The Triplet Alphas's Christmas Gift

Chapter 6 - Training

Kyle's POV

I watched Tei slip peacefully to sleep after about five minutes. She always loved it when I stroked her hair and sang as a little girl. I continued rubbing her back soothingly, frowning at the bruises and cuts on her face. Who could have done this?!

I curled around her from behind, about to fall asleep when my phone pinged, Tei shifted slightly, and I sighed and grabbed it from my nightstand, trying to put it on silent.

I looked and noticed I had been added to a group chat with the triplets, Ryan was currently texting,

RYAN: Is she doing ok?

Me: I got her home, and she took a shower, but I think she had a panic attack. I heard screaming coming from the bathroom.

TYLER: You didn't go in?!

MATT: Dude, would you have if that was our sister?! She's been through enough today. The last thing she needs is another guy barging in on her privacy!

Me: I pounded on the door, but she had locked it. She finally stopped after about ten minutes, and before you ask, no, I didn't break down the door.

TYLER: Why not?!?!

Me: For one, my parents would kill us. Tei's already going to be in enough trouble.

RYAN: What do you mean?

I stopped, I had let that slip without thinking. They couldn't find out how she was treated. Our parents' abuse would just get worse for her.

Tei wasn't supposed to be at school to begin with when we were younger, Mom and Dad saw no need for her to have an education. But I had noticed her peeking curiously at my school books when they weren't looking, so late at night, when they were certain to be asleep, I would sneak up to Tei's room quietly and teach her for as long as we both could stay awake.

She learned quickly but never tried to show how smart she truly was to our parents. They wouldn't care about her mind, only that she had defied them. It all blew up in our faces when she was five after the Alpha came to the house for dinner and noticed Tei sitting on the backporch. Whenever we had guests over, Mom and Dad would have Tei prepare the meal and then lock her in her room to keep her out of sight. But Tei had figured out a little hideaway through the vents and had gotten curious about the important guests.

I had gotten through the dinner bored to death with Dad going on and on about my so-called accomplishments, trying to impress the Alpha. The triplets were away at a different pack with the Luna, so it was just me and the adults. I had already tried to politely excuse myself, but the glare my father sent me stopped my words, so I sat.

I had stiffened when I looked out the window behind Dad and the Alpha and had seen Tei peeking through the blinds. Her eyes were wide with awe, and she looked mesmerized. I signaled under the table for her to back off, but she just smiled cheekily at me and headed in the direction of the backyard.

The Alpha stood up and thanked us for the meal, but Dad insisted on a glass of brandy before he left. The Alpha smiled politely and followed Dad towards the backporch. I tried to stop them, but Mom dragged me away, saying I needed to study. I saw Dad open the back door and the Alpha step through c*****g his head curiously, "Who's that?" he asked turning to Dad who stiffened.

"Just a wayward urchin, Alpha. She tends to wander over here from time to time." Dad replied tersely. I saw his jaw clench and I knew Tei was in big trouble. The Alpha smiled and bent down to my sister's level, she was sitting reading a book by the moonlight swinging her little legs happily. "Hello there," he said and she jumped a bit putting her book down quickly. He smiled gently at her, "It's OK. I'm not going to hurt you. What are you reading?" he asked.

Tei glanced at Dad nervously but held the book out, it was one of my novels I had been teaching her to read from. It was a third grade reading level book about dragons and princesses something she loved hearing about. Alpha Christian smiled, "That's a good one. Do you know what it says?" he asked. Dad stepped in then, "Alpha, she's only a young one, surely she hasn't been taught to read yet. She tends to come out of the woods looking for food, no doubt, it's our fault for giving it to her in the first place. Now she's trying to steal." he said trying to get Tei away from Alpha Christian.

Alpha Christian looked at Dad in disdain, "Feeding children, even ones not of the pack, is never a bad thing to do." he said sternly his blue eyes turning icy. Dad flinched and bowed, "Of course, Alpha. I only meant that constantly giving her food will draw unwanted attention from other rogues in the area." he explained.

My blood boiled, I couldn't help it, my eight year self was shaking uncontrollably, "She's NOTa rogue!" I yelled before I could stop myself. Dad turned to me angrily, "Now's not the time for your fantasies, Kyle." he said sternly but I glared back. I tore myself from Mom's arms and hugged Tei holding her behind me, "She's my little sister. Not a rogue! And I've been teaching her how to read! She's very smart!" I exclaimed but Dad grabbed my arm tightly.

"Enough!" he roared and Tei flinched, "My apologies, Alpha, it is plain my son is overly tired and not thinking right. We don't have a daughter, the girl is just a random rogue who wanders in from time to time. Apologize to the Alpha." he said sternly to me. I growled but bowed apologizing for my outburst. Dad pushed me towards Mom, "Take him upstairs, he needs rest. And you, girl. Go back to where you came from. We have no food for you!" he yelled.

