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.
“Delicious?” I asked, and she smiled.
“Fruity,” she replied, which was an ingenious way to describe the taste.
At that moment, I wanted to unburden myself and live in the moment. So, I switched on the music and stretched my hands
toward her to dance. She gulped down her wine completely and took my hand, blushing.
“You shouldn’t have done that, little wolf,” I said, touching her waist and pulling her close to my chest. She gasped, and I held her
hand with my other hand on her waist while I tried to sway to the classic instrumental playing.
“Ever danced before, little wolf?” I asked, and she was still a bit tense, but I felt her relax. I was rewarding her for being kind to
my mother and doing her best. At least, that was what I told myself, Bane was thinking otherwise.
“I used to dance with my father,” she said, and I froze but then composed myself and decided to live unburdened in those
moments. Tomorrow we can get back to hating each other.
We danced the night away and drank too much.
Soon 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 death. “Do you mind telling me how she passed away?” I asked, and her smile faded.
“She wandered beyond the woods, and Lycans killed her. I was with her,” she said, tears welling in her eyes.
“It was my fault. She warned me not to wander far and that we weren’t welcome in other territories, but I didn’t believe her, I
thought everywhere was like Forest, so I moved further to pick mushrooms.
We were ambushed. She told me to run while she shifted and fought. She was a Beta wolf, so she could hold her ground, but
they were Lycans. I knew she would not survive it,” she said, tears streaming down.
“I should have stayed, but I was too afraid. I listened to her.” She said and wiped away her tears.

“That was the last time I saw her. I know my mother would refuse to be enslaved, so they were bound to kill her in the end,” she
said, sobbing.
I could not dispute that werewolves had it rough in the 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 Forest. As long as a king was present, the
respect would be mutual. It was a silent law. The Forest border became open for attack and plunder when Gabriel and his friends
committed treason and killed their only protection. I did not know how to console her, so I sat quietly there.
Soon she lurched, and I knew she wanted to throw up. I led her to the toilet, and she sat by the toilet seat while I watched her
throw up her dinner. The wine shouldn’t have affected her unless she had taken other things.
I held her hair back while she threw up, then rubbed her back gently to help her ease the reflex.
She looked at me over her shoulder and smiled She was indeed a beautiful, gentle soul.
Nothing could compare to how she made my heart 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. I would lie if I said I felt nothing for her, but we were star-crossed.
“Sorry, I ruined your toilet,” she said with a slur, and I shook my head, still rubbing her back. I felt her temperature rising, and I
knew the maids might have given her something before bringing her to me.
I hope they weren’t drugs because I would be mad.
I had no issue with what the Lycan women did with their spare time, but I would have issues if they were feeding Aliana drugs.
I turned on the shower, removed her 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 striking and alluring. It took a lot for me to
control myself watching her under the shower. I wanted to leave, but she held my hand.
“Stay with me, Alpha,” she slurred, and I sighed before undressing and sitting with her under the cold water.
Her body was still warm.
So, I decided we would use the tub.

I ran the cold water, and when it was enough. I made her sit in it with me. She sat between my legs, her back against my chest,
and I held her close.
As 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 allow myself to get
carried away.
“Did the maids give you any medication?” I managed to ask, and she nodded. I was pissed off immediately and decided I would
punish them for it. They weren’t to give her anything without my approval.
“Birth control tea. They had no pills, and I was not allowed to leave, so I decided to settle for the next best thing. It tastes bad,
and it is quite unpleasant,” She said, and I was shocked that Aliana took my rules seriously, but I hadn’t touched her yet.
That was when I realised she had anticipated me touching her tonight. Those were not my intentions at all.
I wanted to feed my eyes and feel her body close to me, but I wasn’t ready to go all the way with her.
“Do not take that tea again. It is dangerous, I will have the physician place you on birth control,” I said, and she relaxed in my
arms. Her body temperature was coming down.
The tea was very dangerous. It was primarily used to suppress a wolf’s heat, but then they found out it had birth control effects,
too, so people would often use it as a short-term preventive measure, but this was a bit extreme for an untouched woman.
We remained in the bath, and soon I carried her out and dried her skin, then took her to bed. She tried to k*iss me, but I dodged,
she didn’t notice. She was too drunk to understand what she was doing, and the tea had amplified the effect of the wine.
She was bound not to remember anything by morning. I laid her on the bed and held her until she fell asleep.
It was sad to see the night end, and I knew we would return to being enemies in the morning.
As much as it sucked, I could not lose sight of what I had spent the better part of my life trying to achieve, and it still did not
change the fact that Lycans and Weres could never mix. This was just for tonight.
I woke up on an empty bed the next day and realised that Aliana had snuck out of my room. I guess she did not want me to
chase her out. I looked at the clock and saw it was nine-thirty in the morning. How could I have overslept? I couldn’t deny that I
had a good night’s sleep, but this was wrong.
“Where are you?” I linked Aliana immediately.

“I am with The Queen. I could not leave her feeding to others. I had to leave quietly because I did not want to trouble your sleep,”
she said, and she sounded as if we had not spent time together last night.
It was good to know that she didn’t allow certain things to get to her head. She might just last longer with me that way.
I brushed my teeth and showered quickly, then rushed to my mother’s room. Alaina was spoon-feeding her when I arrived, and
my mother looked good.
Her hair was packed nicely, and although she had feral eyes, she seemed to like Aliana. I hoped she would return to her senses
one day.
“Leave us,” I ordered everyone, and everyone cleared out.
Aliana dropped the bowl and got up to leave. She bowed her head and was ready to leave when I stopped her.
“Not you. Remain,” I said, and she nodded. I waited for everyone to leave before asking her what I wanted to ask her.
“Why did you sneak out?” I said calmly, and she looked at me.
“I did not want you to chase me out when you woke up. Moreover, I know you like your space,” she explained, and I sighed.
“Next time, you remain with me until I tell you to leave. Am I clear?” I said, and she nodded.
I took the bowl from where she kept it and sat to feed my mother. She looked at Aliana, and
Aliana smiled at her and she opened her mouth. I looked at the chains on her hand and linked Qusack to have the smiths make
lovely silver bracelets galvanized so they don’t burn for her to wear on her ankles and wrists. Other than her eyes, my mother did
not look or act feral, and I saw it as progress.
I planned to spend the day with her and see all that Aliana does for her. She had shown her worth, maybe even too much, and
my heart was beginning to beat in an unwanted manner.