Forged in the Flames by Karima Sa'ad Usman

Nikolas POV

Alianas’ reasons touched my soul, and I could not express myself without compromise.

What she achieved was unbelievable, and she made me realise how negligent my kind has been where my mother was concerned.

I could sit beside my mother and feed her for the first time in years. She looked like she did when she was all right, and I wished she would gain her sanity in those moments.

I have learned how meticulous Aliana was with her. She had nursed her diligently, and it had paid off. I might have wanted her if she weren’t Gabriel’s child.

I deliberately stayed away from her to get my need for her out of my system.

Ever since we met, there has been a silent fire between us that only our wolves could understand. The few times we were alone together, we had broken barriers between us.

Knowing it wasn’t good for my agenda and not wanting to hurt myself, I distanced myself from her for a month to get her out of my mind and focus on the things that matter. The truth was that it was a futile effort. I found myself thinking of her, her scent, her voice, her defiance, her confidence, and her beauty.

I thought of her response to my touch, her m*oa*ns.

I knew she wasn’t faking it. Every moment, reaction, expression, and emotion with her were genuine. It was sad that we were on opposite sides.

Since I met Aliana, I had lost interest in other women, but she did not need to know that. It was my cross to bear. I had sometimes listened to her communication with her father, and she never spoke badly of me or complained.

I had thought she was playing a game, but her progress on my mother made me realise otherwise.

I looked at her for a bit and decided to live in the moment, just for tonight.

“Are you allowed to drink wine?” I asked her, and her cheeks coloured with embarrassment.

Her complexion had been going from pale to blush since she sat beside me, and I knew I had the same effect on her.

“I am allowed to drink, but I can’t handle alcohol well,” she replied, and I got up to get two wine glasses and a bottle of merlot and served both of us.

She raised an eyebrow when she collected the glass from me, and I smiled at her for the first time.

“Just for tonight,” I said, and she nodded and took a sip.

asked, and she

an ingenious way to describe the

switched on the music and stretched my hands toward her to dance. She gulped down her wine

my chest. She gasped, and I held her hand with my other hand on her waist while I tried to

rewarding her for being kind to my mother and doing her best. At least,

I froze but then composed myself and decided to live unburdened

night away and drank too

I realised that Aliana was tipsy. She was laughing a lot, and her cheeks were red. I decided she needed a break. “I haven’t had this much fun since my mother died, and I couldn’t even drink alcohol then,” she said, laughing, and I got curious about her mother’s

killed her. I was with her,” she said, tears

not to wander far and that we weren’t welcome in other territories, but I

while she shifted and fought. She was a Beta wolf, so she could hold her ground, but they were Lycans. I

afraid. I listened to her.” She said and wiped away her

mother would refuse to be enslaved, so they were bound to kill her in the end,” she said,

world, but her father caused their problem by k*ill*ing the only man that would have protected them from the Snow King and his people. He must have been delusional to think he could rule an entire territory. Had my father been alive, no Lycan hunter would wonder near the border of

to the toilet, and she sat by the toilet seat while I watched

while she threw up, then rubbed her back gently to help her ease

at me over her shoulder and smiled She was indeed a beautiful, gentle

beat at that moment. I wanted to hold her to my chest and give in to what I had been fighting since I laid eyes on her.

shook my head, still rubbing her back. I felt her temperature rising, and I knew the maids might have given her something before bringing

weren’t drugs because

what the Lycan women did with their spare time, but I would have issues if they were

clothes, and placed her under the running water. Aliana had a gorgeous, soft, unblemished, tender body with curves in the right places. Her beauty was humble and innocent, yet

and I sighed before undressing and sitting with her under the

was still

decided we would use

cold water, and when it was enough. I made her sit in it with me. She sat between my legs,

wrong as this was, I could stay with her in my arms forever, but it was just for the night. I wasn’t going to

to ask, and she nodded. I was pissed off immediately and decided I

settle for the next best thing. It tastes bad, and it is quite unpleasant,” She said, and I was

she had anticipated me touching

to me, but I wasn’t ready to go all the way with