Pregnant With Four Alphas' Babies: A Reverse Harem Romance Chapter 270: Captive

*Trisha*

There are about five guys dragging me along, or at least, they’re trying to. I’m kicking, thrashing around, and trying to grab hold of branches as they pass them, but I don’t get my grip on anything for very long before one of the guys pries my hand loose, and they move on quickly.

Screaming is out of the question now because my mouth is bound up tight, though I got off a bit of a shriek back where they first grabbed me, so I hope all my Alphas heard that and are catching up with these creeps.

In the next second, they’re wrapping something around my eyes, and then instantly, I feel myself drop to the ground. In that same moment, my arms are free, and I whip them around to try to grab one of the men, but there’s nobody. I reach up and tear off the cloth against my eyes. I can’t see clearly at first, but it’s obvious that there are bars in front of me.

How am I in a dungeon cell when I was just in the middle of the forest two seconds ago?

I feel groggy, like I’ve been drugged or something, but there wasn’t time for that, was there? I hear a voice not far from me, a woman, though I can’t see her.

“Excellent work,” she says.

“Should we go ahead and finish her off?”

It’s a man’s voice, low and gruff, and it makes a fearful shudder run up my spine.

“Not yet,” the woman says. “I need to locate the wolf statue, and I have a feeling she knows where it is.”

My wolf statue?

“But I promise, I’ll let you do the honor when the time comes. For now, just leave her.”

Then it goes pitch black, and I hear their footsteps walk away. I stand up and feel my way toward the front bars. “No! Don’t leave me here! Who are you, and what do you want with me?”

But my voice just echoes in the darkness.

I close my eyes and try to reach someone, anyone, in the mind-link. I know I’m way too far away with my family and my pack all the way in Green Mountain, but I have to do something. Of course, no one answers, and I slump back against the wall.

I think about the Alphas. I know they chased these people, but some kind of magic took me from the forest to this place, so I doubt they can find me. I know they’re my mates now. I felt it at midnight when I turned twenty-one, though I didn’t tell them about it. I’d known they were my mates before really, but once my birthday hit, it was so intense. I was pulled to them like a strong magnet, all three of them. My mother had four mates. I guess it makes sense that I have three. They seem to be okay with it. I think we’ll be happy… if I ever get out of here.

I haven't had a chance to shift yet. I wonder if I ever will, or if this woman will tell them to kill me before I get a chance to live a real life.

I wonder why I can’t reach my mates in the mind-link. We should be able to communicate, I think. I’m pretty sure we’re in the same forest or at least still in Northside, so they can’t be too far away, even though we haven’t had a chance to use it with each other yet. Apparently, something in the cell is blocking it.

Leaning against the wall still, I keep thinking about my three mates and try to stay still, saving my strength for the first opportunity to escape. A guard passes with the beam of his flashlight moving back and forth. I stand and run to the cell bars.

“Hey, let me out of here,” I say. “I know a lot of important people who can give you a huge reward.”

He laughs. “That’s what they all say. If I had a penny for everyone who said I’d get a reward from the people they knew back home, I wouldn’t even need a reward.” He snickers, apparently pleased at his observation.

“But with me, it’s real,” I say. I stop short of telling him that I’m a Dark Forest princess. I’m not sure who these people are or what they want with me, but I know things might be worse if they know I’m royalty and can fetch a high reward. And for all I know, they might hate Dark Forest and kill me just to teach the royal family over there a lesson. So, I can’t say much that will really convince the guy of anything.

He laughs again and walks on, swinging his flashlight. I stare at the lit bits of wall that I can see as he does that, trying to see what kind of place this is. But he’s soon gone, and with him, any last trace of light.

I feel my way to the side wall and slide down it, sitting on the floor and leaning against it. Even though this whole place is dark, something about being by the outer wall of the cell is comforting.

I close my eyes and think about the Alphas again. I wish I had let one of them come stand guard when I walked away from the campfire.

Somehow, I manage to get to sleep, and I wake up with a start when the lights come on again. I see a shadow approaching and blink my eyes to clear my vision.

A little boy steps in front of my cell with a tray of food, and I jump up. “It’s you!”

I think I’ve scared him because he steps back with wide eyes.

“No, I’m sorry,” I say softly, waving my hands. “I didn’t meet to scare you. I just…. I know you from somewhere, okay?”

