His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 217

Chapter 217

Chapter 217

Claire’s POV

The air in the hospital room shifted the second the specialist and Ethan crossed the threshold.

It wasn’t just the smell of antiseptic and old paper anymore; it was the suffocating weight of an Alpha’s expectation.

Dr. Adrian stopped at the foot of my bed, his gaze lingering on the heart monitor before flicking to the chart.

He looked between the three of us-Ethan’s rigid authority, Elijah’s simmering defiance, and my own fragile state.

I had seen Adrian three times since he’d started my latest treatment, but after the firework incident a few weeks ago, he’d become more like a shadow over my life than a physician.

He was the one who had locked me behind a wall of restrictions.

Next to me, I felt Elijah’s hand tighten on mine. He didn’t just dislike Adrian; he loathed him.

He hated the way the doctor looked at me-with a mix of clinical pity and a familiarity that came from months of being the only person who could “fix” me.

“The scans show a massive amount of stress-induced cortisol in your system, Claire,” Dr. Adrian began.

His voice was smooth, practiced, and it always seemed to rub Elijah the wrong way. “Your heart didn’t fail because of a physical defect today. It failed because your nervous system is stuck in a ‘fight or flight’ loop. The fireworks were the start, but this? This is chronic.”

“She is being hunted,” Elijah snapped. He stood like a pillar of granite, his hand still anchored to mine. He didn’t look at Adrian, but his scent turned sharp and biting.

“Elijah,” Ethan warned, a low rumble in his chest. “Let the doctor finish.”

“The northern sanctuary is the only logical step,” Adrian continued, crossing his arms. He looked at me, ignoring Elijah entirely. “The environment is controlled. Most importantly, it is neutral ground. No rivalries. No hockey. No pressure.” “And no family,” I whispered. My pulse monitor ticked up.

Beep… beep… beep.

“Safety over sentiment, Claire,” Ethan said, his eyes hard. “The Reeds have already proven they can reach you in a crowded cafeteria. I cannot defend you if you are a walking target in the middle of a war zone. You leave tonight.”

“No.”

The word didn’t come from me. It came from Elijah. It wasn’t a shout; it was a cold, quiet statement of fact that stopped everyone in the room.

Ethan turned to his son, his expression darkening. “You don’t get a vote in this, Elijah. You are the reason she’s in this bed. Your inability to control your wolf around Mason Reed is what pushed her over the edge.”

“I’m the reason she’s in this bed because I’ve been trying to protect her within the lies you insisted on,” Elijah countered. He stepped away from the bed, moving toward his father. “You want to send her away to keep the pack ‘stable.’ You want to hide the ‘weakness’ so you can go to war without distraction. But you’re wrong about what she is.”

“Elijah, stop,” I pleaded. I knew where this was going. I could feel the bridge burning before he even lit the match.

“I won’t stop, Claire,” he said, not looking back. He fixed his gaze on Ethan, though I saw his jaw lock as he caught Adrian watching us with a clinical, narrowed gaze. “You told me to be the leader I was born to be. You told me to claim my place. Fine. I’m claiming it.”

He took a deep breath, his chest expanding, and the air in the room suddenly thrummed with a frequency I had never felt before.

It wasn’t the aggressive, territorial heat of an Alpha-it was something older. Something soul-deep.

“I, Elijah Hale, recognize my soul’s tether,” he said, his voice dropping into a formal, ancient cadence. “The bond is not of blood, but of spirit. She is not my sister. She is my mate.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Dr. Adrian dropped his tablet. It clattered against the floor, the screen shattering, but no one looked at it.

His face was a mask of shock and something Successfully unlocked! al insult.

Ethan didn’t move. He looked like he’d been turneu tu su iu a werewuil, claiming a mate was the most sacred, unbreakable law.

1/3

Chapter 217

To do so with a stepsister-even one with no blood relation-was a scandal that would rock the entire Council.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?” Ethan whispered. The rage was gone, replaced by a cold, terrifying clarity

“I’ve ensured she stays,” Elijah said. He finally looked at Adrian, a smirk of pure, possessive victory flaring on his lips. “A mate cannot be moved to a sanctuary without the consent of her partner. It’s the law, father. Even yours.”

“You’ve destroyed your future,” Ethan growled, stepping into Elijah’s space. He grabbed the front of Elijah’s hoodie, hauling him upward. “The Council will strip you of your title! You’ve handed the Reeds victory on a silver platter!”

“I’ve handed them a war they can’t win,” Elijah barked back, not flinching. “Because now, if they touch her, it’s a mate-claim violation. I can kill every single one of them, and the Council won’t be able to say a word.”

“You’re a fool,” Ethan hissed, shoving him back.

He turned toward me, his eyes glowing a predatory amber. “And you. Did you know about this? Have you been playing this game behind our backs while I was trying to keep this family alive?”

I looked at Ethan, then at Elijah.

My heart was thumping hard, but for the first time, the pain wasn’t there. The secret that had been crushing my ribs for months was finally out.

“I love him,” I said, my voice small but firm. “It wasn’t a game, Ethan. It just… happened.”

Ethan let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob. He ran a hand over his face. “The Reeds are at the gate, the Council is looking for any reason to dissolve our territory, and my heir has just claimed his stepsister in front of his doctor.”

“I’ll handle the Council,” Elijah said, his voice regaining its steady, captain’s authority. “But she stays here. Under my protection.”

Dr. Adrian cleared his throat, looking distinctly uncomfortable as he picked up his broken tablet.

He looked at me, his eyes searching mine as if looking for a symptom he’d missed. “Alpha… by the laws of the First Howl, he is correct. If Elijah is willing to take full legal and spiritual responsibility for her… she stays.”

Ethan looked at me for a long time. I saw the father in him fighting the Alpha.

“You have forty-eight hours,” Ethan said, his voice hollow.

“Forty-eight hours before the Council hears of this. If you haven’t found a way to justify this, I will have no choice but to strip you of your name and cast you both out.”

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