Saving Tragedy Chapter 121

**Ashton's POV**

The stench of blood still clung to the air, thick and metallic, as Hunt and I moved through the remnants of Jacob's makeshift 'pack' of rogues. 

The battle was over, but the cleanup was far from finished. Bodies littered the ground, a grotesque reminder of what had happened here today. Some were barely recognisable, torn apart by claws and bullets alike. Others were slumped against walls, their final moments frozen in terror.

The few surviving rogues had been rounded up, bound, and forced onto their knees in the center of the packhouse courtyard. Some of them were whimpering, shaking, looking anywhere but at the bodies of their fallen mates - each just as foolish as the last. Others just sat there, blank-faced, as if they'd already accepted their fate.

Clark stood off to the side, his arms crossed, waiting for orders as the stand in man for Sawyer. He was bloodied, his shirt ripped at the collar, but his expression was unreadable as he surveyed the scene.

"You know what to do," I told him, wiping the back of my hand across my jaw. My knuckles ached from the number of times they'd connected with bone tonight. "Clear this up completely before giving the all clear to the safe houses! Get these rogues to the cells for questioning, we can't risk there being more of them out there to cause us any more problems - they get the same treatment as the rest of your prisoners." I conclude firmly. 

Clark nodded once, his expression firm. "Understood Alpha."

Hunt exhaled beside me, running a hand through his damp, sweat-soaked hair. "We're finally done here," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "You think Sawyer will pull through this? He looked in pretty bad shape!"

I glanced toward the packhouse, toward the blood-soaked wooden floors where he had stood only an hour ago, rifle in hand, steady even with his body barely holding itself together. "Yeah," I said. "He'll make it."

Hunt grunted, but I could see the tension in his shoulders ease slightly. It was over. The threat to Sawyer's pack had been wiped out. The safe houses could be called back soon enough. Families could return home. Normal life could resume — now that Jacob wouldn't live to repeat this whole ordeal. 

"We need to get to the hospital to check in," I said, already turning for my car. "Sawyer and Millie need to know that it's completely safe here now."

Hunt followed without another word, both of us moving on autopilot as we climbed into the car after saying a brief goodbye to Clark. The second the doors shut, I let out a slow, steadying breath, gripping the wheel tighter than what was necessary considering that the worst of it had passed. 

My hands were still itching, my body still running off the high of the fight, but I forced myself to push it down... 

The feeling was addicting, hunting down men who had wronged so many before bringing them to their final end - it was what made being an Alpha worth it... 

But It was over now for good! 

I drove toward the hospital making small chat with Hunt, before we were halfway down the winding dirt road when my phone rang.

The sharp sound cut through the silence, and something in my gut twisted.

I didn't recognise the number at first, but they must have been important enough to have mine, and so I quickly clicked to answer - finding one of the guards who I'd left back home to be the caller.

My stomach dropped.

"Alpha?" He spoke, and I snatched the phone up so fast my fingers nearly fumbled it. "Talk," I ordered, not bothering with a greeting.

There was a brief pause before the guard's voice came through. "Alpha, things are fine here. I just wanted to check in — see how things were going on your end."

I clenched my jaw, eyes locked on the road ahead. "It's all done," I said. "Sawyer and his pack are safe now. We're heading to the hospital to check on them."

The guard made a noise of acknowledgment before hesitating.

I caught it instantly.

"Hurry up and tell me the real reason you called," I snapped.

"Well, uh..." There was a rustling sound, like he was shifting on his feet. "It's just... I figured you'd want to know that Luna Rose and Miss Lydia have been out in the back yard all day. Sunbathing and letting the boys play outside."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

I stiffened, my fingers tightening around the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. My heartbeat slammed against my ribs, my wolf snarling inside of me at the sheer disobedience... 

"They did what?" My voice was eerily calm as I shot Hunt a look to find him just as enraged as me.

"They, uh — well, yeah," the guard cleared his throat. "They took some chairs out, and have just lounged in the sun for a couple of hours. The kids were on the climbing set. Looked like they were enjoying themselves."

I saw red after that.

They had been outside. While I was gone. While I was cleaning up a fucking warzone.

And worse — they had done so after I had explicitly told Rose not to leave the house.

"Tell me you already ordered them back inside before I lose my shit with you too," I growled, my patience hanging by a thread.

"We tried," the guard admitted quickly. "Multiple times in fact. But the Luna simply said no. She said they'd be fine out there and we wouldn't dare to put our hands on her."

She fucking said she'd be fine did she? 

I could barely see straight.

As far as she had heard, there were still threats out there. Rogues who might have slipped through the cracks. Stragglers who could've seen an opening to strike whilst I was gone, yet she just thought they'd be fine?

I inhaled deeply through my nose, forcing the sharp, dangerous edge out of my voice. "Listen to me carefully," I said, my words slow, deliberate. "You get them inside. Now. I don't give a shit if you have to drag them in kicking and screaming now either - tell Rose that it's a direct order from HER ALPHA!"

"Yes understood, Alpha," the guard answered quickly.

I hung up before I could say anything else, my jaw locked so tight that it ached.

Beside me, Hunt let out a low whistle. "Damn," he muttered. "They really pulled that shit while we were gone huh?"

I didn't answer him.

Instead, I went straight to my contacts, scrolling down until I found Rose's name. My thumb hovered over the call button, my blood practically boiling in my veins.

She had disobeyed me.

She had put herself — and our son — in harm's way.

And I was going to make damn sure that she never did it again... 

"Nah I think you should wait until we get back, the guards warning from you will be enough to scare them for now!" Hunt laughs, shaking his head as I think on his words - opting for a text instead. 

'GET INSIDE NOW!' I hammer out in capital letters before hitting send, tossing my phone down as we approach the hospital building. 

I was itching to get home to her now, itching to make my mark as the man in charge... 

"For all they know, shit could've been real bad right now!" Hunt complains, speaking my own thoughts. "Yet they go out and fucking start sunbathing?!" He adds, as my teeth grind. 

"They'll be sorry when we see them..." I mutter, pulling up to a parking space. 

The sooner that I can get in to see that Sawyer is successfully on the mend, the sooner I can head back home to Rose and Tommy...