His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 206

Chapter 206

Claire’s POV

The antiseptic smell of the hospital room felt like a physical weight, pressing against my lungs.

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I kept my forehead pressed to Elijah’s, the steady, rhythmic beep beep-beep of the heart monitor the only thing keeping my own pulse from spiraling into a dangerous rhythm.

“Don’t do that,” I choked out, my voice muffled by the thin hospital blanket. “Don’t ever apologize for someone else being a

monster.”

Elijah’s hand, though weak, shifted to lace his fingers through mine. His skin felt too warm, a feverish heat that spoke of his body’s frantic attempt to heal.

Even as a werewolf, a blow like that-delivered with the intent to break-left a mark.

The silver-laced tension in the air told me he was fighting the urge to shift, his wolf pacing restlessly just beneath the surface, snarling at the confinement of the neck brace.

“Reed… he’s a dead man,” Elijah whispered, his voice gravelly. “If he league doesn’t end him, Felix will.”

“Forget Reed,” I said, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes. They were hazy, the pupils slightly uneven-the telltale sign of a concussion that even our accelerated healing hadn’t erased yet. “Just stay here. Stay with me.”

He tried to nod, then winced as the movement pulled at his strained neck muscles.

I felt a sharp, sympathetic pang in my own chest. My heart condition was a constant shadow, a fragile glass wall between me and the world, but seeing him like this-the strongest person I knew, the captain who carried the weight of the team on his shoulders-made me feel like the wall was finally shattering.

“Claire,” he murmured, his gaze intensifying. “Your heart. You’re you’re breathing too fast.”

“I’m fine, Elijah.”

“Liars don’t get treats,” he joked weakly, though his thumb began to stroke the back of my hand in a slow, grounding circle.

“Breathe with me. Come on. Like we practiced.”

I hated that even in a hospital bed, he was worried about me. I closed my eyes and tried to match my inhales to the steady cadence of his thumb. In. Out. In. Out.

Slowly, the stabbing sensation in my chest receded, replaced by dull ache.

The heavy door creaked open, and Mom stepped in, her face a mask of exhausted relief. Behind her stood Ethan, his expression unreadable, though his jaw was set so tight I thought his teeth might crack.

“The doctors want to move you for the MRI now,” Mom said, he voice soft as she approached the bed. She leaned down to kiss Elijah’s forehead, her hand lingering there for a long moment. “They need to be sure about the vertebrae, honey.”

Elijah’s grip on my hand tightened for a split second before he go. “I’ll be back before you know it,” he promised, his eyes locked on mine. “Go get some water, Claire. You look like a ghos

“I’m staying right outside,” I countered.

“The waiting room, Claire,” Ethan’s voice was low, authoritative. You need to sit down properly. You’re gray.”

I wanted to argue, to scream that I wouldn’t leave his side, but th room took a sudden, nauseating tilt. I grabbed the edge of

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Chapter 206

the bed to steady myself.

“Fine,” I whispered.

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I watched as the orderlies wheeled his bed out. The silence that followed was deafening. Ethan stayed behind for a moment, his eyes scanning the monitors before landing on me.

“He’s going to be okay,” Ethan said, though it sounded like he was trying to convince himself. “He’s a Hale. We don’t break that easily.”

“Reed meant to,” I said, my voice cold. “He knew Elijah was the only thing standing between them and the championship. He didn’t just want to win the game; he wanted to end Elijah.”

Ethan didn’t disagree. He simply put a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go to the waiting room.”

The waiting room was a sea of Ridgeview High jerseys and anxious parents.

Felix was pacing a tight circle near the vending machines, his knuckles bruised and bloody. He must have punched a locker -or a wall-after the game.

“Any word?” Felix asked the moment he saw us.

“MRI,” I said, sinking into a plastic chair. “They’re checking his spine.”

Felix swore under his breath, a low, guttural sound. “The pack is losing its mind, Claire. The Alpha’s been calling. Everyone saw the hit. It wasn’t just a foul; it was a challenge. An assault on the future of the pack’s leadership.”

I tuned him out, leaning my head against the cool drywall. My phone vibrated in my pocket. A text from an unknown number.

Hope the ‘Captain’ likes his new view from a wheelchair. – M.R.

My blood turned to ice. My fingers trembled as I showed the screen to Ethan.

The shift in the room was instantaneous. The air pressure seemed to drop as Ethan’s scent turned sharp and predatory.

He took the phone from my hand, his eyes darkening to a shade of amber that signaled his wolf was at the surface.

“He sent this to you?” Ethan asked, his voice a dangerous growl.

“Just now.”

“He’s baiting us,” Felix said, stepping closer, his own eyes flashing “He knows we can’t touch him while the league and the council are investigating. He wants us to snap so we get the ban

“I don’t care about the ban,” I whispered, the rage finally overtaking the fear. “He’s mocking him. He’s mocking us.”

My heart gave a heavy, protesting thud. I pressed a hand to my ernum, trying to force the anger down. I couldn’t afford a flare-up now. Not when Elijah needed me.

“Give me the phone, Ethan,” Mom said, walking over. She had a preceded a storm. She looked at the message and simply delete

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