His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 211

Chapter 211

Chapter 211

Claire’s POV

Elijah tried to follow me to school the next morning.

Not metaphorically, literally.

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I caught him halfway down the stairs, one hand gripping the railing, the other already tugging at the strap of his brace like it had personally insulted him.

“Absolutely not,” I said, planting myself in front of him.

He blinked at me. “Good morning to you too.”

“You are not cleared,” I continued, folding my arms. “You are not healed. You are not even supposed to be standing for this long.”

“I’m standing fine.”

“You’re leaning.”

“I’m adapting.”

“You’re stubborn,” I shot back. “Sit.”

He opened his mouth, probably to argue, but then his wolf stirred. I felt it before I saw it-the subtle shift in the air, the low tension that always appeared when he was frustrated and trying not to show it.

That was new.

Recovery hadn’t dulled his presence. If anything, it had sharpened it in strange, unpredictable ways.

Elijah exhaled slowly and sat back down on the step, eyes flicking away from mine. “I can’t keep disappearing, Claire. It makes things worse.”

“For who?”

“For everyone,” he said. “For the pack. For the team. For-” His gaze returned to me, quieter now. “For me.”

I softened, crouching in front of him. “You going to school like this doesn’t make you stronger. It makes you reckless.”

A beat passed.

Then, reluctantly, he nodded. “Half days?”

I smiled faintly. “Nice try.”

“Virtual check-in?” he tried again.

“You’re persistent,” I said. “I’ll give you that.”

“I learned from the best.”

That made me laugh before I could stop myself.

In the end, we compromised. He stayed home. I went to school. Felix promised-under threat of death-to keep him from doing anything stupid, which Elijah claimed was unfair because stupid is subjective.”

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Chapter 211

The halls felt wrong without him.

Not empty. Just… off.

People noticed. They always did.

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Some asked after him genuinely. Some whispered. Some staredke his absence was a crack in the structure they relied on

I answered politely. Briefly. Then stopped answering altogether.

By lunch, my patience was gone.

Jessica slid into the seat across from me, studying my face. “Okay” she said. “Say it.”

“Say what?”

“That you’re stressed,” she replied. “Or annoyed. Or two seconds away from biting someone.”

I stirred my drink slowly. “He tried to follow me this morning.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish.”

She shook her head. “He’s impossible.”

“He’s restless,” I corrected. “There’s a difference, and although I get him, it gets to a point.”

“Is there?”

“Yes,” I said quietly. “One is dangerous. The other is scared.”

Her expression softened. “How are you holding up?”

I thought about the brace. The council. The way he’d flinched when Marla looked at me too long.

“I’m tired,” I admitted. “But I’m okay.”

The bell rang before she could respond.

When I got home later, the house was loud.

Felix was arguing with someone on the phone. Mom was singing in the kitchen again. Elijah’s laughter drifted down the hall -too bright, too forced.

I followed the sound.

He was on the couch with a controller in his hand, neck brace sti on, eyes locked on the screen. Felix sat on the floor, fully invested.

“You cheated,” Felix accused.

“I adapted and beat you, sucker,”

ah shot back.

I leaned against the doorway, “Is this what ‘rest’ looks like?”

Elijah glanced up, grin immediate. “Doctor didn’t say anything out video games.”

“She should have,” I said, crossing the room. “You look exhausted”

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Chapter 211

“I feel fine.”

“You’re lying.”

“I may or may not be coping.”

I sat beside him, lowering my voice. “You don’t have to perform for me.”

His grin faltered just a little. “I know.”

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We didn’t say anything else for a moment. The game ended. Felix declared himself victorious and left to brag about it to absolutely no one.

When the room was quiet again, Elijah turned to me. “Did school suck?”

“Yes.”

“Anything interesting?”

“No.”

“Anyone annoying you?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You can’t fight them.”

“I can at least glare.”

“That’s worse.”

He smiled, then winced slightly when he shifted. I noticed immediately.

“Hey,” I said. “Careful.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted, then sighed. “Okay. I’m not. Everything aches.”

I reached out, resting my hand against his knee. “You don’t have to be strong all the time.”

His fingers curled around mine. “I don’t know how not to be.”

I squeezed his hand. “We’ll figure it out.”

Later that night, after the house settled and the lights dimmed, I found him in the sunroom again. Same chair. Same restless

energy.

“You pacing again?” I asked softly.

He looked up. “Mentally.”

I closed the door behind me. “Well that counts.”

I sat on the arm of the chair this time, closer than before. His wolf stirred immediately, responding to mine like it always did -recognition, tension, comfort all tangled together.

“Claire,” he murmured.

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