Saving Tragedy Chapter 120

**Rose's POV**

A new day, yet it didn't feel like one; as the night still clung to me like a second skin. I hadn't slept. Neither of us had... 

The house had been too quiet since Ashton and Hunt left, the air far too heavy with uncertainty. 

Every creak of the floorboards, every distant sound from outside, had my heart jumping up into my throat. 

I had spent most of the night pacing around in my bedroom, staring at the ceiling, twisting the fabric of my blankets in my hands as if I could somehow wring answers from them. 

But none came.

No update. 

No good news. 

So, when Lydia knocked on my door at five in the morning just as the first hints of light bled into the sky, I was already wide awake. 

She didn't need to say anything. I could see the exhaustion etched onto her own face, the same worry mirrored in her eyes. 

It all felt like a devilish repeat of the past, coming back to haunt us and to test our safety... 

Without a word, I stepped aside to let her in, and together we wandered out onto the balcony, each of us wrapping a robe over our pyjamas to shield ourselves from the morning chill. 

I pulled on Ashton's robe, the scent of him helping to calm my wolf ever so slightly, but deep down I knew that it still wouldn't be enough... 

The crisp air brushed at my cheeks, but the warmth of the coffee in my hands made up for it. We sat down in the cushioned chairs, letting the silence settle between us, only the occasional sound of birds chirping in the distance breaking the stillness.

"I hate this," Lydia finally murmured, breaking the silence.

I glanced at her over the rim of my mug. "What part?" 

She let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "The waiting. The not knowing if they'll make it home. It's been too long, Rose. If something had gone wrong, we wouldn't even know until it was too late. They have sons to think about now too... I often think about what I would do if I had to tell Zander that something bad had happened to Hunt." Lydia admits in a whisper, as I swallow the lump forming in my own throat. 

I nodded slowly, gripping my mug a little tighter. That was the part I tried not to dwell on. 

The fact that the only thing we could do was sit here, helpless, while the people we cared about fought for their lives. Ashton, Hunt, Sawyer, Millie... and even Elsie - out there on the damn battlefield and all because of Jacob! 

"They'll come back," I said, more to convince myself than her. "This is the life we signed up for with those two... I'm just grateful that it isn't often they rush off to battle... most people don't test Ashton and his pack, but leave it up to Jacob!" I groan, as Lydia sighs. 

Lydia sipped her cup, before staring into her coffee as if it held all the answers she needed. "I just don't get why it had to be them, you know? Why is it always the people we love that get pulled into this shit? When does it ever end?"

I had no answer for that. Because I'd been asking myself the same thing from day one.

Before I could respond, a sudden burst of noise shattered the quiet moment.

Thudding footsteps. The sound of laughter. And the unmistakable clicking of claws against the hardwood floor.

A second later, we could see Tommy and Zander through the sliding doors as they came barreling into my bedroom, their little feet barely touching the ground as they launched themselves forward, their energy boundless despite the early hour.

And right at their heels, barking excitedly, was Daisy.

The small dog bounced toward us, her tail wagging so fast it was nothing but a blur. I barely had time to set my coffee down before Tommy scrambled up onto my lap, his face lighting up with uncontainable joy.

"She's back!" he announced loudly, as if we weren't already aware. "Daisy's back from her trip to doggy daycare!"

We called it doggy daycare, but realistically it was an overnight stay at a nearby pack members house who also owned a small dog - Daisy's best friend. The pups would regularly go to the park together and Alison also had dog grooming experience so we would pay her to keep Daisy fresh and clean every couple of weeks or so! 

Daisy had spent the night there in order to give us some space to throw Tommy's birthday party, not wanting to overwhelm her with all of our house guests. 

Zander, always the quieter of the two first thing in the morning, simply grinned and plopped himself down on  to the floor, scratching behind Daisy's ears as she licked at his hands.

I forced a smile, trying to match their excitement. "That's great, buddy," I said, ruffling Tommy's messy morning hair. "Do you think she had fun?"

"She smells like shampoo!" Tommy declared, hopping off to bury his face into her fur before recoiling with a giggle. "And she's all fluffy now!"

Lydia reached down to stroke Daisy's head, her own smile a little more genuine than mine. "Well, she looks very happy to be home again," she said, her voice light despite the worry that still lingered behind her eyes.

Daisy, also oblivious to the tension in the room, wagged her tail even harder before leaping up onto my lap, forcing Tommy to laugh loudly.

For a moment, it was easy to forget everything else that was going on.

Easy to let the boys' laughter fill the cracks in our broken thoughts, to let Daisy's excited little barks distract us from the gnawing fear still pressing against our chests.

But then—

"Mom, we want to go outside and play?" Tommy announces, as I instantly eye Lydia. 

Zander, never one to be left out, immediately joined in. "Yeah! Let's go on the swings and the climbing frame! Please can we?"

My stomach tightened.

I could still hear Ashton's voice of warning in my head, firm and unwavering—

"Neither of you are to leave this house while I'm gone!" 

The warning had been clear. Even though we were in the safety of his territory, even though guards surrounded the perimeter, he wasn't convinced that the danger was gone yet. 

Until Ashton and the others returned, we couldn't risk it... 

Still, looking at their eager faces, at the way their fingers twitched with restless energy, I knew what keeping them cooped up for the entire day would do.

Lydia sighed, meeting my gaze over the boys' heads. I knew she was thinking the same thing.

"It's not safe..." I started, but before I could finish, Tommy groaned dramatically.

"But the backyard is safe!" he insisted. "You always say that! And Daddy always has guards everywhere! They wouldn't let anything bad happen to us, right?"

He was extremely wise for his age I would have to give him that... 

Zander nodded eagerly. "Just for a little while? Please?"

I hesitated.

A part of me wanted to say a firm no, but I had never been a strict parent, it wasn't in my nature. The other part of me — the part that saw how desperately they needed something normal today — knew that keeping them locked inside wouldn't help anyone.

They would wind up cranky, wind up upset... which would be good for absolutely no one today... 

Finally, I exhaled out through my nose, glancing at Lydia again. She gave a small shrug, as if to say, It's your call.

"...Alright," I relented, watching as their faces lit up. "But only in the backyard. And only for a little while."

"YES!" Tommy cheered, jumping up so fast Daisy yipped in surprise.

Zander grinned, already tugging on his friends sleeve. "C'mon! Let's get our shoes!"

They took off running, Daisy hot on their heels.

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples as I sighed.

Lydia smirked. "You're always too soft on him."

I shot her a look. "Says the one who didn't argue either."

She laughed, shaking her head before finishing off the last of her coffee. "You got me there! Without their Dads here, they could run a truck over the pair of us!" 

The light hearted moment quickly began to fade, as I stared out over the balcony once again, past the yard where the boys would soon be out playing, I felt the unease creeping back in.

We still hadn't heard anything...

And that silence was more terrifying than anything else.