Pregnant With Four Alphas' Babies: A Reverse Harem Romance Chapter 58: Murder in Black Rock Castle

*Reece*

I’ve been thinking a lot about the discussion I had with the other Alphas a few days ago, and it is bothering me.

We shouldn’t be calling each other cowards or tearing each other down right now. No, we should be building each other up and making sure that we’re all okay. This is a difficult time for all of us.

We are playing a game of hoops, taking a break from all of our war planning, and Tristan and Mark have just beaten Eli and me when we decide to take a breather and sit beneath some trees in the garden near the kitchen. I can smell the scent of lunch cooking, and my mouth is watering. I hope it isn’t long until we are called in from the kitchen staff to eat whatever the cook is making us.

The sweet older woman who cooks most of our meals, Olga, is old enough to be my grandmother, and I just adore her. She’s the kindest person I’ve ever met, and I love speaking to her whenever I get a chance. Usually, breakfast and dinner are served to us in the dining room, but for lunch, we often go in and grab whatever she’s prepared straight out of the kitchen.

Just the chef and her sous chef, Deena, are present most days. They make fairly simple, but delicious, selections for us, and we help ourselves and carry our plates to the little eat-in area of the kitchen where the staff usually eats. It’s become a bit of a routine for us, and I enjoy it. Both of my grandmothers passed away years ago, so it’s nice to have a relationship with an older woman.

But before we can go eat, I have to say something to these other men.

“Guys, I’ve been thinking,” I begin.

“Oh, no,” Tristan says, shaking his head. “What did I tell you about that, Reece? It’s dangerous. No good ever comes of it.” He flashes a crooked grin at me, and I can’t help but shake my head at him.

“Seriously, I think we need to chat about the disagreements we’ve been having recently,” I tell them.

“Do we really want to open that can of worms again?” Mark asks. “I think I’ve had enough of fighting recently, especially with you guys. If Rose catches wind that we’re not getting along, she’ll be upset, and we can’t have that, especially not now that she’s pregnant.”

“I agree with you, Mark,” I tell him. “I don’t want to fight either. I was just thinking, we shouldn’t discuss the situation again until we find out who the father is. Then, the three who are not the father can go off and fight while the other stays back to protect Rose.”

The other Alphas stare at me for a moment before they exchange glances, and then I see shrugs.

“That works for me,” Eli agrees. “That way, we know she’ll be safe, and whoever the father is will get to live to see his children.”

I nod, hoping that it’s me. I want those to be my babies, not because I want to be king. I really don’t care about that anymore. Instead, I just want that sort of connection with Rose.

That, and I’m ready to be a father. I’ve been dreaming about having a child of my own recently. I wouldn’t mind actually having four.

Still, even if I’m not the father, these three Alphas have become my friends, and I want them to have happiness with Rose, too.

Which means we still have to figure out what to do about Emily, but now isn’t the time to start talking about that.

“What will we do if the war breaks out before the DNA test?” Tristan asks.

“She should be able to find that out in a few weeks,” Mark tells us. “Hopefully, it won’t be an issue.”

“But King Gene seems to think that the war could happen any day now,” Eli laments.

“If that happens, we’ll have to work it out by taking turns or something,” I suggest.

“That might work,” Tristan says, scratching his chin. “As long as we aren’t forced to dip weird things in peanut butter while we’re here. I don’t want to dip anything in peanut butter and then put it in my mouth ever again. Although if Rose really likes it that much, I have an idea of something she could try.”

“Tristan!” Mark interrupts. “We don’t want to hear about you spreading peanut butter on your shlong and asking Rose to lick it off!”

Tristan’s eyes double in size. “Excuse me, good sir!” he says. “I was talking about celery! Boy, do you have a dirty mind!”

“I seriously doubt you were actually talking about any kind of food,” Mark argues, shaking his head.

“Of course, I was!” Tristan insists, and Eli and I just shake our heads.

I open my mouth to tell them to let it go when we hear Deena at the door. “Alphas, lunch is ready!” she shouts with a smile.

Tristan is up off of his bottom faster than anyone else, and the rest of us are rushing behind him, thinking there won’t be any food left if he gets there first.

If they had put food at the finish line when we were racing for Rose’s virginity, I have no doubt Tristan would’ve won by at least five minutes.

Before we reach the door, a scream echoes through the kitchen. We all stare at one another for a moment. We know it was Deena who was screaming because we recognize her voice, but what the hell is she screaming about?

My first thought is that something has happened to Rose. What if she came to the kitchen to get one of her pickle and peanut butter snacks, and she choked on a damn pickle that got stuck in her throat because the peanut butter is so sticky?

Or what if someone decided to end her to get back at us? Is it possible that Alpha Kane has broken into the castle or sent a spy to assassinate the Breeder?

The four of us take off running and hit the door almost at the same time. Tristan and I are stuck in the door for a second, our shoulders colliding as we both try to squeeze through. We back up and try again, but the same result happens, and neither of us can get through the door.

“Go!” I shout at Tristan, as I’m backing up again. He goes first this time, followed by me and then Eli and Mark. We all rush to where Deena is kneeling next to the victim.

Olga is lying on the floor, foaming at the mouth, glass shards from a pickle jar lying next to her as the green liquid runs all over the floor. An upturned peanut butter jar lies next to her, as well as a dropped wooden serving tray and a butter knife.

“What the hell?” Tristan asks.

“I’ll go get the healer!” Eli says and shoots off down the hallway. Since he’s not from the same pack as Dr. Pendergan, he can’t use the mind-link to reach her.

“I don’t know!” Deena shouts. “We’d just finished setting out your lunch, and she was finishing up lunch for Miss Rose when… I heard a crash and turned around, and she was on the ground!”

Mark stoops down and presses his fingers against her neck. He shakes his head. “She’s dead.”

“Maybe when the healer gets here, she can do something?” I ask.

“Maybe, but I doubt it.” Mark stands. “That looks like wolf’s bane to me, and a lot of it.”

I study Olga’s face. It’s scrunched in pain, and the foam on her lips looks very much like the victims I’ve seen succumb to the most toxic substance wolf shifters can ever encounter, next to silver, possibly.

Eli is back a few moments later with the healer, and Dr. Pendergan does what she can to try and help Olga, but it’s obvious she’s too late. It only takes a small amount of poison to kill someone, especially when it’s wolf’s bane.

I have no idea who has done this, but my heart is heavy in my chest. Olga was a kind, old woman who would’ve never harmed anyone, and here she was, lying on the floor, dead.

Someone would have to tell her son, Omar, and her little grandson, Sammy. She talked about them both all of the time, especially Sammy. He was the light of her life.

Now, that light is snuffed out–forever.

My hands become fists as anger replaces the sadness that is coursing through me. I am at a loss for words, but I’m ready to figure out who did this and make sure they are punished.

A murder in the castle is a serious crime, and whoever is behind this should pay–with their life.