Forged in the Flames by Karima Sa'ad Usman

Chapter 19

Nikolas POV

Aliana looked peaceful this morning, and I did not want to trouble her sleep. Qusack had linked me to inform me of the werewolves found dead in the woods. I learned they had gone to the woods to pick mushrooms and potatoes.

I wondered why Lycan hunters still thought it was okay to come and hunt for slaves in my woods.

I remembered how my mother and I lived in fear of them, and I realised that what we faced in the woods was the reality of the werewolves.

What King Frederick was allowing his people to do was highly disrespectful. I wasn’t sending men to the snow lands to hunt for slaves After all, they had werewolves living in their midst. Why would he think it was okay not to keep his people in check?

I had had enough of this nonsense, and it needed to stop.

There were many half breeds in Forest, and if I did not stop this disrespect, they would soon start hunting the half-breeds too. Werewolves could not detect half-breeds because lycans smelled similar, but Lycans could identify them from their scent. There was always something uncertain about them that made them questionably stand out. I did not want the hunters to come to Forest to eliminate werewolves and half breeds.

My qualms were with the people and the Alphas that sacked my family. I might have issues with the werewolves and not trust them, but this was my land, and they were Aliana’s people.

I snuck out of bed and went to freshen up in the bathroom Then I left the room. I linked Ania to tell Aliana where I was off to when she woke.

I also told her to take her to see her father once they were done with my mother.

I did not know how long I would be away from the palace, but I felt it was only fair Aliana got to see some sun.

Staring out the window and gazing at the garden looked cruel. Even though she didn’t say it, it seemed like she was in a cage looking out while I always had fun. I planned to find a balance between us. I joined Qusack outside the palace, and we headed towards the woods.

“This is getting too much,” Grant said, and I was glad he was beginning to see the issue. “King or not, Forest has a Lycan leader now, they were to liaise with us and get approval before venturing into our woods. King Frederick’s silence on the matter is disrespectful. He refused to respond and refused to call his people to order. Maybe he is under the illusion that he has rights over the forest,” Grant said, and I growled.

“The only King with rights over the forest is me,” I said, and Grant was silent.

If Gabriel did not do what he did, this would not be happening.

My father would have been on the throne, King Frederick would not be disrespectful, the people in the forest would be safe, and I would concentrate on fighting to be with Aliana. Gabriel’s treachery caused a chain reaction that spoiled a lot of things. I also wondered how they fared under him as their leader.

“So, how did the werewolves manage this problem when a werewolf led them?” I asked, and Qusack sighed.

“I asked Gabriel, and he said they never ventured into the woods. They had a line they never crossed,” Qusack said, and I could not believe that they were content with isolating themselves on the land. No wonder they were underdeveloped. Gabriel and his friends cost the territory a lot, all in the name of seeking power. I wasn’t through with him yet.

Whenever I had to do extra when I shouldn’t, I would take it out on him. My relationship with Aliana won’t change my feelings towards him. We got to the woods and found the corpses on the ground. They were killed like animals with collars around their necks.

I saw the basket of mushrooms the woman was holding, and I wondered why they needed to pick so many mushrooms.

“Why were they picking mushrooms? Don’t they have food?” I asked Qusack, and he shrugged.

“All the food is portioned, and they collect groceries every Saturday. They are also allowed to buy and sell in the market. There is a werewolf section where werewolves can sell their produce. Maybe they just wanted to venture into the woods badly,” Qusack said, and I picked up the basket to examine its contents. It had potatoes and mushrooms in them. Things that they should be able to buy in the market. I wondered what they were doing with their wages.

I needed to dig into the matter to ensure they were not planning another uprising because I knew they could not be trusted.

I decided not to trouble myself further and told my men to take care of the corpses. We returned to the palace and headed to my office.

I was furious.

The blatant disregard and disrespect of the Snow King was insulting, and I knew it was time to push back.

I will do to him what he has been doing to me. It will be subtle, but he would get my message.

“Qusack,” I told my beta, and he was attentive. “Get the finest of our men and send them to hunt and catch werewolf slaves in the Snow lands. Make sure they catch them on the King’s turf. At the samenovelbin

proximity,” I said, and I could see worry in Grant’s eyes. “Frederick is not my King, and I am not his subject. If he feels it is okay to hunt for werewolves in Forest without my permission, I will do the same in Snow land without his permission,” I said, and Qusack grinned evilly. He knew what I was trying to do. I was trying to force the King to liaise with me.

