Forged In The Flames By Karima Sa’ad Usman
Chapter 47 Sit And Talk (Nikolas POV)
I returned to my room after dealing with the affairs for the day. I knew Aliana would not be there, but I hoped she would not linger in her father’s house because I needed company. I needed her company.
I planned to visit Woodland and spend two days there with Aliana. A change of scenery might help our relationship, and I knew she would like it too.
I could not get over the image of her bruises in my head and the fact that she just took it. What happened to Aliana was a reality for the werewolves.
While my mother beat her, she dared not retaliate. I could just imagine my mother taking it too far. Aliana would have just taken it like when Ingham decided to make an example of her. Abolishing the Unity law was crucial.
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What if I am not there?
What if the Lycan that is hurting her takes it too far?
I was afraid, and the need to abolish the law felt urgent.
I entered the room and sat on the couch to think about everything happening. Fredrick was a huge problem for me, but seeing the crest of Hill warriors on the scene and knowing some of the warriors were from Hill bothered me.
Although I had sent a letter to King Aleksander to inform him of what I had learned, I knew I could not trust him. The truth was they both wanted the same thing; the resources of Forest, and they would do anything to get them.
I did not know how far Aleksander was willing to go, but I knew Fredrick would do anything to get his hands on Forest.
I did not know if I could trust King Aleksander, but I planned to take the matter to the joint council. Since Forest had no representative in the joint committee because of the werewolf situation, I would have to place my people there. I planned on nominating Qusack and Abraham as representatives. I do not know if I need to be king for that to happen, but I will find out on that day.
“Alpha, your mother hasn’t left her room or eaten all day,” I heard Erica’s voice in my head, and I did not want to deal with this. I just wanted to relax and spend time with
Aliana. Bane and I needed peace. I wondered why my mother loved to seek attention this badly. It had just been two days, and I was tired already.
I did not want to seem insensitive to her, so I got up and decided to go and check on her.
When I got to her room, I knocked a couple of times, and no one answered.
“Mother, it’s me,” I linked her so she would know I was the one at her door. She came to open the door for me.
Her eyes were swollen, and it was evident she was crying. I stepped into the room, and the curtains were closed. It was dark. There was no light but that of the lamp by her bed. She went to sit at the foot of the bed without saying a word to me. I knew she was acting hurt, but I decided to humour her.
I stood looking about the room. I decided to sit on the couch that faced the bed to talk to her.
“Mother, what is the meaning of this?” I asked her calmly, and she sniffled.
“You emebarrssed me, Niko. You belittled me because of a girl. You stripped me of my title and said no one should help me. You gave people a reason to disrespect me because of a girl,” She said, and I already knew that was the case.
“Yes, mother. I did ah that for a good reason. You have to accept your reality. You are not a Queen anymore. You are my mother. If I ever succeed and become king, you won’t be Queen. I also do not want to be an evil bastard. A little kindness would go a long way. Beating and insulting people is wrong. You even terrorised the Lycans too. If you make an enemy of your subjects, they will not have your back when the time comes.
I had these people when I was nobody. A lot of them lost their lives fighting my cause. They helped me get my revenge and take back my home. The survivors are all I have, and they deserve respect. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them.
As for Aliana that you beat up, you would be dead if it weren’t for her. She had no reason to care for you, but she did. She did not even know who you were. To her, you were the mother of the man that killed her people, humiliated her and her father and took over their territory. I took her from her father so she would have no honour and no children. I took her to make Gabriel suffer, but she still cared for you. The least you could do was be grateful for her kindness. But instead, you chose to be mean and beat her up.” I said, and she wiped away her tears.
“I do not want anything bad to happen to you, Niko. I am afraid that they will harm you like they did your father,” She said, crying, and I nodded, understanding her point, but I also knew that Aliana would not harm me.
“I know there is more to that story because if they truly did what you claimed they did, then why would Gabriel tell you to return with your child when I am of age and that he will hand over to me?” I asked her, and she nodded.
“I could not come back. Fredrick was hunting me, and Gabriel killed my mate. What if he changed his mind and killed us? I needed us to be safe. He might have only said I could return because he believed I would not, knowing how badly my brother wanted Forest. He might not want the death of a pregnant woman on his hands. I needed to be careful. I did not trust him,” she explained, giving a plausible explanation for her actions.
I moved close to her and held her hand.
“I love you, mother. I do. I love you so much that I could not kill you. I carried you for many years, hoping you will come through. Please do not make me regret my prayers. You should seek ways to make me happy and make my life easy. Not complicate it,” I said, and she looked at the floor.
