Pregnant With Four Alphas' Babies: A Reverse Harem Romance Chapter 197: Get Us Out of Here

*Eli*

Tristan, Mark, and Reece have all spent some time with Rose now, and we’ve taken a few turns going in so Rose can feed the pups. They all look so full and satisfied, sleeping in their little bassinets with nurses coming and going quietly, and Rose is resting again now. I can’t imagine what it must be like to give birth to four pups at the same time, so we’re going to give her all the rest time she needs.

I don’t want to take my eyes off my new little son. He looks so perfect, lying there with his little tufts of red hair sticking out of his little knit cap. His hands are so tiny, and so are his little toes—how could anything be so tiny and beautiful?

I have to chuckle a little when I look at that red hair—it looks just like mine. I remember when I was younger. Back then, I hated my red hair because it made me stick out in the crowd. As the Alpha’s son, I was always meant to be his heir, but it seemed to make people jealous that I was different from them. I guess no kid wants to feel that they don’t fit in, even if it’s because they’re the future Alpha.

In my case, all this red comes mostly from my mother, who had long, curly, bright red hair, while my father just had a bit of red showing when the sunlight hit him just right. Mom had a red wolf, and everyone respected her as a great Luna, and Dad’s wolf had dark black fur that, like his hair, shined with glittering red in the sun.

I wonder whether my son will have a red wolf, just like me. And I’ll make sure that he knows how it makes him special, and that it’s okay to be a little different.

Reece taps me on the shoulder and makes a nodding motion toward the door. I hadn’t even noticed that anyone had stood up, but the rest of the Alphas are already walking out. They all look just as reluctant as I am to leave the pups behind in their little bassinets.

“They’ll be fine,” says Tristan once we’re out in the hallway. “I trust Mark’s people to take care of them, as much as I don’t want to leave my little mini flower. But it’s been a long night, and we’re no good to Rose on empty stomachs.”

I hadn’t even noticed it until now, but I am feeling hungry. I guess the whole night passed between the births of all four babies, and it’s already time for breakfast. I’d been so focused on my son and Rose that I’d forgotten to even tell Kelly about my little pup, but I’m sure Mark’s people have made my sister comfortable somewhere and have updated her on all the news.

I’m surprised she hasn’t mind-linked me yet, but she probably wants me to enjoy my new role as a father.

‘Kelly?’ I say in the mind-link, focusing on her. She doesn’t answer, and it’s not like her to ignore me, so maybe she’s still asleep. It is pretty early, I suppose, and we had a late night.

Mark’s chef has a full spread ready for us in the dining hall, and it’s definitely a breakfast fit for an Alpha. We walk in and everyone greets Mark warmly, so he has to stop at a few tables to shake some hands and say his thanks for their congratulations. It isn’t every day a pack welcomes a new Alpha heir.

Everyone is also congratulating the rest of us, so Reece, Tristan, and I also find ourselves shaking a bunch of hands of people we don’t know. The women are all excited to meet Rose and to see the pups, and we have to explain that it might take a few days since they’re so tiny. Everyone seems to understand, and they’re so friendly.

Well, almost everyone is friendly. There’s a table over in the far corner of the room, and I notice that everyone sitting at it looks gloomy and grumpy, especially this one big guy wearing overalls and a white T-shirt, which I find a little strange because everyone else is dressed a bit more formally.

The servants show me to a seat next to Mark, so I lean over and ask, “What’s up with that guy?” I try to casually nod over toward the corner table in a way no one will notice, but when I look up, the big guy is glaring at me. I glare right back, and he finally averts his eyes.

“That’s Al,” says Mark. “His father was once Beta to my father, but he’s always been mad that I didn’t make him my Beta. I would have if he were qualified, but he has no respect for the position, so I chose someone else. He thinks that somehow, he should go straight from Beta’s son to Alpha, so I suppose he’s a little more grumpy today now that I have an heir.”

“Got it,” I say. “Is he a threat?”

Mark shakes his head. “He hasn’t been a problem,” he says. “He’s all about complaining but doesn’t have the teeth to back it up. I’m not worried about Al.”

“Still,” I say, “I’ll keep my eye on him.”

Mark nods with a lighthearted laugh and digs into the huge plate of bacon in front of him. I join him; I was hungry before, but the smell of all this incredible food is making me not want to mind my table manners.

I’m taking a bite that’s a perfect mix of scrambled eggs, bacon, and ham when I look up and notice a woman coming through the cafeteria door. I can read the worry on her face, and for some reason, it starts to worry me, too.

Within seconds, she’s running up to Mark. “Alpha Mark,” she says, taking a quick second to make the sign of respect. “My mate Chris… he never came home last night! Do you know where he is? He’s not answering my mind-link either. Something… something’s wrong!”

I have no idea who Chris is, but a strange feeling runs through my spine. I don’t like this.

Mark looks at me. “Where’s Kelly?” he asks.

“I have no idea,” I say. “I guess she’s still asleep?”

Mark pushes his chair back, stands up, and shouts, “Vicky!”

A middle-aged woman appears from the kitchen. “Yes, Alpha Mark?” she says.

“Our guests… where did you put them?” asks Mark.

“Guests?” Vicky asks. “We readied some rooms, but only Alpha Eli here arrived. We assumed that—”

Mark flipped his gaze over to me. “Kelly…” he says.

I’m already frantically trying to reach her in the mind-link, but I get nothing. I shake my head and push away from the table myself.

I’m not very hungry anymore.

* * *

*Kelly*

I’m still struggling to see with the blinding light in my face, but I do sense that someone has entered the room and shoved something in my hand. Whatever it is, it smells good, and it makes my stomach growl after who knows how long that I’ve been trapped… wherever this is.

As my eyes adjust, I see that it’s a woman. She’s wearing what used to be a dress but is now just a torn, thread-bare pile of rags. Her face is dirty and so is her hair… looking closer, I see that she’s not a woman but a girl, probably younger than Heather.

For the first time, I can see Heather across from me, and the girl who had entered the room is putting something in her hand, too. Then she pulls out what looks like a couple of bottles of water from a bag she’s carrying, and she hands those to each of us as well.

Heather looks terrified but calm. She’s sitting on the floor, like I am, her eyes still blinking as she tries to adjust to this new flood of lighting herself. I try to mouth the words to her that it’s okay, but I really know that it’s not okay, not at all.

We’re both chained to the wall in some weird dungeon-like place with dirt floors and what looks like a huge steel door, which the girl now steps through and closes, leaving us behind without a word.

“It’s… it’s bread,” says Heather quietly. “Do you think it’s safe to eat? I’m starving.”

For the first time, I turn my attention to the lump in my hand, which I now recognize as some sort of a dinner roll. It’s not much, but the smell and the proximity of it make me want to inhale it. But, like Heather, I know to use caution.

What in the world had Heather gone through in her life to make her so calm right now?

“I don’t know,” I say. “Let me try it first, and we’ll give it a few minutes. Then if it’s okay, you can eat it.”

“Okay,” she says.

I guess if they—whoever ‘they’ are—are going to poison us, then I’d rather they do it to me first. It’s not like we have a choice. We’re going to have to eat eventually. But why are they keeping us here, and why are they feeding us?

A few moments after I take my first bite, I give the go-ahead to Heather. I know she can’t hold back much longer. It’s a little hard to eat with the position our hands are in with the chains, but I manage, and then I manage to open the water bottle, which is sealed, and I’m glad of that. It likely hasn’t been tampered with.

“I wish it weren’t so dark in here,” Heather says. “Will we ever get out of here, Kelly?”

“We’re going to try,” I tell her. “We’re certainly going to try.”