Help! Five Beast Alphas Want To Breed Me!!(BL)-Chapter 273: Watch Her

Zethar;

I swear, Elian is going to give Zephan and me heart attacks before this pregnancy reaches month two.

He’s pregnant and almost matches the speed of a shot arrow. Aren’t pregnant people supposed to be... calm?? Gentle??

But no! This Omega of mine seems to be retribution for all the people I’ve ever troubled!!

By the time we reach the entrance hall, he’s already with Alana, bouncing excitedly like a puppy about to get a snack.

I should shout at him to slow down—he is pregnant, for Light’s sake—but the words leave my mind the moment I see the girl standing beside Alana.

I stop walking.

Cold travels down my spine like a warning whisper, and immediately, I don’t like it.

What is it that I hate? I don’t know. But I hate this feeling.

Who... is that?

She’s small. Grey Rabbit ears drooping, shoulders hunched inward, eyes lowered like she’s afraid of her own shadow.

But something in my chest pulls tight as I watch her.

She’s still. Too still. Too light on her feet, and almost too... careful.

Enemies also learn to make themselves look harmless.

Zephan steps up beside me, and I feel him tense at the exact moment his eyes land on the girl.

Good. It’s not just me.

Elián is already hugging Alana and talking too fast, too excited—so excited he doesn’t even notice the way the girl’s eyes flick toward him, quick and sharp, like a predator checking her surroundings before pretending to be prey again.

Oh, hell no.

Without wasting a moment, I march down the stairs, straight for them, and with one more unapologetic step, I place myself directly between Elián and the stranger.

Yes, I did it without thinking about it. But when it comes to protecting him, safety comes first. Thoughts and second guesses can come after.

"Alana," I say, with my voice low, as I stare at the girl who’s served my family for so long.

"Who is the girl?" I demand, and before Alana can even breathe, Elián blurts out—too fast, too bright—

"Oh! She’s Alana’s cousin! She escaped from a brothel and needs somewhere to stay, so I said she could stay here with us. Is that okay?" He rambles, and as I process his words, my jaw tightens so hard I feel it crack.

HE... WHAT!??

He just— Agreed?

Just like that??

I look back at my brother, and his eyes flick to mine.

One shared expression:

We smell trouble.

I look back at my bright-eyed omega who’s now holding on to my arm with a massive grin.

He looks so happy, and I feel bad that I’m going the have to disappoint him, but we need to keep him safe. Even if it means turning away his friend.

I gently caress his cheek, and his smile grows as he leans into my touch.

"Can she stay? She’ll be safe here." He pushes, still looking up at me, and before I can speak, Alana jumps in.

I turn to her as she rambles her explanation.

Her cousin, childhood friend, lost memories, tragedy, escape, reunited on the road... every piece of the story fits together perfectly... too neatly.

But this is Alana. Why would she play games with us? Lie? Bring us danger?

If there were no fire, there wouldn’t be smoke.

For Zephan and me to feel so on edge it means there’s something up with this girl.

The girl finally steps forward, and the first thing I notice about this movement is how she holds herself.

Like someone who has been trained to look fragile.

The second thing?

Her eyes.

They’re wide. Wet. Dark...

Perfectly shaped to make you pity her. And that is the exact reason the ends of my hair stand at alert.

I reach for the band of my pants where there’s a dagger tucked.

If she so much as reached for Elian, I’m forgetting the dagger in her neck. Alana’s cousin, or not.

She gets in front of me and bows. Just then, Zephan shows up beside me, and now Elian is completely hidden behind us.

"I won’t cause trouble... I swear," She pleads in a whisper, and I eye her.

My instincts coil tighter, and a low growl presses at the back of my throat. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Something is wrong. And I hate it. It feels like she’s here to hurt something that belongs to me, and I hate that I do not have a valid reason to feel like that.

No one from a brothel moves with feet that quiet. No one terrified keeps their breathing that controlled.

I’ve seen fear enough times to know.

