Pregnant With Four Alphas' Babies: A Reverse Harem Romance Chapter 276: Uniting the Kingdoms

*Ethan*

I look at Rylee, wishing she were safe at the castle but also knowing that there’s no way she would stay behind and wait for me. But I realize from the look in her eyes that, once again, she doesn’t intend to go directly into battle.

“There are innocents around here,” she says. “I’m going to get as many people to safety as I can.”

We kiss deeply but quickly, and once again, I watch her run away and take hold of a woman with a small child. The woman is just standing there paralyzed in the middle of the road watching all the fighting around her.

Rylee isn’t safe at home where I’d really like her to be, but she knows how to keep herself safe when danger is around. I have to trust her so I can go do what I need to. I turn and face the battle, shifting and giving orders to my warriors as I quickly map out the best strategy.

These guys are tough and organized, obviously well trained. Instead of a band of rogues without formal training, we’re facing a kingdom’s army. I slip in and take out a couple of them in the front. My heart isn’t in it because I have no idea why these people are attacking us all of a sudden, but I have to protect the people of my kingdom.

All my dads and their warriors arrive in army transports at the same time, and each of the armies they’re with from the many different packs in the kingdom take up different positions.

‘These guys are well-trained,’ I warn them in the mind-link.

‘Roger that,’ Tristan says.

Soon we’re in a good position and move in for the strike, but the enemy’s reinforcements keep arriving by ship. It’s like an endless supply of them, and we already have as many warriors here as we can mobilize quickly. I know the others are getting ready or traveling farther, but for now, we have to fight with what we have.

I take out as many enemy warriors as I can, still feeling guilty because I don’t know why these people are fighting us. But they’ve killed some of our warriors now, so there’s no stopping the carnage that’s about to happen.

My dads and I are thick in the fray, our larger wolves overpowering several of their smaller ones, even though there are constantly more enemies arriving in small boats from the large fleet of ships offshore. It stretches as far as I can see in every direction. There must be fifty thousand warriors here, and for some reason, they’re bent on destroying us.

I catch a glimpse of a woman in human form and do a double-take because she’s on one of the small boats arriving with enemies. It throws me off for a second as I see her get off on the dock and run away, her purple hair trailing behind her.

Whoever she is, I’ll have to deal with her later because I have my hands full with the wolves in front of me. I still don’t see any the size of me, Matthew, or my dads. There don’t seem to be any royals participating in this battle at all, which is strange. We’ve always had an Alpha lead the charge. Maybe things are different in Green Mountain.

A scraggly gray wolf almost overpowers me while I’m distracted, but I snap out of it fast and take care of him quickly. There are going to be so many dead wolves on the docks when we’re through here. I don’t even want to imagine what that will be like.

I take out a few more and leap onto a shipping container to get a better view of the battle. It’s a hell of a place for a war. Normally, we’d be in the field away from civilians. Wars were between the wolves who had a problem, and the winners would govern those who happened to be in that territory.

But this was a full-on assault on a civilian target. Besides the shipping lanes, there’s a wharf out here that attracts tourists with its seafood restaurants and mini museums. Sometimes kids even come here on school field trips. Goddess, I hope there aren’t any children here today.

‘Please see if there are any kids on the wharf,’ I mind-link to Rylee.

‘Already cleared,’ she answers. ‘Be safe out there. This looks bad.’

‘I will,’ I say. ‘Rylee, I love you.’

‘I love you, too, Ethan.’

I have to close the mind-link because a group of angry warriors is coming my way. Two of my warriors back me up, and I jump off the container and into the fray.

There’s a group of about a dozen and only three of us. Most of them are smaller, and my warriors make quick work of them with bites to their necks. I shift quickly, running up to the largest wolf, which looks to be a Beta.

I don’t want to fight him. I don’t want to fight any of them, but they brought this to our shores. I leap forward, twisting my head in a maneuver designed to grab him by the neck, but he dodges my attack and rolls away, quickly getting up and running toward me.

I use a technique Tristan taught me, ducking and spinning around in such a way that I end up under the enemy wolf with my teeth right under his neck. I take him out with a single bite and jump up to face the rest of them.

A couple of them run off and the warriors and I handle the ones who remain easily.

Happy for the victory, I look up. The boats keep coming. I’m not sure how much longer we can hold these troops back.

* * *

*Damon*

I sit in the car with Alessandro and Braden, wishing I was holding hands with my mate. I guess I need to think of her as our mate since she’s also mated to my two best friends. It’s not something any of us ever thought about, and having these few moments in the car gives us another chance to discuss it.

“Am I supposed to call ‘dibs’ if I’m next?” Braden laughs, but I don’t think it’s funny. Alessandro scolds him before I get the chance.

