Forged in the Flames by Karima Sa'ad Usman

I almost peed on myself when the Alpha ordered me to get out. I was pressed. I did not sleep comfortably, and my body ached severely. I was worried about losing myself in my sleep and waking him up. It was a difficult night. I left his room in a hurry and returned to mine. I tried to link my father, and I got through to him this time.

“Hello father, I hope you are fine?” I said quickly, not sure when Nikolas would block the mind link.

“Aliana,” my father said, and my heart melted. I was glad to know he was all right. I entered the shower and turned on the water.

“Yes, father, I am here, and I am fine,” I said, and he was silent. I was worried that Niokolas had blocked our mind link again, but he spoke and put my mind at ease.

“I am sorry I could not protect you, Aliana. Had I known he would do this, I might have fought him to the death,” he said, and tears welled up in my eyes.

“If you had, we would have all been dead. At least this way, we can one day run away when they are not watching us,” I told him, and he was silent.

I turned on the water to rush through the shower routine, so I could finish quickly and care for Nikolas’ mother.

“Forest was the safest place for our kind, Aliana. It still is. Nikolas is evil, but he is nothing compared to the Snow King or the passive Hill King, who allows the Snow King to interfere in his business. We have to remain here. I will find a way to plead with him on your behalf,” he said, and I quickly stopped him.

Remembering how erratic Nikolas behaved when we were together last night, I did not want him to lose his calm with my father and kill him.

“Don’t, father; I like it here. He is nice to me,” I lied, and my father was silent.

“Are you telling me the truth?” he asked.

“Yes, father. I have two Lycans that serve me. It isn’t as bad as it seems. He has a soft side to him,” I lied, and my father was quiet.

“Are you sure you aren’t lying to me?” my father asked, and tears welled in my eyes because I had never lied to him before, but I did not want to risk letting him speak to Nikolas. My father was better off away from the mad Alpha.

“I won’t lie to you,” I said, letting the shower wash away my tears.

“Please stay in touch; hopefully, he will let you see me,” he said. We both closed the mind link before Nikolas discovered that we had communicated.

I finished, exited the shower, and found Ania and Lisa in my room with food. They were smiling at me, and I bowed my head.

They were lycans, so even if the Alpha asked them to serve me, they were still my betters, according to Nikolas, and I wasn’t ready to be dealt with.

usually does his business and asks them

I dared not report to them. They were not on my side; they were

linked to pleasure, and I shook my head immediately. The look in their eyes

so we can start our day. We are to care for the queen in her room. Do not worry; she has been chained to the bed,” Lisa said, sounding a bit worried, and I knew why she would be concerned. It wasn’t every day a werewolf was made to care for a feral lycan.

woman might be the death

mustered the courage to ask

control pills? Anything I can take to stop me from getting

but there is a tea I can brew for you to drink before sex. It has a painful effect, but what it does is that it kills all his swimmers,”

compound. I would have sought the help of our physician, but with all that had happened, I doubted he would have such things lying around the place, and I doubted it would get to me if I sent for

to take the tea,”

a few minutes before intercourse. It is painful,” she warned again,

a monster, and besides, if I had a child by him, the child would not be referred to as a Lycan, and

I will brew it for you before you go to Alpha tonight,” she said, and I thanked her. We finished what we were doing and headed to

could feel my air supply cutting off, but I tried to force myself to breathe

cannot panic around ferals. It triggers them,” Raven warned me,

led into the room, and the curtains were closed with

woman on the bed. She looked thin, her dark hair matted to her

still sweating. She looked gaunt, and it was clear she was

that condition. At the rate she was going, she would starve to

her by wiping her body with a towel, then try to feed her. She doesn’t eat much, but we try to get some food

with soap and another with ordinary

will wipe her with the soapy water and then wipe her skin with

Soon, I fell

my words carefully,

every morning, so we can clean and feed her, or else we won’t have it easy,” she said, and I was grateful they sedated her before we

me to feed

her while they

I was

on a chair in the

hours, she began to growl at me, and I did not know what to do. I hoped someone would say I was done for the day and could leave, but I knew