The Triplet Alphas's Christmas Gift

Chapter 35 - Answers under Alpha command

Teira's POV

Dad glared at Tyler, clearly fighting the command. He might be a pack member, but my father was proud; he didn't think the triplets were worthy of being Alpha yet, so he would do everything he could to fight them at every turn.

He turned his glare on me, and his eyes burned with everlasting fiery fury. The look he leveled on me told me he would have killed me ten times over if he had the chance. Kyle gripped my hand tightly as Tyler growled, "Answer me!" he shouted, slamming his hand on the table. Dad flinched and began sweating profusely, trying to keep his lips sealed.

Finally, he sat back, convulsing painfully before slumping forward in defeat. He leveled that look on me again, never wavering the whole time he talked. But his tone was monotone even though he tried to clench his teeth.

"I don't know a lot about Melinda Sutton. She came into our pack on a pilgrimage, at least that's what she told the Alpha when she presented herself before him to ask permission to pass through the territory. Alpha Christian welcomed her with open arms, saying she could stay as long as she needed to. She was absolutely beautiful, porcelain skin with a smattering of freckles, curly onyx-colored hair that fell just below her shoulders. She was dressed as one of the Nomads that wandered the packs from time to time, but I could tell by the way she stood that she had been trained to fight."

"I was working as an aide under the Alpha's assistant at the time, but I knew before she turned those crystal blue eyes on me that she was my mate. There was a bond that instantly clicked between us as soon as she walked through the door. I had already married and mated Isabelle by then, so I planned to reject her when I got a chance alone with her, but as soon as she recognized me as her mate, she avoided me. She refused to meet me alone anywhere or go near me in any place where we weren't surrounded by people. It took me days to finally get her alone."

"I thought that things would be simple, just explain the situation and do the rejection, but when I spoke to her. I couldn't do it. The mate bond was strong between us, and things weren't going well with Isabelle being pregnant with Kyle at the time. My resolve wavered. Melinda wanted to reject me. She even tried to at one point, but I kissed her to stop her, and we both fell hard."

"After that, we began to spend as much time as we could together. I planned to leave Isabelle. She wasn't my fated mate, and she didn't truly love me. We both knew it, but Isabelle refused to even think of letting me leave without a fight, and I couldn't bring myself to leave my pup. Melinda knew this and decided to let me sort out my problems before fully accepting the bond. She also said she had to look into something but wouldn't tell me anything more. Only that there was a mission she had to complete before we could leave the pack."

"That was the last time I saw her, I went to Alpha Christian that night to ask for help with Isabelle. Isabelle was threatening to end her pregnancy or harm Kyle if I left with Melinda, and I needed a way to keep her from following through. The Alpha agreed to use an Alpha command to keep Isabelle from physically harming Kyle, so we went to the house to take care of it. Isabelle was furious. She kept cursing me and the Alpha, saying I'd regret trying to leave her for the rest of my life."

"Melinda and I had moved into a small cottage near the edge of the territory. When I returned to the cottage, she hadn't returned yet, so I waited. I waited for several days, then went back to the Alpha to ask if he had seen her. The Alpha hadn't, but the Luna had. Luna Megan told me that Melinda had come to the packhouse looking for the Alpha but when she couldn't find him, she'd went to the Luna to thank her and the Alpha for the hospitality but something urgent came up at her home pack and that she needed to return right away. I denied the Luna's words at first, believing that Melinda wouldn't leave me without saying goodbye. But the Luna gave me a note, written in Melinda's handwriting saying the same message she gave the Luna."

"I tried to get more information about Melinda's pack, and when I finally learned about Crystal Lake, I began writing letters. I wrote letter after letter to her, pouring out my feelings, asking for an explanation, anything to figure out the real reason why she left. But they all came back, returned to sender. They weren't even opened. I thought about asking a witch to contact her magically as I couldn't link her, but then Isabelle returned to me. Kyle had just been born and needed his father, Isabelle said she understood why I chose Melinda over her, but that Kyle needed both of his parents, and Melinda had left me. I agreed with her. My doubt over Melinda's reason for leaving turned to bitterness and anger, and I chose my family. Melinda had made her choice, so I made mine."

