Forged In The Flames By Karima Sa’ad Usman
Chapter 39 Catching and Drawing Lines (Nikolas POV)
After lunch with my mother, we spent time catching up on events that she missed. She was genuinely grateful that I kept her, and she kept expressing her gratitude repeatedly. She did not spoil our time by bringing up the werewolves or Gabriel, but one thing she was hell-bent on was that I shouldn’t give up on the kingship.
“I will get my brother to sign it. He owes us that much,” She said, and I stopped smiling t o ask her a very serious question about her brother now that it seemed she was comfortable discussing him.
“Why did he turn you away?” I asked her; I needed to understand the reason Fredrick would be so cruel to do such a thing. Had he been kind to his sister, we would have lived well, and I could have easily returned to claim to the kingship.
“Our relationship is complicated, Niko. Fredrick never liked Mathias and did not like me marrying him instead of Aleksander. It’s a very long story, one which I do not want to talk about,” She said with misty eyes.
“So he let you rot in the woods and sent his goons after you because he disagreed with your choice? I believe it is more than that, Mother, but I will let you talk about it when you are most comfortable,” I said, ending the topic. She was uncomfortable, and there was a sign of gratitude in her eyes that I was dropping the topic.
“So, would we be throwing a glad-you-are- back party for me?” she asked with a glow in her eyes.
“Your father threw parties for everything,” She added, sounding nostalgic, and I smiled at her. It was a subtle blackmail, and she knew I figured it out.
“You can do as you like, mother. Just let your maids know what you need, and they will handle it for you?” I said, and she beamed. There was silence for a few seconds. It was as if she had another request but was uncomfortable asking.
Her eyes looked unsure. I could see she wanted to ask for something but was worried about my reaction.
“You know the worst I can do is say no, so just ask,” I said, and she smiled at me.
“If I am throwing the party. Erica and Gezel might be unable to handle it alone. I do not mind the slaves helping out. I mean the werewolf and half-breeds. They can’t be roaming about idle. Gezel said I was their only charge, and now that I no longer require their service, they can put themselves to good use,” she said, and I controlled my temper by exhaling.
I reached for my mother’s hand over the table and stroked it gently.
“You are my mother, and even though I have missed you for nineteen years, I still love you dearly, but I will advise you not to push me, Mother,” I said gently, and she was worried. My words had made her uncomfortable, but it was necessary. I was never a nice guy. I believed Aliana had softened me a bit, but I needed to show my mother I couldn’t be manipulated.
“To you, Aliana, Ania and Lisa are off limits. They have no business being near you or interacting with you. You made that clear the moment you regained your sanity this morning.
I do not have the time to deal with malice and complaints, so I advise you to use people you are most comfortable with. I am sure there are many lycan women that would love to help you,” I managed as nicely as I could, and she pulled her hand away from mine.
“Whose malice? Mine?” she asked, and I pinched my nose bridge from frustration.
“All I asked was to keep them busy. I know what you do with that werewolf, so do not make it seem like you are trying to avoid conflict,” she said, and I stood up.
“What I do in my bedroom is no one’s business, not even you, Mother. Let this be the last time you will bring this up. I have told you my decision. Have your party and do what you must without Aliana and her friends. I hope I am clear,” I said, and she looked sad.
“Where are you going?” She asked me, and I sighed.
“It is four in the evening; I have matters to attend to. I will see you when I am free, which might be tomorrow. In the meantime, find something fun to do,” I said and went to kiss her head.
She wanted to protest but stopped last minute, and I quickly walked out of the place.
I knew she would leave the common room and head to her room since our catching-up time was over.
We strolled there after lunch and ended up sitting there to discuss things. It would have been fun if she wasn’t emphasising how the werewolves betrayed my father. I did not know what else she wanted.
I had conquered Forest, and it was in my control. I had humiliated Gabriel and dishonoured poor Aliana in the name of revenge. I had enslaved the people and taken their freedom. I had punished them severely. What more did she want?
Many werewolves died during my conquest; that should mean a lot. My mother’s expectations were unfair and wicked. She needed to be merciful because I had already taken everything from them and belittled them completely. There was nothing worse than what I had done to the werewolves. I could not slaughter the rest of them to please her, nor let go of the woman I love and eliminate her father and her just to please my mother. My mother needed to change her mindset and accept that it would always be like this now.
I wasn’t King because of her brother and whatever grudge they had between them.
I was determined to meet this Miles guy. If he is my half-brother, I must understand him and determine whether he is a threat. I doubt anyone raised by Fredrick would not b e a threat, but I intend to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I walked away quickly and returned to my room, hoping Aliana would be there, but the room was empty, and the surfaces were cold. I knew it had been a long time since she left. I tried to link her, hoping she was with her father, but I did not hear anything.
I was so worried that I linked a Kappa werewolf to help me trace her. I wouldn’t be paranoid if I did not know that most Forest residents hated her and only a few cared for her. I did not want her to be lynched for sleeping with their enemy.