“What if he takes offence?” Abraham said, and I shrugged.

“I am offended, and this is my reaction. He is bound to reach out, and I would tell him my issue with his hunters. If they don’t stop hunting on my land, my men will hunt on theirs,” I said, and Grant laughed.

“Honestly, I was beginning to think you cared about those things, but now I understand what you are doing. You want the King to acknowledge and respect you,” Grant said, and I looked at him because I knew what he referred to as those things and why.

“I care about the werewolves. They are my subjects too, and I must protect them. What do you think will happen to Forest if we let them hunt and steal werewolves?” I said, letting him understand the importance of the Werewolf demographic in Forest.

I understood why my father was lenient towards them. They were necessary, but their treacherous behaviour is what I need to watch out for. As much as I cared for Aliana, I had to watch my back where other people were concerned.

We finished the meeting, and I decided to go and check on my mother.

I knew Aliana would have gone with the maids to see her father. It was against my better judgement, but I wanted to make her smile. I went to the room and found Aliana and the maids there. I was surprised to see that she did not go to see her father.

They all stood up immediately, and they bowed their heads to greet me. It hurt and didn’t feel right when Aliana greeted me like the others. “No need to bow your head Aliana. You should always look at

me,” I said, and she looked up gradually.

“Leave us,” I ordered, and everyone left, leaving Aliana and me.

I pulled her to my b*ody and k*issed her. I figured she would be mad that I snuck out in the morning, even if she wouldn’t give me hell. I owed her an explanation. “I had to deal with hunter issues. I didn’t want to trouble your sleep,” I said, caressing her cheek with my palm. She closed her eyes to feel my t*ouch, opened them, and looked at me.

“I understand,” she said gently, and I k*issed her on her l*ips, pulling her to my b*ody.

We broke the k*iss eventually, and I went to look at my mother.

She was asleep.

Her fever had given all of us a scare, and I knew it had Aliana in knots. Her eyes were misty throughout the ordeal, and she was nervous. I knew she would think that I would blame her. I could never blame her because I knew she would not do anything to hurt my mother. She helped my mother when she did not have to, so I trusted her.

I went to sit on the couch and asked Aliana to sit on my lap.

“I told you to visit your father today. Why didn’t you go?” I asked, and she sighed. “I went to his house in the compound, but he was still working with the masons. They said his shift is from nine to five, so I had to leave because you did not permit me to check on him at his place of work,” she said, and those were very long hours.

I wondered who made the roster. I did not feel sorry for the hardship Gabriel was enduring. It was nothing compared to what my mother and I had to endure.

“Okay, you can check on him in the evening tomorrow,” I said, and she nodded. I knew she wasn’t happy about her father’s condition, but I wasn’t willing to bend or compromise. He was lucky he was getting wages, had a roof over his head and had food to eat. I was lenient.

Aliana swallowed, and I knew she had something important to discuss with me. “Come on, Go ahead,” I said, and she looked at me.

“I do not want to break any of your rules. I still remember all of them, but you are yet to place me on birth control. Will it be okay to continue drinking that tea until you decide?” she asked, and I sighed and bowed my head, knowing she was right.

I was so conflicted about everything. I had warned her not to fall in love, yet I had fallen.

I had told her I would not father a half breed b*astar*d, but I was reluctant to place her on birth control.

I did not know what to do.

Seeing the situation I was in with Aliana made me look at my mother. I had promised her that I would wipe out Gabriel’s lineage, but how could I keep that promise when I wanted a life with Aliana? How could I when I planned to fight for us to be together once I become King? How could I when I knew there would be no one else? It seemed that was a promise that I would have to break because I deserved happiness too, and I deserved to share my life with the woman I love.

Aliana remained on my lap while I linked the physician to bring her birth control medication. Even though I wanted a future with her, this was not the time for a baby. I wanted to be King and acquire the power I needed before I could think of fathering a child.

I need to bring my child into a world where it would be okay to be a werewolf and it would be okay to be a halfbreed.

I just needed time and hoped Aliana could trust me enough to hold on. Because no matter how much I loved her, there was a profound sadness and fear in her eyes. I knew it was because, at the back of her mind, she believed what we had was temporary because of our laws.