Pregnant With Four Alphas' Babies: A Reverse Harem Romance Chapter 144: Is That a Unicorn?

*Eli*

A searing pain cuts through my head. I’m aware of it before I even attempt to open my eyes. Every time I move, the bite deepens until I think I might vomit, but then, if the taste in my mouth is any indication, I already have.

My thoughts are fuzzy as I try to piece together what’s happened. All I can remember is pain and darkness, and when I begin to open my eyes, it’s still dark.

It’s pitch black.

Fear has me sucking in a deep breath as I contemplate the possibility that I’ve actually been buried alive. I can tell that I’m in a restricted place, even though my hands and legs are still bound, and as I am jostled again, my face hits something hard.

It’s then that I realize that I can’t have been buried alive because I'm in some sort of vehicle. It’s the only explanation for the jarring movement I feel. If I were in the ground, the only way I could be moved around like this is if we were in the middle of an earthquake, and we don’t get a lot of those.

Not that I have any idea where I am at the moment. Being moved by vehicle obviously means I could be hundreds or thousands of miles away from my pack lands.

And that doesn’t make sense to me. I thought they were intending to trade me back to the castle for something. Why would they be moving me further away from the castle if that’s their intentions?

I can’t try to guess what they’re up to. The only thing I remember for sure from before is getting the impression that I wasn’t dealing with a full deck of cards here. They all seem pretty dumb, but most especially that Skullmark guy. A couple of the women seem to know what’s going on, but that doesn’t mean they can be persuasive enough to convince the men to do something intelligent.

My only hope is to be able to use the mind-link to connect with someone who can help me. I decide to feel out for Trevor. I have a feeling he’s not nearby, but it’s worth a try.

“Trevor? Are you there?” I ask, using every bit of my concentration. Sometimes, even if we are not within the 100-mile range, we can still reach someone if we use a lot of focus.

But I get nothing in return. I continue to try until my head hurts so bad, I think I might pass out again, but I still come up empty-handed.

So I try for one of the Alphas, but again, I get nothing.

I reach for Rose next. As much as I don’t want to worry her, if I can get a message to her, maybe I can present it to her in such a way that she won’t know something’s so wrong and can still help me.

“Rose? Can you hear me, baby?”

It’s quiet for so long, I figure it’s a lost cause, too, when I hear a faint voice in my head. “Eli? Why are you on the beach with me… and this unicorn?”

I pause for a long moment, not sure what to say to that. “Are you feeling okay, my love?” I ask her.

“Yeah, the sand feels great, and the sun is so bright. The unicorn sure is beautiful, dancing through the surf. I’m just wondering why you’re here and none of the other Alphas. Wait–I thought you were gone. Are you okay? We couldn’t find you.”

That’s when I realize she’s dreaming! It’s the only thing that explains why I can reach her and no one else, and she seems to think she’s in such a weird place.

I sigh, not sure if I should even continue on with this. She’s obviously getting upset, and the last thing I want to do is put her in an emotional state where either she or the babies could be in danger. But she’s my only hope at the moment for making contact with anyone.

She might not even remember this when she wakes up. So I decide to choose a nonchalant tone. “Yeah, well, I think the other guys are back at the castle. I thought now would be a good time to have some quiet time with just you, beautiful woman.”

“Oh, Eli. You’re so sweet.” She makes a weird puckery sound, and then I remember that since she’s dreaming, she thinks she can see me. She must be thinking we are kissing. I wait until I think we are done, but I’m jealous of the dream version of me. I miss her so much.

When she takes a deep breath, I say, “Listen, when you see Tristan, Mark, or Reece again, will you tell them I’m being transported? I think they’ll know what it means.”

“Transported?” Again, there’s concern in her voice. “Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry. I’m fine. I just need them to know that, okay? I’m pretty sure it’s a long, long distance. If you think of it. Even if it seems like this is just a dream. It’s not. Parts of it are, like the unicorn, but I’m really talking to you, Rose. And I love you and the babies so much.” I feel tears stinging my eyes, but I think I’m too dehydrated to actually cry.

“All right. I’ll tell them,” she says, and then there are more smacking sounds, and if I wasn’t tied up and in some sort of a box, maybe I’d feel myself getting aroused.

But all I feel is pain.

I’m not going to be able to do any more than that, and I see no reason to continue to confuse her. I should probably end the mind-link. I do think it’s strange that I’ve been able to reach her in a dream. I’ve never had that happen before. But then, I’ve never been in love before.

I have to wonder if this doesn’t have something to do with the mate bond. Maybe Rose is my fated mate, and the reason we can do this is because of our connection.

Does that mean she’s only my mate, or is it possible she could be fated to all of the Alphas? I’ve already decided I’m willing to share her with the other men that make her happy, but if she is only my mate and not theirs, too, that would make it more difficult.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I say, “Rose, I love you. Take care of yourself and get a lot of rest, and I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Where are you going?” she asks me. “Wait, Eli, don’t go! Come back!’

I guess, in her dream, I’m already moving away from her, and I hate to hear the anguish in her voice just as much as I hate to be away from her, but this isn’t real. Not really.

And then she says something else, something that sends panic radiating through my body. “What’s that? Who’s there? Eli? Aaaahhhh!”

Rose screams, and then—she’s gone!

“Rose?” I say, still trying to reach her through the mind-link. “Rose!”

But there’s no answer, and now, I’m not only afraid for my own safety, I’m afraid for hers.

Surely, it was just her waking up. Maybe she was startled awake by something. Maybe she just realized she was dreaming and that’s what made her so afraid.

But deep in my belly, I know, something’s wrong, and despite my own precarious position, anxiety and fear begin to course through my veins.

“Rose!”