Chapter 312 Ghost-Drive
The atmosphere in the hallway shifted instantly as Elana’s wheelchair came to a stop. She was flushed, her hair damp with sweat, and her chest was still heaving, but her eyes held a spark of defiance that hadn't been there before.
"Mom? Are you okay?" Fennigan and Jax asked in perfect, worried unison.
Elana let out a long, shaky breath, wiping a bead of perspiration from her forehead. A weary, triumphant smile broke across her face. "Oh, yes. I just finished my first session of physical therapy."
"And?" Fennigan asked, his voice low with anticipation.
"It went well," she whispered. "I was able to pull myself up... and I actually took a step, boys. On my own." She gripped the armrests, her knuckles white. "Your father... no, not father. I refuse to think my beautiful, honorable boys came from someone so evil. Damon is not going to keep me in this chair forever. He’s taken enough of my life. He won't take my legs, too."
Jax reached down, placing a grounding hand on her shoulder. "He’s gone, Mom. And you’re a Blackwood. You were always the strongest one of us."
Elana’s eyes sharpened as she looked between her two sons, her gaze lingering on the dark bruises on Dr. Chatmory’s neck. She didn't need to be told there was a new threat; she could smell the iron and the desperation on them.
"Listen to me," Elana said, her voice dropping to a low, commanding hum that reminded them both exactly who had raised them. "For years, I let that man convince me that my only job was to be silent and protected. I sat in this chair and I let him weave his lies around us like a shroud. I watched him look you in the eyes while he was betraying the very blood that makes you kings."
She leaned forward, her presence filling the hallway. "Do not let the High Council do to this pack what Damon did to this family. They want us looking over our shoulders, doubting our own shadows. They want us weak and compliant. But they forget—Damon didn't just leave behind a broken chair. He left behind two sons who know exactly what a monster looks like, and a Luna who is done being a spectator."
"Mom, go get some rest," Fennigan urged softly. "We'll be in the lab if you need us."
Elana arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow. "Rest?" she repeated, her voice echoing with a newfound strength. "I have spent enough of my life resting and waiting for permission, Fennigan. I am on my way to see my two favorite daughters-in-law and my three beautiful grandbabies. Believe me, boys, when I say I feel better—and more alive—than I have in weeks. My body might be tired, but my spirit is finally standing up."
She looked at Elias, offering a small, dignified nod. "Besides, if I’m going to be walking again, I need to start practicing so I can chase those twins around. Someone has to keep the next generation in line while you two are busy playing digital detectives."
"Especially this one," Jax added, his own tension easing as he watched the light in her eyes. "Go on then, Mom. I'm sure Ginny and Leela could use the company. And Iggy... he's a handful already."
"I've handled bigger monsters than a nine-pound baby," Elana said with a wink, the underlying truth of her survival chilling yet inspiring. She began to wheel herself down the hall, her movements purposeful and steady. "Now, go. Do what you need to do so we can finally breathe again. If you find anything on that drive that looks like his handiwork, you burn it to the ground."
The men stood for a moment, watching her go.
"She's just one of the hearts of this pack," Fennigan agreed, his face hardening as he turned back toward the heavy, reinforced doors of Jax’s private command center. "And I’m not letting anyone else break it."
Jax punched in the final biometric code. The heavy doors hissed open, revealing the room bathed in the cool, blue glow of high-end servers.
"Alright, Elias," Jax rumbled, gesturing to the main terminal. "This system is completely air-gapped. No signals in, no signals out. Plug that ghost-drive in and show us what we’re really dealing with."
Elias felt the absence of her hand in his as he stood before the steel doors, but he knew she was exactly where she needed to be: tucked away in the safety of the medical suite with Leela, Sarah, and the now-arriving Elana.
"Alright, Elias," Jax rumbled, his voice pulling the doctor back to the task at hand. The Beta’s massive frame blocked out the light of the hallway as he punched in the final code. "It’s just us now."
The heavy doors hissed open, revealing a room bathed in the cool, blue glow of high-end servers and an air-gapped terminal that looked like it belonged in a government bunker. The silence here was absolute, a stark contrast to the giggles and domestic chatter they had left behind.
Fennigan stepped in first, his golden eyes sweeping the monitors. He waited until Elias and Jax were inside before the heavy doors groaned shut and locked with a final, echoing thud.
"My mother and the girls have the medical wing locked down," Fennigan stated, his tone shifting into something cold and kingly. "They’re safe. Sloane is safe. Now, Doctor... no more distractions."
Jax gestured toward the main, isolated terminal. "Plug that ghost-drive in. I want to see every line of code that little freak Weaver helped you steal. Let's see exactly what the Council thinks they're growing inside my mate."
Elias sat down, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. Without Sloane there to steady him, his hands shook for a brief second, but then he looked at the blue light of the monitor and remembered the bruises on his neck. He remembered the nine-pound baby.
The doctor took a breath, reached into his pocket, and slid the metallic drive into the port.
"Here we go," Elias whispered. "Let’s see how deep this rot actually goes."