Forged in the Flames by Karima Sa'ad Usman

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I was nervous about the dinner. I did not trust Isabelle. Why would she want to have dinner with me? The only reason I had not
come up with an excuse not to attend was that I did not want to disappoint Nikolas. I could see that he really wanted his mother
and me to get along.
I doubt it would be possible, but many impossible things have happened lately, so there was no harm in trying.
We met Isabelle at the table in the dining room, and she was smiling. I greeted her quickly before I sat down. Nikolas sat at the
head of the table. Isabelle sat on the right side, so I sat on the left, which placed me opposite Isabelle. It was a very
uncomfortable position because I dared not raise my head and look at her.
“It took you long enough,” Isabelle told her son, and Nikolas laughed.
“I was busy,” He said. Heat rose to my cheeks when he said those words because I knew exactly what he was busy doing. He
was busy doing me.
“I see,” Isabelle said, and food was served.
We ate in silence, and I was completely uncomfortable. I wanted dinner to be over so we could return to our bedroom.
“Aliana,” Isabelle said, and I cringed at the sound of her voice.
I could still remember her words when she came to Nikola’s room. I did not want to seem difficult, so I looked at her. I knew my
face showed worry, and I had all the reason to. This woman hated my father and me. She also believed Lycans were superior to
werewolves. My being at the table was all shades of wrong to her.
“I apologise for how I treated you, and I want to thank you for taking care of me,” She said, and even though I wasn’t fooled by
her gratitude, I smiled and bowed my head. There was no way I would fall into her trap. Nikolas wanted us to get along, and she
obviously did not want to be estranged from her son. I knew I could not trust her words, but I had to be civil.
“I do not take offence, Luna. Thank you for allowing me to be at this table,” I said, and she smiled.
I wondered if her eyes were always cold when she smiled or if that look was reserved for me. “Well, that went well,” Nikolas said,
and we continued to eat.
“What have you been doing with your free time Aliana?” Isabelle asked me, and I knew I needed to find something to say.
“I have requested to work at the Werewolf Clinic; I hope to resume tomorrow,” I said quickly, and she sighed..

“Pity. I was hoping to spend some time with you to get to know you,” She said, and Nikolas cleared his throat.
“That won’t be necessary, Mother,” Nikolas said, coming to my rescue. I could see that he did not trust his mother either.
“Well, I was just making an effort,” Isabelle protested, and he nodded.
“I appreciate it, Mother, but you do not need to spend time with Aliana,” he said, saving me from the awkward moment.
“Very well, I hope we can be cordial,” She said, and I looked at her and nodded gently.
“Yes, Luna,” I said, and she sighed.
The dinner went by silently and was a bit too awkward for comfort. It was as if everyone was walking on eggshells. The food
tasted bland, and I could only chew and swallow, so I did not attract attention.
Once dinner ended, Nikolas decided to call it a night. Isabelle wanted us to linger, but he refused.
“I have a busy schedule tomorrow, and Aliana will resume work in the morning. I will see you during the day,” Nikolas said
quickly, and she was silent. I knew he was trying to avoid lingering because he was yet to prove my request to work in the clinic.
“The least you can do is walk me to my bedroom,” She said, sounding as if Nikolas was being unfair. I gently pulled away from

Nikolas and bowed to her to bid her goodnight.
The woman already hated me. There was no point compounding the problem. I was lucky that Nikolas was kind; if not, my entire
race would have been in trouble, and Forest would have been hell for us. I could see why Qusack suspected her. It wasn’t my
business; I prayed I would not get caught in the mess eventually.
I did not know I was holding my breath and shaking until I had put a great distance between us. While I tried to catch my breath, I
started feeling nauseous.
The whole ordeal at dinner had unsettled my stomach. It wasn’t great that the food would waste, but I needed to throw up.
I hurried to Nikolas’s bedroom and went to the toilet to empty my stomach’s content.
I sat by the toilet seat and vomited all the rice and vegetables I had for dinner. It wasn’t much, so when I was done throwing up
the food, my stomach began to hurt trying to throw up food that was no longer there. I felt my body temperature rising.
I picked myself up from the floor, flushed the toilet, and removed my clothes. I turn on the cold water in the shower to cool down.

