The Price of Life

The Price of Life
Chapter Ninety: The Price of Life

The golden liquid in the glass cylinder began to bubble violently. Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface, spreading like lightning across a dark sky. 

The machines monitoring Aiden's vitals screamed, lights flashing red, alarms blaring so loud they hurt.

Aldrich was on his feet in an instant. "AIDEN!"

The glass shattered..not outward, but inward…and Aiden's body fell forward into Aldrich's waiting arms. 

He was cold. So cold. His skin was pale as snow, his lips blue, his breathing so shallow Aldrich could barely feel it.

"Aiden! AIDEN!" Aldrich's voice cracked, raw with terror. He held Aiden against his chest, feeling the fragile weight of him. "Someone get the Seer! NOW!"

People rushed around him…Fiona, Grants, Elliot, Gabriella…but Aldrich didn't see them. His world had narrowed to the man in his arms. The man who was slipping away.

Aiden's eyes fluttered open, just for a moment. His gaze found Aldrich's, and his lips moved. No sound came out, but Aldrich read the words.

Our baby.

Then Aiden's body convulsed. A sharp gasp escaped him, and Aldrich felt the warmth spreading between them.

His water had broken.

Aldrich's heart stopped. Then raced. "You're going to be fine," he said, his voice desperate. "Both of you. I promise. I promise."

He looked up, his eyes wild. "WHERE IS THE SEER?! HIS WATER JUST BROKE!”



The storm outside was apocalyptic. Thunder cracked the sky, lightning illuminated the windows in blinding flashes, and rain lashed against the mansion like claws trying to break in. 

The winds howled, shaking the very walls.

Inside, the Seer's tribe had taken over the chamber. Ancient symbols glowed on the walls, pulsing with silver light. 

Herbs burned in braziers, filling the room with smoke and the scent of something sacred. Something ancient.

The doors were locked. The tribe had sealed themselves in with Aiden.

Aldrich paced outside, his hands clenched into fists, his heart pounding with every scream that echoed through the thick wooden doors. Aiden's screams. His mate's screams.

"Why is it taking so long?!" Aldrich demanded, his voice raw, his eyes wild. "It's been hours! DAYS! He's been in there for….”

Gabriella grabbed his arm, her face pale but her voice steady. "The child is powerful, Aldrich. You know this. The birth is harder because of it. Aiden is fighting for both of them."

Aldrich pressed his forehead against the door, his eyes closed, his body shaking. 

"Please," he whispered. "Please let them be okay. I can't lose them. I can't lose him."

Another scream tore through the door. Aldrich flinched like he'd been struck.

"I can hear him," he choked out. "He's in so much pain. I can hear him and I can't do anything. I can't help him."

Gabriella placed a gentle hand on his back. "You are helping him. You are holding the space for him. That is enough."

"It's NOT enough!" Aldrich slammed his fist against the door. "I should be in there! I should be holding his hand! I should….”

The scream that came next was different. It was not pain. It was something else.

And then, silence.

Aldrich's blood ran cold. "Aiden? AIDEN!"

The doors swung open.



The storm began to calm. The thunder faded to a distant rumble, the rain softened to a gentle patter, and the winds died down. The world seemed to hold its breath.

The Seer stepped out of the chamber, her ancient face tired but triumphant. In her arms was a bundle wrapped in white cloth. 

A piercing cry filled the corridor…loud, demanding, powerful.

Aldrich's breath caught. He moved forward, his legs unsteady, his hands trembling as he reached for the child.

The Seer placed the baby in his arms, and Aldrich looked down at his son for the first time.

He was perfect. Dark hair, Aldrich's eyes, Aiden's nose. His cry was powerful…a voice that demanded to be heard, a voice that announced his arrival to the world.

Aldrich's legs gave out. He sank to his knees, cradling the baby against his chest, tears streaming down his face.

"My son," he whispered, his voice breaking. "My beautiful son. You're here. You're finally here."

