His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 219

Chapter 219

Chapter 219

Claire’s POV

The first light of dawn didn’t rise over the mountains so much as it bled through the thick canopy of Red Pine, cold and unforgiving.

I woke up on a narrow cot in Silas’s loft, the air smelling of woodsmoke and ancient dust.

My heart was a steady drum, fueled by the proximity of Elijah, who was already standing by the window.

He had spent the night staring into the dark, his wolf pacing just beneath the surface.

“You’re awake,” he said, his voice low. He didn’t turn around. His shoulders were hunched, the tension in his spine echoing the jagged lines of the mountains outside.

“I’m awake,” I said, swinging my legs over the side of the cot.

My wolf felt sluggish, weighed down by the heavy atmosphere of this place. “How’s the neck?”

Elijah finally turned. He had discarded the hoodie, wearing only a thin t-shirt that showed the strain of his muscles. “It doesn’t matter. Silas is already outside. He says the Trial by Combat isn’t won by the wolf with the best health-it’s won by the one who is willing to die to win.”

“That’s a terrifying philosophy,” I whispered.

“It’s a Hale philosophy,” Elijah countered, though he reached out and squeezed my hand as I stood up. “Stay inside until I tell you it’s safe. Silas… he’s not like Ethan. He doesn’t believe in protecting the ‘weak’ members of the pack. He believes in hardening them.”

The training ground was a flat stretch of packed earth behind the cabin, bordered by massive, ancient pines that looked like silent judges.

Silas was waiting. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, the morning frost seemingly irrelevant to his weathered skin. In his hand, he held a heavy wooden staff, charred at the ends.

“The boy is stiff,” Silas grunted as we approached. He didn’t look at me; his eyes were locked on Elijah’s throat. “He’s been playing those measly games for too long. He thinks in terms of points and penalties. In a Trial, there are no penalties. Only the dirt and the blood.”

“I know how to fight, Silas,” Elijah said, his voice dropping into that predatory rasp.)

“You know how to check a player into a board,” Silas spat. “I want to see you hunt.”

Without warning, Silas lunged. He moved with a speed that defied his age, the staff whistling through the air. Elijah barely dodged, the wood grazing his shoulder.

“Again!” Silas roared.

For the next hour, it was a blur of violence. Silas didn’t hold back. He struck at Elijah’s injured side, at his neck, at his legs. Every time Elijah tried to retreat into a defensive hockey stance, Silas would punish him for it, forcing him to engage, to bite, to use the terrain.

I watched from the porch, my hands clenched so tight my nails drew blood from my palms.

My wolf was screaming, wanting to lung out and protect her mate, but I knew that would be a death sentence for both of

“He’s too slow!” Silas barked, sweeping Elijah’s legs out from under him.

Elijah hit the ground with a sickening thud. “If that were Mason Reed, your throat would be open right now.”

Elijah scrambled up, spitting blood. His eyes were fully gold now, the pupils slit.

He didn’t look like my brother. He didn’t even look like the boy I loved. He looked like a nightmare.

“Is that all you’ve got, old man?” Elijah hissed.

Silas grinned, a terrifying, toothy expression. “There he is. The Hale wolf.”

Silas dropped the staff and shifted. It wasn’t the smooth, controlled transition I was used to seeing from Ethan. It was a violent, bone-snapping explosion of fur and muscle.

Within seconds, a massive, silver-gray wolf stc Successfully unlocked!en. He let out a howl that vibrated in my very

teeth.

Elijah didn’t hesitate.

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Chapter 219

He shifted too, his charcoal gray form smaller but leaner, more agile.

The two wolves collided in the center of the clearing. It wasn’t a sparring match; it was a lesson in brutality.

Silas pinned Elijah, his jaws snapping inches from Elijah’s ear, teaching him where the vulnerabilities were, how to use weight, how to ignore pain.

I felt every impact in my own chest. The bond was a two-way street; I could feel Elijah’s adrenaline, his mounting frustration, and the sharp, hot flares of pain as Silas tested his limits.

Suddenly, Silas backed off, shifting back into his human form mid-stride-a feat of control that was nearly impossible for younger wolves.

He stood over Elijah, who was panting in the dirt, his fur matted with sweat and dust.

“Better,” Silas grunted. He finally looked at me, his eyes sharp. “And you. Girl.”

I stepped off the porch, my heart racing. “Yes?”

“Your heart is a liability because you let it be,” Silas said, walking toward me. He didn’t smell like woodsmoke anymore; he smelled like the deep, dark earth. “You’re a wolf of the Red Pine. Even with a faulty heart, your blood carries the power of the moon. If you want to survive the Council, you need to learn to mask your scent. You’re broadcasting fear like a beacon.”

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