Forged in the Flames by Karima Sa'ad Usman

Nikolas POV

Sitting in the tub with Aliana in my arms fell so right. It felt more right than anything I had done in my entire life. How could something that felt so right be so wrong?

There was an incredible feeling that came with Aliana. A feeling that I had never felt before. And though I fought it, I knew it would be inevitable. In the past, I had fought myself from embracing my feelings because I knew they would not last. I would have to fulfil my promises to my mother, and I could not place Aliana in that picture.

After the date night that we danced and drank, and she even threw up, I knew I loved her, and I knew my heart wouldn’t stop beating the way it did, but I also knew what we had was forbidden and against everything in our world.

After Grant and Ingham confronted me in my office, it made me rethink everything.

I knew the feeling I was developing for Aliana would not disappear, but I could not allow it to thrive, so I cut off and tried to deal with my emotions.

I tried to forget about that night and how she made me feel. I shut her off and stayed away. I told myself that it would go away if I did not see her, but it left nothing but emptiness in my heart, and I was a miserable man.

Within those months, I applied for kingship, and many people suggested it would move faster if I were mated to a Lycan from either the Snow King’s family or the Hill King’s family, but I felt it was wrong because I was the rightful heir to the forest throne. It was Gabriel’s fault, and knowing I still had a revenge to enact on the traitor made me pull away from Aliana.

My nights were long, and my days were long and cold.

It was hard, and I saw myself and my drive fade away.

Qusack noticed, and he would often urge me to damn the consequences and live in the moment, but I was worried about where my actions would leave Aliana and me when it was time to part ways because it would happen. No matter how much I loved her, I knew we would have to say goodbye someday. The complexity of the situation made me fall back, k*ill*ing me.

I often glanced at her door and imagined what she was doing there. When I entered my mother’s room, her scent lingered in the air, and I took it in.

It had been difficult, and Ingham and Grant made it worse by organising the ridiculous garden parties at night.

It used to be something I enjoyed, but I just couldn’t relax and participate anymore. I was in knots.

I would catch Aliana peeking from the window, but she did not think I would see her. I could see in the dark, and I would see her rage and disappointment before she moved away. I knew she was feeling what I was feeling. Both of us were suffering.

If only I wasn’t a Lycan, and if only her father had not betrayed my father, then this would have worked, but everything was against us, and there was nothing I could do to fix it. It wasn’t going to work.

hopeless situation, but I wondered what would have been. I wondered how it would have felt to love her without reserve, even if it

confront him, but I believed his explanation would break my heart and make me lose my temper. I did

to let it go, just like every other rule she had broken and gotten away

we were building and hoped the response from the Kings

day I would sit on the chair in my mother’s room

would gaze at her, hoping she would return to her senses and recognise me. If that ever happened, then everything I had suffered and endured, even refusing to love the woman I wanted, would be worth

me of Ingham’s conduct

going to the scene by telling me he would handle it because he was closer to the palace, but by then, Bane had taken over, and we were heading back to the palace. I arrived and saw what Ingham had done. I had never been so mad in my life. I had to

I had punished myself for too long.

let her go, I will never love or t*ouch another till the day I d*ie. I planned to suffer the same way she would I was mad at myself for blocking her off, that was why Ingham could do what he wanted. When my men and the maids narrated everything to me, it took a lot for me not to

ground. I always knew her defiance would pay off one day, and it did. Had she been easy, the b*astar*d would have

while in the tub, I pulled Aliana close to my chest

until I saw her lying

and I would have enemies for it. I might never be King,

I planned to separate her from my vengeance and let my heart and wolf be happy for once. I wasn’t going to let her go. I was in this

held her in the tub with this resolve, and my heart

sit in hot water for a bit to avoid getting sore. Some would argue cold water would have been better,

day. She m*oa*ned sweetly, and I smiled. She responded

she felt was genuine, and I wanted to cherish it for the rest

intertwined her fingers in mine and brought her hand to my

We were giving this thing a shot, and I was secretly giving it my all, I didn’t want to just

and then

she would be my addiction, so I was giving in and not punishing myself anymore. I spent the night learning about her

enough. I wanted to be her

asked her while we lay in bed,

she said, and I repeated

at her. “Is she as stubborn as you are?” I asked,