His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 161

**Betrayal Births by Joseph King**
**Chapter 161**

**Claire’s POV**

As I stepped out into the stillness of the evening, the sun had already slipped behind the trees, casting long shadows across the quiet streets. Elijah walked beside me, his presence both familiar and unsettling.

The cool air wrapped around us, but it was laced with the faint scent of the pack—other wolves going about their evening rituals. Yet, amidst that scent, there was an unmistakable trace of him that sent a shiver down my spine, causing my skin to prickle with an awareness I couldn’t quite shake off.

“You know I really dislike it when you go all quiet on me,” he remarked casually, matching my pace effortlessly. “Usually, you’d be launching into a tirade about my so-called ‘impossible’ ways by now.”

I shrugged, pulling my jacket tighter around my shoulders. “I’m just conserving my energy,” I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. “You’re bound to ruin the art supply store experience for me with your presence anyway.”

A smirk danced across his lips, his amber eyes catching the dim light from the streetlamp. “Ruining? I thought I was enhancing it. Providing a… protective step-brotherly presence.”

I rolled my eyes, unable to suppress the blush that crept up my neck. “Protective, huh? Is that what you call leaning over me to pick up every pencil I drop?”

He shot me a sidelong glance, a playful smirk still lingering. “You dropped them like they were a challenge, Claire.”

I glared at him, though I couldn’t deny the warmth that surged through me at the memory of his teasing. We walked in silence for a few moments, each of us acutely aware of the other’s presence. Being wolves meant we were hyper-aware of everything—the soft rhythm of Elijah’s pulse, the warmth radiating from his body, and the subtle shift in his scent whenever he found something amusing.

Finally, breaking the silence, he asked, “Do you know why I wanted to accompany you today?”

I raised an eyebrow, my curiosity piqued but cautious. “Because you’re controlling?”

“Partly,” he admitted with a casual shrug, “but mostly because… you tend to make things messy when you’re on your own. And I enjoy seeing the careful side of you—the one you keep hidden from everyone else.”

I blinked in surprise. “Careful side?”

“Yes,” he replied softly, his gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart race. “The side that colors with intention, that measures every stroke, that thinks before acting… and then completely disregards all of it when you’re nervous or flustered.”

A lump formed in my throat as I realized that walking beside him was anything but a mundane errand. My heart thudded steadily, like the quiet drumbeat of a wolf aware of another’s presence. “You really notice everything, don’t you?”

“I do,” he said simply, his voice steady. “And you’re going to resent me for it, but that’s why I can tell when you’re lying about your feelings.”

“I’m not lying!” I protested, though my voice quivered despite my best efforts.

He leaned a fraction closer, the scent of pine and something uniquely his enveloping me. “Sometimes, you’re lying about how you feel about me,” he stated, calm and measured, yet not unkind. “And I catch it every single time.”

My breath hitched, and my stomach twisted in that familiar way, reminiscent of the morning, the hallway. “You—you’re… evil. There are no feelings involved.”

“Possibly,” he replied, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “But I’m your kind of evil.”

With a groan, I turned away from him, desperate to conceal the flush creeping across my cheeks. “Step-brother evil, you mean.”

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