Forged in the Flames by Karima Sa'ad Usman

The heated moment I had with Aliana got to my head. Bane wanted her badly, and I did not know how long I would deny him.

I feared she might become an addiction once I started because my wolf never craved someone so much. Teasing her like I did calmed him down a little.

I did not want to lose sight of my mission and my revenge.

I knew refusing to seal the deal got to her. I saw the pain in her eyes even though she tried to mask it.

I wasn’t sorry, she shouldn’t have expected anything more.

I suspected she was yet to understand her predicament, and it was because I was lenient on her, but not anymore.

Aliana always has the nerve to reply whenever I say something. I do not know where her confidence comes from because clearly, she is afraid of me. Soon she would know that silence and obedience would serve her better in her predicament.

She would submit to me whether she liked it or not. When her father realises the hardship and turmoil she is going through, he will feel helplessness and pain, just like I have been feeling for nineteen years.

I heard Aliana rush out of my room, and I heard her sob. I exhaled while I worked on myself. I wouldn’t deny that I was tempted to finish with her, but this was more rewarding. I would be betraying my mother if I allowed myself to please Aliana.

To think she had the effrontery to make suggestions on feeding my mother. Thinking of her explaining her plans made me laugh. Her father and kind were the reason my mother was in that situation in the first place.

I wondered how she planned to fix it. Something that even Lycans could not do I only allowed her to prove a point, and when she failed, I would turn up the heat on her people a little higher and let them know why.

I would make her suffer and ensure her people blamed her for their suffering. Gabriel would not dream of defending or rescuing her. It will be heart-wrenching, and he will feel pain. Qusack might say I had already won and should move to get the kingship recognition, but I wasn’t satisfied yet. I wanted them to suffer like my mother did, raising me alone. Like I did, being forced to grow up at ten and take care of her. I want Gabriel to feel unimaginable pain, and he would feel it through Aliana.

I did not care what my wolf wanted, I would deal with the Nowaks and Werewolves for their crime against my family.

Once I was done in the bathroom, I linked the two maids I assigned to Aliana and gave them instructions, then, I allocated three men to the cause.

They were to report everything to me. I planned on giving Aliana a month and punishing her for failing because I knew she would fail. She might think she could warm my cold heart by trying, but she did not possess the fire for that. I decided to join Qusack outside We were trying to renovate the kingdom and build a mega city, and I planned on using the werewolves as slaves to do the job. Qusack and I planned to draft them that morning.

to reserve the more complex work like stone cutting and

help, and I would give them an

to regret betraying him because no one would have taken over the Forest territory if

for men and the other for women. Gabriel stood in front of the male line while a woman, whom I did not care who she was, stood in front of the female line. I cleared my throat, and they all bowed with respect. I had men standing scantily on each side of the line with silver thorns on whips. They would use it on the werewolves

of our encounter this morning, and I hoped Gabriel would recognise the

wasn’t a plan I devised, but since it had happened, I

would feel like, and she felt good. So damn good that I marked her

would fade away after a while, but it was okay because Gabriel would know. He would know

cleared my throat, and I saw Gabriel look at me with haunted eyes. His little girl wasn’t a little girl anymore, she was now one of my playthings, and I wanted him to know. He bowed his head immediately, and I

for general use, just as she should be,” I said, and he didn’t utter a word. I wanted a reaction from him, but nothing happened.

man behind him held him to calm him down, and he relaxed, but I did not miss the tears that escaped his eyes. It was satisfying to watch because I

We had to sleep

work. You will have to earn your keep. Some of you will farm our food and raise our cattle. Some of you will keep the territory clean, while others will work on the building projects. As payment, you get to keep your current homes and are entitled to two meals a day, nothing more,” Qusack said, and they were silent. I could see the

can all resume your duties following the Lycans in charge of your teams,’ He explained,

I drafted

we drafted Gabriel to work with the masons and transporters, people began to plead

the work, Alpha,” Gabriel said with boldness,

horror in his eyes. It was stupid of him not

had had my fun, I returned to the packhouse. Qusack followed me and tried to catch up to me. “Were you serious about passing her around, Nikolas?” he

to give him a

they are beneath us, but leaving her as a maid will be okay. Passing

I spent all these years planning to fight and conquer my father’s enemies only to play with a werewolf b*itc*h? The daughter of the b*astar*d responsible for my family’s destruction? I did it for a purpose,” I shot at

them. Send her to her father and let them

rubbed his ginger curls gently, seeming frustrated, then began to pace in the office. “I do not know, Niko, but I

my rules,” I