Forged in the Flames by Karima Sa'ad Usman

“Come out, come out, they have arrived!” A voice rang in my head, and I did not need to know why my father’s Delta would call
us to come out in the middle of the night.
The day was hectic because my father used most of it to move from the big house to one of the tiny houses in the pack
compound.
The big packhouse used to be a palace.
My father had taken over the pack after the werewolves in our territory had joined forces and sacked one of the Lycan kings that
plagued our lands.
I learned the man was evil, and he never showed mercy.
It was imperative to defeat him because his belief that Lycans were superior to werewolves led him to take steps leading to the
enslavement of my kind.
It was my father, along with his friends, that liberated us.
I sat up in bed, a bit reluctant to go out, but if Delta Israel was right, I had no choice but to come outside.
My father had broken the sad news to me in the morning about him having to concede to the challenge the savage prince of
rogues, Nikolas, had given him.
My father said he could not allow people to die because of his pride. He further told me that he had negotiated with the Rogue
Prince, and the prince agreed to care for the pack members if my father swore by his wolf to submit.
I doubted if the Lycans could be trusted, but my father was hopeful because he knew we wouldn’t win a war with them, and he
was right.
Alpha Nikolas was a rogue Lycan of unknown origin that made a name by conquering every pack in our territory.
We were the only ones standing, and we knew it was only a matter of time before he came calling.
Obviously, we were his primary target because he ensured he conquered every pack around us to isolate and trap us, pending
the time he would strike.
Unlike the other alphas, my father chose peace over his pride and dignity, and I hoped he wouldn’t regret it.

I learned the savage prince grew up in the wilderness, packless and grew his army by creating a pack of rogues.
They were a mix of savage Lycans like him, known to be deadly and ruthless.
I wondered how my father could give his pack away to such people. There was no guarantee they would keep their promise, but
it was better than fighting to the death.
I managed to get off the bed and headed outside my room. I saw my father approaching, and it was clear he was coming to me.
“Aliana,” he said almost in a whisper, and I frowned at him.
He walked to me with a smile, but his eyes spoke otherwise; he looked afraid and hopeless. He placed both hands on my
shoulders and made me look up at him.
“I know you are brave and determined. But I need you to be a coward,” He said, and I frowned at him, wondering why he was
telling me this. It went against everything he taught me.
“Listen to me, Aliana,” He said with teary eyes.
“These people are savages. They grew up in the wild and lack empathy and patience. One wrong move, and we are dead. I did
not sacrifice my dignity to watch you die. Gwendolyn will not forgive me if anything happens to you. You are the only family I
have left, Aliana, the only family that has not been killed.
Please stay alive, for my sake.
It is only those alive that can fight another day. There is no defeating these savages. I have done this so we can continue to
exist. Please promise me you will not aggravate them and always keep your head bowed. Promise me that your wolf will not
challenge them. Promise me that you and Raven will not disobey and disrespect the rogue prince,” he said with misty eyes.
Tears welled in my eyes because I knew life wouldn’t be easy under the savages.
Still, my father needed me to promise, so I reluctantly nodded.
“I want you to swear on your wolf,” he said sternly, and I looked at him with disbelief because that was extreme.
“Father?” I said, and he looked at me.
“I want you to remain alive, and this is the only way,” he said; I knew he was right.

My father was in his fifties and did not have many warriors anymore because of all the warriors we sent to help the neighbouring
packs during the attacks.
If we defied the savages now, we would die.
“I promise, father, but I won’t swear by Raven,” I said, refusing to swear by my wolf, and my father sighed, knowing he would
have to make do with my promise as is because he wouldn’t get more than what I had already offered.
I was twenty-one going to twenty-two, so I should be mated, but helping my father by carrying out the luna’s duties kept me
single. As things were, I doubted I could ever leave my pack.
I had planned to leave and go on a journey to find a mate worthy to come home with me and rule in my father’s stead, but that
was a lofty dream now.
Being unmated and unclaimed at my age was a disgrace, but it was bearable as long as I was around to care for my father. The
takeover will be a hard pill to swallow for all of us.
“Come on, let us greet the new Alpha,” my father said, and I could hear the fear in his voice.
My father knew this was wrong, but it was the best option. It was a matter of choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea.
In this case, he chose the devil.
We went out, and they asked us to line up.
I wished we had moved outside the pack compound because only those living in the pack compound were asked to line up.
Ordinary pack members were sleeping in their homes. I noticed all our pack elites were in the compound and realised it might
have been the rogue prince’s request.
“Where is your alpha?” I heard a deep voice say, and everyone looked in the direction of the voice.
A brawny man with a scar across his left eye, dark hair and honey-coloured eyes walked out.
He was about six feet seven inches. It was no doubt he was a Lycan.
He had a chiselled well-sculpted body, tanned skin and hints of tattoos on his neck and hands, visible only where his shirt did not
cover.

