His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 230

Chapter 230

Claire’s POV

After weeks of sirens, snarls, and the sharp, metallic tang of silver-wolfsbane, the Monday morning air at Red Pine High felt almost unnervingly thin.

Elijah’s black truck rumbled as we pulled into the senior lot, the engine a low, steady growl that felt like the only anchor I had left to the reality of the weekend.

He didn’t turn the engine off immediately. He sat there, his hands still gripped tight on the steering wheel, his knuckles white against the leather.

He was wearing a simple charcoal hoodie—the same color as his wolf—and a pair of jeans that definitely didn’t show the bandages wrapped tightly around his ribs.

“You okay?” I asked, reaching over to place my hand on his.

My heart monitor was tucked away in my bag, but I didn’t need the beep to tell me I was steady. 72 bpm.

It was the calmest I’d been in years, even with a thousand eyes currently pressed against the cafeteria windows.

Elijah exhaled, a long, slow breath that seemed to deflate some of the tension in his shoulders.

He turned to me, his golden-rimmed eyes searching mine. “I’m fine. I’m just wondering how long it’ll take before someone mentions the ‘relocation’ of the Reeds. Or the fact that I look like I went three rounds with a wood chipper.”

“You look like a hockey captain who had a rough weekend at the cabin.” I corrected, reaching up to adjust the collar of his hoodie to hide a stray scratch on his neck. “And as far as the school is concerned, the Reeds moved to the city for ‘family reasons. That’s the story Silas and Ethan put out. We stick to it.”

“Right,” he muttered, finally killing the engine. “Family reasons. Because everyone just decides to move their entire lives at three in the morning on a Sunday.”

He hopped out and circled the truck, opening my door before I could even reach for the handle.

He kept his arm draped over my shoulders, his thumb hooked into the strap of my backpack.

It was a possessive gesture, but it wasn’t the frantic, desperate grip of the distillery. It was calm. It was a claim.

The walk to the main entrance felt like a gauntlet.

Usually, the Monday morning buzz was a chaotic symphony of slamming lockers and shouted greetings.

Today, it was a whisper. As we crossed the threshold, the sea of students parted.

It was like a physical wave-kids stepped back, their eyes wide, their mouths half-open.

“Is it just me, or did the hallway get wider?” I whispered.

They’re just remembering their manners,” Elijah said, his voice dropping into that low, resonant register that made a few nearby freshmen jump.

Standing by the trophy case was Felix.

He looked remarkably unscathed for a guy who had been dangling from industrial rafters forty-eight hours ago.

He was leaning against the glass, casually tossing an orange into the air and catching it. When he saw us, he let out a sharp

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whistle.

“Look at this,” Felix grinned, pushing off the case.

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“The King and Queen have arrived. I was starting to think you two were going to skip out to go celebrate your victory with a nap.”

“We’re just trying to get to Calculus, Felix,” I said, though I couldn’t help but smile.

“Calculus? Please. After what we did this weekend, a derivative should be terrified of you,” Felix joked, falling into step on my other side. He leaned in, lowering his voice. “By the way, the locker room is a mess. The guys from the North territory-the ones who weren’t in on the Reed mess-are acting like Elijah is about to challenge them to a duel. It’s hilarious. Miller actually bowed to me in the parking lot.”

Elijah groaned. “Tell them to shut up and get their skates sharpened. We have a game on Friday.”

“I told them,” Felix said, taking a bite of his orange. “But you know how it is. News travels fast in the pack, and even faster in a high school hallway. To them, you’re not just the captain anymore. You’re the Alpha-Heir who ended a blood feud before breakfast.”

We reached my locker, and things felt almost… normal.

I dialed my combination, the familiar click-click-thud of the metal door opening providing a strange sense of comfort.

I swapped my weekend bag for my textbooks, the weight of Advanced Biology feeling grounded and real.

But the “normal” didn’t last long.

“Claire!”

I turned to see Sarah, the head of the cheer squad and the girl who had spent the last three years making sure I knew exactly where I stood on the social ladder (somewhere near the floorboards).

She was flanked by two of her friends, and for the first time in my life, she looked nervous. Her usual smirk was gone, replaced by a tight, practiced smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Sarah,” I said, leaning back against my locker.

“We… we heard about Mason,” she started, her voice a little higher than usual. “And his family. It’s so sad they had to leave so suddenly. We were going to organize a ‘get well’ card for him, but since nobody knows where they went…”

She trailed off, her eyes darting to Elijah, who was standing right behind me like a silent, looming shadow.

