Pregnant With Four Alphas' Babies: A Reverse Harem Romance Chapter 97: Closer Than Friends

*Barbara*

It seems I have my work cut out for me. I had mistakenly assumed getting one of the Alphas to jump into bed with me would be easy.

The room assigned to me is so small, it’s the size of my shoe closet back home. I made my demands about my living conditions quite clear to King Gene. How dare he give me such a shoe box for a bedroom?! He said this room is the best and used to belong to his cousin. I wonder if she ever felt like she was suffocating in such a small room. Just being in it is giving me claustrophobia.

A maid knocks and enters the room with a glass of water on a tray.

“Is it room temperature?” I ask the maid.

She nods nervously.

I take the glass of water and sip. “This is not 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It seems to be more like 71 degrees Fahrenheit,” I say as I spit the water back into the glass. “Also, I clearly asked for water with cucumber slices. This water has lime in it. Don’t you know the difference between a lime and a cucumber? Pathetic! Get out of here.”

The maid scrambles out of the room. I walk around the room trying to think of a new way to get to one of the Alphas. If they are all as fixated on the Breeder as my last target was, I would have to know what makes her special. Alpha Tristan might have just given me a great idea with his insult. I will have to learn a thing or two from this Breeder in order to know the best way to get one of these Alphas for myself.

Being Luna has its own advantages and perks, but being queen will change my entire existence. It will give me more power over the lands. I can’t lose this quest.

After putting on a decent pair of jeans and a blouse, I take off the dog collar for a little while. I moisturize my neck and put some baby powder on before putting it back on. I am going to have to talk to King Gene about wearing a dog collar. Wearing such a thing for the duration of my stay here is not going to work. Couldn’t he have put it on my ankle instead? It is within his reach, for crying out loud.

“Do you need us to launch another attack on the capital?” I can hear my Beta, Robin, ask me through our mind-link.

“No. Lay low and see to things back home with the pack. I’ll let you know if I need anything else,” I respond.

I make my way down the hallway, wondering where to find this Breeder. I don’t have to look for long, as I see a pregnant woman and a red-haired lady walking toward me. I plaster a huge smile on my face.

“Oh, my. You must be Rose. You are as beautiful as everyone says you are. Pregnancy really suits you,” I compliment her. I continue to beam at her, trying my best to figure out why the Alphas seem taken by her. Her nose seems a little big and not suited for her small face.

“Who are you?” The red-haired woman steps in front of the Breeder protectively.

“Oh, I’m Luna Barbara. You are such a great maid, protecting your mistress like that. I am harmless, trust me,” I assure them as I smile brightly at her.

“My name is Kelly Silver, and I’m not a maid. I am Alpha Eli’s sister and your worst nightmare if you dare try to hurt Rose,” the redhead warns me as she gives me a suspicious look.

Oh, wow. Two for the price of one. Maybe I can also befriend the Alpha’s sister and get in her good graces. This is going to be easier than I originally imagined after all.

“Oh, pardon me. I was about to ask why such a gorgeous girl is a maid. You look like a model. That red hair is pure fire. What hair dye do you use to get it so red?”

The girl scowls as she glares at me. Is she not one to take compliments?

“Parents’ DNA is the name of the hair dye,” she spits.

Dang! I was so sure she had dyed her hair. Who has hair this magnificent? “Oh, my bad. You are gorgeous, stunning even; both of you are simply beautiful.”

Kelly gives me a look over before taking Rose's hand and walking away without another word. Bitches!

“Where are you going? I’m so bored and know no one around here. Could I join you guys?”

Kelly looks back at me from over her shoulder and says nothing. I take her lack of a response as a yes, and follow them. We walk into a room that is just as small as my own. A woman I recognize as King Gene’s Beta’s wife is sitting on a bed. I have met her once or twice at some functions.

“This palace is full of gorgeous women. You’re Beta Adam’s wife, right? I’m Luna Barbara.” I smile at her. Honestly, all this fake smiling is making my jaw hurt and probably creating unwanted ugly smile lines.

“This is Shelby, and we had no idea you were a parrot, Luna Barbara,” Kelly says sarcastically to me.

The insolence of this girl. Does she know who I am? “What do you mean?” I ask, still smiling.

“A parrot can speak, but constantly repeats the same phrases until it learns new ones,” Kelly explains with a cold tone.

I bite my inner cheeks to stop myself from lashing out at her. I had to make these women believe that I was a friend, after all.

“I know who you are… the Luna who is a prisoner yet roams around the palace freely with servants at her beck and call,” Shelby chimes in.

Dang! Is everyone around here so unwelcoming?

“Ahh, the king just wants to negotiate deals with my pack. After all, he could gain more from my powerful pack if he showed them that he’s treating their leader well, despite the mishap. He and I are actually acquaintances. We’ve known each other for a long time,” I admit.

“I see,” Shelby answers lazily.

I can see that these two ladies aren’t about to believe anything I say. I decide to focus on the person that they seem intent on protecting. If I gain her trust, the other two might soften up.

“How are you doing, dear? Are the babies kicking yet?” I ask.

Rose smiles lightly at me and nods. “Yeah. I just feel like an elephant.”

“Oh, stop it. You look gorgeous. The belly suits you. Any weird cravings?”

She laughs. “Pickles and peanut butter.”

“Oh, wow. I liked ice cream and hot sauce when I was pregnant,” I laugh.

Rose's eyes open wide as she regards me. “Ice cream and hot sauce? That’s really weird.”

“Luna Barbara, why are you being nice to Rose? Also, why did you attack the capital and come here to brag? Why even attack if you and the king are close?” Shelby asks.

I swallow as I try to formulate an answer. “I’m generally a nice person. Also, I feel Rose and I have a lot in common.”

Shelby raises a perfectly plucked eyebrow at me. “A lot in common? Like what?”

“Like knowing how it feels to have your child threatened; Emily did a shitty thing by trying to kill Rose and her babies. I can relate to how she felt, being terrorized in such a way,” I empathize. I bite my tongue, realizing I had revealed a secret that King Gene had told me in private.

“How do you know about what Emily did?” Shelby continues to cross-examine me.

“Rumors travel fast. I must have heard someone talking about it somewhere,” I offer.

“Weird. I didn’t know that knowledge had traveled outside these walls. So, how were your pups threatened?” Shelby inquires.

“Well, see, that’s why I attacked the capital and came here. My child went missing, and I believe King Gene has some intel on what happened to him. I came here to try to figure out what he knows. All I am is a heartbroken mother following the trail of my missing child. Being a Luna without an Alpha is hard. I would really like to find my son, and maybe hook myself an Alpha in the process.”

I realize I have again divulged my mission without fully intending to. I do hope they only took the sob story about my so-called missing child and nothing about getting myself an Alpha.

“Hook yourself an Alpha? Here?” Kelly asks.

I feign a whimper as I try to blink hard so as to squeeze out some fake tears. It works as I feel a fat teardrop roll down my cheek. “You know, ruling a pack as a single woman is hard. I mean, this is a male-dominated kingdom. But I have to be strong, for my kids. We women are like tea bags. We never know how strong we can be until we’re thrown into hot water, right? We have to stand together as women.”

“Right…” Shelby says.

I can tell from her tone that she’s not buying my story. I need to move on to act two of my script