The baby's cries softened. He seemed to recognize his father's voice.

Aldrich pressed a kiss to the baby's forehead. "I love you," he said. "I love you so much. I have waited so long to meet you."

The Seer placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "He is healthy, Alpha. Strong. The Unifier has arrived."

Aldrich looked up, his eyes desperate. "Aiden. Where is Aiden? Is he okay?"

The Seer's face grew grave. "Alpha... you must see for yourself."



The chamber was dimly lit, the symbols on the walls now faded. 

The braziers had burned low, casting long shadows. And there, on the bed, lay Aiden.

He was barely a shadow of himself. His body was so thin, so fragile, that his bones pressed against his skin. 

His face was pale, his lips blue, his cheeks hollow. His chest rose and fell in shallow, labored breaths that seemed to take all his strength.

Aldrich rushed to his side, the baby still cradled in one arm. "Aiden! AIDEN!"

Aiden's eyes didn't open. His hand lay limp on the sheets.

Aldrich turned to the Seer, his voice raw with desperation. "What happened to him? He was fine! He was….”

The Seer's voice was gentle but sorrowful. "His body is too weak, Alpha. The pregnancy, the trance, the battle in the past... it has drained him beyond what any mortal should endure. The Alpha Prime within him is too powerful for his body now. It is pulling his soul away."

Aldrich's face contorted with denial. "Then take it! Take the Alpha Prime from him! Transfer it to me!"

The Seer's eyes widened. "Alpha, it is not that simple. The transfer is dangerous. The connection between the Alpha Prime and the Moon Child is deep. Separating them could kill him and even if he survives..."

"What?" Aldrich demanded. "What is the price?"

The Seer hesitated. "There is only a half chance of survival. And even if he survives... he will lose something. His sight. His ability to walk. His memories or anything else, his body is wrecked”

Her voice dropped. "The cost is high."

Aldrich looked down at Aiden's pale, broken face. He thought of all the times Aiden had saved him, saved the pack, saved everyone. 

He thought of Aiden's smile. His laugh. The way he had looked at Aldrich like he was the only man in the world. 

The way he had carried their child, loved their child, fought for their child.

Without hesitation, Aldrich said, "I don't care. Take it. I will pay the price. I will pay anything. Just save him."

The Seer studied him for a long moment. "You understand, Alpha, that the Alpha Prime may change you? It will fight you. It will try to control you. It is not a gentle presence."

Aldrich met her gaze. "I don't care. I would fight a thousand Alphas for him. I would fight the world. Just save him. Please."



Days passed. Then a week.

Aiden remained unconscious, his body slowly healing. 

Aldrich rarely left his side, their son sleeping in a bassinet nearby. But something was wrong with Aldrich…..his left arm would occasionally twitch uncontrollably, his eyes sometimes flashed gold, and his voice would drop to something ancient and powerful. 

The Alpha Prime was fighting him…it never agreed to leave it host.

Gabriella approached him one evening. "Aldrich, you must feed him. He has not eaten in days."

Aldrich looked down at the baby in his arms. His son was silent. Still. His eyes were open, but he did not cry. He just stared, as if waiting for something.

"He won't take it," Aldrich said, his voice hollow. "He just... stares. It's like he's waiting for something."

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. "He is waiting for his mother."

Aldrich looked at Aiden's pale, unconscious face. "He's still here," he whispered. "He's still fighting."

Then Aiden's eyes fluttered open.

Aldrich was at his side in an instant, his heart soaring. "Aiden! You're awake! Oh, thank the gods, you're…”

Aiden looked at him. His eyes were wide and terrified like he had just seen something so strange. 

He scrambled backward on the bed, pressing himself against the headboard, his hands clutching the sheets like they were his only lifeline.

"Where am I?!" His voice was high, panicked, nothing like the calm, measured tone Aldrich knew. "Who are you?! What is this place?!"

