83: As good as dead

**Tristan**

Every inch of my body was on fire, and not the exciting kind. It burned in pain, as though every one of my veins had been filled with gasoline and set aflame. Exhaustion was etched into every one of my muscles and by the time I’d finally reached the perimeter of the blood moon pack, I could no longer hold my wolf form. It was the fastest I’d ever run in my life and the most energy I’d ever exerted. The familiar feeling of sick was already grabbing a hold of me, and I tried my best to keep it at bay. Lucien and Damon were, surprisingly not too far behind me and I expected them to be joining me soon. Everyone else, however was still quite a distance away from us and I doubted they’d be here for the main fight. The entrance of the pack had already been infiltrated by some of Ambrose’s strongest rogues and so I decided to use one of the back entrances to the pack and make my way to Jasmine and Damon’s home. The moment I’d made it there, I was relieved to find Ambrose, Ruth and Ryder at the doorway. It meant that they hadn’t had the chance to attack yet. As I moved in closer towards the front door, I could hear Ambrose speaking in that sickeningly smug voice of his.

“Speaking of rectifying mistakes, where is your sister? Resting at Lucien’s old home?”

I almost chuckled when he’d said it, but composed myself and then proceeded to say as loudly as I could, “No. I’m right here you sick bastard!”

Satisfaction ran through me the moment he turned around and his shocked eyes met mine.

“T-Tristan? You weren’t supposed to be here!” And as this left his mouth, his eyes softened for a moment, and I could see panic flash within them. Slowly my satisfaction was replaced by confusion. I knew he would be surprised to see me here, but the concern was new.

Ambrose then stepped forward, towards me, shaking his head furiously. “Why are you here, Tristan! You weren’t meant to be here!”

I was alarmed by the distraught look in his eyes and instinctively took a few steps back, cautious and weary.

“It seems you weren’t expecting me?” It was supposed to come out mockingly, but instead, the tone of my voice changed making me sound confused and slightly alarmed.

“You were supposed to be too weak to fight! You were supposed to sit this one out!” He yelled in frustration. I knew I was a threat to him, but at this point, his reaction made me question the actual source of his frustration.

And so, I dared to ask why. I thought that I’d had Ambrose all figured out, but unfortunately, I was more lost regarding his actions now than I had ever been.

Ambrose paused for a moment before bursting into a fit of loud, uncontrollable laughter. Just the sound of it made my skin crawl.

“You’re the prize, Tristan.” It came from my sister’s lips, and the moment it did, Ryder turned towards her and attempted to slap her. Oliver, however, caught his hand and pushed back at him.

“How dare you!” Ryder seethed, anger burning in his eyes.

“You won’t lay a fucking hand on her you fucking asshole.” Oliver practically seethed.

The two were about to begin an all-out-brawl, when Ambrose lifted his hand and shook his head.

“Jasmine is right. It seems she’s figured out my game.” Ambrose said, barely able to hide his smile. Then his eyes met mine and he smirked.

“A Blue-Eyed Alpha filled with almost endless healing abilities and who is also respected by the entire rogue pack. There’s no way I could have someone that powerful in a pack that’s not mine. But you see… you have too many ‘things’ tying you down here. A mate, a sister with an unborn child… fuck, you have a whole family. So, I need to take them away so that you don’t have them tying you down anymore, so that things can be just the way they used to be before you were infected with compassion.” He said. I knew Ambrose was insane, I knew it very well. But this, this bordered on something even Evil shivered in fear at.

Despite the searing pain in my body and the heaviness of exhaustion weighing me down, anger rushed through me in the same way adrenaline did, and every inch of my body was ready to completely obliterate the man before me. He was a threat to everything I had grown to love and appreciate, a threat to that beautiful future I’d let myself dream of. But what really got under my skin, what drove my rage through the roof was the fact that this man had deluded himself into thinking I’d ever want anything to do with him after his attempt at taking everything away from me. And so, with a voice quivering in complete and utter hatred, I asked, “And what in the hell makes you think that I’d ever want things to be the way they were?”

He laughed again, as though the answer were obvious. “I’ve done it before. I’ve taken away everything from you and you stayed. Now that you have something worth living for, something other than the purpose I’d given you, you think you have some chance at living a happy life? Tristan, happiness is a sick joke life plays on us. The sooner you learn that, the sooner you’ll become the woman you were born to be, great and powerful like me.”

By now everyone had fallen silent, eyes glued to the scene before them as realisation soon crept into each one of us. Everything Ambrose had done, everything he’d put me through was all for me to become something he’d always wanted- a child that did not disappoint. Someone just like him. He’d failed with his own children and completely given up on them. But I was different. I’d shown him countless times how much of strength I had in me. I’d shown him how quickly and easily I could throw away my feelings. I’d, at some point, become a mirror image of him and now that I no longer resembled him, now that I was no longer his false daughter but Selene’s own flesh and blood, he was lost. After I’d resurrected Ambrose, the only thing he had dedicated himself to, was his revenge, his pack and my upbringing. Now, only one thing remained, and he was trying to use that in order to get me back on his side. But this time I wasn’t some innocent, naïve little girl, lost without her parents. This time, I knew better. This time I could fight for myself, and I had people to fight alongside me.

“I’ll never be anything like you, Ambrose. You may have taken me in, you may have raised me, but you were *never* my family. I’ve only been some kind of *thing* in your life, made to resemble you. I was a creation of yours, but no longer. I’m not your fake daughter, Ambrose. I’m Tristan fucking Spectra and there’s no way in hell I’m letting you win. I’ve beaten you once, and I’ll do it again. There is nothing, absolutely nothing left in you that’s even worthy of saving. You’re the shell of a person, walking around on borrowed time which I once gave to you. But today, today I’m taking it all back.” I’d never felt so alive before and the words left my mouth faster than I even thought them up. I was tired of being haunted by Ambrose, tired of being the shell of a person he’d made me into.

Ambrose stayed silent for a moment, we all did, shocked by the firm words that had left my mouth. Then, he cleared his throat and a dark and evil look appeared on his ghastly, overshadowed face.

“You’re too late. Your mate and his brother have run to their death. I knew they’d try to attack me so soon after I’d attacked you. It’s only natural to retaliate. But unfortunately for you, our pack is expecting them and so they’re as good as dead.”

It was my turn to laugh now, yet I didn’t do it quite the evil justice Ambrose had. I did, however, manage to successfully unnerve the bastard.

“I don’t find anything I said humorous. Unless… you find the fact that Lucien and Damon are probably dead by now funny?”

“Dead? Damon, do I look dead to you?” Said a familiar voice behind me. I immediately turned around and smiled weakly at Lucien who had his arm draped over his brother’s shoulder, practically holding on for dear life. Both of them looked exhausted, Lucien even more than Damon. But that did nothing to stop the look of hatred which took over both of their faces.

“You look a little pale… but dead’s a little far-fetched… that man over there, however,” Damon said, pointing towards Ambrose, “looks as good as dead to me.”