His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 78

**Chapter 78**

**Elijah’s POV**

The rain lashed against me with relentless force, each drop a sharp reminder of the urgency coursing through my veins as I sprinted forward. My breath escaped in quick, frantic bursts, visible in the frigid air like wisps of smoke. Every fiber of my being urged me onward, faster, driven by an instinct I couldn’t ignore.

Her scent.

At first, it was a mere whisper, nearly drowned out by the tempest around me, but then it surged into my consciousness—a familiar aroma that my wolf recognized without hesitation. As soon as I caught that trace, a low growl erupted in my mind, a primal command. Run.

The streets blurred into a chaotic smear of colors. Headlights transformed into ghostly streaks of illumination, barely cutting through the darkness. My shoes slapped against the slick pavement, the sound lost to the rhythm of the rain, until I rounded a corner and was met with a chilling sight: flashing red lights slicing through the night like a warning beacon.

Gradually, my pace slowed, my feet coming to a halt as a wave of dread washed over me.

Groups of people huddled together in the middle of the road, their umbrellas rendered useless against the torrential downpour. A car stood abandoned, its headlights still blazing, one door flung wide open. The rain pounded against the hood, hissing as it met the metal.

And there, crumpled on the ground—

“Claire!”

The name burst from my lips before I even processed the sound of my own voice.

Paramedics knelt beside her, their figures a blur of urgency. Her body appeared so small, so fragile against the harsh asphalt, drenched and utterly still. One paramedic pressed a hand to her neck, while another wheeled a stretcher closer, the grim reality settling in my stomach like a stone. Naomi was there too, on her knees, her face streaked with tears, her sobs so raw it seemed as if she might shatter. She reached out, desperate to touch Claire’s arm, but the paramedic gently but firmly pushed her back.

I stood frozen at the periphery of the chaos, paralyzed by fear and disbelief.

The rain cascaded down my face, blurring my vision as it mingled with my tears. My heart thundered in my chest, each beat a heavy reminder of the gravity of the moment.

They lifted Claire onto the stretcher, her head lolling slightly, her wet hair clinging to her skin like a shroud. I couldn’t tear my gaze away; I felt rooted to the spot, unable to move.

My wolf whined in my mind, a restless energy that mirrored my own panic.

She’s breathing, I tried to convince myself. She has to be.

The paramedics hurriedly pushed the stretcher toward the waiting van, their voices raised above the cacophony of rain. One held the doors open while another climbed inside to start an IV line. Naomi stumbled after them, her cries growing more frantic, her voice cracking under the weight of her despair.

“Claire, please—please—”

Her words dissolved into heart-wrenching sobs.

The paramedics vanished into the van, the lights flashing once, stark against the dreary backdrop of the storm.

I remained rooted to the asphalt, staring at the road, when something shifted at the corner of my vision—a figure near the open driver’s door.

A man.

He looked to be in his mid-thirties, perhaps older. His shirt hung half-unbuttoned, drenched through, and his hands trembled as he stood there, his face pale beneath the harsh glow of the streetlights.

I recognized that face.

It took a moment for my mind to catch up with the reality of the situation. The slicked-back hair, the absence of glasses, the medical ID clipped to his belt—it all clicked into place.

Dr. Adrian.

The very doctor who had treated my injuries. The same man I had been skeptical about when Dad insisted he was the best option for Claire’s heart condition.

He was the one who hit her?

A wave of fury surged through me, my body going rigid as the air around us thickened with tension. My wolf, who had been pacing anxiously in my mind, suddenly grew still, a low growl rumbling deep within.

I took a step forward, then another, each movement fueled by a primal urge for retribution.

Dr. Adrian turned to face me, confusion flickering across his features. “Elijah?” he called out, his voice laced with uncertainty.

That single utterance shattered something inside me.

The sound of his voice ignited a fire within my chest, and my wolf surged forth, overwhelming my senses until I could no longer hold him back.

The shift came swiftly, a violent transformation as my bones cracked and muscles expanded, fur erupting from beneath my skin. The world tilted as I dropped onto all fours, the cold ground pressing against my paws.

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