Aldrich's face crumbled. "Aiden... it's me. It's Aldrich. Your mate and husband. Please…

"Stay away from me!" Aiden screamed, his body trembling violently. 

He looked down at himself…at the thin, pale arms, the strange fullness in his chest. "What happened to me? Why do I look like this?! Why do I feel like this?!"

Prince stepped forward, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "Aiden? Aiden, look at me. It's Prince. Your best friend. Remember?"

Aiden's wild eyes found him. For a moment, something flickered…confusion, recognition, desperation. "Prince? What... what is this? Where are we? Why am I…" 

He pressed a hand to his chest and felt the dampness there. He looked down and saw the dark stain spreading across his shirt.

"What... what is this?!" His voice rose to a shriek. "Why is milk coming out of me?! What the fuck wrong with me?! What did you guys do to me?!”

Prince's face was pale, his voice shaking. "Aiden... you just gave birth. That's your baby. You're…you're lactating because…

"I GAVE BIRTH?!" Aiden's eyes went impossibly wide. 

He looked at his flat stomach, at his thin, fragile body. "That's impossible! I'm a man! Men don't give birth! What are you talking about?!"

Aldrich stepped forward, reaching out to touch him. "Aiden, please, let me explain…”

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Aiden screamed, flinging himself back so hard he almost fell off the bed. 

His eyes were wild with pure, unadulterated terror. "Don't touch me! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Aldrich froze, his hand suspended in midair, his face a mask of devastation.

The baby in the bassinet began to cry…loud, desperate, hungry.

Aiden's head snapped toward the sound. His body tensed. 

Something ancient and powerful pulled at his chest, but he didn't understand it. He didn't want to understand it.

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Aiden screamed, pointing at the bassinet. "Why is that baby crying?! Why does it sound like….make it stop!”

He stopped, his hand flying to his chest. "Why does my body hurt? Why does my chest ache?!"

"Because that's your son," Aldrich said softly, tears streaming down his face. "That's our son, Aiden. You carried him. You gave birth to him. You…”

"I DON'T REMEMBER!" Aiden screamed, his voice breaking. "I don't remember any of this! I don't remember you! I don't remember a baby! I don't remember giving birth! I don't remember anything!" 

He clutched his head, sobbing. "I was in college! I was studying! I was normal! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!"

He looked at Prince, his eyes pleading. "Prince, please! Please get me out of here! Please take me home! I don't know these people! I don't know this place! Please, please, I'm begging you!"

Prince's face was a mask of grief. "Aiden... I can't. This is your home now. These people…”

"NO!" Aiden screamed. "This is NOT my home! I don't have a home! I don't have a family! I don't have anything!" 

He wrapped his arms around himself, rocking back and forth. "I was just a normal person. I had a normal life. Why is this happening to me? Why am I here? Why does my body feel so wrong?"

Gabriella stepped forward, her voice calm but sad. "Aiden, my son. Please, try to calm down. You are safe. You are with your family."

"You're not my mother!" Aiden screamed, recoiling from her. "My mother is dead! I don't have a mother! I don't have anyone!" 

He looked around the room at the strange faces…the Seer, the tribe members, the pack…and his panic only grew. "Where am I?! What is this place?! Why does everyone look at me like they know me?!"

Aldrich's heart shattered into a thousand pieces. He knelt beside the bed, keeping his hands at his sides, his voice barely a whisper. "Aiden... please. I know you're scared. I know you don't remember. But I need you to know one thing."

Aiden stared at him, his breath coming in ragged gasps, tears streaming down his face.

Aldrich looked into his eyes…those beautiful, terrified eyes…and said, "I love you. I have always loved you and I will never, ever hurt you. I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you if I have to."

Aiden's face contorted with confusion. With pain. With something he could not name.

"I don't know you," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I don't know any of you and I'm so scared. I'm so, so scared."

He curled into himself, his arms wrapped around his body, his sobs filling the room.