He reluctantly steps forward again, opening something in the cell door that allows him to slide the tray in, then he closes it again. He gets up and starts to walk away.

“No, wait,” I say. “Please?”

He hesitates, then turns around again.

My eyes have adjusted to the light now, and I’m positive about what I’m seeing now.

It’s the little boy from my dream.

His clothes are ratty, and he’s barefoot, his face covered in dirt, the same way he always looks in my dream. I’m suddenly not as panicked or even angry that they’ve kidnapped me because I’ve found him, the boy who needed me. I’m right where I was supposed to be.

Now, I need to decide how I can help him. The steel bars around me don’t make it easy.

“What’s your name?” I ask.

He bites his bottom lip like he’s not sure he’s supposed to answer. But after a few moments, his quiet voice says, “Aryx.”

“Aryx,” I repeat. “That’s a nice name.”

He shrugs.

“Do you live in a village near here?” I ask.

He nods.

“Are your parents there?”

This time, he shakes his head. I take a light breath and step a little closer. At first, he seems to want to step away, but he stays there as I approach.

“Where are your parents?” I ask.

He shrugs again. “Coraline says I don’t need them.”

“Who is Coraline?” I ask.

“She does magic,” he says. “Says I have to do what she says.”

“It doesn’t sound like she’s a nice person, telling you that you don’t need your parents and you have to do as she says,” I say. “Are you afraid of her?”

He doesn’t answer, and it doesn’t matter. I already know.

“It’s okay to be afraid. I’m going to help.”

I can see a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“Aryx, I need to get to your village,” I say. “I know you don’t know me, but I’ve come here to help you and the people living in your village. Do you think that you could find the key to this cell for me so I can come help you?”

* * *

*Alpha King Rohan*

“Kurt!” I scream it pretty loudly because I don’t have any idea where the fuck that man is. He should always be close enough to serve me, especially during wartime. I hold my head, which hurts, and take another sip of my tea. I’m glad Coraline gave me such a big supply of it this time. It’s the only thing that seems to keep my head from aching.

“Rohan, I’m right here,” he says.

The insolent fool. “That’s ‘Your Majesty’ to you!” I bellow. Why doesn’t this man address me by my proper title? It’s not like I haven’t reminded him a thousand times.

“Your Majesty,” he says, rolling his eyes. “You don’t need to scream. You can call me in the mind-link.”

“Oh.” I take a sip of tea. At first, this stuff tasted like crap, sort of like dirty socks, though I’d never actually eaten soiled socks. But after some time it grew on me, and now, I feel like I need to drink it all the time. I guess it still tastes like socks though. I’ve just developed a taste for footwear, I guess.

“Did you need something?” he asks.

“What? Oh. Yes. I need the report from the battlefield,” I say.

“We have no reports yet… Your Majesty.” There he goes, rolling his eyes again.

“What do you mean? We don’t have a report?” I chug down the rest of my tea. The headache is starting to pound harder.

“We’re waiting for the messenger ship,” he says. “Remember? We assigned ships to travel along with the armies that would bring back news at different intervals.”

“Well, this is an interval, isn’t it?” I start to raise my voice again because my Beta is annoying me. He’s good at that.

“It is… Your Majesty. But they only passed that checkpoint yesterday. They’ve gotten the message from the general, but it will take some time for that ship to make it back.”

“Well, that’s ridiculous,” I say. “Can’t they just fly it back?”

“Your Majesty has outlawed air travel,” he says with a sigh.

“Oh.” I suppose I did do that. Coraline said it would cut down on miscreants from Dark Forest coming here. She really does hate that place. She’s told me that she doesn’t want anyone from there to step foot in Green Mountain. I’m inclined to agree. I don’t remember why, but I agree. Yes, that’s right.

“Um… Rohan?”

“What?”

“Are you feeling all right?” he asks. “Lately you seem like you’re spacing out.”

“What? I’m the king! How dare you accuse me of being—” I forget where I was going with that.

“Um, yeah,” he says. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

“You aren’t making any sense,” I say. “Get out of there and go find someone who makes sense and bring them back here!”

He sighs, and rolls his eyes, which he does a lot lately, and just walks out of the room. Good riddance. I’ll find someone to talk to who knows how to speak to a king.

But in the meantime, maybe I’ll have another cup of tea.