There is something wrong with this girl. The... persona she presents... It’s off. Something just refuses to sit right as I stand here, staring at her, but I don’t know what that thing is.

I don’t know what it fucking is, but I can sense it. The deceit...

Like a shadow beneath her skin.

Zephan clears his throat, and I turn to him.

"She can stay." He says, and my eyes widen.

I want to object.

I really, really do.

But Elian turns us around, and on his face is that stupid, bright, impossible smile—the one that ruins every argument I prepare—and I swallow the complaint like poison.

He is happy. And now that Zephan has permitted the girl to stay, I can’t go as far as countering him.

I have to deal with this quietly; otherwise, I risk hurting Elian. Besides... for Zephan to give in like that, it means he’s up to something.

I step aside so the girl—Asa—can pass between us with Alana and Elian leading the way.

As she walks by, the hair on my arms rises.

Her scent shifts.

It’s not fear, and it’s not grief either. It’s something else.

Something layered... Something masked.

I turn sharply to Zephan, and he’s already looking at me.

He felt it too.

Our eyes lock for a heartbeat, and I feel his worry.

We don’t need words to feel the concern currently in each other’s minds.

We turn back to them as they walk up the stairs. Elian grabs Alana’s hands and drags her inside excitedly, practically bouncing with joy.

I should focus on him—he’s the important one—but my gaze keeps snapping back to the girl behind them like a hound tracking a scent.

Her steps are too measured. Her eyes are too observant, and her presence? It’s too... rehearsed.

I sigh as Zephan and I walk back up the stairs, into the palace.

As we enter the main hall, Aunt Selthía is already there with Zerana.

Aunt Selthía’s gaze lands on the girl, and although her expression doesn’t change, I see the shift in her eyes.

That subtle gaze of assessment.

That simply means she feels something too.

I’m not worried over nothing.

"Who is this child?" She finally asks, and Alana repeats her explanation.

Softer now, and more composed.

Aunt Selthia listens as Zerana steps closer, eyes narrowing the slightest bit.

Asa flinches at this, and I raise a brow. That flinch didn’t seem like it came from a scared person. No.

It seemed like it came from someone pretending to be scared.

Zerana tilts her head... Quietly cataloguing.

I feel her suspicion echo my own, and then I realise that every snake in this room can sense something off with the girl.

Once Alana is done talking, Aunt Selthía gives a single nod.

"She may stay. For now. We will see what becomes clear." She adds, and I stare at my aunt in admiration.

For now.

Those two words do not escape me. That was a subtle nudge. To let the girl know she isn’t fully trusted or welcome.

Elian beams, Alana smiles, and even Asa bows gratefully— her hands clasped sweetly at her chest.

Perfect.

Too perfect.

I inhale and let the breath burn through me.

This girl is not what she claims.

I don’t know what she is yet... But she is not harmless.

Not weak.

Not innocent.

Not simple.

And she is now standing inside my home.

Near my omega.

No.

I step slightly closer to Elian without fully meaning to, and Zephan mirrors me automatically.

The girl glances between us.

Her eyes sharpening for just a flicker... Just a second.

Just enough for me to confirm that there is something dangerous behind those eyes.

Elian doesn’t notice—of course, he doesn’t.

He’s too busy laughing with Alana, holding her hand, talking about everything and nothing.

I force myself to breathe as I look away from the girl.

Elian is happy. He is safe. He trusts us to protect him.

So that’s what we will do.

I give Zephan a small nod.

He gives one back.

We don’t say it aloud.

But we both know it:

We’ll have to watch her.

Follow her scent, learn her secrets, keep close tabs on her.

And if she is a threat, we eliminate her before she gets close enough to touch Elian.

I watch her, Alana, and Elian walk away, and my instincts don’t settle.

Not even a little.

Something is coming. Something wrapped in softness and rabbit ears.

And Elian... our sweet, naive, reckless Elian... has just opened the door wide for it.

I exhale long and low.

"We need to keep an eye on her," I murmur under my breath, and Zephan, who’s still beside me, answers without looking away from her:

"Already planned on it."