Forged in the Flames by Karima Sa'ad Usman

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Nikolas raised an eyebrow waiting for me to speak. My mouth was dry, but I dared not drink water. I did not know if I should sit
beside him or talk to him standing. I did not know what to do.
“What is the matter?” he asked me, sensing something was wrong.
“I..I..” I started and swallowed to compose myself properly. He put down his food and looked at me with a frown.
“I want to thank you for everything you have done for me and my people,” I started, and he frowned.
“I am grateful for your kindness and leniency,” I said, and he looked confused.
“Knowing who you are, I respect your kindness. I know you have every reason to be angry and hate us, especially my dad. I am
grateful that you allowed us to live,” I said, and he frowned at me.
“What is the meaning of this, Aliana? Did my mother say something to you?” He asked, and I shook my head.
Even though I had a lengthy conversation with his mother, with her talking for the better part of the duration, her words weren’t
why I was acting the way I was. I was afraid because of what I was about to tell him.
I shook my head and fought my tears. They were tears of uncertainty and fear of failure.
“No,” I said and swallowed, ensuring I did not cry.
“You are a strong and powerful man, and I can never take advantage of your kindness. I can never reach for what you are
unwilling to give, and I will always be content with where you place me. I will never try to manipulate you for selfish reasons or
take advantage of your love towards me,” I said, and he got up and advanced towards me.
He pulled me into his arms and held me.
“What is the matter, Aliana? Tell me because you are making me nervous,” He said, and I bowed my head, unwilling to look into
his eyes. If I did, I would lose the courage to speak, and I needed all the courage I could get.
“It is about my father,” I said, and he pulled away from me. I did not look up to look at him. I had started speaking; I might as well
spill.
“He isn’t doing well. He can’t continue to work. He will die,” I said, and he was silent..

“Please find something less strenuous for him to do. I know you hate him, but he is all I have left. Please. I swear he will not plot
against you or do anything to hurt you,” I said and looked at him, and his face was expressionless.
I knew he was a bit annoyed, and I could feel it. “Did Qusack put you up to this?” He asked me, and I shook my head.
“I haven’t seen Beta Qusack today. I went out and noticed my father was around, so I went to check on him. He had received
treatment and was sleeping,” I said, and he went to sit on his couch.
“And you somehow figured it was the mason’s work that made him sick,” He said, and I shook my head but dared not speak
Israel’s name. It was already going wrong.
He sighed.
“Aliana, I care about you a lot, and the only reason this relationship has thrived is that we have been able to keep our private
matters out of it. I have kept my hatred for your father out of it, and you have kept his predicament out. Why do this now? Don’t
you think I know he is suffering? Do you think I want to make life easy for him? He killed my father. My mother and I grew up in
the woods because of his mutiny. It is a miracle that I am alive. It is a miracle that my mother is alive. How can you ask me to
take it easy on a man that ruined lives?” He asked me, and tears rolled down my cheeks.
“Do not do this, Aliana. Do not try to use what is between us to get me to do things I won’t normally do,” he said, and I shook my
head.

“I will never dare it. I will never try to manipulate you. I will never try to use...” I said, and he cut in.
“So, what do you call this, Aliana?” He asked me, and I was speechless. If he put it that way, it did seem so, but I did not know
what to do.
“If you were in my shoes, would you take it easy on him?” He asked, and I shook my head.
“I won’t, but he is innocent,” I said, ready to tell him what my father had told me.
He growled at me, and I stepped back.
He was enraged. I knew I had crossed the invisible line with my words, and there was no going back.
“Don’t you dare, Aliana,” He said, and I stepped back until my back was against the wall. Were we back to the beginning again?
“He didn’t do those things. He told me how it all happened. He didn’t,” I said, and he growled some more.

“What did he tell you?” He commanded me, and my body shuddered.
His command came with force and rage, and it made Raven cower.
“He didn’t fight your father and kill him. My father was just caught up...” I said, and he interrupted me. I looked at him, and his
eyes were pure black.
“Tell me what the bastard said. Tell me what the traitor told you,” he ordered through gritted teeth, and I nodded.
“Gamma Giles believed Leon and some Lycan were trying to usurp power. Leon was your Uncle, your father’s half-brother. He
wanted to be king, but your father did not know. Your father loved him,” I said, fighting the command so I could organise my
words.
“My father and Giles warned your father, but he wouldn’t have it. They tried to let it go, but when they discovered they would
move against your father, my father and Giles decided to intercept.
What was meant to be a series of arrests turned into a fight, and Giles killed Leon in the process.
Your father felt betrayed, and that was the beginning of the feud.
Your father did not kill Giles for the crime immediately, he wanted to investigate the matter, but all the officers implicated in the
plot were killed by poison. That made your father believe the werewolves were trying to isolate him and take over. Giles and all
the werewolves working in the kitchen were killed. He didn’t stop there.
Your father decided to sign the unity law. The law that he had fervently kept away from Forest. Your father was the one that
sealed our fate by signing that law and making it universal, but my father knew it was because he was grieving.
King Mathias stopped funding the werewolf Military and sent them to battle with nothing but their wolves. They were dying and
sent letters to complain about their condition. He did not respond to any.
As if that wasn’t enough, your father planned to sign a slave trade deal. Your father planned to sell werewolves to Snow.
So, the werewolves came to my father to plead with him to help liberate them.
They only wanted to emancipate themselves from your father and settle in Woodland.
They sent him a letter saying they would like to go and live in the Woodland, away from everything. Your father did not respond,
and when he finally did, he sent them a nasty letter threatening all sorts of things. The werewolves had it, so they decided to