Tei looked at Dad fearfully but scurried away leaving the book on the porch, the Alpha watched her leave curiously but Dad managed to distract him by offering excuses and explanations at least until the Alpha left.

Later, Dad dragged Tei down to the basement. Mom had locked me in my room to prevent me from interfering. I pounded on that door for hours begging them to let me out to no avail. When Dad finally came to my room, he was wiping his hands with a towel, "Where's Tei?" I demanded but he looked at me in disgust. "That girl, is serving her punishment like she deserves. I told you not to get involved with her, she's not worth it. Hopefully she'll learn her place. Now, you will not embarrass me like that in front of the Alpha again. I'm trying to better your future by getting you close to the triplets and stupid outbursts like that only make you look crazy. Luckily, I smoothed things over, though now the Alpha wants to waste resources by allowing her to go to school." he said sniffing angrily.

I tried not to smile, Tei had always wanted to go but Dad forbade it saying they needed her here to clean the house. Dad growled at me, "We are going to give her some of your old things but you are NOT to associate with her. Harris is a common enough last name but if people ask, you say she's not related. Any association with that useless girl is sure to bring down your reputation." he stated and I nodded.

I started, jolting awake as my alarm went off, I must've dozed off. I glanced at the clock and sighed, it was time to train. I looked over at Tei who was sleeping, albeit a bit fitfully. I didn't want to wake her.

I got up slowly and grabbed my workout clothes, with how cold it was today the training would be in the gym which was heated. I changed into my shorts and a black tank top, wrapping my fists in bandages, I needed to punch something.

When I came out, Tei was shaking and whimpering quietly. I frowned and ran over to her, "Hey, hey. It's OK Tei, you're safe. I'm here." I whispered stroking her hair gently. She sighed and quieted a bit, the nightmare had apparently passed.

I kissed her on the forehead then headed down to the kitchen with my bag in tow, Tei needed rest and I didn't want her to get punished for not having dinner ready. I whipped up mashed potatoes and green beans quickly knowing that if I made a main dish our parents would get suspicious as Tei only knew how to cook a few dishes. I left a note for Tei under a dish rag and headed out, locking the door behind me.

I got in the car and headed for the gym, trying not to think about what happened. I was already breaking speed records. Once I pulled up, I grabbed my stuff and was about to head inside when I stopped in the doorway.

The triplets were leading training as usual but it was more aggressive than normal. Several of the warriors were bleeding, and a few were nearly passed out. The triplets were beating on each other while warriors tried to break them up.

"HEY!" I yelled, and the boys stopped each looking at me in the doorway. Tyler had a split lip that was already healing. Matt had a black eye, and Ryan was sporting a few bruises as well. Their alpha blood was making them heal faster, and they pushed the warriors off them, their fight momentarily forgotten.

"Kyle! How's Teira?!" Matt asked, running up to me. Ryan scowled at him, "He told you she was sleeping a couple of hours ago. How else do you think she'd be?!" he growled. Matt snarled, but Tyler stepped between them, "Guys, cool it. Now's not the time. Kyle, you could have stayed home. We can handle training." he said quietly, but I shook my head. "Not possible, and even if it were, she wouldn't allow it. Tei's not the type to be babied. She'll call if she needs me." I replied as we got into formation.

The triplets looked at me curiously but said nothing else, probably knowing I just wanted to hit something. We worked through warm-ups for a while before Ryan and Tyler walked with me over to the punching bags. We each took one while Matt ran the sparring matches between the warriors, assessing the damage their fight earlier had caused before pairing people up. He was the most level-headed of the three, but even his gray eyes were stormy.

I worked through my thoughts, letting the images of finding Tei and hearing what happened overwhelm me. I didn't know the training was over until Matt put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me from landing another punch, "Kyle, I think that bags had enough." he said, and I looked at it, huffing.

The bag was in tatters, sand was pouring out of the bottom and sides, and I didn't even realize my claws had come out at one point. My knuckles were a bit bloody, but it didn't matter as they were already healing, and I nodded, looking back at him, I had cooled off a bit, at least enough to fool my parents.

Ryan came over looking serious, "Has she given you any more information about who did it?" he asked, and I shook my head, "She wasn't ready to talk, but I plan on asking after dinner tonight." I said quietly. Tyler smiled, "Perfect, I'm starved." he said, putting his arm around my shoulders. I looked at him confused, "What do you mean?" I asked cautiously.

He shrugged, "We need answers so we can get to the bottom of this. You're going to talk to her after dinner. Seems like we should eat at your place so we can all talk to her." he said simply, and the others nodded.

I sighed, shaking my head, Tei was not going to like this.