His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Claire’s POV

The hallway smelled faintly of disinfectant, but I barely noticed it. My mind was elsewhere, orased on the thm of Elijah’s footsteps beside me as we walked to our next class.

He leaned slightly toward me, not touching, not quite, but close enough that every nerve ending in my body screamed in

awareness

“We’ve been here almost an hour and you’ve been cerily quiet,” he said softly, eyes glinting in that way that made my stomach do somersaults. “Thinking about Lilah again?”

I snorted, forcing a laugh. “Not really. More like… strategy in general. It’s exhausting trying to predict every move in the

studio.”

He grinned, leaning a fraction closer, his scent brushing me as we passed the lockers. “Exhausting, yes. But thrilling, isn’t it? The ones who understand tension are the ones who know how to use it,” Elijah finished, glancing at me sidelong as if he already knew exactly where my thoughts were headed.

I huffed quietly. “You always sound like you’re coaching more than playing.”

“That’s because hockey isn’t just about skating fast and hitting hard,” he replied easily, and don’t stray your mind away from the main topic you dirty minded pig. “It’s about reading people. Anticipating them. Knowing when they’re about to lose control.”

I stopped walking for half a second, forcing him to stop too. “You do realize you’re describing yourself, right?”

He blinked, then smiled slowly. “Am I?”

“Yes,” I said flatly. “You walk around like you’re permanently braced for impact. Like you’re always two seconds away from making a move.”

His gaze softened, something quieter slipping through the confidence. “That’s because I usually am. I’m a big ass target.”

The bell rang before I could respond, the sound breaking the moment like someone snapping a cord. We moved again, slipping into class without another word, but the charge between us didn’t fade.

It followed us to our seats, lingered in the way his knee brushed mine under the desk, in the way my pen paused every time I caught him watching me instead of the board.

Class itself was mercifully uneventful. The assignment was straightforward-group analysis, presentation due next week- and Elijah leaned over halfway through to murmur, “We’re pairing up.”

I raised a brow. “That wasn’t even assigned.”

“I know,” he said calmly. “But it should be.”

I stared at him. “You don’t even ask.”

He smirked. “You’ve never said no.”

That was annoyingly true.

By the time lunch rolled around, my patience was thin in that particular way that came from too much awareness and not enough release. I told Elijah I needed the bathroom, mostly so I could breathe without him three inches away from me.

The bathroom was empty when I stepped in. I locked myself into a stall, leaned back against the door, and exhaled slowly.

C

Get a grip, Claire,

I washed my hands longer than necessary, staring at my reflection and trying to ignore the faint fish steds halfway through drying my hands when the door opened again.

Audrey walked in.

She froze when she saw me, clearly not expecting company. For a moment, neither of us

Then she cleared her throat. “I didn’t know anyone was in here.”

“I was just leaving.” I said calmly, tossing the paper towel away.

She hesitated. “Actually… wait. I just-” She stopped herself, then sighed. “Never mind.”

I turned, meeting her eyes. “You don’t usually stop yourself.”

She laughed softly, but it wasn’t amused. “No. I guess I don’t.” She paused, then said. “I didn’t know how true it was before, but I heard the season starts this weekend.”

I didn’t react. “It does.”

She studied me, something unsettled flickering across her face. “You’re going, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I said simply.

There it was the realization. Not jealousy exploding, not confrontation. Just understanding settling in, heavy and unwelcome.

Or so I thought.

“Oh,” she murmured. “Right.”

I stepped closer, not aggressive, not cruel. Just grounded. “Audrey, you don’t need to keep measuring yourself against me. Or him. It’s not healthy.”

Her jaw tightened. “Easy for you to say.”

“Maybe,” I agreed. “But it doesn’t make it less true.”

She looked away, pride warring with frustration. “I just thought… never mind.”

I didn’t press. I didn’t need to. The silence said enough.

When I left the bathroom, the tension didn’t follow me. It stayed behind, contained, unresolved-but no longer mine to

manage.

Lunch passed quietly, Jessica chatted about homework and upcoming deadlines, and Elijah listened with half an ear, occasionally nudging my foot with his under the table like he needed to remind himself I was real.

After school, I headed straight to the hospital.

The very last appointment I was meant to attend was unfortunately missed, so Dr Adrian had dropped off a few meds a few days ago. I couldn’t tell what they were doing, but the tightness in my chest had definitely loosened a bit.

Plus, he had stopped being weird.

Dr. Adrian was already waiting when I arrived, sleeves rolled up, tablet in hand. “You’re right on time,” he said, smiling.

Chapter 170

“You sound surprised.” I replied, settling into the chair.

“I’ve learned not to expect punctuality from students,” he said lightly Especially ones juggling complicated lives

I arched a brow. “That obvious?”

He chuckled. “You carry it in your posture.”

The session was longer than the last one. More questions. More monitoring. At one point, he adjusted the equipment and said quietly. “You’re responding well. Better than I anticipated.”

“That’s good, right?”

“It’s very good,” he confirmed. “But it also means we need to be careful. Progress like this comes with… side effects.”

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