The Triplet Alphas's Christmas Gift

Chapter 48 - Tyler's surprise

Tyler's POV

We walked down the trailside by side, Teira looking around at the sparkling lights in awe. I smiled at the wonder on her face. She was beautiful, but the way the sunlight shone in her eyes at our surroundings made me want to pin her to a tree and kiss her until we were both out of breath.

But since I couldn't do that as I knew it wouldn't stop there, I grabbed her hand and pulled her close, dancing and moving as if we were the only two people in the world. She stiffened for a moment, then laughed and began trying to follow my lead. I knew she had never danced before but with how smart she was, she picked it up pretty quickly.

She blushed when she accidentally stepped on my feet a couple of times, but I just smiled, she was too light to do any damage and I loved the way she tried to follow my lead. I twirled her around the clearing for a bit before stopping and kissing the blush from her face, reassuring her that her dancing wasn’t so bad but, of course, she didn’t believe me, but the giggles coming from her lips were so enchanting that I didn’t mind.

Teira grabbed my hand and began tugging me down the path, excited about the surprise I had planned for our date. I let her lead me while we looked at the icicles dangling from the tree branches along the path. Ryan had agreed to help me set up and should have everything ready by the time we got there, but I had chosen to dance with Teira, not just because she was gorgeous, and I wanted her in my arms, but also to give my brother time to finish the set-up.

I grabbed her hand to stop her as we got to the edge of the forest. I wanted to see her reaction when we arrived, so I placed my hands over her eyes and led her towards the end of the path. I looked around, noticing that everything was ready, and thanked Ryan through the link before taking my hand from my princess’s face.

The look of pure wonder and joy was breathtaking, and I knew I had chosen the right location for this date. We were at a small cove on the edge of a large lake. The water would be clear and pristine in the summer, but since it was winter and close to Christmas, the sunlight glinted off the thick coating of ice that incased the cove. A small fire was burning gently in my makeshift campsite that I kept there whenever I came, and I smiled at the parasol and blankets neatly arranged near the site.

Teira gawked for a bit before looking at me, “This is amazing, Tyler, I never knew a place like this existed. How did you find it?” I smiled and kissed her hand that was holding mine, “Do you like it princess?” I asked. She nodded, unable to say what her eyes were expressing. I beamed in delight, “I’m glad, this is my favorite place in the world. I come here when things are tough or overwhelming and need peace. Only my brothers know about it. And now, you as well.”

She smiled brightly, her eyes shining with admiration and what I hoped, love. “Tyler, this is wonderful. I’m grateful you shared this with me.” She said as I led her over to the fire. We sat down, and I unpacked the basket that Ryan had placed under the umbrella.

There were typical picnic items, sandwiches, plates, chips, a thermos of what I guessed to be hot apple cider, and then I smiled winningly at Teira. She looked at me curiously then gasped as I pulled out two pairs of ice skates and set them down, “Tyler, what on earth?” she asked as I started to take her shoes off.

I smiled, “It’s a beautiful day, not too cold, and the ice will be plenty thick enough to hold our weight. Would you care to ice skate with me?” I asked. She glanced at me a bit nervously, and I already knew she didn’t know how to skate. I smiled gently, “Don’t worry, I will never let you get hurt. We’ll take it slow.” I said, and she smiled and nodded, allowing me to continue to remove her shoes and lace up her boots. They weren’t brand new, they were an old pair of Matt’s that he barely used since he preferred reading books and studying over physical activity unless it was training. I had been skating since I was a pup and Ryan was more interested in pack activities, so he rarely came with me. I secretly hoped that my princess would love it and want to do more things like this with me. But I wouldn’t push her if she was uncomfortable.

The skates were clean but a bit worn, they were brown with black trimmings and honestly looked good on her. I laced them up tightly then put on my own black and red skates and helped her to stand. Teira wobbled for a minute, then I steadied her and slowly helped her make her way to the cove. I tested the ice first to make sure it wouldn’t crack, then held out my hand to her and helped her to step onto the ice. She grasped my hand tightly and slowly and carefully started to skate a bit.

I gave her a few pointers about bending her knees as well as keeping an eye on her feet, then, when she felt comfortable, grabbed her hand but let her skate without leaning on me. She looked at me a bit warily, then smiled as she took to the ice like a natural. She didn’t let go of my hand, but she did zoom around the cove by my side, laughing when she wobbled and genuinely relaxed as we skated. Watching her face relax, made my heart start beating quickly, and I knew that if I didn’t distract myself, I definitely would be taking her against a tree. The blush on her face as she glanced in my direction made me think that she honestly wouldn’t mind that, and I smiled wickedly, a thought to save for later.

We skated for hours, roaming about the cove and eventually into the lake, not going too far as I didn’t want there to be any chance of her falling into the water if the ice broke. I knew from Kyle that Teira didn’t know how to swim properly though he had been teaching her a bit during the summer before he had to go to training camp. I would never risk her getting hurt. When she glanced at me after a while, I noticed her nose turning red and led her back to the shoreline and our picnic.

A loud growling noise sounded as I was helping her off the ice and Teira blushed cutely, putting her hand on her stomach, “I guess I’m starving.” She said as we walked towards the parasol. I laughed and bowed, “Never let it be said that I starved my princess, what would you…” I trailed off as I looked at the basket under the parasol. It had been closed when we went onto the ice, but it was opened with several things missing. Chips, a sandwich, and a thermos of cider were gone.

“Tyler? What is it?” Teira asked, looking around me at the basket. I glanced at her, “I closed the basket when we went onto the ice, but it’s opened and things are missing. Someone was here and took our food.” I said seriously, looking around the clearing to see if I could spot someone. Teira glanced around too, hunger momentarily forgotten, “Who do you think it was? A pack member? We’re still within the borders.” She asked cautiously, and I noticed her trying to use her senses to detect someone. I shook my head, “Most pack members don’t come this far into the woods. That was why it was a perfect spot for me to find some peace. And we’re in the heart of our territory, so the patrols wouldn’t come through here. Someone else is here.” I stated, trying to peer into the shadows of the trees.

Teira jumped for a minute, then pointed at a particular shadow, “There! Someone’s hiding in the shadow of that tree.” She said quietly. I looked at the shadow but couldn’t see anything, the darkness was too thick, “Are you sure?” I murmured and the look of disgust on her face made me regret asking. She rolled her eyes, “No, I just said that to try to impress you. Yes, I’m sure. There’s a woman hiding there watching us.” She murmured back sarcastically and I winced. Then I nodded and moved towards the trees on my right, “I’ll head this way, you stay here and keep her attention.” I said and she nodded and hugged me tightly. “Be careful.” She said, and I smiled and winked at her before heading into the trees as she sat on the blanket and began to pull out another sandwich and some cider, eating calmly.

I moved as quietly as I could through the trees, heading for the oak that Teira had pointed out. As I got closer, I could see the silhouette of a person peeking out from behind the huge trunk. They were wearing a loose-fitting black robe, and their face was hidden by a hood. I could see the wrappers of our food around their feet and I watched the figure, curious to see what they would do.