Poisoned Choice

The letter felt like poison in my hands.

I sat alone in Liam’s living room, staring at the formal offer from Henry’s lawyers. Terminate the pregnancy. Risky procedure that might reverse my Omega status. Step down quietly and they would let me live what was left of my old life. My fingers trembled as I read it again.

Liam walked in and stopped dead when he saw the papers. “What is that?”

I didn’t look up. “Henry’s offer. A way out. For both of us.”

Liam crossed the room in three strides. “Let me see it.” His voice was tight with barely controlled anger.

I handed it over, watching his face darken as he read. “You’re not seriously considering this.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” I stood up, voice rising. “This could give me my life back. My body back. The empire. Everything I lost. You don’t understand what I sacrificed.”

Liam looked at me with quiet pain that cut deeper than anger. “I understand more than you know. But if you do this, you’ll lose the only thing that still feels real.”

I laughed bitterly, pacing the room. “Real? None of this feels real. I wake up every day feeling like a stranger in my own skin. And now I’m supposed to just accept this... this thing growing inside me like it’s normal?”

“It is our child,” Liam said, voice breaking slightly. “Not a thing. Not a mistake. Ours.”

I stopped pacing and glared at him. “Don’t. Don’t make this harder than it already is. You get to stay the strong Alpha. I’m the one who lost everything. My strength. My respect. My future.”

Liam stepped closer but didn’t touch me. “You think I don’t see how much you’re hurting? Every time you flinch when someone mentions the baby. Every time you push me away. I see it all.”

Before I could respond, the doorbell rang. Lucas entered, carrying a thick folder. His face was grim. “I came as soon as I could. Henry’s been busy.”

“What now?” I asked, already exhausted.

Lucas set the folder down. “Proof of sabotage. He paid off doctors to administer the differentiation drugs. But there’s more. He doesn’t want you fixed, Aiden. He wants you gone. Permanently.”

I sank back onto the couch. “So the offer is a trap.”

“Obviously,” Lucas said. “But it’s tempting, right? That’s how he wins. He makes you doubt yourself.”

Liam turned to me, eyes intense. “Tell me you’re not actually thinking about it. About ending the pregnancy.”

I looked away, guilt twisting in my chest. “I don’t know anymore. Part of me wants my old life so badly I can taste it. The control. The power. Being feared instead of pitied.”

“And the other part?” Liam asked softly.

I pressed a hand to my stomach without thinking. “The other part is terrified of losing something I didn’t even know I wanted. This baby... it’s the only thing that’s truly mine in all this mess.”

Lucas cleared his throat. “Henry’s giving you forty-eight hours to respond. He’s already leaking more information to the board. Making you look unstable.”

“Great,” I muttered. “Just what I need. More people thinking I’m weak.”

Liam knelt in front of me, taking my hands. “You’re not weak. You’re the strongest person I know. But you don’t have to do this alone. Whatever you choose, I’m here.”

I pulled my hands away, resentment flaring. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one whose body betrayed them. You’re not the one carrying a child you never asked for.”

“I know,” Liam said, voice rough. “And I hate that I can’t take this burden from you. But destroying the baby won’t bring back who you were. It will only leave you with more regret.”

Lucas shifted uncomfortably. “I should go. But Aiden, think carefully. Henry’s playing on your fears. Don’t let him win.”

After Lucas left, the silence between Liam and me grew heavy.

“I need time to think,” I said finally. “Alone.”

Liam stood slowly. “I’ll be in the next room if you need me. Just... don’t shut me out completely.”

As he walked away, I felt the weight of everything crashing down. The offer. The baby. Liam’s unwavering support. My own confused heart.

Hours passed. I paced. I cried. I whispered to the small life inside me, asking questions I had no answers for.

Liam returned later, carrying tea. “You haven’t eaten. You need to keep up your strength.”

I took the cup but didn’t drink. “Why do you care so much? Really. Tell me the truth.”

Liam sat across from me. “Because I fell for you long before any of this. Before the differentiation. Before the baby. I saw the man behind the Alpha mask. The one who cared too much but hid it. I want that man to have a chance at happiness.”

Tears stung my eyes again. “Happiness? With a body I don’t recognize and a child I’m terrified to love?”

“Yes,” he said simply. “With me. If you’ll let me.”

I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to. But doubt and fear still gripped me hard.

“What if I’m not enough?” I whispered. “What if I choose this baby and still lose everything?”

Liam reached for my hand again. This time I let him take it. “Then we’ll build something new. Together.”

Before I could respond, a sharp pain tore through my abdomen. I gasped, doubling over. Warm liquid trickled down my leg.

“Liam,” I choked out. “Something’s wrong. The baby...”

Liam’s face went pale with terror. He scooped me up immediately. “Hold on. I’ve got you. We’re going to the hospital right now.”

As he rushed me to the car, pain and fear consumed me. The choice was no longer theoretical. The baby was fighting to stay, and I realized with sudden clarity how desperately I wanted it to survive.