Saving Tragedy Chapter 123

**Ashton's POV**

I shoved the car door open harder than necessary, the scent of antiseptic and fresh linen from the hospital immediately filling my nose.

The gravel crunched beneath my boots as I stalked toward the entrance, Hunt keeping his pace beside me.

The heat of the late afternoon sun bore down on us, but I barely felt it. My blood was still running too hot from that damn phone call.

I clenched my jaw, rolling my shoulders in an attempt to shake the tension that had settled deep into my bones. 

It didn't help.

Rose didn't care for my warnings, for the careful decisions I made to keep her and our son safe... and it pissed me off beyond belief! 

I was out here cleaning up a fucking warzone, wiping rogue filth off the face of the earth, and she was back home sunning herself as though a dangerous criminal hadn't just managed to escape from our fucking pack!

The image of it only made my hands tighten up in to balls. Rose and Lydia sprawled out like they were at a damn vacation resort while my son and hers ran around in the open, exposed to anyone who could use them to hurt us!

It was beyond reckless of them. It was dangerous. It was a blatant act of defiance. 

Mate or not, I was still her fucking Alpha too! 

Hunt let out a low chuckle from beside me. "Man, I thought I was mad, but you are beyond pissed, look at you! You're turning purple!" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck in observation.

I shot him a look that told him to shut the fuck up, but he just smirked. "Gotta admit, they've got guts those two," he added. "Telling the guards no three times? Hell, even they probably didn't know what to do with themselves!"

I growled under my breath. "Yeah, well, they don't tell us no when we are there do they?! They're abusing their status amongst the guards and I don't like it! They both need to be taught a lesson or two!" I rage on. 

Hunt barked out a laugh. "Nah, I think they got the message loud and clear when you told them to drag her ass inside if they had to - I'm sure they will know how pissed off you are when they hear that." 

I gritted my teeth. I hadn't wanted to go that far, but she'd left me no fucking choice. I wasn't there in person to drag her ass inside and so the guards would have to step in. 

"What was I supposed to do when she told them no time and time again? She's pushing it!" I state firmly, shaking my head in sheer disbelief at how Rose had been acting. 

As if I don't have enough to deal with! 

This wasn't just some minor disagreement. This wasn't her testing the boundaries just to see where they'd bend.

This was a matter of safety.

Hers. Tommy's. Lydia's. Zander's. 

And I would not tolerate being ignored when it came to their protection. If something were to happen to any of them, I wouldn't be able to live with myself! 

I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to refocus. I couldn't deal with this right now. Not in here.

Sawyer and his pack came first... at least for now. 

We entered the hospital through the main doors, the cool air-conditioning blasting against my skin as we stepped inside. The place was quiet, the sterile white hallways empty except for a couple of nurses moving between rooms.

I spotted the front desk and made my way over, tapping my knuckles against the counter. "Alpha Sawyer Kingston," I said, not bothering with pleasantries. "Where is he?"

The nurse behind the desk looked up, eyes widening slightly as she took me in. Her scent gave away her wolf status, but she dipped her head with the same deference any human would have. "Our Alpha is up in recovery sir," she said quickly. "Third floor. Room 312."

I nodded, already moving. Hunt followed, staying quiet for once.

Seeing a nurse wheeling an empty bed towards the elevator, we moved and took the stairs instead, and by the time we reached the third floor, I could already hear the familiar voices inside Sawyer's room.

I stepped in to find Millie perched up on the edge of Sawyer's bed, her fingers curled tightly around his hand. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but she lifted her chin when she saw us, her expression unreadable.

Sawyer, on the other hand, looked like complete shit to put it lightly.

His skin was raw and blistered on one side, making it hard to tell as of yet how bad it would turn out once it had healed... 

He was Bruised. Bandaged. The scent of his own blood still clung faintly to him beneath the sharp tang of antiseptic.

But his eyes were sharp when they landed on me.

"About time you showed up here to make sure that I made it," he rasped, his voice rough as he attempted to joke. "I was starting to think that Jacob had come back from the dead to beat your ass!" 

I snorted at that. "Oh, sorry we didn't come sooner, but I was just making sure that your messy, body filled, pack was actually cleaned up first!" 

He gave me a weak grin. "Yeah, well, we appreciate that."

Hunt crossed his arms. "How's it feel to be on your ass instead of running headfirst into a fight for once?"

Sawyer huffed. "Way to make me feel better about my losses Hunt! It was fucking shit feeling powerless against the likes of him!" 

