Saving Tragedy Chapter 108

**Ashton's POV**

I hated myself for how snappy I had been with Rose, knowing that she had only been concerned for my safety, but what she didn't understand was that her anxiety only made me feel more on edge... 

The wheels of the SUV ground against the rough, frostbitten road as we sped toward the direction of the caves - wishing that the cars could go faster than what they were originally built for. 

The hum of engines filled the silence between us, headlights carving a path through the darkness. My grip tightened around the steering wheel, knuckles stark white, my entire body rigid with sheer focus. 

Every second that passed was another second Sawyer, Millie, and their baby were trapped — helpless and surrounded by enemies who had already proven what they were truly capable of. 

Whoever they were, they had managed to take down an Alpha and his best guards, which only pissed me off more.

The thought made my blood burn hotter. 

Whoever did this, will need to be taught a heavy lesson... 

The convoy of vehicles followed closely behind us, their lights stretching in a steady line as we moved, relentless and unwavering. The men in the car with us were also silent and tense, each one mentally preparing for what awaited us. 

No one spoke unless necessary. No one joked or muttered empty reassurances.

There was no point.

We all knew what this could mean.

We were walking straight into the unknown... 

Then, finally, my phone buzzed sharply through the car - as we all eyed one another curiously. 

The number flashing across the screen belonged to one of Sawyer's trackers that had been passed over to me. Without wasting a second, I put the call on speaker and held the phone close, my other hand firm on the wheel.

"Alpha, we have them located," the voice came in quick and urgent, barely above a whisper but clear enough to snap everyone to attention. "We stayed on their tail as much as we could, as you had ordered — we just kept back far enough to avoid being detected."

I clenched my jaw, my grip on the wheel tightening further. "Tell me where."

"The train stopped inside the left cave, deep into the ridge and they didn't come out the other side," the tracker continued, voice laced with exhaustion. "They didn't leave the train out in the open. They drove it straight inside and cut off the engine. We don't know how many men they have, but they've gone underground now and are seeming to want to stay there."

They've halted in the cave, making it harder for us to infiltrate them without giving them a heads up... 

A rush of anger and frustration rolled through me. I should have fucking known. The caves were massive, with endless tunnels winding through the mountain's belly. If they were smart enough to take cover in there, they were planning for something long-term. Whoever is behind this, has probably been operating from inside the caves for who only knows how long now! 

A full-scale assault wouldn't work in our favor. We'd be walking blind into whatever trap they had waiting for us, so how the hell do we approach this?! 

"Have the ally packs sent their warriors to you yet?" I asked, my voice tight.

"Yes. They're in the area, they should be here with us soon." the tracker confirmed. "They updated us just before I called you and we are all waiting in the woodland near the ridge. They didn't want to risk getting too close and giving away their position before you got here either."

Good. That meant that none of us were walking into this alone.

I inhaled sharply, my mind already working ahead, shifting, planning. "I need some of your men to move in now though — only to get close enough to spy and scope out the surroundings to find out if there are any other possible entryways to the caves. Send them in there silent, and undetectable. Get them near enough, just to scope out the operation before we charge in there blind."

"Understood." A rustle of movement sounded on the other end, followed by a muffled conversation before the tracker returned. "We have two of our guys shifting now. They're trained for this type of stuff."

I nodded to myself, my eyes flicking to Hunt, who was sitting beside me. His expression was unreadable, but I knew him well enough to see the tightly controlled rage sitting just beneath the surface.

If something had happened to Sawyer or if Millie and that baby girl were hurt — then none of us were walking out of that cave without spilling blood.

A few tense seconds passed before the tracker's voice returned, this time quieter, sharper. "Alpha... there's something else we think you should know."

Something in his tone made my stomach seize with anticipation.

"What is it?" I demanded.

"Two of our guys claim that they saw him before we managed to get out of there." A pause. "Our Ex-Alpha - Jacob. He was in there - on board - they're almost certain of it." 

The breath left my lungs in a slow, measured exhale, but the rage that coiled around in my gut was anything but calm as Hunt's expression shifted from beside me too.

This is Jacob's doing, of course it fucking was! 

It all clicked together then, like puzzle pieces finally snapping into place.

That little bastard had no doubt been hiding out on board Sawyer's train this whole damn time! 

He'd known that we'd be searching for him after his escape, known that we'd have warriors spread thin combing every inch of the territory looking for him, when Sawyer would be his free ticket out of my pack... 

All this time, when I couldn't understand how he had seemingly vanished without a trace, he had been lying in wait right under our noses, biding his moment until Sawyer was vulnerable and preparing to head back home - taking him out of there with him.

And now Jacob had him. Right in his clutches. No doubt that he hates Sawyer for taking over his Alpha title too… 

This was all bad, it was real fucking bad! 

A low, dangerous growl rumbled through my chest as I slowed the car to pull over, each of the following vehicles following suit from behind me.

"That son of a fucking bitch!" I yell, slamming my fist against the steering wheel, attempting to find an outlet to how I was feeling - but it just wasn't enough. 

"Hunt," I ground out, barely keeping my voice steady. "Get on the line with every team we have out looking for Jacob. Tell them to abandon their search and to join us - tell them that we've located our target now." I demand quickly. 

Hunt didn't hesitate. He grabbed his phone and began getting to work, as I sent a quick mind-link to the rest of our current team to let them know what we had just learned and why we had briefly stopped... 

I exhaled out through my nose, trying to ease the fire in my veins, but it was pointless. Every muscle in my body was tight, locked, and ready for a war.

If Jacob thought he had won this — if he thought he could take Sawyer to get back at me, that he could fuck with my family and pack for the second time and walk away unscathed — then he was about to learn a very, very hard lesson.

I would kill him myself, once and for all.

I pushed the SUV in to drive again, moving faster, slamming my foot against the gas pedal, tearing down the road with renewed determination. 

The weight of what we were heading into bore down on me, but it didn't slow me. It only fueled me now. 

Jacob was on that fucking train this whole time! 

That name alone sent a violent heat coursing through my veins. I had already given him one chance — by locking him away and submitting him to a lifetime of torture instead of killing him, when I had the opportunity. 

Clearly a mistake that I wouldn't be making again.

The cave was a fortress — a perfect place for them to hide, to set traps, to force us into an uneven fight.

We were playing by his rules now.

Unless we somehow managed to change the game.

We were about to bring hell to their doorstep... that was the one thing I was sure of!