Saving Tragedy Chapter 115

**Sawyers POV** 

The burning was unrelenting. It didn't matter how much I tried to focus on anything else — my skin still felt like it was on fire. 

The silver had seared into me, a constant reminder of how useless I was in this moment. How far I had fallen.

Millie had done her best, propping me up against the cold metal of the train seat, but it did little to alleviate the pain. My head felt heavy, my limbs like lead, each breath a struggle to take. The weight of everything seemed to be pressing down on me, and I could feel my strength slipping away, bit by bit.

"I'm sorry," I rasped, my voice barely more than a whisper. "I should be protecting you, Millie. This... this isn't how it was supposed to be."

I could feel the tears threatening to fall again, and I hated myself for it. I couldn't protect her. I couldn't protect Elsie. I couldn't protect anyone anymore.

A single tear slipped from my eye, tracking down my dirt-streaked, blood-soaked face, and I turned my head slightly to look at her. I felt broken. Weak. But I couldn't help the guilt that twisted in my chest.

Millie's hand was already on my arm, her fingers warm against my cool skin. Her grip was tight, like she was trying to hold me together when I felt like I was falling apart. She didn't say anything at first, just looked at me with a tenderness that made everything worse.

"Stop," she said, her voice shaky but resolute. "Don't blame yourself. You're here. You're still fighting. That's enough."

I opened my mouth to argue, to tell her that it wasn't enough, that I was failing her in every possible way, but the words wouldn't come. The tightness in my throat stopped me, and instead of speaking, I just let out a shaky breath and leaned back against the seat, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in my face and neck.

But then the crying started again. Elsie's cries. Sharp. Desperate.

I tensed, my chest constricting as her wails sliced through the heavy silence. I could feel her pain — she was still so small, so vulnerable, and hearing her like that made my heart ache in ways I couldn't describe.

"Dammit..." I muttered under my breath, the frustration rising in my chest.

Millie didn't hesitate, her worry morphing into action as she moved quickly to Elsie's side. I watched her go, her footsteps soft but swift, and my eyes followed her as she searched for something to quiet our daughter's cries. I should have been the one to do this. I should've been the one holding it all together.

But I couldn't.

I watched her move through the mess of overturned tables and scattered supplies in the back of the cabin. She was always so strong, but right now, I could see it in her shoulders — the exhaustion, the weight of everything bearing down on her. She was trying to hold it all together for me. 

For Elsie.

Finally, there was a rustle of fabric, followed by a small sound of relief from Millie.

"I found it. I've got it," she said, her voice quieter now, but with a thread of relief that made me feel just a little lighter.

She returned quickly, Elsie now quiet as she drank greedily from the bottle. Millie sank down beside me, not even bothering to sit up fully, her body clearly weary. She cradled our daughter gently, her eyes still focused on Elsie, but I could see the weariness there, in the slump of her shoulders, the tiredness in her face.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, feeling like a failure. "I promised I'd protect you both."

Millie didn't respond immediately. Instead, she just looked at me for a long moment, her gaze steady, like she was trying to reassure me without using words.

Finally, she whispered, "None of this is your fault... We'll get through this. We have to."

I wanted to believe her. I did. But the pain in my body, the overwhelming weight of everything that had happened... it was hard to see any way out.

"How bad do I look?" I managed to rasp, the question barely forming past my cracked lips.

Millie swallowed, and for a second, I saw the hesitation in her eyes. She didn't want to tell me the truth, didn't want to admit just how bad it really was. But she wasn't the type to lie. Not to me.

"It's hard to tell," she said, her voice soft, almost apologetic. "It's so red and scorched. I don't know how you're still awake, Sawyer."

I forced a small, bitter smile, even though the pain in my face made it almost impossible. "I don't know either," I muttered. It was a miracle that I was still conscious. My body felt like it was shutting down, like everything was failing me.

Elsie finished the bottle, and Millie gently pulled it from her mouth, cradling her carefully against her chest. I could hear the faint sound of her soft coos as she settled, and it broke something in me. She was so innocent, so unaware of everything that was happening, but she was here. She was alive.

Millie shifted, settling more fully beside me, her back against the seat. She leaned against the cold metal, but I could feel the tension in her, the way her body shook with exhaustion. She was trying so hard to keep it together, for all of us.

I could barely look at her without feeling like I was failing. She deserved so much better than this — better than me.

The train rumbled beneath us, and my gaze shifted to the window, my heart sinking as the familiar landscape began to pass by. I recognized the hills in the distance, the curve of the road, the small towns that dotted the landscape. It was their territory. Our territory. But now it was Jacob's.