"There was nothing you could've done - he ambushed you and made sure that they toppled your numbers on the train. It was a planned operation." I add, not wanting him to guilt trip himself in to a rut. 

"You done more than enough to keep us safe!" Millie whispered, attempting to soothe his ego. 

Sawyer sighed, but there was a warmth in his gaze when he looked at her.

I looked around the room, giving them a short moment, before spotting a baby crib against the wall where a wrapped up and now warm baby Elsie lay gently snoring... 

"What did the doctor say about Elsie?" Hunt beats me to it, his eyes also now settled on the baby who thankfully, made it out of all this alive. 

Millie straightened up, glancing towards her daughter quickly, before settling back in beside Sawyer. "They said that she most likely might be coming down with a cold due to the drastic change in temperatures that she was put in, but besides that, other than a little tiny bruise on her arm and being hungry - she was thankfully unscathed." Millie recites, as I nod at her words. 

"Well we have fully secured the pack now, it's as safe as possible for you both to return home with Elsie whenever you are ready." I told him. "Clark's handling the rest as we speak. The safe houses should be getting the all-clear soon too." I move on to update Sawyer. 

Sawyer nodded, relief flickering across his face. "Thanks Ashton - for coming - for getting us out of this mess. I really did think it was the end for us more times than I could count." 

"You know that I'll always come if you need me." I admit, meaning it too, as Sawyer sighs and looks grateful all the while Millie swallowed hard, her fingers tightening around Sawyer's as her eyes watered ever so slightly... 

It was all over with now...

The war, the fighting, the threat that had loomed over them — it was finally over with Jacob being dead.

There would still be wounds to heal. People to bury. But at least for now, they could rebuild their home life together with their daughter.

Sawyer looked back at me. "And your pack? Any more problems down there?"

I stiffened slightly. "All fine back home, but I had Derrick executed, which I assume will break news to his father eventually... wherever that bastard is hiding... but hopefully let this be a lesson to him not to even attempt to cross me!" I said swiftly.

"You should've killed them years ago anyhow... Jacob and Derrick, I mean!" Sawyer grunts, as I nod and laugh in acknowledgment. 

"Yeah, but we all know that I enjoy the torture too much..." I admit with a shrug, always finding death to be the easy way out for these criminals.

"Yeah... well, apart from that and our girls pretending to be rebels whilst we are gone, everything's peachy back home!" Hunt hums, as Sawyer squints in confusion next - not understanding the joke. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sawyer questions, followed by a cough that leads to a groan. 

I remain silent, rolling my eyes at Hunt for bringing it up, as I leave it to him to explain it further... 

"We left and gave them one rule, not to leave the fucking house, and what happened? We get a damn phone call saying they are out sunbathing. The guard then told us they had asked them to go back inside more times than one and they just kept saying no! The boys are out running around too!" Hunt talks with his hands, throwing them around in sheer disbelief as he retells the story. 

Sawyers lips tug upwards, as I pinch my nose with my thumb and finger to control my boiling temper... 

"By the looks of it, I guess that you two are itching to get back home to teach them a lesson or two?" Sawyer poses, as Millie gasps in shock. 

"Teach them a lesson?! I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation... you don't have to take it that far!" Millie defends her new friends, and I can't help but feel a smile of my own forming next. 

"Nah I don't mean that they'll be going back to beat them Millie... teach them a lesson or two in the bedroom we mean!" Sawyer corrects with a wink, before the three of us erupt in to a fit of laughter that causes Millie's cheeks to redden and leads to a coughing fit from Sawyer once again. 

"Oh..." Millie pushes out, making it funnier, as I shake my head at her innocence. 

"Well if you three are doing ok now, then we best be heading back home! There's a long drive ahead of us." I announce, breaking the moment as Sawyer attempted to sit up to see us both out. 

I move to him, forcing his shoulder back, as he grunts and breathes out steadily. 

"Thanks again Ash, we wouldn't be alive if you didn't make it here on time you know..." Sawyer whispers, lifting his free hand to shake mine. 

"Always." I nod firmly, before giving Millie a final nod too. 

We did it... 

We managed to keep them alive... 

We managed to save this pack... 

To capture and kill Jacob... 

Victory was ours once more! 

'Alpha? It's just to let you know that we have Ethan captured and alive, would you want him locked up here or brought back home with us?' 

I pause by the door, listening to the fresh mind-link I had received. 

That little snake! 

'Bring him back home with us!' 

I respond instantly, knowing that I still had many questions for the man who had helped to break Jacob free from my cells...