Chapter 63 She's Back
By late afternoon, the biting chill of the high peaks had driven the little family inside the cabin. Fennigan had built the fire in the Great Hearth into a roaring blaze, casting long, dancing shadows against the timber walls. He had arranged a nest of thick furs and quilts on the floor, close enough to the heat to be comfortable but far enough back to be safe.
Leela was improving. It was slow, agonizing progress, but to Fennigan, every small movement was a victory parade. For the first time in fourteen days, she initiated a movement on her own—she groaned softly, engaged her core, and managed to roll onto her side to face him. The effort left her breathless, her forehead sheened with sweat, but the spark in her eyes was undeniable.
"You're showing off now," Fennigan teased gently, though his eyes were thick with emotion as he adjusted the pillows behind her back to support her.
The Alpha’s Service
He sat cross-legged in front of her, a bowl of rich, warm broth in his hand. The steam curled up between them, smelling of herbs and roasted bone marrow—healing food.
Leela’s hand, trembling slightly, reached out from beneath the quilt. "I... I can do it, Fen," she rasped. Her voice was still rough, like gravel over silk, but the words were distinct. The slur of the coma was fading. "I can hold... a spoon."
Fennigan didn't hand it over. He gently intercepted her hand, kissed her knuckles, and tucked it back under the warm cover.
"I know you can," he said, dipping the spoon into the broth and blowing on it softly to cool it. "But you’re not going to. Not today. Not tomorrow, either."
Leela furrowed her brow, a faint ghost of her old defiance flickering. "Why? You... you need a break. You look... tired."
"I don't need a break from you, Sparky. I need you to eat," he said, bringing the spoon to her lips. She opened them, accepting the nourishment, her eyes never leaving his face.
The Promise of the Dance
He waited until she swallowed before he spoke again, his voice dropping to a low, intimate rumble that vibrated in the quiet cabin.
"I’m going to do everything for you," he vowed, wiping a tiny droplet from her chin with his thumb. "I’m going to feed you, carry you, and breathe for you if I have to. I’m going to do it until you are strong enough to stand on your own two feet. And then..." He paused, a slow, determined smile spreading across his face. "...I’m going to keep doing it until you’re strong enough to dance with me."
Leela blinked, confused. "Dance?"
"Dance," Fennigan affirmed. "That is the first thing we’re going to do when we get down this mountain. I don't care if it's in the kitchen or the Great Hall."
He set the bowl down and leaned forward, bracing his hands on either side of her head, caging her in with his presence.
"I want to present the twins to the pack properly," he whispered fiercely. "Not a quick announcement. I want a celebration. I want music. I want the whole territory to see the Blackwood Alpha and his Mate standing tall, holding the future in their arms. I want to spin you around the floor and feel your heart beating against mine when you aren't hooked up to a machine."
He kissed her forehead, lingering there. "So you eat. You rest. And you let me serve you. Because I missed my dance partner, and I’m not waiting another hundred years to get her back."
The Silent Audience
Leela’s eyes welled up, and she gave a weak, watery nod. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay. I'll get strong. For the dance."
Fennigan smiled, picking up the bowl again. "Good girl."
Just a few feet away, in the portable bassinet near the fire, the "baby knot" shifted. Caspian let out a contented sigh in his sleep, and Briar wiggled closer to her brother. They slept peacefully, unaware that their parents were currently planning the biggest party the Blackwood pack had ever seen, all centered around the simple miracle that they were all finally, truly, together.