Forged in the Flames

Chapter 23

Nikolas POV

It took three days to get the werewolf scent off me before I decided to set out to the Hill Kingdom.

I decided Grant would follow me because I did not trust him to be impartial.

Qusack would have been my safest option, but I needed him around to protect Aliana. A lot of Lycan women had it in for her. I feared they might carry out their plans when I was not around.

Besides fulfilling my mother’s wishes, Aliana was part of why I wanted to be King. I wanted the right to love her and have children with her, and I did not want my children to be discriminated against.

I was doing this so we could have a future.

I did not want anything bad to happen to her.

With Qusack in charge, while I am away, I would have peace of mind knowing she is safe and all right.

I left in the early morning hours and was eager to know what the Hill King had in store for me. It would be nice to have a royal ally. I knew it would make my quest easier.

“Alpha, our men have started hunting in Snow, and I am sure the Snow King will soon reach out,” Grant said while we were heading to the Hill Territory.

What Grant said explained the new werewolf faces I had seen in the cells. I thought they were offenders I had to ask to be clear. “Where do you put the captives?” I asked Grant, and he laughed.

“In the cells. We do not want them mixing with our werewolves. Those things are treacherous, as you already know; outside knowledge might help boost their morale,” He said, proud of himself, and I knew cruelty was part of his speciality. I should have put Qusack in charge of this.

“I doubt they would want to go back to Snow, Grant. I want them released and assigned duties immediately. They are people, not livestock.” I cautioned him, and he apologised for presuming that was what I would want. I dropped the matter and focused on the journey. The place was seven hours away from Forest through the shortcut, so we were in for a long ride. The road wasn’t good either. It was clear that Forest had been cut off from the world entirely.

I planned to fix everything.

One thing I commended Gabriel for was that the gold reserve was massive, and he never took any for himself.

Even when I told him to evacuate the palace and hand over the pack and territory, he could have stolen some of the gold, but everything remained. The wealth I found was more than what my mother told me. Forest had gold mines, so it was normal to have an abundance of it. It was the reserve I was using now to build social and economic infrastructures that would bring about the region’s development. I could easily be the wealthiest King in our world when I become King.

The drive was long, and even though sleep came, I refused to fall. I liked staying vigilant at all times just in case an ambush or treachery was about to occur; I wouldn’t be caught unaware.

I secretly hoped we wouldn’t stay more than two days in the Hill Kingdom because I was dying to return to Aliana.

It was sad because if she were a lycan, she would have accompanied me on the trip as my Luna, but I had to hide her away in Forest like a dirty secret because she was a werewolf. I wondered why slavery even began and what caused it.

I wondered why my father and the other kings would legalise slavery with the Unity law. I knew they were treacherous people, but seeing things from their angle, I knew people could only take so much.

The way Grant paraded Joshua for getting a Lycan pregnant was just cruel. They weren’t animals; they were people like us, but we had different wolves that made them lesser.

I hoped a day would come when I would not have to wash Aliana’s scent off me, and I would not have to leave her behind.

We arrived at the Hill Kingdom, and the place was magnificent. I had not been away from Forest before, so this was my first time. Its vegetation wasn’t as rich as Forest, but the mountains and high peaks of the place were breathtaking.

We bought a map at the gate and used it to navigate our way to Peakland. As we moved, I could see s*lave a*uctions and Adverts. I could also differentiate between the werewolves and the Lycans They did not look like they were suffering. They were well-fed and healthy, more healthy than the ones in Forest, but it was obvious that they were slaves. None of them looked into my eyes. They all bowed their heads as we drove past. I looked at them through the window and wondered what King Aleksander Zieliriska would offer.

The castle was modernised. It did not look old like mine, and it was normal. The man would have made some improvements over the years. Had my father been alive, I knew Forest would have been more developed and beautiful than Hill.

I exited the car, and Grant coordinated our luggage and the small gold chest we had brought as a gift for the King. He would appreciate gold because other territories spent bronze and copper as currency. Gold was a valuable commodity, and only Forest had it. One gold coin equated to a thousand five hundred copper coins, eight hundred bronze coins or three hundred Silver coins. I had a thousand gold coins, so I knew he would appreciate it.

I was treated with respect, and we moved into the palace.

It was beautiful; there were paintings and carvings on the wall. It wasn’t dark like the one in Forest. It showed the King’s personality as a fun-loving person. I saw paintings of him and his family members.

I was led to a waiting room. I sat on one of the couches while Grant stood behind me. He dared not sit because it was a royal lounge.

A man about my age approached me where I was waiting. The guards in the lounge referred to him as His Highness, so I figured he was Aleksander’s son.

My life would have been as easy as his if Gabriel had not done what he did. Sometimes when I think of what Gabriel did, I want to march to his home and s*laughter him in cold blood I want him to suffer, but how can I when his daughter was in my bed, and I was madly in love with her? Life was messed up sometimes.

I thought defeating and destroying Gabriel would be easy, but now I know better.

The prince greeted me with respect, and even though he was the prince, he bowed his head to greet me.

“I am Piotr Zieliriska. Crowned Prince of Hill Kingdom. My father would join us soon,” he said and decided to sit on the couch adjacent to mine. Grant remained standing behind me, and he bowed to greet the prince.

It wasn’t long before a brunette entered the room. She was pretty, and she was smiling at Piotr.

“Isn’t Father here yet?” She called, and I figured she was his sister.

“Manners, Lena,” Piotr warned her, and she smiled and curtseyed.

“Welcome to Peakland, your Majesty,” She said with charm and winked at me.

“The prince isn’t a king yet, Lena. Don’t start rumours,” Piotr warned her, and she giggled. “He will be very soon and be the most powerful, too,” she said, admiring me, and I got uncomfortable.

“Stop flirting with him,” Piotr said, and I smiled. I did not want to seem hostile.

“The world is talking about you,” Lena said, sitting beside her brother. “No one has done what you did You took back your father’s Kingdom. You are indeed worthy of Kingship. King Fedrick is just jealous and afraid.” She said, and I thanked her for the compliments because that was what they were.

We were served drinks while we waited for the King. Piotr discussed many things with me and hoped we could be friends.

They were hoping I would open trade between our regions again, and I was yet to look into it, but I said I would consider it.

He told me he would be taking over from his father once he turned thirty-three, which was in four years. He also hoped his father would live long so he could watch him grow their Kingdom, something I was robbed of and could never dream of.

They were easygoing people, and it was understood that they would be that way since they had had a soft life.

Aleksander finally joined us, and we all stood to greet him. I bowed my head to greet the King. That was the first time in my life I would bow to anyone.

It was also difficult for Bane and me, but we did it anyway.

“Welcome, Nikolas. You are indeed a very handsome man. You took after Isabelle, your mother,” He said, and I thanked him for the compliment.

He moved close to me and hugged me. “I am proud of you, son, and I know Mathias would be proud.” He said with a shake in his voice. He must have cared for my father a lot. “Come on, join me in my guest lounge. Piotr. Lena, you can come too,” he said to his children, and they followed. I left Grant and followed them.