Forged in the Flames by Karima Sa'ad Usman

Nikolas POV

I spent the entire day with my mother and Aliana. Nothing seemed more important than being there, watching how Aliana cared for my mother and comforted her.

Aliana was good at caring for people, and I could understand why she easily wore the Luna shoes.

There were awkward moments between us, but we let them pass quickly, and she did an excellent job of masking her emotion One thing I was certain about was that she genuinely cared for my mother’s well-being, which just showed she was kind hearted. I wondered how she might have been Gabriel’s daughter. Her mother must have had a heart of gold.

Once it was evening and we had fed my mother, I left her to attend to pack matters in my office.

Getting there, Delta Grant and Gamma Ingham were fuming.

I could tell they were angry, but their rage must have been insignificant because Qusack was in high spirits.

“And you finally grace us with your presence after blocking us out all day,” Qusack said with a knowing look on his face. They were all sitting on the couch in the office.

“I got to feed and spend time with my mother for the first time in a long time,” I said and sat on my chair.

Ingham leaned forward, and so did Grant too, and their faces looked concerned and angry. They might have tried to mask it from fear but were doing a horrible job at it. “You mean you got to spend time with your slave w*ho*re,” Ingham said, and I looked at him. I did not know why I felt rage, but he had crossed the line there.

“What, Alpha? Do you think we do not know? Do you think we do not see it? You always stare at her, you no longer want to party or have fun. It is almost as if she has bewitched you, but you would argue it isn’t the case since only Lycans possess special abilities, but just look at how low you have descended.

There are many beautiful, sophisticated Lycan women you can spend your time with, you choose to spend it with a slave w*ho*re, the daughter of the man that turned your mother into that, killed your father and stole his kingdom. Have you lost sight of your goal?” Gamma Ingham said, and I was tongue-tied from rage and confusion. “You are losing yourself, your highness. Yesterday I heard you decided to start paying those things wages, and you reduced their workload, you also prohibited our men from disciplining them. I know it is because of that b*itc*h. How can you let yourself lose sight of your mission.”

“This is the time to take a lycan Luna from a prestigious family and apply for Kingship, instead, you are having private dates with a w*ho*re and skipping your duties,” Delta Grant said, and I banged my hand on the table. Bane was enraged.

“Do not forget who you are speaking to,” I warned them sternly, and they fell back and bowed their head.

“Calm down, Niko. They would not repeat themselves again. I had warned them they would be overstepping. Tell me how the queen is,” Qusack asked me, and I got up.

They had really pissed me off, so I wasn’t in the mood to discuss anything with them again. “Where are you going?” Qusack asked me.

“To sleep. We will revisit this tomorrow, and subsequently, my evenings will be occupied. I will spend it with my mother,” I said, looking at Ingham and Grant, then left the room.

Everything they said to me struck a nerve, and I did not know if they were right about me losing sight of our mission or not. I just showed Aliana some kindness and kept my word.

How is keeping my word weakness?

I do not play cheap tricks on people and will never give what I can’t. Ingham and Grant had overstepped with me, but I also needed to watch how I behaved in public where Aliana was concerned because I was sl*ipping up, which might cause them to question my resolve.

I showered and decided to go to bed early.

I felt uncomfortable, and Aliana not being with me meant I would have a terrible night. I looked forward to holding her, but after what Grant and Ingham had said, it kind of snapped me back to reality and helped me draw the line again.

of the night, I sat up in bed and thought of

TO WHEN NIKOLAS

a deer all morning and knew we would get lucky soon. During our hunt, she

to hide it,

was sl*ipping, and she was trying all she could

come and pass. There were times it would

regain her sanity again, and I dreaded it I was just ten years old, and I had no wolf. I

could be her Alpha, and she would have

no longer be a rogue, and her

the woods all my life. She told me of my father, a powerful Lycan king who was betrayed by some

father was a kind king. Even though Werewolves were inferior to Lycans, he treated them nicely. My father was kind and accommodating, unlike the other two kings, who put them in

that would be the death

warned him considerably, but he refused to listen,

Werewolves teamed up, led by the treacherous Gabriel Nowak. They poisoned my father’s

with me. She had to escape to ensure that I survived. She had been on her own ever

father was a

on to her sanity to train and protect

how to defend myself and what to

had to move occasionally, she ensured we had a roof over our heads. She also ensured I could read and write because she dreamed that I would recover all that was stolen

from age four, she would make me promise that her sacrifice would not be in vain. I did not only make the promise to please her, but I did so because it was the right

not regain my senses, promise me, you will put me down, Nikolas,” She would say every time she returned to her senses. It was a promise I had refused to make no matter how many times she had asked. “Do not let me kill you, Niko. A feral wolf is an empty shell of its old self, it knows and loves no one. All it wants to do is harm and kill. Do not leave me at the mercy of Lycan hunters, do not leave me at the mercy of the unknown. I want you to hold me with the chains and stab my heart with

I was only seven.

much for a child to bear, too much for me to

drop the topic, but I knew I could

every time it was about to happen, she would chain herself with silver to a tree so she could not shift, and that would

mother said, trying to cover

hunt some other time. I will settle for potatoes and mushrooms today. They are tasty,” I said, wanting to discourage her from hunting the deer because I knew she was doing it

a little while longer, Niko, and we will head back,” she said, shifting

we could stand on our hind legs and use our arms. She pounced on a deer and used her jaws to break its neck. The sound always made me cringe,

to celebrate her victory, that was when she looked at me with red eyes.

eyes. She looked at me and bared her teeth

Tears began

me and returned to our

but I also knew she did

come back to me,” I said in tears, frozen and afraid. Ready to run

pounce on me. She did not know me anymore. So, I stepped back and

her chasing me. My mind was reeling with the worst outcome,

to save myself and her? We were going to d*ie. She would kill me, and

me to squeeze in but too small for her to enter. I ran into it and stared