Pregnant With Four Alphas' Babies: A Reverse Harem Romance Chapter 211: Who Took the Pups?

*Reece*

There’s a lull in the fighting as everyone who is loyal to Alastor is finished off and the rest have surrendered, then I hear the panicked voice of my love wailing in my mind.

The three of us Alphas look at each other and instantly, I know that Tristan and Mark are thinking the same thing.

‘Darlin’?’ I ask in the mind-link. ‘Are you saying—’

‘I’m saying the babies are gone, and she took them!’ Rose screams.

Still in wolf form from battle, we all tear away from our warriors and run toward Mark’s castle. I don’t think any of us even send word to our troops, but they must know that if we all run off like this, it’s because Rose is in trouble. They can handle the surrendering warriors that used to belong to Alpha King Gene’s battalions.

My heart feels like a rock and the knot in my stomach makes me want to vomit, but I don’t. I just keep running faster. My mind can’t work out who ‘she’ is right now, but that’s not important. Someone has taken my daughter and the rest of Rose’s babies, and whoever it is, that person is as good as dead right now.

After a few seconds of running, I can’t feel my heartbeat, or my muscles, or anything in my body. I thank the Goddess that it’s all moving by instinct now because I need to get to Rose as fast as I can. The rest of me is just… numb. And I know the other Alphas are feeling the same way.

It seems like forever before we reach the castle entrance, and all the guards split apart to give us a wide path; no doubt Mark has sent word ahead. I’m impressed that he can hold his mind together so well in this crisis. I know I can barely think straight.

‘Where are you, little flower?’ I hear Tristan call in the mind-link, which he’s opened for all of us to hear. It’s easier if we’re all on the same page instantly rather than talking to Rose and then relaying it to the other Alphas. I guess his mind is sharp in crisis mode as well.

‘Second floor,’ she answers him, ‘by the… I don’t know. You’ll see me.’

And we do. As soon as we fly up the grand staircase, there she is in the hallway, running from room to room slamming open doors. Only now I take it all in; the whole castle is abuzz with servants and other pack members everywhere doing the same thing—frantically looking for our pups.

We all shift back to human form and just as instantly, people are there with sweatpants for us. Tristan is the first to embrace Rose, and tears stream out of her eyes. But instead of looking hopeless and upset, there’s a strong, determined look in her eyes. My Rose is now a mother, and nothing comes between a wolf mother and her pups.

“Darlin’,” I say as I pull her in tight, holding her firmly but securely against me. There’s no time for a kiss or any more affection because I hear the updates Mark’s pack members are reporting to him behind me.

And this looks bad—very bad.

No one can find the babies, and there’s a pile of dead guards down the hall from the room that not long ago was a nursery for my little girl and her brothers and sister. I hear the reports of all the blood and cringe at the news that Rose had been the one to discover it.

“Darlin’?” I say. “Are you sure it’s okay for you to be running around like this?”

She pushes me back and instantly shoots me a look that makes me regret the question. Of course, she’s not going to just lay there while others look for our pups, but I am worried that it’s too soon to be up and around like this after giving birth to four pups at once.

She seems to realize this as her look softens. “I can’t just lay there,” she says, repeating my thoughts as though she’d heard them aloud. “Reece, my babies! Our babies!” It’s now that the tears flow freely from her eyes, and I pull her in again tightly.

“We’re going to find them,” I say. “We will find them. Who took them?”

“That bitch Retta!” she says. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted her.”

“I’m so sorry,” says Mark. “I should have never—”

“That doesn’t matter right now,” says Tristan, interrupting him. “We have to focus on the search.”

“Right,” says Mark. “Tell us what happened, baby.”

“I… I was asleep,” says Rose. “I woke up and the babies were gone. She answered me in the mind-link… Retta… for a few minutes, and then silence. She said she was in a room up here, but she wasn’t.”

“Okay, darlin’,” I say. “That means she was still nearby. Then she either went out of range or just stopped answering you on purpose.”

“I’ve got scouts following tracks they just found,” says Mark, “out back.”

“Go!” screams Rose, and she starts to run with us.

Tristan holds her by her arms to stop her. “Little pearl, I’m sure you need to stay here.”

“I’m not staying here when my babies are in danger!” she says, practically screaming.

“Miss Rose,” says a nurse who’s standing nearby. “You’re going to need to constantly pump without the babies here, and we need to be by proper storage and a proper way to sterilize the equipment.”

“She’s right,” Tristan says, running his hand over her cheek. “Little pearl, you know that the other Alphas and I are going to do everything in our power—and beyond—to find those pups and bring them back to you. We need you to be ready to feed them, and we need you to be healthy to care for them when they get back.”

The look on her face breaks my heart. I know she wants to go looking for the pups every bit as much as we do, but Tristan is right.

“We’ll find them,” I say. “I promise.”

She nods, her expression a mix of fear and sadness that makes that lump in my stomach grow. I squeeze her hand one last time before the other Alphas and I shift again and run toward the back of the castle.

We will find them.

* * *

*Eli*

“What is it?” asks Brent. He’s driving, and we’ve been following a trail that had some fresh-looking tire tracks off the main highway. Luckily, it’s a dirt road, so the tracks are still plainly visible.

But suddenly, I’m not feeling so well. It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever felt. It’s like some sort of a seed has hatched right in my stomach and is growing, but it’s not really a seed, it’s more like a rock, and it’s getting heavier and heavier very quickly.

At the same time, my heartbeat feels strange. It’s beating out of rhythm and feels like it’s going to tear out of my chest. I double over from the pain and Brent pulls the SUV over and stops.

“Alpha?” he asks. “What is it?”

“I… I don’t know,” I say. “All of a sudden I’m sick.”

“Did you eat something?” he asks, and I can see the worried look on his face.

Two other warriors are in the backseat, and they also express concern.

I shake my head. “I’ll be fine,” I say. “I just need a minute.”

“Alpha,” says Seline, one of the warriors. “I think you need to contact your mate.”

“What?” I ask. I’m not sure what being sick to my stomach has to do with Rose.

“What you’re feeling could be your mate in distress,” she explains. “Please, try to reach her.”

I’m horrified at the thought that something could be wrong with Rose, so I try to reach her through the mind-link. We’re pretty far away from Mark’s castle, though, and I think I’m out of range because I get no answer.

I’d better be out of range.

“She’s not answering,” I say. “But I think we’re out of range. Why do you think this has something to do with my mate?”

“Because, Alpha,” she says, “I have had the same thing happen to me while my mate was in battle. He was gravely injured, and I was at home, but I felt his pain the moment it occurred.”

This has me even more panicked about what might be happening to Rose right now. But the road I’m on… it could possibly lead to Kelly, and she’s somewhere waiting to be rescued as well.

My heart tears in half trying to choose which path to pursue. If I make Brent turn around, that’s like giving up on Kelly. But if Rose’s in danger, that means the pups are in danger as well. I have to try to be there for them.

“Go,” says Brent. “We’ll go ahead on this path and keep looking for Kelly. But a feeling that strong… you need to pursue it and see what’s happening with your mate. I’ll have Sean meet you at the highway to drive you back. You’ll get there faster.”

I nod, already opening the door. Within seconds, I’ve shifted and am running back down the dirt road we’ve been exploring toward the main highway, trusting Brent to have my ride ready for me.

I have no idea what’s wrong with Rose, but nothing will keep me from her side.