Tristan
"What happened?" I growled as I walked into the prison hallway.
I looked around at the chaos. Some of my men were down. There was blood splattered on the floor.
I sucked in a deep breath trying hard not to think about where or who it had come from.
"How did this happen?" I demanded.
Peter left my side to rush to the computer typing furiously.
"Looks like the security footage was deleted." He announced.
Nia walked up to me. A limp in her step and her shirt was torn on the sleeve. Captain Park was beside her, holding her up.
"Alpha." She spoke. "I'm sorry." She spoke up.
I saw her wince in pain but I refused to show any emotion.
"What's the damage?" I demanded.
"Three guards injured, one - one dead."
I didn't ask who because I didn't need to have an emotional reaction right now.
"Who was on guard?" I yelled. "Who let this happen?"
"I-it was during the shift change, alpha. It was clearly thought out. T-this was planned and we were caught -"
Captain Park narrowed her eyes. "With all due respect, Alpha, you're the one who left HQ shortly after a high risk prisoner was brought in. "Where were you?"
I tried to control my anger.
As much as I hated the fact that she was embarrassing me in front of my soldiers, she was right. We had just brought in a high risk prisoner and I had chosen to leave and take Crystal to my home.
I should have been here.
I looked around at the faces around me. All people I had let down.
"How many escaped?" I asked ignoring Captain Park.
"A-all of them, alpha." Nia reported.
"All the rogues except... Roman Desiree."
I stiffened. My hands balled into fists.
"Of course."
"Where's Raph?" I asked.
"Leading the hunt, alpha." Nia spoke.
"Send more men to help him." I spoke. "I want every one of them brought back to me."
"Yes alpha." Nia spoke.
She hesitated. "Dead or alive?"
I looked at Captain Park. She simply nodded.
"By any means necessary." I spoke.
This was war now. My people could be in danger. I needed to regain control as soon as possible.
I started marching to the one cell I knew was still occupied.
"T." Peter called after me.
I could hear his footsteps behind me but I didn't stop. Not even for a second.
I punched into the code and walked into the room.
He sat with his back against the wall.
I looked at him through the glass wall that contained him.
Upon hearing me, Roman lifted his head. His eyes had dark circles around them and he looked pale but he still managed to grin.
"Well if it isn't the mighty Alpha Tristan." He let out a cough and then switched to use his other arm to support him but it still trembled with obvious weakness. "What's going on out there? Sounds like a party."
My eyes remained fixed on him, my blood was boiling.
"Turn off the wolfsbane." I ordered.
"What?" Peter spoke from behind me.
"You heard me." I growled.
Peter walked over to the control panel and shut off the vents that had been slowly depositing small diluted amounts of wolfsbane gas into Roman's cell to weaken him.
There's a reason he was in this cell particularly.
It was reserved for the worst of the worst.
And in my opinion he fit the bill.
"Open it." I ordered.
This time Peter didn't ask any questions and I knew he had plenty.
The cell door clicked open and I walked through.
I walked up to Roman and he eyed me curiously.
I kicked him hard in the stomach.
Roman coughed groaning slightly in pain.
Then he chuckled.
"Kicking a man while he's down? Not very valiant of you, alpha."
I leaned down and grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him up.
I brought my face close to his.
"Cut the crap, Desiree." I growled.
"Not my name but okay."
I threw my hand back and punched him hard across the face immediately drawing blood from his nose.
Roman winced in pain and kept his eyes shut.
"Yeah. That was a good one." He muttered.
I lifted him by his shirt bringing him closer.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Roman answered, his words barely audible.
I threw him to the ground hard before kicking him in the face.
He let out a groan.
"You orchestrated that escape."
Romans lip was busted now. "Escape?" He struggled to speak. "Whatever do you mean?"
I growled. My wolf was this close to coming out.
"I will maul you to death Roman. Don't test me." I yelled.
Roman weakly pulled himself up he touched his bloody lip with his fingers before looking at the redness.
"Now what would Crystal say?"
I felt my heat race. How dare he use her name?
I grabbed him by his shirt again, this time using it to lift him up against the wall.
"I'm not playing." I spoke, my voice low.
Roman looked at something behind me and smiled.
I turned and found Peter staring at me, poorly masked disapproval clear on his face.
