Chapter 2

Chapter 2

ETHAN, REESE and CALEB POV

Ethan dumped his tactical bag on the nearest bed and flopped down on his bed across the room, blowing the air out of his mouth.  “Today was tough!” he said with a groan.

“Yeah, but did you see the look on Jet’s face when Reese came at him?” Caleb chortled.  “I thought he was going to wet himself like a pup!”

“That was a sick move, Reese,” Ethan admitted.  “I would have helped but I was busy with Cole and Andrew.”  

Caleb threw a wet towel at Ethan.  “Cole has no skills and Andrew couldn’t cut a steak with his knives.  Not much to keep you busy, dear brother.”  He picked up Ethan’s tactical bag and dumped it on the floor.  “And keep your sweaty gear off my bed.  Put it on your own bed.”

“I need my own room,” Ethan moaned.

“Me, too,” Reese announced, peeling off his workout clothes.  “I hate having to race you guys to the shower.”

“We’re not going to get our own room,” Caleb said, practically, for what seemed like the hundredth time.  “We’re triplets.  They assume we do everything the same because we are the same genetically.  Plus, we’re leaving in a week.  Probably should have complained a year and a half ago when we got here.”

“We’re the same genetically, maybe,” Reese said.  “But not in reality.  Ethan’s a pig.  I tolerate you, Caleb, because you’re quiet and neat.  But Ethan’s bossy and messy.”

“That’s fine with me, boys,” Ethan said, his eyes now closed.  “You go off and share a room and leave this one for me.”

Caleb ignored him.  “Have you guys thought about our birthday?  It’s coming up in a couple weeks.  We will be home by then.  Lots of things happen.  We shift, we find a mate, we start learning how to take over for dad.”

Reese shrugged.  “Right now I’m just trying to finish school with a good grade,” he said.  “Mom and dad spent a ton of money to send us here to get us ready to be Alphas.  I’d rather not go home with poor marks.”

That got Ethan’s attention.  “We won’t,” he said.  “I was in the office and I saw the scores.  We’re at the top.”

Reese looked excited.  “Are you sure it was official?  They keep those locked up in the headmaster’s office.”

Ethan looked bored.  “Of course I saw the official roster.   The headmaster may have the official roster, but he’s not the only one with access.”

Caleb snickered.  “Miss Delacotte.  I should have known.”

Ethan looked pleased with himself.  “Yep.  Miss Delacotte.  Now if you boys will let me go back to sleep…” Ethan flopped back and closed his eyes.

“You guys ever think about our mates?” Caleb pressed, determined to bring the conversation back to something serious.

“You said ‘mates.’  Do you think we’re going to have different mates?” Reese asked.

“Well, we all have different tastes in girls,” Caleb said.  “Ethan likes Miss Delacotte who is definitely different than Eloise,” he said, naming Reese’s latest fling.  “I tend to lean towards quiet beauty and you guys like flashy.”  He ducked the shoe that Reese threw at his head, laughing. 

“I didn’t think about it,” Reese admitted.  “I just figured we’d be mated to the same person since we’re triplets.”

Caleb shrugged.  “I hope not. I don’t think there’s a girl out there that we would all like.  Our tastes are just too different.”

There was a sharp knock at the door.  Caleb opened the door and was handed a box. 

“Thanks,” he said to the steward.  “Weekly box from mom,” he announced to the guys.

“Awesome!” Reese said.  “Open it.  I asked her to send me some of my favorite body wash.  I’m out.  See if it’s in there.”

Caleb ripped open the box and handed out the goodies.  “Soap for Reese, chocolate bars and cologne for Ethan, new socks and some of Mom’s homemade cookies for me,” he said, satisfied.  “And a letter.”

“Anything interesting?” Ethan asked, his mouth full of chocolate.  Caleb opened the envelope and scanned the letter. 

“Looks like there’s going to be company when we get home,” he said.  “Mom’s best friend, Aunt Lissa.”

“Alessia?” Ethan asked, swallowing his chocolate and taking another big bite.  “Why?”

“Remind me who Alessia is,” Reese said, sitting down and abandoning his shower plans.

“Remember?  Mom’s best friend from high school?  She was the best warrior in the pack.  She went off to the Warrior World Cup championships.  Won a ton of medals, came home and found out she was mated to dad’s beta.

“Silvo?” Ethan asked, acting like he’d never heard the story before.

“Yeah, Silvo,” Caleb said, impatiently.  “He and Alessia were together for three weeks until Vanessa, the Alpha’s daughter from his old pack, showed up.  He rejected Alessia and took Vanessa as his mate.  Alessia couldn’t get over the pain so she left.”  Caleb scanned the letter some more.  “Looks like Alessia has a daughter.  Isadora.  They call her Izzy.  She doesn’t know she’s a wolf but Alessia thinks she’s starting her heat and coming into her strength.  She turns eighteen in December.  She’s concerned that her daughter might hurt someone.  Seems like she’s getting into a lot of fights at school, so she wants to bring her back to the pack.  Mom is a little concerned that there might be some tension with Vanessa so she’s having Aunt Lissa and Izzy stay with us in the Alpha House.  She just wanted to let us know that we need to just watch ourselves around Izzy until Aunt Lissa tells her she’s going to shift.”

“Whoa.  I can’t imagine how Izzy’s going to take that news.  That is life changing.  Literally.”  Ethan sounded sympathetic and Reese looked at him with surprise.  Ethan wasn’t known for being empathetic.

“Maybe Izzy is our mate,” Caleb mused.

“I hope not,” Ethan said, all empathy gone. 

“Why not?” asked Caleb. 

“I’m going to be Alpha.  I need someone strong who knows all about being a wolf already.  She knows nothing.  Literally.  She’s not Luna material.  Lunas are supposed to make their Alpha’s stronger, not be the weak link.”

Reese nodded, agreeing with Ethan.  Caleb shrugged.

“Maybe she’s a fast learner.”  He was feeling a pull inside whenever he thought of the mysterious Izzy.  Both Ethan and Reese looked at him, curiously.

“Do you think she’s your mate?” Ethan finally asked.  Caleb shrugged. 

“Don’t know.  But I’d like to find out.”