Dinner wasn’t a good idea, especially after the intense love-making session in the shower. I hoped this would be the first and last
time Isabelle would invite me to dinner.
I exited the shower, and my body temperature improved, but I was weak.
There was nothing a little sleep wouldn’t cure, so I slipped on Nikolas’s T-shirt with nothing underneath and crawled onto the bed
to sleep.
Nikolas entered thirty minutes later, and from how he sighed, it was clear something was bothering him. I did not know what it
was, but I hoped it had nothing to do with me or my father.
He took off his clothes, leaving only his shorts, and got into bed beside me.
“Did you enjoy dinner?” he teased; I nodded. Which made him tickle me.
“Liar,” he said, and I laughed.
With that action, I felt better.
Being near him made me feel better, and knowing we would have a good night’s sleep put my mind at ease.
Morning came, and just like most mornings, Nikolas was not in bed. I knew he had gone to his office, so there was no need to
trouble him. I did not know what I would spend Sunday doing but roaming about the palace wasn’t a part of it. I dreaded bumping
into Isabelle. She might be nice to me in the presence of her son, but I doubted she would be receptive in his absence.
Lisa was the one that served my food that morning because Ania had to go to town to get something. I did not know who sent
her; it wasn’t my business.
“Do you think she would stay long?” I asked Lisa, and she shrugged.
“Honestly, I did not know. We were prepping to come here when suddenly she told me to go ahead and that she had to get
something in town. It also seemed urgent. I didn’t ask her questions; I just nodded and did as she said. She is my boss, after all,”
She teased at the end, and we giggled.
I never knew we would be friends, but here we were, talking and laughing. There were no barriers between us, and I knew I
could trust them.
Ania came in an hour later, and we decided to check out the werewolf hospital to while away time.

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I tried to link Nikolas but soon figured he was not in the building. I wondered where he was off to, but I did not bother to check
because it wasn’t my business.
On my way out, I bumped into Isabelle, and fear engulfed me because I did not know what she had in store for me. She smiled

at me, and the three of us greeted her.
She looked relaxed, and her eyes were glowing. It wasn’t cold like the few times I had encountered her. In fact, she seemed like
a different person altogether. I wondered if she was on something or had a personality disorder. Either way, I was on my guard.
“I want to see you in private, Aliana. I need to discuss something with you,” She said, and I looked at Lisa and Ania, hoping
someone could say something to save me from her.
“Luna, Alpha said...” Ania started, and Isabelle smiled.
“If I hurt her, my son will be cross with me. I do not plan to do anything like that. I just want to talk to her,” She replied to Ania and
looked at me.
“If you will be Nikolas’s permanent mistress, the least you can do is speak to me, Aliana. I promise I won’t bite.” She said, and I
knew she had backed me into a corner.
“Join me in my room,” She said, and I reluctantly followed.
“We will be at the door,” Ania said, following behind, and I was glad.
I followed Isabelle reluctantly, and when we got to her room, my heart began to beat fast. I saw Erica walk out with a smile. She
greeted the Luna but did not spare me a glance. I was expecting Gezel to follow but soon found out Erica was alone. I wondered
what Erica was doing in Isabelle’s room, knowing Nikolas had pulled away all the staff serving Isabelle. Maybe they had
somehow become friends.
I stepped into the room, and she closed the door.
The smile on her face did not fade, and she stared at me as if she was trying to figure me out. I stood still, afraid of moving. My
breathing was steady, and I planned to keep it that way. “Are you in love with Niko?” she asked me, and I looked at her surprised.
It was none of her business, really.
“I know it is a shocking question, but I must know.” She said with a sigh.

“You see, it is easy to give in to your captor. He came here, killed your people, humiliated your father, and took over your home.
He took your honour and rendered you useless. You will never be mated, you will never have children, and you will never know
what a claim is like. I find it odd to believe you love him. I believe you have given in to your fate and chosen the safer option. I
might be wrong, of course, and that is why I am asking you this,” She said and sat on the couch in her room.
“I want to know that you are in love with and not just pretending to love him because you believe you have no choice,” She
simplified, and I remained silent.
I did not know what the safe answer would be. I did not know what she was playing at, so I worried. She sighed, a bit frustrated.
“I am sure you know of the unity law,” she said, and I nodded.
“Do you know why it is called a Unity Law?” She asked, and I remained silent.
“It is because the Kings of the region came together and agreed that the rules and regulations laid would be law in all three
kingdoms, and even they would have to abide by it. It is called the Unity Laws because it is a set of rules and regulations
applicable in all three regions that no king is above,” She explained, and I sighed.
“According to that law, you cannot be mated to Nikolas, neither can you be his equal. According to the law, you are beneath him,
a slave and thus are not worthy of love and respect from him or any Lycan. You are to be bought and sold for whatever reason,”
She said, and I almost clenched my fists.
“I did not make the law, but I was there when my husband chose to sign it because of your people’s treachery. Until then, the law
was only recognised in Hill and Snow. Forest was a haven for your kind until your father and his friends decided they wanted it
all. Anyway. I didn’t call you to upset you, and I just wanted to know if you understand your predicament,” She said, and I nodded
even though I had a lot of things to say to her. Even though I wanted to call her a liar and tell her exactly what my father told me.
Even though I wanted to walk out. I controlled my anger and nodded. I had to be obedient, and Raven had to remain calm for the
sake of the future.