Semua Bab DEAR EX, I AM YOUR UNCLE'S MATE: Bab 61 - Bab 70

“Annabel!” a voice shouted from behind, sharp and panicked.I spun around, just in time to see two of Elijah’s loyalists charging toward me, eyes dark with rage. I barely had time to brace before one of them swung at me, forcing me to dodge back, his fist grazing my shoulder. The other lunged, and I caught his wrist, twisting him off balance.“Still taking orders from Elijah?” I hissed, slamming him back into his partner, who stumbled with a growl. “Look around—he’s losing his grip. Is this really the side you want to go down with?”They glared at me, breathing hard, but neither answered. I took advantage of their hesitation, narrowing my eyes as I drove the point home. “Or are you afraid he’ll turn on you next?”One of them flinched, and I knew I’d hit a nerve.“You’re a traitor,” the shorter one spat, his voice wavering. “Biting the hand that made you what you are.”I could feel the words digging in, but I pushed the doubt aside, keeping my voice hard. “What I am is someone willing

“You shouldn’t have made me choose, Annabel.”Elijah’s voice rang out from the shadows, cold and biting. I tensed, instinctively scanning the darkened hallway. The others had scattered after the confrontation, leaving me alone as I made my way back to the quarters I’d claimed. Now, he’d cornered me, the space between us charged with the fury he hadn’t shown in front of the pack.“Elijah,” I said, keeping my tone steady, my gaze locked onto his shadowed form. “You lost their loyalty long before tonight.”He stepped forward, his face partially illuminated, a twisted smile hovering at the edge of his lips. “And you think their loyalty is yours to take?” He scoffed, low and mocking. “Gideon’s filled your head with nonsense, promises he has no intention of keeping. Do you honestly believe he’s on your side?”I held his gaze, feeling the simmering anger beneath my calm. “This isn’t about Gideon. It’s about you. About the way you ruled them with fear, forcing them to choose a future they nev

The door swung open without warning, slamming hard enough to make the walls shake. Zane stormed into the room, eyes blazing with anger as he confronted me, barely holding back his fury.“You made a deal with Gideon,” he hissed, his voice taut with disbelief. “I defended you, I put my own loyalty on the line for you—and all along, you were making deals with that rogue?”I stood up, bracing myself, feeling the full weight of Zane’s betrayal like a lead weight on my chest. “I didn’t make a deal. I chose an alliance that would weaken Elijah, and yes, that meant working with Gideon. You know this, Zane. You knew the stakes.”He shook his head, running a hand through his hair, his face twisted with anger. “I thought I knew you, Annabel. I thought I understood what you were fighting for. But Gideon? He’s everything we stand against.”“Gideon’s a weapon, nothing more,” I shot back. “I’ll use him to break Elijah’s grip on this pack—and then I’ll deal with Gideon. He’s no friend of mine.”Zane’

“Annabel, you’re going to want to see this.” Zane’s voice broke through the noise, tense and edged with something close to dread.I turned, catching the look in his eyes, and felt the unease settle in my chest. “What’s happened?”Without a word, Zane gestured for me to follow, weaving through the gathered wolves who had watched the confrontation with Elijah unfold. They stepped aside, eyes filled with a mixture of loyalty and fear—fear of what might come next, now that Elijah was defeated but far from gone.Zane led me toward the edge of the camp, where a small group of our scouts were clustered, faces pale. As we drew closer, one of them stepped forward, holding a piece of parchment, his hands trembling.“This was nailed to one of the trees by the southern border,” he said, voice tight. “We found it just after the fight ended.”I took the parchment, feeling the weight of every eye on me, and read the words scrawled across it in thick, dark ink.To the Pack,The wolves you think you’v

“Annabel, it’s him. Elijah.”The words hit me like a punch, leaving the air between us taut and charged. Zane’s expression was tense, his eyes fixed on the shadows at the edge of camp, where Elijah had reappeared, flanked by a handful of his remaining loyalists. He stood there, unmoving, his face unreadable yet seething with a fierce, silent intent. The crowd of wolves gathered, drawn by the tension, exchanging wary glances as they waited for my move.I took a step forward, meeting Elijah’s gaze head-on, letting him know that whatever he’d come for, I wouldn’t be backing down. “Elijah,” I called, my voice steady, carrying over the hush that had fallen over the camp. “You’ve already lost this fight. What more could you possibly want?”A dark smile twisted his lips, and he took a step closer, his loyalists shifting restlessly behind him, their eyes darting between us. “Oh, Annabel,” he murmured, his voice laced with venom. “This isn’t about winning anymore. This is about making sure tha