We were getting closer.

"They're taking us to the pack," I muttered, the words coming out in a gravelly whisper. I couldn't stop the sickening realisation that this was happening. That we were going back to the heart of it all.

Millie's eyes flickered to me, but she didn't say anything, just nodded as she cradled Elsie a little closer. There was no need for words. We both knew what was coming.

"What do you think happens then?" she finally asked, her voice small, fragile.

I didn't have an answer. Not a good one. I wasn't even sure if I had the strength to fight when the time came.

But I had to try. For her. For Elsie.

"Hopefully they'll pay," I whispered through clenched teeth, even though I didn't believe it by now. Not entirely. But I had to hold on to that hope. I couldn't let Jacob win. Not again.

The train rumbled louder, closer to its destination. I could feel my heart pounding, a constant drum in my chest, even as my body betrayed me.

The rumble of the train seemed to intensify, vibrating through the cold metal, until I barely noticed it anymore. My body felt distant, like I was sinking deeper into the haze of pain and exhaustion, but the weight of everything pressing on me wouldn't let me rest. Not yet.

Millie was still holding Elsie close, the small bundle of warmth against her chest providing the only comfort in this hellish situation. The quiet murmur of Elsie's breaths was a stark contrast to the harsh reality we faced.

And then, the door to the cabin slammed open with a jolt, dragging my attention sharply back to the present.

Jacob.

He strode in with his usual arrogance, his limp more pronounced now, but it didn't diminish the cruelty in his eyes. Behind him, two of his guards filled the doorway, their faces grim and unamused as they filed into the room.

Jacob's voice rang out, mocking, "It seems my little pack is ready for a reunion, hmm?" He let out a sharp laugh, one that grated on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

I could barely lift my head to meet his eyes but I forced it.

The guards moved to the side of the room, standing at attention, but Jacob didn't care about them. He was focused entirely on me, his eyes scanning my battered form with disdain.

"I see you managed to shut the child up?" He cocked his head, as I growled lowly at him, a warning that I knew I couldn't even follow through with even if I had tried. 

"You know, you really are a pathetic excuse for an Alpha," he sneered, approaching me, before reaching out a bony hand and pressing his fingers into my flesh wound, making me grit my teeth. "All your talk of honor, of power, and now look at you. Weak. Useless."

I could feel my heart pounding harder in my chest, my breaths shallow and labored. But I didn't let him see it. I couldn't. Not now.

Millie shifted beside me, the weight of her worry pressing down on me as she watched Jacob's every movement. Her hands were shaking as she held Elsie, her gaze never leaving Jacob, and I could see the fire in her eyes, the defiance. She wasn't going to let him break me. She wasn't going to let him break us.

Jacob straightened up, wiping his fingers on the fabric of his pants before looking back at the guards. "Is it done?" he asked, his voice cold and calculating.

One of the guards nodded, stepping forward. "Yes, sir. We are through the border. There doesn't seem to be many guards on patrol." 

Jacob grinned and laughed. "Another pathetic mistake. Perfect. Time to show the world who truly rules around here." He turned back to me, eyes narrowing as he spoke. "Get ready, Sawyer. It's almost showtime."

I knew exactly what he meant.

He was going to parade us in front of everyone. Show me at my lowest, at my most vulnerable. And he'd do it in front of the pack. The very people I had once led, the people who had trusted me.

The train rumbled again, and I could feel my stomach twist. We were getting close.

Jacob stepped back and motioned for the guards to move. "Move them," he said, his voice ringing with authority.

I tried to push myself to my feet, to stand for the first time in what felt like hours, but the pain from my burns and the sheer exhaustion in my body kept me from doing anything more than a pathetic, weak push. Millie's hands were on me, her touch gentle but firm, helping me to rise.

"Hold on," she whispered softly, her words meant for my ears alone. "We'll get through this. Just a little longer."

But what would that "longer" look like? I didn't know. 

The guards moved in, their hands gripping me roughly, their eyes cold as they prepared to drag me out. I didn't fight them. I couldn't let them see the rage that was boiling beneath the surface. If I fought, it would give them the satisfaction they craved.

I glanced over at Millie, who was holding Elsie so close, her eyes wide with fear but determined. "Stay strong," I managed to rasp, my voice barely audible. "We're getting out of this. I promise."

But even I wasn't sure if I believed it.

As the guards dragged me from the cabin, the harsh light from the hallway made me squint, but I forced myself to keep my head high. This was not the end. This couldn't be the end.

I had to make it out. For Millie. For Elsie. For the pack. 

I just didn't know how...