Forged in the Flames by Karima Sa'ad Usman

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I woke up in a lonely bed. Nikolas’s side was cool, so I knew he had left early. I did not know if it had anything to do with what
happened yesterday, but I hoped he was fine.
What transpired between Isabelle and me played in my mind. I was grateful that Nikolas handled it instead of finding ways to
manage it.
He chose me, and that boosted my confidence in what we had. I wanted him to be King and hoped everything would work out.
I felt nauseous even though I was a bit hungry. I went to the bathroom to look at my reflection in the mirror. My complexion was a
bit pale, and there were beads of sweat on my face. I felt warm, too, so I turned on the water and damped my face with cold
water to make me feel better.
I tried a breathing exercise, and it worked.
The issue with Isabelle must have shaken me to make me feel sick, but I could not let it spoil my day.
It was Saturday. It was time to visit my father.
I knew Ania and Lisa were ecstatic about it because they visited some friends living in Riverhead on Saturdays too. It wasn’t part
of the agreement, but Nikolas decided to allow it so I could get some privacy with my father. I was grateful for it.
“Good morning,” I linked to Nikolas. Wanting to hear his voice to complete my morning. I wished I had seen him in the morning,
but he had an important matter to attend to.
“Sleep well?” he linked back, and I giggled a bit. He always gave me butterflies, and as every day passed, I let down my
defences more and more. He affected me so much that I could not hide it anymore. I was in love.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was blushing. How could he have such a strong hold on me? It was an amazing feeling.
“Yes, you?” I finally replied.
“I held you all through the night,” he replied, telling me he slept well.
“I know you are excited to see your father today. Try to have fun and relax, okay. My mother won’t trouble you again,” He linked
me and sighed.
“Thank you,” I said, and he was silent..

“Do not make me miss you too much,” he said, telling me not to linger into the night, and I giggled.
“I won’t,” I replied, and the connection was closed. I could tell he was busy, so I did not want to prolong our conversation. Nikolas
was very kind to me. I appreciated his kindness.
I got dressed and headed out of the room. I saw Gezel at the bottom of the stairs and did not want to get into any altercation with
her.
I did not look in her direction and tried to walk away quickly when she stopped me.
I really did not want anything to spoil my mood for the day. I had much to discuss with my father, and my mental state was crucial
when I got to him.
“May I have a word with you, Aliana?” I heard Gezel say, and she sounded nicer than usual. I wondered what was up her
sleeves. Even though Nikolas protected me and had my back always, I did not want to occupy his time with trivial matters.
“Yes, Gezel?” I asked as nicely as I could. I did not want to come across as bitchy, but there was a possibility she wouldn’t say
anything nice. “I want to apologise for yesterday. I had no hand in it. I also want you to know I do not hate you and won’t trouble
you again.” She said, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
Of course, she would not trouble me again. After seeing what Nikolas would do, there was no point in continuing to be a bully.
She had no choice but to be nice.
“There is no need to be nice to me because you fear Alpha. Honestly, I do not want that. If you are ever nice to me, it should be
because you want to, not because you are afraid of punishment. I know you had no hand in what transpired yesterday, and I do
not hold you accountable for it, but please, you do not have to pretend to like me.” I said, and she nodded.
“Honestly, I do not hate you, Aliana. Most of us are just jealous. Alpha is a big catch, and none of us could attract his attention,
but you did it easily. It is as if it was ordained by the moon. It is enough to be jealous over. We are taught from a young age to

hate werewolves, and they are beneath us. It is a must for us Lycans. I cannot tell you I have had any issues with a werewolf,
and being mean is tedious, so I want to be nice for a change and be myself. Since it is clear that Alpha is relaxing the laws
around here, I hope we won’t only be civil but can be friends too. I do not want to hate werewolves for no reason anymore,” she
said, and I smiled at her. I wasn’t buying it and would not give her a chance to hurt me, but I didn’t have to be a bitch about it,
either. If she was being genuine, then it must have taken a lot for her to wait for me by the stairs.
“Okay,” I said, not knowing if it was appropriate.

I just wanted to get out of the place and see my father. I was too hungry for this and could not keep my father waiting.
“Well, I have to go now. Thank you so much for clearing this up. It means a lot to me,” I said, smiling and hurried to the front door
and left the building.
I did not know what Gezel and Erica had up their sleeves, but it was clear that two days with the ‘queen’ had done a number on
them. I chuckled while I walked towards my father’s house, Imagining the horror they would have gone through having to serve
the ‘queen’. Too bad for them.
I got to my father’s house and knocked on the front door.
“It is opened, princess,” I heard his voice, and I knew he must have spotted me from the glass b y the side of the door. So I
figured he was in the kitchen section.
I entered and looked towards the kitchen counter. My father had outdone himself. There was a spread of food on it for breakfast.
My stomach growled, and I was hungry. The food also smelled delicious.
“Good morning, Daddy,” I said and went to hug him. He kissed my forehead and smiled at me.
“You reek of your boyfriend,” he teased, and we laughed.
“How is he, by the way?” My father asked, and i t was an odd question.
“He is fine,” I said, and he nodded.
I noticed a bandage on his wrist. I touched it immediately, and he let me.
“What happened to you?” I asked, surprised at what I was seeing.
“Hunters attacked the Eastern border yesterday. They killed a few residents, but Nikolas and his men came to the rescue. I
heard the hunters came with warriors from Snow and Hill,” he said, and I gasped.
I could not believe that Nikolas did not tell me h e went to fight.
I suddenly felt selfish because all he had dealt with was my issue with his mother. How was 11 o know it was a miracle that he
was alive? I was mad that he did not tell me.
“What is the matter, princess?” My father asked, pouring me a glass of juice. I lifted the glass and took a sip.