He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. The air around him was still buzzing with that Alpha energy, the kind that made people want to apologize for things they hadn’t even done.

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate the thought, Sarah,” I said, keeping my voice neutral. “But I think the Reeds are looking for a fresh start. Far away from here.”

“Right. Of course,” Sarah nodded quickly, her heels clicking as she took a half-step back.

“Anyway, we’re having a pep rally on Friday for the game. We wanted to make sure you were… you know, sitting in the front. With the team.”

I looked at Elijah, who raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll think about it,” I told her.

As they scurried away, Felix let out a snort. “Front row? Last week she was trying to get you banned from the bleachers for

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being a ‘distraction’ to Elijah’s focus.”

“The world turns,” Elijah muttered, grabbing my hand and interlacing our fingers.

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The rest of the morning was a blur of high school life filtered though a lens of newfound royalty. In History, the teacher- who was human and had no idea about wolves-seemed confused as to why the entire back row of varsity players sat up straighter the moment Elijah walked in.

In the cafeteria, a table of sophomores actually vacated their spots to give us “the good view” near the windows.

It was ridiculous, but it was also peaceful. There were no silver belts. No threats. Just the mundane drama of who was going to the spring formal and whether the mystery meat in the tacos was actually edible.

At lunch, we sat in our usual spot, but the circle was tighter. It was us-Elijah, Felix, Jax, and Miller.

The guys were talking about the upcoming playoffs, their voices oud and full of the kind of easy camaraderie that only comes after surviving a war.

“I’m telling you,” Miller said, slamming his hand on the table. “If we play like we did in the scrimmage, the city team doesn’t stand a chance. Especially now that the ‘Reed shadow’ isn’t hanging over the locker room.”

“We play for the Hales now,” Jax added, his eyes flicking to Elijah with a look of pure loyalty. “One pack. One lead.”

Elijah leaned back, a small, genuine smile finally breaking through his stoic mask. He looked over at me, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand. “You okay? You’ve been quiet.”

“I’m just enjoying it,” I said, taking a sip of my water. “The quiet. The fact that the biggest problem I have today is a lab report on cellular respiration.”

“Wait until you see the math homework,” Felix chimed in, tossing a fry at Jax. “Old Man Henderson is out for blood today. I think he’s mad that his favorite student, Mason, isn’t here to suck up to him anymore.”

Elijah laughed a real, chesty sound that made a few girls at the next table sigh. “I’ll help you with the math, Felix. If only to stop you from complaining.”

“Oh, thank the Moon!” Felix cried, clutching his chest. “The Alpha-Heir has mercy!”

As the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, we stood up, the movement coordinated and smooth. We were walking toward the exit when I felt a small, strange tug in my chest.

It wasn’t the bond, and it wasn’t my heart failing. It was a sense of eyes on me.

I looked toward the library entrance and saw a new girl. She was standing by the doors, her long dark hair falling over her shoulders, wearing a vintage denim jacket that looked a little too cool for a small town like Red Pine.

She wasn’t staring with fear, and she wasn’t staring with awe. She was just… watching.

When she saw me look back, she didn’t turn away. She gave a small, almost imperceptible nod and stepped into the library.

“Who was that?” I asked, tugging on Elijah’s sleeve.

He looked over, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the empty doorway. “I don’t know. New transfer? Silas mentioned some families were looking to move into the North Ridge now that the Reeds are out.”

“She didn’t look like a ‘new family’ type,” I whispered. “She looke like she knew something.”

Elijah’s grip on my hand tightened just a fraction.

The protective instinct was still there, lurking just beneath the surface of his student persona. “I’ll have Felix check the

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enrollment files. But for now, don’t worry about it. You have Bio

“Right,” I sighed, letting the mystery go for the moment. “Bio.”

As we walked through the hall, a group of freshmen were whispering as we passed.

“Is it true?” one whispered. “Did he really tear the door off the distillery with his bare hands?”

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Elijah didn’t even look back, but he leaned down and whispered in my ear. “For the record, it was a heavy-duty crowbar and a well-placed kick. Bare hands is just bad for the cuticles.”

I laughed so hard. We were back in high school. We were norma

And as Elijah walked me to my classroom door, kissing my forehead in front of everyone, I realized that “normal” was exactly what we had fought for.

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