“She’s our mate, buddy,” he says. “Have some respect.”

“I have a huge amount of respect for Trisha,” he insists. “I just don’t know how we’re supposed to do this. Do we take turns every night? Or do we have like a week that’s our turn?”

“This is a conversation we need to have with Trisha,” I say. “Yes, we’ll have to take turns somehow, but I think she should be the one to decide how that goes. She might need some time because last night was her first time with a man.”

“I can’t say I don’t wish it had been with me,” Alessandro says.

“Me too,” Braden admits.

“It’s going to be different with all of us,” I say. “Her first time with you is going to be special because you’re her mate, both of you.”

“Should we ask her now?” Alessandro asks.

I shake my head. “Let her have some time with her mother and sister instead of talking sex with her in her head.” I laugh at that, and the other two join me. “Her mother seems like a kind lady, and she should talk to her now when she has a chance. Trisha will probably be returning to Green Mountain with us, or I hope she will. We should give her some time with her family without distractions.”

Alessandro’s eyes go a little wide. “I never even considered that she might not return with us. Do you think there’s a chance of that?”

“I don’t think so,” Braden says. “But I agree that she does need to be with her family for a while.”

We stop talking because we start to see people running, and we know we’re getting closer to the battleground. There’s a huge traffic jam on the other side of the street heading in the opposite direction as people try to escape, but this side of the street is empty. No one’s stupid enough to head toward a war, except us, I suppose.

As we approach, I’m frantically trying to communicate with the commanders in my mind-link. But they’re either telling me they’re under Alpha King orders, or they just don’t bother answering me at all. No one believes that I’m the Alpha King now.

I touch the pin on my collar. It’s the only proof I have right now that the Council has transferred power to me. I didn’t want to risk bringing the crown and sash to another kingdom in the middle of a war. But they’ll have to pry this pin off my dead body.

I know there’s more to being the Alpha King than the ceremony. Everything has transferred to me, including a more powerful Alpha voice. I just hope everyone sees who I am right away and listens to me.

There’s nothing to fight about here. Our mate is going to unite the kingdoms, and we’ll have a wonderful future. We’ll open trade routes and improve our air travel. It’ll be an economic boost to both sides as tourism starts, especially with so many people curious about what life is like in the other kingdom.

It makes me wonder why we’ve been kept apart for so long. I have a feeling it has something to do with the witch, but I have no idea what.

Finally, we reach a point where we have to stop and get out because all the other armies’ vehicles are blocking the way. I see fighting up ahead, and I hear it, but it’s hard to make out exactly what’s happening.

We all pile out, and Trisha and her mother and sister join us.

“Rylee needs help,” Trisha’s sister says. “She’s getting some children to safety.” She looks at Trisha. “That’s Ethan’s mate. Are you coming, Trisha?”

Trisha shakes her head. “No, I think my place is here. Those are my people out there now. I’ll be their Luna Queen soon.”

“You’re right,” Rose says. “I’ll go with Reeva and help Rylee. Please stop this madness, baby girl.”

“I will, Mom.”

They hug, and the other two women leave as Trisha stands bravely at our side. “Let’s go,” she says.

More than ever, I’m happy now that she has three mates because we protect her from three sides at least, which is better than one, as we move forward, dodging all the army vehicles to get to the heart of the fighting. When we get to the thick of it, I hesitate.

Trisha opens a mind-link channel with several people, and I soon realize it’s her four fathers, her mother, her sister, and her brothers.

‘My mate Damon is the Alpha King of these people now,’ she explains. ‘Please back off if you can, and he’ll address them.’

‘Trisha?’ One of the Alpha Kings sounds very excited to hear her voice.

‘Rose? What are you doing down here?’ another asks.

‘Helping the people of our kingdom,’ the Luna Queen replies. ‘Now, do as our daughter says, and let the man talk to his own.’

I can feel the violence taper off as all the Dark Forest warriors back away at their Alphas’ command, and I move in. My warriors seem a little surprised that the enemies are backing off, so I make my way through them quickly, trying to find the commander. I don’t know every warrior in our kingdom, but most can recognize me from the training college. Luckily, they all recognize me and at least don’t attack.

I need to get to where they can all see me and the pin before I address the warriors. I jump up on a shipping container that has a good view of the battle and speak in my newfound Alpha King voice.

“My father is no longer Alpha King! I am your new king, and I order you to stop!” I hold onto the pin, which only the closest warriors can see, but I hope that’s all I’ll need.

Before I can say more, my mate jumps up and stands proudly beside me. “And I am his mate, your soon-to-be Luna Queen, Trisha Forrest-Stone, princess of Dark Forest. I am mated by the Moon Goddess to three Alphas of Green Mountain, and together we will unite our kingdoms in peace!”