And look where it got him.”His jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tensing. “I’m nothing like Damian.”“Then prove it,” I shot back, my voice shaking despite the fire building in my chest. “Because right now, all I see is another alpha obsessed with control, dragging the pack into chaos.”I could feel the pack shifting uneasily behind me, their murmurs barely audible. They were waiting, watching. Elijah had them on a knife’s edge, and every word I sai

“Annabel!”Zane’s voice echoed behind me, cutting through the swirl of confusion in my mind. I hadn’t gotten far from the council hall barely enough distance to clear my head—before he caught up to me.His footsteps were heavy, urgent, matching the frustration tightening his jaw when I turned to face him.“Tell me you’re not actually going along with this,” he said, breathless.I clenched my fists, trying to steady the storm rising inside me. “I don’t have a choice.”Zane stepped closer, his eyes blazing with disbelief. “You always have a choice. This? This is madness, Annabel! Elijah’s pushing us straight into a fight we can’t win.”I swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking into me. He was right. Elijah’s recklessness was a disaster waiting to happen, but the truth I didn’t want to admit hung heavy between us—I wasn’t just trapped by Elijah’s commands. I was caught between my loyalty to the pack and my fear of what Elijah would do if I stood against him.“What would you have

“They were waiting for us.”Kara’s voice was strained as she stepped back, her eyes flicking toward the door where Elijah’s loyalists were flooding in. I could feel the surge of panic among the wolves at my side, but I didn’t let myself waver. Elijah had anticipated this move, and now we were trapped.“Elijah planned this,” I muttered, more to myself than to Kara.From across the room, Elijah’s smile widened. His eyes gleamed with a dark satisfaction as his wolves surrounded us, cutting off any escape. I could see it in his posture—the way he held himself, the smug look in his eyes. He thought he’d already won.But this wasn’t over. Not yet.“We can still fight,” Kara whispered, her hand on the hilt of her blade, ready to spring into action. “We have the advantage in numbers.”“No,” I said quickly, my heart pounding in my chest. “Not yet. Not like this.”Elijah was watching us, waiting for a move. If we attacked now, we’

“Annabel, they’re coming.”Zane’s words were sharp, cutting through the low hum of voices that had been building around me since the meeting. My heart stilled for a moment, then quickened, pounding hard in my chest. I met his gaze, the tension etched into his face telling me everything I needed to know.“How many?” I asked, my voice steady despite the dread curling in my stomach.Zane glanced over his shoulder, scanning the darkened trees surrounding the clearing. “Enough. Elijah’s sent his wolves to test us. He’s not going to wait any longer.”I clenched my fists, my mind racing. This was sooner than I had expected, but deep down, I knew Elijah would strike fast. He had to. After our meeting, the pack was beginning to shift, the tide turning against him. If he didn’t act now, he’d lose control entirely.“We’re not ready,” Kara muttered, stepping up beside me. Her eyes were dark, filled with the same fear I felt twisting inside me. “We barely have half the wolves we need.”“We don’t