Captain Park was there too along with Nia and some other guards.
"Get out!" I yelled.
Not because I needed privacy. But because I wasn't ready for my people to see the monster I would have to become.
Captain Park nodded at everyone else to vacate. She's the only one who remained.
She didn't say a word as if this is the me she had been waiting for. The alpha who got things done when they needed to be done.
And at this point, I knew it was right. My hand shifted to grip Romans neck, using that alone to hold him up.
I'm only going to ask you this one more time. "Who helped you? How did you do this?"
Roman was gasping for breath, weakly clawing at my arm.
In that moment I wondered if I could do it. Just end him here and now.
Crystal asked me if I would. At the time I didn't know the answer. Now, the animal in me didn't have a doubt in my mind.
"Tristan." I heard Captain Park's voice.
"Let him speak." She ordered.
I breathed out through my nostrils looking at Roman who's eyes were become larger and his struggles weaker.
I loosened my hold on him and let him drop to the ground.
He coughed out and heaved in deep breaths in and out.
I walked away trying to control the tremble in my hand. Would I really have done it?
I leaned against the glass putting some distance between Roman and myself as he tried to catch his breath.
"You..." he coughed again, "you know... what has always... always been your problem Tristan Melrose?"
He looked up, hatred and anger in his blood shot eyes. "You've never known how to listen." He heaved out again.
"You've... you've always been a shell of a man. Never quite nearly as good... as good as your mother or your grandfather or... or anyone who has ever wielded the Melrose name."
I looked at Roman unmoved, unphased. He was clearly just grasping now. I must have bruised his ego.
"You're pathetic." He continued. "Parading around as an alpha? Pathetic! You've never been nearly good enough for anyone, not Crystal and definitely not this pack."
I scowled at him.
"Everyone sees you for the pathetic and weak shit you are -"
"You're wasting your breath." I spoke in a level voice.
Roman was breathing heavily, bloodlust rested in his eye and I had no doubt that if he had full strength we wouldn't even be having this conversation right now.
The only thing I had let myself forget is that I had always known Roman's weakness. And I knew exactly how to make him spill.
"Crystal seems to like me just fine." I commented.
Roman's features burned with rage.
He heaved more heavy breaths. I could see him trembling to get himself up.
"Y-you're weak."
"I'm the one who's weak?" I asked looking at the man who could barely lift himself up.
Roman shakily brought a hand to wipe the blood on his nose.
To my surprise he still smiled. "Crystal deserves a man who won't let her down."
I no longer felt comfortable using Crystal as ammunition in this. This wasn't about her. Or him.
This was about one person.
"Where's Ornyx? Tell me and I might show you mercy."
Roman looked at me again with pure hatred.
"Ornyx didn't raise me to be weak. I have never feared death. Too bad your parents weren't raised the way I was. Maybe they wouldn't have begged for their lives like a couple of -"
I walked up to Roman kicking him again in the stomach.
He fell to to ground, laughing.
"There he is." He spoke, his voice hoarse now. "The emotional coward... you wouldn't stand a chance against me in a fair fight."
"I'm not entertaining your bull anymore. If you don't talk, you face the consequences."
I knelt down next to him. "How did you orchestrate this escape? Where is Ornyx?"
Roman looked up at the ceiling blankly. He smiled.
"You're a joke." He spoke in a whisper again. "And everyone around you sees it."
I huffed.
This wasn't working.
I stood up and turned to tell Captain Park we needed a different strategy.
I was shocked to find her already in the cell with me.
"I'm sorry alpha." She spoke.
I furrowed my brows.
"But David is right." She took something out. I realised too late that it was a syringe. "You are weak."
She came at me with the sharp needle, I dodged her advances in time.
My eyes widened. "You." I spoke. Betrayal flooded my mind. It went into overdrive.
It couldn't be.
Captain Park charged towards me again, this time grabbing me roughly by the neck and pinning me to the wall.
"About time." I heard Roman mutter.
I looked into the eyes that had served my mother... that had watched me grow. That had served me.
Now they just seemed empty.
"How could you?" I spat out.
Her face remained blank. "I'm afraid a new dawn is upon us. And you're not a part of it."
She stuck the syringe into my neck and the next thing I knew, there was darkness.