When I took her from her father, I knew this would happen to her. I wouldn’t have dared i t if I had known I would give in to our bond. I had ruined many things for Aliana, and If I did not do right by her, her life would never be great. Her only crime was that she was Gabriel’s daughter.
The Kappa eventually told me they were at Footlock Market, so I told him to go and keep an eye on her. He was to report everything when he returned.
I sat on the couch, raking my head on how to manage the situation. Pretending that all that was between Aliana and me was just s*ex had become extremely difficult, but I dared not slip up, knowing Fredrick had spies in Forest.
I hoped Aliana could hold on a little longer just so I get my coronation approved. Once I become King, I will cancel the Lycan unity law in Forest and make Aliana my queen. I just need her to pretend a little longer.
“Alpha, two letters arrive. One is from Prince Piotr, and the other is from King Fredrick,” I heard Qusacksay, and I wondered why Fredrick would send me two letters in a row.
His last letter was arrogant, and it drew a line between us. I wondered what he had to say this time around.
I slipped on something comfortable and headed to my office.
Qusack was the only one there, and when I asked him of Grant and Abrahams’s whereabouts, he said my mother had sent them on errands.
I did not appreciate it at all.
These were my officers, she could have sent anyone, but she chose to send them. I did not like that. I suspected she still believed she was a queen. I might have given her the title as honorary, but I believed the sooner I stripped her of the title, the sooner she would face reality and act accordingly.
I could not trust her with power yet. Her malice and rage had blinded her, and it was destructive. I spent a lot of time gathering this for me to allow her to crumble what I have built because she is hurt.
My Officers were off-limits too.
I opened Piotr’s letter, and he told me he would visit in two weeks. He had meant it when he told me in Peakland he would visit me. This was the proof. I immediately wrote a reply to inform him that he was most welcome.
After placing my seal on the letter, I realised that we would have to pretend about how we treat werewolves in Forest. I was yet to understand Hill’s stance on the matter, so I needed to choose the safest option.
“I need you to call an assembly and instruct the werewolves to pretend life is h*ard for them here whenever we have visitors. They will only need to do that until I am King, but I will require their full cooperation,” I told Qusack, and he nodded and told me he would handle it right away.
We had both agreed to relax the laws in Forest, and it had paid off. The werewolves worked better, and there was no resistance. No one was trying to leave anymore. A little kindness did go a long way.
I picked up Fredrick’s letter to read.
Knowing there was a possibility the content might be vile, I took a d*eep breath and exhaled before breaking the seal that held the letter.
“Nikolas, I see you have grown some balls.
Hunting in Snow without my permission can be seen as treason. Kindly recall your men, and I will let this go; failure would lead to other severe and dangerous actions.
You have been warned,” It read, and I started laughing.
I had gotten the reaction I wanted.
I handed the letter to Qusack, and he laughed too. We had gotten the reply we had anticipated. So I took out a pen and prepared to respond to him.
“Your Majesty, with all due respect, I received your letter and am surprised at your words. I complained to you several months ago that your hunters were hunting i n my woods without my permission.
Nothing was done about it. You never responded, nor did you fix this problem. See this letter as an open invitation so we can sit and settle our differences. I will be waiting for your response. Thank you,” I wrote and sealed it. Then asked Qusack to expedite the sending.
Qusack and I talked about many things. My mother was part of his concern, and he didn’t hide it at all.
“The woman seems to loathe werewolves. How would you manage with Aliana because I know you are crazy about her,” Qusack said, knowing my inner feelings.
“I am crazy about her. I can’t even lie about that now, but she knows we should pretend to be master and slave until the time is right. I just need to get this kingship, and then I will do what I want. It is no longer about my feelings. If I want Aliana to be truly happy, I have to liberate her people to ensure that,” I told Qusack, and he agreed.
“I am the only one that knows how you truly feel about her; I will keep it a secret so it does not spread and be used against your goals,” He said, and I thanked him.
“But, you will have to protect Aliana from your mother. She is a bit unnecessarily vicious for someone that just regained her mind. Instead of trying to catch up, she is trying to relive an old grudge and is unapologetic about it. It’s only been less than a day, Niko. You need to be careful so she does not hurt your chances of being King and Aliana or chase Aliana and her father away,” he said, also noticing the palpable hatred my mother felt towards Aliana.
Qusack promised to help me watch out for her when he could, but I would have to find time to address the problem.
I returned to my room to study some law documents while I waited for Aliana to return.
Two hours later, the Kappa I sent linked me to inform me about what had happened at that market and to tell me Aliana had returned.
His story made me laugh, and I wanted to see if she would tell me all that had happened.
I was still laughing when Qusack linked me to inform me about what happened between Aliana and my mother, and I was glad he was there to stop her. I knew I would have to publicly draw the line so my mother would know her limits.
I remained seated, knowing Aliana would walk through the door anytime soon, and she did exactly as expected. She entered the room and said nothing about her encounter with my mother. She came to me.
Pulling her close and having her sit on my lap made me relax. I knew I would never get enough of her. She was made especially for me. There was no doubting it, and I was determined to make it work.