Pregnant With Four Alphas' Babies: A Reverse Harem Romance Chapter 127: The Secret Passage

*Rose*

Beta Adam, Kelly, and I are all staring at each other, wondering what scared King Gene so much. It had to have something to do with the secret doorway that Kelly had just discovered.

Kelly was the first to speak. “Okay,” she says. “Whatever’s in there is clearly something that spooked him.” She looks at me. “Describe that woman again?”

“Well,” I begin. “Something about her looks like King Gene. I can’t place it though. She’s tiny, shorter even than he is. She has skinny arms and bony fingers. She was wearing old, ragged clothes that looked like they didn’t even fit her anymore. And she was babbling something about her ‘GeGe,’ something about him not loving me? It was strange.”

“Hmm,” says Beta Adam.

Kelly looks at him. “Hmm what?” she says, although her tone is more like a statement.

“It’s probably nothing,” he says. “But she sounds like she’s describing Gene’s mother, Queen Marcella.”

“Why would she be around here?” asks Kelly. “I thought the old king and queen from these parts had gone off to live quietly in the east, and that later they had died.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” Adam says. “That’s the rumor I heard, anyway.”

“Do you think she might really be alive, and that she’s back here visiting?” I ask.

Adam shrugs. “I suppose it’s possible,” he says. “Sometimes rumors are wrong. She could still be alive. But it’s weird that she’s sneaking around here in your room.”

Kelly moved over to the wall and felt around the same place where she’d opened the door.

“What are you doing?” Beta Adam asks.

“I’m opening the secret passage,” she says. “I’m going to go find her and see what’s going on.”

“Secret passage,” Adam says.

I realize that he doesn’t know about the door yet. “Kelly found a crack in the wall that opened some kind of door,” I say. “Just before King Gene walked in. He was looking at it before he ran off.”

“That has to be how the queen came and went from Rose’s room,” Kelly says. “And if she can get in, so can anyone else. We need to secure her better, so I’m going in to find out where this passage leads.”

“Kelly, you can’t go by yourself,” I say. I know she’s a strong warrior, but I’m worried about her. Who knows who’s wandering around in there?

“We can’t both go,” she says, looking at Beta Adam and then back at me. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be right back.”

Before I can say anything else, she pulls open the door and steps through it. I’m hoping she doesn’t go far as it’s probably dark in there, although her wolf eyes can likely adjust to it.

It’s really hard to lay in bed and let everyone else do dangerous things to protect me. I know it’s important that we keep the pups safe, but knowing that doesn’t make it easier to watch my friends take risks. I look over at Adam.

“Where are the Alphas?” I ask. “And what was that ‘problem’ you’d told them about before?” The last time my Alphas had been with me, Beta Adam had run into the room and said there was a problem, then insisted on talking about it out in the hallway.

“It—it was nothing,” he says. “Just a military issue, and I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Military?” I ask. “They’re not going off to war, are they?” I try to scoot into an upright position on the bed.

“Relax, Rose, please,” he says calmly, moving toward me like he’s afraid I’m going to go into labor right then and there, just because I’m upright.

“I can’t relax if they’re in danger,” I say.

“Your Alphas are all very strong. They all lead very powerful and sophisticated packs,” he says in a calm voice. “They are all accustomed to occasional military skirmishes. I’m sure they’ve already taken care of the problem.”

I nod, but looking him in the eye, it feels like he’s not telling me something.

I do need to trust my men, though. He’s right—they’re all strong and powerful, and they’re used to fighting. I just want them to be safe all the time.

I’m sure they’re okay.

Turning my head, I look toward the open door in the wall. I have to trust Kelly, too. I know she’s strong enough to take care of herself. It’s not like I could go after her anyway, so I decide to just lay back down and wait for her.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. This pregnancy thing is tough, and it seems like it’s taking forever! I just want my children in my arms and the arms of their fathers.

* * *

*Kelly*

It doesn’t take long for my eyes to adjust to the dark tunnel. Surprisingly, it’s a lot bigger than I thought. I had expected to end up in a room next to Rose’s, but here I am walking through what amounts to a maze in the wall.

It’s a whole series of tunnels that lead—well, everywhere.

I haven’t gone that far, but I am a little worried. I shouldn’t keep Rose there long with only Adam to guard her. Beta Adam had told me and all the Alphas that King Gene was ordering Adam to kill Rose immediately, so the Alphas had gathered together to figure out what to do with Gene while I guarded Rose.

I just absolutely boil over in anger whenever I think of how that man wants to murder an innocent woman—especially since she’s pregnant with four pups! I can’t even imagine how the Alphas are feeling right now and how they’re keeping themselves calm.

Personally, I think a little regicide wouldn’t be a bad thing right now.

I need to focus though so I don’t get lost in this labyrinth of tunnels. This is really a fantastic place and a great idea for the inside of a palace, but for us, it’s not so great since someone’s been sneaking into Rose’s room.

I look behind me, and it all looks familiar, so I make a note of the scent, turn around, and keep going just a little bit farther.

I reach a spiral staircase and go up; it seems like it’s a few stories high. Finally, I reach the top, and there’s a hallway. I look back down the stairs and still hear the muffled voices of Adam and Rose echoing in the passageway.

Knowing she’s safe, I keep going. Around the next corner, there’s a light, so I peek around. It’s a small room, and it’s tucked away on the side of the path I’m on. I can see a flickering light, which must be a candle, and I briefly wonder why there isn’t any electricity. But I guess if they constructed the tunnels secretly—and that seems to be the case—they would have never wired the area for electricity.

I look back in the direction of Rose’s room and wonder whether I should get some backup before going forward. I dismiss that idea quickly because we can’t leave Rose alone, and I’m certainly not going to let her try to get up and follow us down this hall and up these stairs in her condition.

I pause for a moment while I wonder if I should just go back right now. Beta Adam is certainly trustworthy, but if King Gene comes back, he’ll expect him to follow through on his murderous command. No—the way Gene had high-tailed it out of there looking like a ghost had just tapped on his shoulder, I’m sure we don’t have to worry about him going back into Rose’s room anytime soon.

Why is he so afraid of his own mother, if that’s who that woman is? Maybe the rumors are true, and she really is dead. Could this be a real ghost?

I decide that that’s ridiculous, and I push forward and find out who is in the room, but I’m taking it slow. Across the room from the open doorway where I’m standing is a large bookshelf that takes up the entire wall. It’s full of books, and they’re not dusty as I’d expect in this creepy secret passageway, so it looks like someone has been here recently.

I take one last deep breath, and I’m about to step inside, when I hear a voice. It’s a woman.

“Oh, my GeGe, you’ve been a bad boy,” she says. “Yes, yes, it’s a bad boy you’ve been. How long have you ignored your mother? You need to obey, obey your mother and be a good boy once again. GeGe should be a good boy when his mother is around. Be a good, good boy.”

It’s almost like singing, and some creaking sounds are accompanying the voice. I take a silent step into the room and see a woman in a rocking chair staring at something in her hand.

She doesn’t even notice me as she keeps rocking and singing and staring at the object, which looks like a photo of some kind. She looks exactly like Rose described her—old, tiny, and thin, and wearing raggedy clothes.

I take another step and accidentally kick some pebbles on the ground, which makes a noise just loud enough to make the woman look up.

She stands up suddenly and yells, “It’s you! You must be the one who poisoned the mind of my GeGe!”