My Secret Lover by ARIE78 (Completed)

Chapter 14

Michael cleared his throat, snapping Forth from his trance. 

"I'm going to ask you a private question, Forth, and I need you to answer me honestly. This is very important. Did you by any chance have sexual contact with a man you didn't know very well around the time when this first started happening?"

Forth turned away from the recorded image of his baby.

 "How did you know that?" It was embarrassing to talk about his sex life with Ming's father, but he admitted, "Yes, I had a one-night stand. I kind of hoped it could be more but... Well, it didn't work out."

"I see," Michael replied. "And I assume it was unprotected sex?"

Forth just nodded wordlessly. "Did this man seem particularly... aggressive in bed?" Michael continued to prod. "Perhaps, after the act, he stayed inside you for a while longer, and it seemed... different?"

Forth was beginning to feel really uncomfortable now. Staring at his hands, he nodded once more. Michael's warm hand landed on Forth's, and the gesture made Forth look up at the doctor once more. 

"I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, Forth. You might choose to believe me, or you might not. The fact is that, yes, you are pregnant. That's your baby inside you. The guy you had sex with was probably not human and managed to impregnate you even if you are a man."

"Y-You're joking, right?" Forth stammered. "Not human? What else could he be, an alien?"

"I can't answer that, I'm afraid. It is a secret that I swore to never reveal. Just know that yours is not the first case of male pregnancy I've seen, but it's only possible under certain, very specific circumstances. I won't ask any more personal details, because it's clear you don't feel comfortable with sharing something so private. But as a doctor, I must warn you that this is a serious matter. The male body isn't built to carry a child. By the time the foetus is completely developed, your stomach and your intestines might be affected. You'll have trouble breathing and you might not be able to keep much food down. It could be very hard and painful for you, even life-threatening."

"Are you saying... I should... abort?" The words were too crazy to even utter.

Forth felt like he'd fallen into a dream, and if he himself hadn't felt the baby kick, he'd have suspected he was in some sort of evil ritual doing sent by someone. 

"I can't make that decision for you," the doctor replied. "Again, this type of thing is very rare. With the other case I've seen, the birth father survived and so did the child. But it was a very close call, for both of them, and the child suffered longterm problems due to the traumatic birth. Therefore, you might not even be able to carry the child to term. On the other hand, you'll find that carrying the child comes with some DNA changes meant to help you. The end result is that once these changes settle in, you'll probably start aging slower and be more resilient to regular pain and stress. But again, there are no guarantees. The one case I have to go on isn't really a reliable sample, so it might be completely different for you."

Forth just lay there, musing over the information Michael had offered. He'd always wanted a baby of his own. It had been an unachievable dream that he'd set aside because he'd known he shouldn't even consider pursuing it. But now, he had a life growing inside him. His train of thought came to an abrupt halt there. He was pregnant. The doctor had uttered the words DNA changes. Even if everything went well, he'd give birth to a baby who wouldn't even be fully human. He himself would never be the same again. Shit, shit, shit. What was he going to do? In his belly, his child stirred, as if feeling Forth's fear. Forth closed his eyes and he could almost imagine his baby reaching out to him, as uncertain as Forth felt, so frail, so small, but so alive.

"I can't give him up," he whispered. "I'm keeping him."

"Fair enough, Forth," his doctor said. "I'll help you with everything I can.

Remember to eat well. Meats work best, but don't push yourself. Eat slowly,
small snacks once every hour or so. If you feel sick or start bleeding, call me, no matter the hour. Try to go for a walk once a day, preferably in a park—ten minutes or so, nothing tiresome. Fresh air helps. And I'll prescribe you some vitamins that will be good for the baby. Just keep in mind that what we do this must be completely secret. If anyone learns of it... You don't even want to imagine the consequences."

Forth mentally jotted down everything Michael had said. He kind of wanted to ask how Michael had learned all these things, but he didn't. He just considered himself lucky that he was not alone in this. And yet, in spite of Michael's sage advice, Forth realized he felt more alone than ever. He didn't know why, but as he slid down off the examination table, his thoughts went to Phana. Please, P'Pha, help me. This is your baby, too. I can't do this alone. Please, P'Pha. Come back to me. Come back to us. 

There was something wrong with his mate. Phana could feel it, in his bones, in his fangs, in every single inch of him and especially in his desperate heart. He tried to reach for Forth, but the darkness kept him trapped. A silver collar seemed to be encasing his throat, keeping him from breathing right. His whole body appeared to be in a silver cage, unbreakable, impossible to bypass. And then, the words drifted into his mind. Please, P'Pha, help me. The fact that his mate had managed to reach out to him even if they hadn't completed their bond spoke volumes of the urgency of Forth's situation. It was unusual even for full mate bonds, let alone unfinished ones. Phana howled in distress, leaping forward, tossing his head back and forth. The silver collar bit into his neck, threatening to cut off his breathing. The more he thrashed, the harder the silver was on him, the poison of the substance seeping into Phana's body through the raw wounds caused by Phana himself. His mate's voice returned, haunting, yet so beautiful, full of so much craving it nearly hurt. Please, P'Pha. Come back to me. Just like that, the silver cage broke, and Phana opened his eyes. He took a deep breath and found himself staring at the ceiling of what seemed to be one of the mansion's sick rooms.

"Phana?" a familiar voice asked by his side. "Shit, can you hear me?"

Phana blinked a couple of times and when he could focus, he saw his brother had been sitting by his side. A memory shot through Phana's mind, that of his treacherous brother separating him from his mate. Snarling, Phana extended his claws, his anger taking care of the lingering traces of silver poisoning in his blood. 

Kong leapt back, avoiding Phana's attack. He rushed to the door and called out, "He's awake."

ARIE78: Yes, i'm back with more suprises for u guys. The hero is awake? What will happen next. . . To be continue. . . As always vote and comment guys 😉