Pregnant With Four Alphas' Babies: A Reverse Harem Romance Chapter 213: True Friendship

*Shelby*

“Adam?” I ask as I watch the Alphas run off. I almost don’t want to know what’s going on because there’s only one thing that could make those men move so quickly toward the castle.

I touch Adam’s shoulder lightly, and he sets the warm palm of his hand over mine. In any other moment, that would be comforting, but right now, there’s an ache growing in the pit of my stomach. This is about Rose or the pups, and I know it’s bad news.

He nods and looks into my eyes. “The pups are missing,” is all he needs to say.

I’m not a mother—I certainly hope to be one someday—but just those four words invoke an instant panic response that I feel throughout my body. I’ve never even had a chance to meet the little ones yet, but all I want to do is shift and run right behind the Alphas to help them find them right now.

That instinctive feeling subsides slowly while I consider the bigger picture. We’ve just finished up a bloody battle that has ended in the death of a rival Beta and the surrender of a good many warriors, and organizing that surrender is the task assigned to Adam right now. The best thing that he can do for those babies at the moment is to take care of things so that the Alphas don’t have to worry about what’s left of the battlefield.

Adam has obviously come to the same conclusion because he’s now working closely with the other Betas—well, I guess technically Adam isn’t a Beta any more, but still—the other Betas that belong to the four Alphas’ packs to organize everyone that’s left.

With their roles clear, it’s time for me to go do my part.

“I have to go to Rose,” I say.

Adam breaks off from the man he’s speaking with and pulls me to the side. “Okay,” he says. “But please be careful, my mate.”

“I will,” I say, stealing a quick kiss before shifting and running toward Alpha Mark’s castle myself.

I know that the Alphas wouldn’t ever let Rose go after the babies with them, not when it’s been such a short time after she gave birth to the four pups. So that means she’s alone—well, not alone since I’m sure all the nurses and servants are with her—but what she needs right now is a friend.

It takes a frighteningly short amount of time to arrive at the castle, considering that we just fought a brutal battle so close by. It seems that Adam has had a Beta inform the guards ahead of time because when I arrive here, they quickly let me in after I shift, get dressed, and I tell them my name. I find Rose upstairs where a maid has led me. Thankfully, she’s laying down in her bed.

But she doesn’t look well, not at all.

“Rose!” I say as I walk into her room.

When she sees me, she stands up instantly and draws me in for a hug. “Shelby!” she says. “That bitch… that bitch took my babies!”

“I know,” I say. “Well, I know they’re gone… but what bitch do you mean?”

“Retta,” she says.

I shake my head and try to lead her back to her bed. She doesn’t look well. “You can tell me in a minute,” I say. “Please lay down while we talk.”

“I’m so sick of everyone telling me to lay down!” she shouts, and it shocks me a little. “I’m sorry,” she adds. “I know you’re trying to help. It’s just that I can’t stand the thought of my babies being missing… where they are, who’s with them, whether they’re okay…”

“Okay,” I say, laying her down in her bed and taking her by both arms. “You need to breathe for me, hun. I can only imagine what you’re going through.”

She nods while she struggles to take a couple of deep breaths. “My Alphas… they’re out there looking for them,” she says.

“I know. And they’re going to find them. They will move the Goddess’ heaven and earth to get them back to you.”

“I know,” she says. “It’s just so hard to sit here waiting.”

“I know the four of them will come through,” I say.

“Well, that’s just it,” she says. “Eli… he’s not here.”

“Where’s Eli?”

“Looking for Kelly,” she says. “Oh, Shelby! Kelly is missing, too!”

“Kelly took the babies?” I’m confused. Why would Kelly take her own nephew?

Rose shakes her head. “No, she was missing before,” she says. “When Eli came back, he didn’t bring Kelly with him.”

“I’m going to need you to back up a little bit,” I say. “Okay, I had heard that Eli was back. Just in time for the birth, right?”

Rose nods. “Yes, just in time for—Eli!!”

Rose’s eyes light up, and I look in the direction of the door. It’s Eli, so I back up a few steps to let him get through to Rose.

“My Goddess,” Eli says. “Are you all right, baby?”

Their embrace is tight and desperate, and Rose seems to want him to pull her right out of the bed, but he gently lays her back down and runs his hand over her cheek.

Tears start pouring down her face as though she’d been holding back for hours. “Our little boy… the babies! Eli, I can’t live without them!”

“I know, baby,” he says, gently brushing the hair out of her eyes and finishing with his thumb wiping her tears. “I knew something was wrong, so I returned, and I was told what happened. I came to see you first, then I’m going to join the others out looking for them.”

“Did you find Kelly?” she asks.

He shakes his head. “No, but some very good people are out looking for her,” he says. “I felt you… I felt your pain and knew I had to come back.”

“I needed you,” she says, and the look in her eyes is pleading and hopeful, but tears are still flowing uncontrollably.

“I know, baby,” he says. “And I need you to stay here while I go out looking with the others. Shelby can stay with you.” He looks up to me and nods, and I nod back in understanding. “You need to be healthy for the babies once we bring them home.”

“That’s what the others keep saying,” she says. “But Eli, I can’t stand it! I just can’t stand it!”

Her breathing gets more erratic now, and I move over to the other side of the bed. “Rose,” I tell her. “You’re going to have to try to relax.” I look up at the nearest nurse and she nods in understanding. “We’re going to get you something to calm you down.”

“But the babies need my milk,” she says, shaking her head.

“I’m sure that the herbs they bring will protect your milk,” I say. I don’t know that for sure, but these women nurses look experienced, so surely, they know what to give a breastfeeding woman who is having this kind of emotional trauma. My heart just aches for Rose and the babies.

Eli strokes her face once more and gives her a gentle kiss while the nurse hands Eli a jar of salve. “Alpha, putting that on her chest will help calm her,” she says.

Alpha Eli carefully rubs some on her, and I can see immediate results as Rose’s breathing starts to return to normal. The scent is pleasant, like lavender mixed with something I can’t quite put my finger on.

“I have to go now, love,” he says. “I’ve messaged the other Alphas, and I’ll be joining them. You stay with Shelby, and please, be safe.”

Rose nods, her eyelids closing gently as he squeezes her hand once more before kissing her lightly on the lips. He looks at me one last time with a nod and heads out the door.

She looks rested now, so I pull up a nearby chair, careful not to disturb her by letting the legs screech on the smooth floor. I have a lot of unanswered questions, and since Rose is drifting off into a restless sleep, I won’t know the answers for a while now, so I settle in and get comfortable.

I never found out who this Retta is, but if she’s evil enough to steal four new pups from Rose, I don’t want to know her. And I don’t want to know how the hell she was let within a mile of Rose and the pups if she’s that kind of a person.

Whoever she is, that doesn’t matter right now. I’m sure the four Alphas will team up to get these babies back quickly, hopefully before Rose wakes up next.

In the meantime, I’ll be what she needs most right now—a true friend.