All Chapters of DEAR EX, I AM YOUR UNCLE'S MATE: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

“You need to see this.”Aiden’s voice was sharp, urgent, and when I turned, the look on his face made my stomach tighten. He stood at the edge of the makeshift camp we’d set up after the fire, his gaze fixed on something in the distance.“What now?” I muttered under my breath, but the unease coiling inside me refused to be ignored. Zane stepped up beside me, his jaw clenched as he followed Aiden’s line of sight.I pushed past them, stepping through the gathered wolves to see what had them so rattled. And then I froze.In the distance, just beyond the treeline, figures emerged—slowly at first, their movements deliberate, unhurried. My heart skipped as I recognized the uniforms. Hunters. Human hunters.“They shouldn’t be here,” Zane said, his voice low and grim. “This territory hasn’t been contested by humans in years.”“Clearly, that’s changed,” Aiden said bitterly. “What do we do, Annabel? If they get too close—”“They won’t,” I said firmly, cutting him off. But even as I spoke, doubt

The creature moved first.Its distorted body lunged toward us with a speed that shouldn’t have been possible, teeth bared in a snarl that echoed like nails dragged across metal. I barely had time to shove Zane out of the way before the thing crashed into the spot where we’d been standing, claws digging furrows into the dirt.“Spread out!” I shouted, throwing myself backward as it swung its massive arm toward me.The pack reacted instantly, scattering to surround the creature. Aiden darted in from the side, but the thing turned unnervingly fast, its glowing eyes locking onto him with unnatural precision. It swiped at him, missing by inches as Aiden rolled out of reach.“What is this thing?” Zane snarled, shifting beside me, his fists clenched.“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice tight, “but it’s not just human anymore.”The creature snarled again, a sound so guttural it vibrated through the ground. I could see the faint silver veins spreading across its skin like roots, pulsing with a

The first scream cut through the air like a blade.I turned, heart pounding, to see Aiden dragging himself out of the trees, his face pale and blood streaking down his side. His breaths came in short, desperate gasps as he collapsed to his knees.“They’re here,” he choked out.The camp erupted into motion. Wolves darted toward him, their movements sharp with panic, but I was already moving, pushing past them to reach him.“Aiden!” I dropped to his side, gripping his arm. “What happened? Who’s here?”“They ambushed us,” he rasped, his voice barely audible over the growing commotion. “It’s not just hunters. It’s—” He coughed, blood flecking his lips. “It’s Elijah’s enforcers. They’ve joined with Gideon.”The words hit me like a physical blow. Elijah and Gideon—two forces I had never imagined working together—had allied. And now, they were here.“Where’s the perimeter team?” I demanded, my voice sharp.Aiden’s eyes flickered with pain and regret. “Gone. They didn’t stand a chance.”I sto

“Elijah, stop!” My voice was swallowed by the guttural roar erupting from him.His form twisted violently, flesh warping into something unrecognizable. Black veins spread across his body, pulsing with a sinister energy. His eyes, glowing with a feral light, locked onto Gideon, who stood frozen, his blade still slick with Elijah’s blood.“This isn’t natural,” Zane murmured, gripping his weapon tighter. His usually steady hands were trembling. “He’s becoming something else entirely.”Gideon took a cautious step back, his usual arrogance replaced with something closer to wariness. “Annabel, if you’ve got any brilliant ideas, now would be the time.”Elijah snarled, his voice guttural and fragmented, as though layered with something inhuman. “You wanted power, Gideon. Let me show you what it looks like.”He moved faster than I thought possible, a shadow of fury and claws. Gideon barely dodged, the ground splitting beneath Elijah’s strike. Debris flew in every direction, and I threw up my a

I saw it in Zane’s eyes before he said anything—the ground under our feet was already crumbling.“They’re regrouping,” he muttered, gripping his sword. His knuckles were white.“We don’t have enough left to hold them,” Aiden added, limping to my side. Blood smeared his face. He swayed slightly but stayed on his feet.“Then we don’t hold them.” My voice came sharper than I intended. “We push back, hard enough that they don’t get up again.”“You think that’s an option?” Zane shot back, his voice cutting through the chaos behind us. “Elijah’s—whatever he’s become—left us wide open. We’ve already lost half our people, Annabel.”My chest tightened, but I couldn’t let them see it. “Losing isn’t an option. Not now.”“Then we need more than desperation,” Gideon interjected, stepping out of the shadows like he hadn’t just left us to fend for ourselves. He looked far too clean for someone in the middle of a warzone. “I can get us that edge, but it’ll cost you.”“I’m done with your games,” I sna