His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 208

Chapter 208

Chapter 208

Claire’s POV

The air in the kitchen felt thick enough to choke on.

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Every time Elijah’s thumb brushed my skin, a spark of electricity traveled straight to my chest, making my pulse erratic.

It wasn’t the terrifying, hollow flutter of a medical emergency- was the heavy, rhythmic thrum of adrenaline and something far more primal.

His eyes were dark, the amber of his wolf swirling just behind the surface.

He was fighting himself, I could tell.

He was fighting the injury, the fury over the Reeds, and the overwhelming proximity of being trapped in this house with me while the rest of the world burned.

“Your heart,” he rasped again, his voice dropping an octave. “It’s too fast, Claire. I can hear it against your ribs. It sounds like a drum.”

“Then let it be a drum,” I whispered, sliding my hand up his arm feeling the corded muscle beneath his sleeve. “I’m tired of being afraid of my own body. I’m tired of everyone treating me like I’m made of glass.”

Elijah groaned, a low sound deep in his throat that was half-protest and half-surrender. He leaned forward, closing the final inch between us.

When his lips met mine, it wasn’t the gentle, cautious kiss of a worried stepbrother. It was possessive. It was the kiss of a wolf marking what belonged to him.

I tasted the faint metallic hint of the meds he’d taken and the mint of his toothpaste, but mostly I just tasted him-the heat, the strength, the sheer life that he poured into me.

My hands tangled in his hair, careful of the tender skin near his jaw, pulling him closer until there was no air left between us.

The monitors and the hospital and the threat of the Reeds faded into the background.

There was only the sensation of his tongue against mine and the way his hands gripped my waist, anchoring me.

Suddenly, a sharp thud from the backyard made us spring apart

Elijah was on his feet in a second, wincing as the sudden movement jarred his neck, but his posture was pure Alpha.

He stepped in front of me, shielding my body with his own, his yes fixed on the sliding glass door.

“Stay behind me,” he ordered, his voice no longer raspy, but conmanding.

Outside, the two pack guards were no longer lounging with coffee.

They were standing at the edge of the woods, their bodies crouched, teeth bared. A low growl rippled through the air—a sound so deep it vibrated in my own marrow.

“Is it them?” I whispered, my hand clutching the back of Elijah’shirt. “Is it the Reeds?”

“No,” Elijah said, his nostrils flaring as he caught the scent. “It’s not the Reeds. It’s dad. They’re back.”

The woods seemed to part as Ethan emerged. He wasn’t in his tatical gear anymore. He was shifted—a massive, charcoal- gray wolf with eyes like twin suns.

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14:37 Wed, Jan 7 AD.

Chapter 208

He was covered in forest debris, and there was a dark stain on his shoulder that didn’t look like his own blood.

Behind him. Felix and the others followed, their fur matted, the energy radiating a cold, brutal triumph.

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Ethan didn’t look toward the house. He stopped at the center of the lawn and threw his head back, letting out a howl that shattered the silence of the neighborhood.

It wasn’t a call for help; it was a claim of territory. It was a warning that the Hale pack had drawn a line in the dirt, and anyone who crossed it wouldn’t be walking away.

Elijah relaxed, though his hand remained tight on the door handle. “The parley is over.”

“Did they… did they reach an agreement?” I asked, though the sight of the blood on the grass gave me the answer.

“In our world,” Elijah said, turning back to me, his expression grim, “compensation isn’t paid in money. It’s paid in strength. Dad just showed them that hurting me cost them more than they were willing to lose.”

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