Chapter 78 The Circus Threatens War
Knowing why she felt like she had been hit by a truck made all the difference in the world.
The nausea was still there, lurking at the back of her throat like an unwanted guest, and the exhaustion was dragging at her limbs with the weight of wet wool. But as Leela stood in the center of the training circle, addressing the delegation from the River Pack, she didn't feel weak. She felt like a powerhouse. She felt like a vessel holding the ocean.
She was growing a life. Again.
"You have to ground yourself before you ask the water to move," Leela explained, her voice clear and carrying over the sound of the rushing river nearby. She demonstrated, raising a hand, and a ribbon of water detached itself from the current, hovering obediently in the air.
A wave of dizziness hit her as she turned too fast, the world tilting on its axis for a heartbeat. She disguised the sway by planting her feet wider and resting a hand casually on her stomach—a gesture nobody else noticed, but to her, it was a secret conversation. Stay with me, little one. We’re almost done.
"If you are chaotic, the river will be chaotic," she instructed, letting the water settle back into the stream with a gentle splash. "You cannot force the element. You must be the vessel. It flows through you, not just from you."
She made it through the four-hour summit on sheer willpower, adrenaline, and Ginny’s strategic supply of salted crackers hidden in her training bag. By the time the sun began to dip below the tree line, painting the sky in bruises of purple and gold, Leela felt a profound, quiet contentment. She had done her job. And now, she was going home to her circus.
Fennigan was waiting for her at the edge of the training field. He wasn't even pretending to be subtle anymore. He was leaning against an an oak tree, arms crossed, watching her with an intensity that made the visiting delegates give him a wide berth.
He had a stainless steel water bottle in one hand and a high-calorie protein bar in the other, and his golden eyes were tracking her every movement like she was made of spun glass.
"You sat down three times," Fennigan noted as she walked up to him, handing her the water before she could even ask. "I counted. And you leaned against the railing twice during the Q&A."
Leela took the bottle, drinking greedily before smiling up at him. "I'm pregnant, Fen, not broken. Sitting is allowed. It’s actually recommended in the handbook."
"I prefer 'strategic resting'," he corrected, peeling the wrapper off the protein bar and handing it to her. He didn't care who was watching; he wrapped a heavy arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, taking her weight. "How is... everything? How is the stowaway?"
"Quiet," Leela whispered, leaning into his warmth and taking a bite of the chocolatey bar. "I think they liked the lecture on hydro-dynamics. Or maybe they just liked the nap."
They walked back toward the Pack House in a bubble of perfect, terrifying happiness. The gravel crunched under their boots, the air smelled of pine and coming rain, and for a moment, the world was simple. The chaos of the twins, the shock of the new pregnancy, the logistical nightmare of "four under two"—none of it mattered in that moment. They were together. They were building a legacy. They were untouchable.
That bubble lasted exactly until they reached the front steps.
Jax was standing on the porch. He wasn't holding a wrench, he wasn't wiping grease off his hands, and for the first time in recent memory, he wasn't eating.
He was holding a thick, cream-colored envelope. It was oversized, made of heavy parchment, and sealed with a daunting amount of blood-red wax. The wax was stamped with a symbol that made Leela’s blood run cold instantly: The Five-Pointed Star of the High Council.
Jax looked pale, his usual easygoing grin completely erased. "Courier just dropped this off. He didn't stay for a tip. He didn't even turn off his engine. He said it was 'Eyes Only' for the Alpha and the Elemental Luna. Priority One."
Fennigan’s arm tightened around Leela, his relaxed posture instantly vanishing. He transformed from the doting husband back into the Alpha Prime in the blink of an eye. He reached out, his claws extending slightly, and snatched the envelope from his brother.
He ripped the heavy seal open with a savage tear.
He pulled out the parchment. As he read, the air around them dropped ten degrees. The growl that started in his chest was so low it vibrated through the floorboards beneath Jax’s feet. It wasn't a sound of annoyance; it was the sound of a predator spotting a threat.
"What is it?" Leela asked, her hand going instinctively to her stomach to shield it.
Fennigan didn't speak. He couldn't. His jaw was clenched so tight a muscle feathered in his cheek. He just handed her the letter.
Leela took the paper. The handwriting was elegant, sharp, and dripping with bureaucratic venom.
To Alpha Fennigan Blackwood of the Northern Territories and the Elemental Leela,
Notice of Inquiry and Mandatory Assessment: Case #899-B
It has come to the immediate and alarming attention of the High Council that the stability of the Northern Territories is being compromised. Our Seers have recorded multiple Class-5 magical surges originating directly from the Blackwood Estate. These surges are erratic, powerful, and indicative of untrained elemental volatility.
Furthermore, we have received corroborating reports that the offspring, Caspian and Briar Blackwood, are displaying developmental abilities that defy the Treaty of Restrictions regarding mixed-heritage lineage. We have reason to believe their existence poses a threat to the Balance, and that their current guardianship is insufficient to contain their potential output.
Under Article 14, Section 2 of the Supernatural Protection Act, the Council reserves the right to intervene when a Pack’s domestic environment threatens the secrecy or safety of our world.
You are hereby summoned to the High Council Chambers in the Capital in three days' time. You are ordered to bring the children, Caspian and Briar, for a mandatory Biological and Magickal Audit to determine their threat level.
Be advised: Failure to comply, or failure to produce the children for assessment, will result in the immediate revocation of your Pack Charter, the stripping of Alpha status, and the immediate seizure of all Elemental assets—including the offspring—into Wardship of the State for the safety of the collective.
Do not test us. This is not a request.
— High Elder Vane
Leela lowered the letter, her hands shaking so hard the paper rattled.
"Assessment?" she whispered, the word tasting like bile in her mouth. "Audit? They want to inspect my babies? Like they’re... like they’re weapons? Like they're faulty equipment?"
She looked up at Fennigan, terror warring with fury in her eyes. "Wardship of the State, Fenn. They're threatening to take them."
Fennigan snatched the letter back. He didn't just crumble it; he crushed it into a ball so tight his knuckles turned white. His eyes were glowing a brilliant, furious gold, the wolf fully present and ready to kill.
"They aren't inspecting anything," Fennigan snarled, his voice echoing off the trees and sending a flock of birds scattering from the roof. "They aren't auditing my son. They aren't testing my daughter. If they think they can touch my children—or you—they’re going to find out exactly why the Blackwood line is dangerous."
The happiness of the afternoon was gone. The circus had just gone to war.