Other than the scar, there was nothing savage about the man. He looked neat and civilised. He did not look like a man that grew
up in the wild. He had indeed come a long way.
I stared too long until he caught my gaze, and I quickly averted my eyes. I was glad he ignored me because he didn’t say
anything or approach me. I was insignificant.
“I am Nikolas, also known as The Prince of Rogues and now, your Alpha.
As you all know, I own all the packs in the territory, and Alpha Gabriel has signed his pack rights and power over to me. He has
sworn by his wolf to serve me and be loyal. I will expect the same from all of you.
Henceforth you all answer to me.
Disobedience and defiance will be seen as treasonous, equating to death. Any rule broken will be seen as treason, so be careful
to keep my rules.” he said sternly, and everyone was silent.
“Alpha Gabriel Nowak, step forward,” he said, and I watched my father reluctantly step forward with his head bowed.
It was difficult for him to do because even though he wasn’t a lycan, he was still an alpha.
My father walked out, and Nickolas’s men began to laugh.
The Alpha maintained a stern expression, and I could hardly figure him out.
“Kneel, old man, and show your submission and allegiance,” He said, and people started to murmur. What he was asking my
father to do was disgraceful.
“Kneel, old man,” he repeated, dangerously looking at my father.
My father was in front of me in the centre, so his back was facing me, and I saw his hands shaking on his sides. He did not want
to kneel.
“Shall we fight then?” Nikolas asked, and my father shook his head, trying to still his hands, trying to force his wolf, Jack, to
comply.
“This is too much. He has given you the pack and his position already. There is no need to humiliate him like this,” I said, and
everyone went quiet. I could hear a pin drop if I tried.

“Who are you, and who asked you to speak?” Alpha Nikolas said, and my father shook his head.
“Pay her no mind. She is nobody,” my father said quickly, trying to protect me, and the man refused to listen.
“Who are you?” He asked me calmly, never losing his cool. But the evil in his tone rang through, and I knew whatever his
intentions would be, they would be cruel and insidious.
“Alpha Gabriel’s daughter and acting Luna,” I said, and he smirked, but the smile did not touch his eyes.
His eyes turned completely black and cold, and I felt the need to step back, but I dared not. If I did not stand my ground now, the
bastard would never respect me.
Against my better judgment, I let Raven take over, and we stared back at his dark orbs with my golden orbs. We refused to let
him scare or dominate us.
“Where is your Luna?” Nikolas asked my father, and that was a topic my father often avoided, but I knew he had no choice but to
answer.
“She was killed five years ago,” My father replied with a heavy heart.
“So you let the girl carry out her mother’s duties,” Nikolas said, referring to me as a girl. I was a woman, for goddess’ sake. He
heard of my mother’s demise, and that was all he could say. I was furious.
“No wonder she feels she is a woman,” Nikolas said, and his men chuckled.
“Both of you, kneel,” he commanded, and my body shook.
I have always heard that the Lycan’s presence is intense. Their command was irresistible, and one could not remain defiant to
their command for long. I was experiencing all that at once.
I shook, and I felt my knees going down. I fought it, but Raven complied. “No, Raven, don’t,” I told my wolf.
“We are not dying today, Aliana” She shot back, and my knees touched the ground. I had only one thing to do. Look at him from
where I knelt. I refused to bow my head.
My father fell to his knees too, and tears welled up in my eyes.

This was the highest humiliation an Alpha could endure. They usually surrender and move away from their packs or die in battle.
This was unheard of. As the most powerful werewolf Alpha, this was indeed humiliating.
“Throwing away life for the sake of pride is foolish. Knowing how to stay alive and survive your oppressors is wisdom. This is me,
humbling myself so you all can live and have a fruitful life. Remain peaceful, Aliana” My father linked me.
“Bare your necks,” Nikolas said, and my father and I did as he commanded.
I could hear the others weeping and his people laughing. Tears welled in my eyes, but I fought them and won.
They knew what Nikolas was doing to us.
He had demoted us from leaders to slaves with those orders.
Everything my father fought for was gone. All werewolves were back to where we were before I was born; slaves. I dreaded the
days ahead.
My father and I bore our necks gracefully. Nikolas had done his worse.
“Good; henceforth, you all answer to me, my Beta, Gamma and Delta. No werewolf is above a Lycan, and it will remain so. You
might have created a haven for yourselves here by stealing another man’s kingdom, but I am here to restore it,” he said,
addressing everyone.
I could not believe we would be answering to a bunch of criminals and savages. That was what rogues were: criminals cast out
of their packs.
“If you act as this girl did, you die; if you try to run, you die; if you refuse orders, you die; if you are caught plotting, you die. In
fact, if you do anything against Alpha Nikolas or any of us, you die; the only reason she is still breathing is because of the
Alpha’s mercy,” a gingered-haired man said, and I figured that was Nikolas’s Beta. If this was mercy, I wondered what the
savage’s wrath would be like.
Nikolas’s gang of criminals looked ruthless and evil; I dreaded the coming days. I have heard of the rule of the Lycan kings. The
Forest Territory was the only safe place for werewolves, but not anymore. Our days of bliss had ended.