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“He did not tell me he was in a fight or anything like that,” ‘I said, and my father nodded.
“Well, now you know. Maybe he didn’t want you to have that look on your face,” He said, pointing at my face, and I frowned at
him.
“What look?” I asked, putting down the glass and touching my face.
“The one you have on right now. The look of worry,” He said, and I laughed. Maybe he was right.
We ate quietly, and I kept searching for openings to tell him about Isabelle. I did not want him to choke on the food, so I let us
finish breakfast.
We did the dishes together, and my father wanted us to work on his vegetable garden in the back.
It had been a long time since we did something like that together. I looked forward to it. I was feeling a bit nauseous, but I tried to
control myself. I did not want my father to worry, but as things were, I would have to remain indoors when I got back.
“Do you know werewolves are escaping Snow and coming to Forest?” he said while tending to the aloe vera plant.
“Why?” I asked him, yet to figure out what I wanted to tend to in the garden. The nausea was preventing me from bending down.
So I stood and looked around.
“Well, it is believed that Forest is still safe for werewolves,” he said, and I frowned because that was not a good thing. If Forest is
labelled as safe for werewolves, then it means the unity law isn’t enforced in the Forest, which can affect Nikolas’s coronation
request.

“That is not true,” I argued, and he laughed and stood up.
“Well, it is, darling. Compared to the others, we have it well. It was almost like the time of King Mathias when we were free,” he
said, chuckling, and this was my opportunity to chip i t in.
I watched my father laugh and looked around his small garden. He, too, was wondering what plant to tend to next.
“Speaking of the Late king, Do you know that Nikolas is his son?” I mentioned quickly, and he looked at me in total shock. I
nodded so he would know it wasn’t a joke.
“His mother is Queen Isabelle, the feral woman I was caring for. She gained her sanity two days ago.” I said, and he ushered me
back into the house. I could feel his anxiety and his shock. He was an alpha, after all, so his mood was affecting me.

“Are you serious?” he asked me gently, and I nodded. He led me to the sitting room close to the couch by the entrance. The
house was small, so there wasn’t much space.
“She has been giving me hell since she regained her senses,” I said, and he frowned.
“Isabelle is supposed to be in Snow. I told her to go to the Snow,” He said, arguing with me.
He was shocked. It is hard to believe that she was the one. I could understand his feelings.
Mathias was his friend, and he believed he had done right by Isabelle by setting her free and sending her off to her brother.
“Well, it seems, the Snow King did not take them in, and they had to live in the woods,” I said, and my father sat on the chair
gradually. I could understand he was in shock. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, he was hurting.
“What did she say happened to her?” He finally asked me, and I chuckled.
“Other than beating me up and telling me she is protecting her son from me and you, of course, she hasn’t spoken a word to
me,” I said, and he looked at me in shock.
“She beat you up?” He asked, and I nodded.
“Nikolas was furious, of course, and put her in her place. She hates me. She hates us.” I said, and he sighed.
My father was in deep thought, and I did not need to guess what was in his mind. It was guilt. I saw it in his eyes. He blamed
himself for their suffering.
“Father, is everything okay?” I asked him, and he looked at me.
“Did you tell Nikolas all I told you?” He asked me, and I shook my head. He nodded and sighed. “If you set her free, why would
she visit so much hatred on me?” I asked him, and he looked at me with worry in his eyes.
“It is not you she hates, Princess; it is me,” He said, and I already figured that out.
“Why would she hate a man that saved her life and set her free? It wasn’t your fault that they grew up in the wild. That was her
brother’s fault,” I said, and he shook his head.

“If Mathias had not died, she wouldn’t have had to leave,” he said, and I understood that part, but I also knew that my father did
not kill him, and the werewolves did not attack.
“If he had not gone mad and tried to kill all werewolves, none of it would have happened,” I said, seeing my father wipe away his
tears.
“Nikolas is Mathias’ son?” was all he managed. It was as if he was still in shock.
“I really failed Mathias,” he said and began to weep.
I did not understand why my father would say that.
He had set Isabelle free so she could have
Nikolas. He saved her life. Nikolas wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for him.
“I have to see Isabelle,” he said, and I shook my head.
“I do not think it is a good idea,” I said, remembering my few encounters with her.
“I think she is still mentally unstable,” I said. “She had to live in the wild for many years. That can do anything to anyone,
Princess. I need to see her and tell her what really happened to Mathais so she would stop hurting,” He said, and I shook my
head.
“No, you do not, father. The person you need to see and speak to is Nikolas. Tell him what you told me. He is open-minded he
would understand. Isabelle’s mind is twisted. She might turn it against you. She is a monster,” I said, and my father was silent.
“They did not deserve the life they had. This was their home. She should have returned when Fredrik sent her away; I would
have protected and kept them. I would have kept them at the cost of my life for Mathias’s sake,” He said, and there was a knock
on the door.
My father wiped away his tears while I went to see who it was. To my surprise, it was Qusack, and the look in his eyes indicated
he had heard all that we discussed.