Dad looked so bitter and angry as he said this part, I felt sorry for him. Mom leaving with no warning or explanation had clearly affected him deeply. I couldn't forgive him for treating me the way he did, but I could sympathize a bit.

He continued keeping his eyes on me, "Several months later, I opened my door to find a bundle on my front porch. A baby was sleeping inside a basket with a note pinned to its blanket. When I read the note, I was stunned. Melinda had a pup? She had been pregnant with my pup when she left? All the feelings from her abandoning me had come to the surface, and I left the pup on the porch. Kyle was almost two years old, and Isabelle was getting ready to celebrate the Christmas season and about to present her first clothing line, we didn't need another mouth to feed. Isabelle heard the pup crying and brought her inside, she was furious about me having sired another pup with that woman but she also believed that if the pack found out about her that it would hurt our reputation and her image for her fashion line."

"Isabelle convinced me to keep Teira. We would get an omega to feed and raise her until she was old enough to take care of herself. Then we would train her to be the perfect housewife and mate. Someone who could cook, clean, take care of pups as well as manage a home. We hoped she'd be mated to someone in another pack, and she wouldn't be our problem anymore. However, she was never to be claimed as part of the household. If anyone inquired about her or saw her, she was a rogue child who wandered in from the woods from time to time. Then she never got her wolf. And being wolfless made her useless to us. She would never have a mate, never bring our family name honor, so we punished her more severely. She could be a decent cook and take care of a family, ok, but there was nothing special about her."

"I tried to get in contact with the people who left her on my doorstep, asked discreetly had anyone seen anything that night. I found nothing. No one had seen or heard anything, and I still couldn't contact Melinda. I hoped that the people would return to claim her soon like they said in the note, but they haven't returned in the fifteen years since Teira was dropped on my doorstep. If it weren't for you, everything would have been fine." he finished.

Kyle stood up at that remark. He looked at Dad and punched him point blank in the face. I heard an audible crunch, and Dad's nose started pouring blood. He grunted in pain and glared at Kyle, "How DARE you punch your father! Have you lost your mind, Kyle?!" he yelled angrily. Kyle continued to stand there, then lifted his other fist and punched Dad again, making his head snap back, "That first one was for Tei. That second one was for being a coward and not facing up to your mistakes. You could have waited for your fated mate but decided to take a chosen mate any way, and when your fated mate came along, you tried to reject the Moon Goddess's gift instead of correcting your mistake. You should have fought for your fated mate and stayed near me, not give in to her manipulations!" Kyle shouted, raising his fist again.

Dad glared furiously, "If it wasn't for Teira and her mother, we would have had the perfect life! You would have become a great warrior and raised our standing in this pack! Your mother's designs have already raised our reputation, and the Alpha would finally see our family's worth! That girl should have never been born! I should have rejected Melinda immediately and stayed with your mother!" he yelled. Tyler didn't let Kyle get in another punch. He grabbed Dad by the collar and pulled him close, "See, that's where you're wrong, David. Kyle made his impression on us by being who he is, not by trying to suck up to us like you do with Dad. Isabelle's designs are great but not impressive enough to garner recognition outside the pack. Her latest designs had been mediocre at best. Your reputation would have sunk as soon as Dad handed the pack over to us. Whatever recognition Kyle got would be on his own accomplishments, not on your family name." he said menacingly.

He shoved Dad back into the seat hard, "Teira's not the mistake here. You taking Isabelle as your chosen was. And your ego and pride are blinding you to the truth. You not owning up to your choices and their consequences is what caused you to take your anger out on your daughter. You make me sick." he finished and then turned to me.

I nodded and stood up, looking my Dad straight in the eye. "My whole life, I tried to be the perfect daughter. Hoping that if I just listened, if I did everything right, you might show me that you loved me or at least were proud of me. But now that I know you blame me and my mother for your own actions, I understand that will never happen. From now on, you are not my father. I only had one mother, and I will find out what happened to her and why I was sent here. You are not worthy of those answers, David. I hope you come to terms with your choices and can live your life in peace." I said to him as I turned and walked out the door.