Chapter 291 I Want to Walk Again
Ginny let out a long, exaggerated sigh, clutching Iggy a little closer to her chest. "Guys, come on. I'm fine," she pleaded, looking between her fiercely protective mate and her equally stubborn best friend.
Leela didn't miss a single beat. She seamlessly shifted her tactics, leaning forward with an infuriatingly reasonable expression. "Okay, then. If you're completely fine, we'll just take Iggy in for a routine check-up. And since we'll already be there, they can just give you a quick look-over. No harm done."
Ginny opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it shut the second she met Leela's unyielding, elemental gaze.
She knew instantly that there was absolutely no sense in fighting her best friend on this. If it were just Jax pushing the issue, Ginny knew she could probably just pout, lean into his solid chest, and easily melt the massive Lycan's resolve to get her way. She had him entirely wrapped around her finger.
But Leela wasn't going to fall for any of that. Leela had known her far too long, back when they were just two human girls navigating the world, long before crowns and fated mates. And when the Blackwood Luna dug her heels in to protect someone she loved, she was an immovable object.
Defeated by the combined front of her mate and her Queen, Ginny threw her free hand up in the air in surrender.
"Fine. Fine, we'll go," Ginny relented, dropping her hand back down to gently rub Iggy's back.
The heavy, anxious tension rolling off Jax's towering frame instantly evaporated. He leaned down, his broad shoulders relaxing as he pressed a deeply relieved, lingering kiss against Ginny's pale cheek.
"Thank you," Jax murmured roughly, his golden eyes completely soft. He didn't care if she was annoyed with him; he just needed to know she was safe.
With Ginny's health officially addressed and the argument settled, a comfortable, resolved silence briefly fell over the adults at the table.
But it didn't last long.
"Okay, Ginny taken care of. Check," Elana announced, her voice suddenly cutting through the quiet chatter of the toddlers.
Leela and Ginny both looked over in surprise. The heavy, suffocating sorrow that had anchored Elana to her leather wheelchair just an hour ago had completely vanished. The crushing guilt over Damon's betrayal had been entirely burned away by Leela's fierce forgiveness. In its place was the undeniable, ancient steel of a woman who had successfully ruled the Blackwood territory as Luna for decades.
Elana looked at the powerful wolves gathered around the massive oak table, meeting each of their gazes with an intense, burning determination.
Fennigan paused, his coffee mug hovering halfway to his mouth. He slowly lowered it back to the table, leaning back in his heavy chair as he raised a single, thick dark eyebrow at his mother.
"Yes?" the Alpha King prompted softly, respectfully giving her the floor.
"I have a request," Elana stated, her tone sharp and leaving absolutely no room for debate. "I want some of the physical training bars brought into the house. Put them in the gym, the sunroom, I don't care where."
She gripped the padded armrests of her wheelchair, her knuckles turning white as she glared down at the metal wheels that had confined her ever since the previous attacks had ravaged her body.
"I want to walk again," Elana declared, her chin lifting with absolute defiance. "And just rolling around the packhouse in this damn thing isn't going to get me back on my feet."
A stunned, electric silence hung in the dining room for a microscopic second before a massive, beaming smile broke across Leela's face.
Across the table, Jax and Fennigan exchanged a look. There was no pity in the Alpha King or his towering Beta's eyes—only pure, unadulterated pride. The monsters had tried to permanently break their mother's spirit, but the true strength of the Blackwood bloodline was officially fighting back.
Fennigan let out a low, rumbling purr of profound approval, giving his mother a sharp, respectful nod.
"I'll have the elite guard clear out a space in the east wing training room and bolt the parallel bars directly into the floor this afternoon," Fennigan vowed, a fierce smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Whatever you need, Mom. We're getting you back on your feet."
As the last of the breakfast plates were cleared away by Vannie, the packhouse shifted from a chaotic morning into a coordinated, purposeful rhythm.
Jax didn't waste a single second. The towering Beta immediately headed out to pull the heavily armored SUV around to the front steps. Leela threw on a thick, comfortable sweater, fully prepared to accompany them. There was absolutely no way she was letting Ginny face a sterile hospital room and a battery of tests alone.
Sarah, looking rested and having slipped seamlessly back into her lethal, stoic grace, met them at the front door. She was fully armed and practically vibrating with protective energy, officially stepping in as their elite guard for the trip into town.
Fennigan stood in the grand foyer, wrapping his massive arms around Leela and pressing a deep, lingering kiss to her forehead before she stepped out the door. He gave his brother a firm nod, then shifted his liquid-mercury gaze to the female guard.
"Keep my family safe, Sarah," Fennigan ordered gently, but with the undeniable weight of the Alpha.
"With my life, sir," Sarah vowed before following the group out to the waiting SUV.
With the heavy front doors clicking shut, the sprawling packhouse felt distinctly quieter, though far from entirely peaceful.
Toby had stayed behind, remaining in the royal wing to help manage the homefront. The warrior had flawlessly transitioned from protecting the borders to acting as the babysitter like he and Sarah usually did together. He was currently sitting cross-legged on the thick rug of the family room, stoically allowing Briar to aggressively brush his hair with a brightly colored plastic comb. He realized without his mate, babysitting was going to be different this time.
Elana supervised the chaos from her wheelchair nearby, a soft smile on her face and a fierce, renewed spark in her eyes as she waited for the training bars to be installed. Caspian was busy using Toby's broad back as a climbing wall, completely content in the safety of his pack.
Fennigan watched them from the doorway for a long moment, a profound warmth expanding in his chest. But as he turned away and walked into his massive, wood-paneled office, his mind ruthlessly pivoted back to the war board.
He left the heavy oak doors open so he could keep an ear on his mother and the toddlers, leaning his broad hands flat against his massive desk. His tactical mind was violently spinning, running through every possible scenario regarding the High Council and the fifteen Alphas.