His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 267

Chapter 267

Claire’s POV

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The Great Hall was finally quiet, but the air still felt thick, like a storm had passed but the ground was still shaking.

The other Alphas had cleared out to start fortifying their own borders, leaving the Manor feeling huge and strangely empty.

I was sitting on the wide stone steps of the porch, watching the mist roll off the lake. My heart was a steady 70 bpm. For the first time in forever, I didn’t feel like a ticking time bomb. I just felt… tired.

“You’re thinking too loud again,” Elijah said, leaning against the doorframe behind me. He tossed me a fresh hoodie-one of his, way too big and smelling like clean laundry and cedar.

“Hard not to,” I said, pulling the soft fabric over my head. “Yesterday I was a fugitive. Today I’m apparently the ‘North’s Greatest Defense.’ It’s a lot of pressure for someone who still hasn’t finished her history project.”

Elijah sat down next to me, his shoulder brushing mine. “Forget the project. You literally rewrote history at the Citadel. I think you earned an A.”

We sat in silence for a minute, just watching the sun climb higher. It felt like we were in a bubble, a tiny slice of peace before the next wave hit. But then, the bubble popped.

“Ethan! Silas! We’ve got a situation at the perimeter!”

It was Felix. He was sprinting across the lawn, his tablet glowing bright even in the morning sun.

He looked more confused than scared, which was a weird change of pace.

Ethan and Silas stepped out onto the porch, their faces instantly going into “Alpha mode.”

“What is it, Felix? More drones?” Ethan asked, his hand instinctively dropping to the radio at his belt.

“No,” Felix panted, reaching the steps. “It’s… it’s a messenger. But not a Regency one. And definitely not a wolf. He just appeared at the North Gate. No vehicle, no tech, nothing. He just walked out of the woods and asked for ‘The Anchor.”

“Walked?” Silas narrowed his eyes. “Through the wards? That’s impossible.”

“He didn’t trigger them,” Felix said, shaking his head. “He’s carrying a neutralizer signature I’ve never seen. And he gave me this.”

Felix handed a small, obsidian coin to Ethan. It wasn’t metal or stone; it looked like it was made of solid shadow. In the center was an engraving of a sun being eclipsed by a moon.

Ethan’s face went pale. Even Silas looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“The Eclipse Coven,” Silas whispered. “I haven’t seen this mark since the Great Divide.”

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Chapter 267

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“Witches?” I asked, my heart jumping to 85 bpm. “I thought they stayed out of the Well wars.”

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“They do,” Ethan said, his voice tight. “Unless the balance is so broken that the world is about to tilt. If they’re here, it means the Citadel isn’t our only problem.”

“Bring him in,” Silas commanded. “But keep the Sentinels on high alert. We don’t know whose side the Coven is on this century.”

Ten minutes later, the “messenger” was led up the driveway. He didn’t look like a wizard or anything. He was just a guy, maybe in his twenties, wearing a simple gray duster and boots.

But his eyes were a piercing, unnatural silver, and the air around him seemed to ripple like heat off a highway.

He stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked up. He ignored the Alphas entirely. His silver eyes locked

onto mine.

“Claire,” he said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it felt like it was echoing inside my chest. “The mountain’s heart is beating, but its blood is poisoned. You shut down the machine, but you left the wound open.”

Elijah stepped in front of me, his eyes turning gold. “State your business, Messenger. And keep your distance.”

The guy didn’t look scared. He actually looked a little sad. “I am Kael. I come from the Shadows of the Peak. The Coven has seen the future the Council is building. They don’t want to harvest you, Claire. They want to hide you.”

“Hide me where?” I asked, peeking over Elijah’s shoulder.

“In the Deep Wells,” Kael said. “Where the Regency cannot follow. Where the light doesn’t burn.”

“She’s stayin’ right here,” Ethan growled. “She’s under the protection of the Red Pine Pack.”

“Your protection is a paper shield against what’s coming, Alpha,” Kael said, looking at Ethan. “The Proctor didn’t just want the power. She wanted the key. And now that she knows the key is a girl who can think for herself, she’s not sending soldiers anymore. She’s sending a Reaper.”

The word “Reaper” made the temperature on the porch drop ten degrees.

“A Reaper?” Felix squeaked. “Is that… is that a robot? Please tell me it’s just a robot.”

“It’s a void-walker,” Silas said, his voice grim. “An assassin trained to hunt energy signatures. They don’t see people. They only see the glow.”

Kael looked back at me. “The Reaper is already in the valley, Claire. It followed your resonance back from the Citadel. You have until the moon reaches its peak to decide. Come with us and disappear, or stay here and watch this Manor burn.”

He turned around and started walking back toward the woods.

“Wait!” I shouted. “How do we stop it?”

Kael paused, but he didn’t turn around. “You can’t stop a shadow, Anchor. You can only outshine it. But be

18:07 Tue, Feb 3

Chapter 267

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