“You cannot be with a werewolf, Niko. Whether she helped me or not. It does not matter. You cannot be with a werewolf. It will work against your coronation request. Word gets out that you are with a werewolf; they would move against you. I know Fredrick; he has wanted to get his hands on Forest for a while now. Do not give him a reason to succeed,” she said, pleading with me, and I sighed.
I did not know if telling her how I felt was safe.
“I plan to keep Aliana as my mistress. She makes me happy.” I said, and she was silent. “I can’t help the fact that I am drawn to her. Had she been a Lycan, I would have claimed and married her. She has a hold on me, one I can’t shake off,” I confessed and sighed. I needed my mother to accept Aliana. I needed her to give Aliana a chance. It would be nice to have both of them and not have to choose.
“If truly you love me, you will give her a chance,” I said, and she looked at me with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“To what end, Niko? How can I love the daughter of the man that killed my mate? Will that not be madness?” She asked me, and I disagreed because I had learned to separate the two.
“You can love the woman that makes your son happy and nursed you back to health,” I said, showing her a brighter perspective, and she shook her head, disagreeing.
“What will now happen when it is time to ascend, and you are to have a queen?” She asked, and I sighed.
“I will follow in my father’s footsteps. I will be without a queen and keep a werewolf mistress. There is no law against that,” I said, and she disagreed.
“You will need a Queen. Someone to birth an heir.” She said, and I knew she would not bend. Something in her eyes let me know I was wasting my time. Knowing I needed her to support me for the coronation, I decided to play it safe.
“After I become king, I will see that I marry someone. But I will still keep Aliana with me regardless. Do not ask me to give her up completely because I won’t,” I said, and she sighed and looked at me.
“You should not subject a fellow Lycan to the kind of heartache your father subjected me to,” She said with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Although I never met Olive and did not know her, Mathias put me in her shadow, calling her name in his sleep, always
reminiscing about her. He never gave me a chance. I was just there to fill a void,” She said with tears in her eyes, and I realised she had a lot bottled in. She never told me any of this. She pretended her marriage to my father was rosy. I guess circumstances had taken her down memory lane.
“It will be wrong to make someone live in another’s shadow.” She told me, and I sighed.
“That is the best I can do. I am sure we will find a balance when the time comes,” I said to her, and she gently touched my cheek and smiled. Maybe she knew I was lying, but I needed her support. It was complicated; I needed to make false promises to get my way. My mother was indeed a difficult woman.
“I hope you know what you are doing, Niko. I hope you understand what you are doing. You have two choices to get that crown and the recognition you need. Obey the Unity law or declare yourself king by force.
If you try to forcefully crown yourself, my brother will come for you, and you do not have the might to push.
I doubt the werewolves would help you.
I genuinely wonder how Gabriel managed to keep Forest all these years. I might be wrong about Fredrick, but I know he will convince Aleksander so they can join forces and come for you. He is forceful like that.
Obey the unity law. It is our only option to reclaim what has been lost. If that girl truly loves you, she will understand,” She said and sighed.
“Even if you try to hide it, I can see that your heart beats for her, and I suspect you two are fated,” she said, and I was in shock. How could she figure it out? The thought that she figured it out and still gave me a hard time annoyed me, but I controlled my temper.
“Do not be surprised. I know that look. Your father had it in his eyes every time he spoke of Olive. The way you protect Aliana jealously, the stories about your sudden behaviour change, and how the girl has gotten away with so many things you would not normally condone say it all.
Do not lose your head, Niko. She can’t feel the bond the way you do. Do not let it control you. Think straight and think of how you would have behaved without it. Do not let it cloud your judgement and make you lose your head. I am begging you. It doesn’t ever end well,” She said, and I held my tongue.
I could not deny it or confirm it. I just remained silent.
“So, will you eat now?” I asked her, changing the topic, and she sighed and shook her head.
“To show you that I am willing as long as you do the needful when the time comes, I do not mind having dinner with you,” She said, and I was about to disagree and protest when she spoke quickly.
“I know you eat with the girl. I am willing to join you two. I won’t create trouble for you. There is really no point fighting a battle I would not win. I have missed nineteen years already. Alienating myself from you because of this would be insensitive. I am willing to try for the sake of peace but do not expect me to be accommodating towards Gabriel,” she said, and I wasn’t comfortable with it. The fact that I had no reason to deny her request put me in a tight corner.
“Aliana is yet to return from an errand,” I said, not wanting my mother to figure out I let her spend time with her father.
“Then I will wait,” she said, and I felt as if I was in a dilemma.