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march together to the palace to demand that your father let them go to Woodland.
Unfortunately, your father thought they were coming to fight him. Because he did not have a vast army, he decided he would
attack them mid -way with silver-glazed swords.
That was what caused the fight,” I said.
My heart was beating fast. I hoped I did not miss any detail because I was nervous while I spoke.
“They fought, and the werewolves gained ground. Your father fought my father into the woods. My father got the upper hand but
did not kill him. That was when your father realised he had been deceived, but the damage had been done.

According to my father, he believed your father never got the letters and wasn’t aware of what was really going on.
Anyway, he had two options, surrender and leave or die in battle; he chose the most honourable way out.
He pierced his heart with his sword and fell on it. My father rushed to him to pull out the sword. When the others came, they
believed he had killed the king because he pulled out the sword, and it was in his hands, but he was mourning his friend.
This pain has stayed with him since that day. He still weeps for his friend....” I said, and Nikolas growled.
“Lies,” He yelled, and I had nothing to say.
“Please investigate before...” I said, and he growled.
“Aliana, do not make me lose my temper with you. I love you but don’t push me. Not because of him,” He said, and I nodded and
remained still.
“Who will I ask? There is no one to tell me what really happened. Your father is lying because of what has happened. I am sure
he told you this after I had taken over the pack. If it was true, he would have told everyone the truth and not taken credit for my
father’s death,” he said, and as plausible as it sounded, I knew my father didn’t take credit for it, but he never spoke of what
happened in the woods either.
“Do not make me choose, Aliana,” he said calmly, and I nodded quickly because everything had gone wrong. I somehow
regretted telling him.

“I won’t go easy on the man that killed my father and ruined my life. I will reduce the workload not because of your story but
because he spared my mother’s life, and I hate that you are crying. I will reduce his workload but do not bring this up ever again,
Aliana. Do not spoil my mood like you have done tonight,” he warned me, and I did not know what to say.
I did not request that he reduce the workload. It would not help my father, but I figured that was the best he was willing to do.
“Since I am Idle most of the time, permit me to go and care for him. I promise I will not raise my problem where he is concerned
again,” I said quickly because I knew my father would need a lot of care.
Nikolas was silent.
“Is it that bad?” He finally asked me calmly and gently, but his anger had already shaken me. I just nodded in response.
“I will have my doctor check him and decide based on the doctor’s report but do not ask me to feel sorry for him, Aliana. I love
you but hate your father, and you know it. Do not ask me to bend more than I have already. You can visit and care for him but
make sure you are back by six in the evening,” he said, and I nodded and wiped away my tears.
He approached me and held me.
“You should stop shaking. I can only get angry, Little wolf. I can never hurt you,” he said, but I could not relax.
“You are burning up,” he said, noticing that I was ill, and I shook my head.
“It is nothing, really,” I said, and he sighed. Then rested his forehead against mine. He exhaled, and I could feel the difficulty in
his countenance. He was about to go against himself. He was battling himself. I could see it, and I wondered what would happen
to me should he lose control.
“I will do as you have requested and stop him from working, but do not ask me to do anything else for him again,” he finally said.
I wrapped my arms around him and released my tears of relief. He wrapped his arms around me and held me.
“I am sorry I yelled at you, little wolf. My demons still haunt me,” he confessed, and I held him tighter.
I felt relief and sadness at the same time.
I was relieved because I had gotten what I wanted; I was sad that he did not believe what I told him.

I hoped Qusack’s investigation would yield something substantial. I hoped he would find out something that would vindicate my
father.
Nikolas took me to the bathroom and u*nd*ressed me under the shower. I must have been burning up because he turned on the
cold water.
I was definitely going to visit the clinic tomorrow.
I did not need anyone to tell me something was wrong with me. He held me under the shower, and we were both silent while the
water cooled down my body’s temperature.