Forged in the Flames by Karima Sa'ad Usman

Nikolas POV

The lounge we were led to was smaller and more private than the one we left. I was offered a seat, and I sat down.

“The maids have prepaid two rooms for you and your Gamma. I ensured your rooms were beside each other if you don’t mind.” Aleksander said, and I smiled and thanked him.

“Also, there are pretty Lycan entertainments for you,” He said and leaned close with a whisper. “Or do you prefer werewolves?” he asked. I frowned at him, and he relaxed, laughing. “You do have your mother’s blood running in your veins. She hated those things so much. Where is Isabelle, by the way?” He asked, and I knew it would be wrong to lie to him.

“She became feral nineteen years ago,” I confessed, and everyone gasped. I could see the horror in Poitr and Aleksander’s eyes.

“My goodness. You were a child!” the King exclaimed, and I nodded.

“Yes, I was a child, and I have been taking care of her ever since,” I said, and he was shocked.

“I learned you were hard and ruthless, but now I know why,” he said with Sorrow in his eyes.

“Fedrick was cruel not to accommodate his sister when she ran home for refuge,” he said, and I was flabbergasted. I could not believe what Aleksander had just told me.

“Sister?” I asked, and he nodded.

“You look more like Fedrick than your father,” he said with a smile.

“Your mother was his sister. When she escaped the massacre in Forest, he refused to allow her into his Kingdom.

He said she was weak and should have ruled Forest by force. He said she had no home in Snow. He sent her away with her maid. Honestly, he hated her because she accepted help from a werewolf.

A werewolf helped her escape the massacre. Because of that, Fedrick believed she was compromised and had broken the unity law. He banished her and sent Lycan hunters after her. We never heard from her again. It is amazing to see she survived long enough to bring you into the world,” he said, and I was surprised at his words because my mother did not tell me any of these things. I wondered what else did she hide from me.

see she never told you. It was normal behaviour since he rejected and denounced her. There was no point telling you of her relatives. Isabelle was always the proud kind. I would have married her, you know, but she chose Mathias because he was rich and very powerful. He was also a charmer. I must say she chose well. Your father was a fine man. What the werewolves did to him is unforgivable.”

me a bit and nodded, then asked his children to excuse us He waited

a haven for the werewolves. It was unheard of. Lycans usually separated themselves from werewolves, but when Mitahis took over from his father, he brought them together. There was a rumour that he fell in love with a werewolf, but the rumour died when

Fedrick hated him for it. I remained neutral and planned to go with majority votes because I loathe wars. At least Piotr is good at combat and leading now, so I can dare to do some things. Back then, I

was at the mercy

Sorry, I had to digress, but I need to chip this in,” he said, and I nodded that it was okay. “I would like to trade with Forest. Trading with Snow is tedious, and most of his people sell loot from Forest. That is why he always has hunters there,” he said, and

I would love to open a trade line if you help me with my kingship,” I said, and he smiled. “Smart man indeed. I will get to that

did I stop?” he asked, sipping his juice. “My father was neutral and fought against the unity

Isabelle’s influence, Mathias refused to pass the law. He couldn’t. Gabriel Nowak was his Beta, and Giles Wojcik was his Gamma. Mighty men in their time, and they were

it until Gile murdered Miathia’s Half brother, Leon. Giles claimed that Leon was planning an uprising and wanted to usurp power. He was strong about it, but he couldn’t prove it. Everyone he claimed was involved mysteriously died by poisoning. Because the Werewolf Omegas were in charge of food, they were blamed for it. Mathias believed the werewolves were the ones trying to usurp power by killing

and the other men that were killed were in League

would believe that Giles was

were involved miraculously died like that. Either the werewolves were planning an uprising, or someone was, and

and the grief of what happened to his brother made him pass the Unity

and Gabriel and the other werewolves in the ranks were removed and reduced to slave status,”

so broken before, and Fedrick did not hesitate to laugh at him whenever the opportunity presented itself. Miles made life a bit difficult for the werewolves after what they did. He did it to put them in check because he had no Lycan might to push back, so he

know what happened. One day we just heard that Gabriel had finally done what he wanted. He and his friends fought

Gabriel of then, you wouldn’t have succeeded in taking Forest. Fedrick tried to seize control of the forest several times, and they fought him to a standstill. They might not have special abilities like

everything in detail, but this just made me realise how deeply my

what made Gabriel

for now, I want to

for the history lesson, your majesty. I really appreciate it.” I said, and he smiled

Fedrick, but you have Mathias’s eyes and jawline. He would be proud of you. I know it,” he said, and I could not feel sentimental about a man I did not know, but I was glad to know someone that knew him, other than my mother, and the beautiful things he said about him had warmed my heart. My mother wasn’t lying when she said he was a good man. What Giles did was unforgivable, and then Gabriel completed it. He would have let them go if they did not

a severe expression on his face. “It is rightfully yours, but that bastard would not want you to have it because he wants to take over Forest Everything is there. Gabriel had pushed back all this while. Now that he could push no

timber, gold, rubber, coal and slaves There are countless mineral resources, and he would make more money if he was sitting