Forged in the Flames

Chapter 26

Nikolas POV

My time with King Aleksander was informative, and I had something to work with. I planned to dig deeper to know how to deal with Fedrick. If he were my uncle and could work against me, I wondered what he did when my father was alive. I kept my suspicions to myself and focused on what was at hand I wondered what Aliana was up to and if the Lycans were giving her trouble.

I had promised I would not stay more than two days, and I planned to keep it.

Morning came, and Grant and I were invited to have breakfast with the King and his family. They ushered us to the dining room, and everyone, including the Queen, was seated. Lena looked like her mother, and the woman seemed warm.

I bowed to both of them, and they responded with respect.

Then I was asked to sit beside Piotr while Grant sat beside Lena on the opposite side of the table.

“Finally. Forest will have a king,” The Queen said, smiling at me, and I smiled back out of respect.

“Hopefully,” I said, and she frowned.

“It is rightfully yours. I am not happy with what Fedrick is doing. I hope he remembers he worked against you when you finally ascend. The man can’t see beyond his greed.” She said, and Aleksander cautioned her. She held her tongue and composed herself. “Please enjoy your meal. I hope you will stay with us a bit to meet people,” She said, and I smiled at her.

“I will be leaving tomorrow, your Majesty. I have a lot to attend to at home. We are trying to develop the place. A lot still needs to be done, and there is a need for supervision,” I said, and she nodded.

“I heard Gabriel ran the place down. I wondered what the traitor thought when he usurped power for himself.

I am glad you took back what was rightfully yours.

The bright side is that, unlike the Snow and Hill region, you have a lot of human resources in Forest, so finding cheap and free labour to get the job done won’t be hard.” She said, referring to the slaves in Forest. I composed myself and nodded, knowing it would be unwise to show sentiment towards the werewolves. Aleksander might not have issues with the werewolves, but his Queen seemed to have issues with them. “Isabelle was right about those things,” she said, hissing.

“I am glad Aleks listened to me after Mathias’s demise. I am sure the ones here would have had the bright idea of usurping power for themselves after Gabriel succeeded in Forest. You should be careful and wary of them, Nikolas. Do not let them get close to you,” she said, and Grant looked at me a bit funny with worry in his eyes. I wondered if the idiot was trying to give away my secret.

“They are in their place In Forest,” I said quickly, and she nodded.

“If you show sympathy towards them, Fredrick might use it against your ascension in the committee. The Unity Law forbids it. I hope you know,” She said, and I nodded. My heart was heavy while I listened to her because I knew the world wasn’t ready for what Aliana and I had.

I knew it would be rough and hard. I just hoped we would survive it. Bane was quiet in my head. He, too, was uncomfortable about her words.

“I do not think werewolves are bad. It is just that Gabriel was a traitor. Let us not generalise, Racheal,” Aleksander said, and I heard the Queen’s name for the first time.

“They are the same,” she said, and he sighed.

“Yet your best workers are werewolves,” He countered her, her cheeks coloured with embarrassment. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“Nikolas does not share the same views as Fredrick and Isabelle, so you can relax, Racheal. He knows to be wary of Gabriel and his people, but I doubt he shares the same views with his mother. He is like Mathias.” Aleksander said, and I was shocked to know the woman said all she said so they would not be in trouble for being lenient towards Werewolves. I knew it was odd that the King would offer me werewolves as companions. I realised he was just as lenient as I was, but he did it secretly.

“Riotr would take you to see the town, maybe it would give you ideas. I have organised a dinner tonight, so you will meet the alphas in my kingdom and some of the Committee members,” He said, and I thanked him for his kindness and hospitality.

“May I join them, Father?” I heard Lena say, and my stomach churned. I remembered how she was flirting with me when I arrived and did not want to get in her father’s bad books by turning her down.

“Sure, you should hang out with them,” Racheal said, and I decided to speak up. “I do not think it would be necessary, your Majesty,” I said quickly, and she was about to speak when Lena spoke up.

“Relax, Nikolas, I am seeing someone. I just want to hang out with you two. Please relax. Seeing you, I know you are seeing someone already,” She said. I felt a bit embarrassed, but I maintained a calm face.

“You are seeing someone?” Racheal asked her daughter, and she nodded.

“Yes. Miles Bradford from Snow,” She said quickly, and the dreamy look on her face showed she wasn’t lying. I wanted to laugh, but I held it.

“Fredrick’s nephew?” Aleksander exclaimed, and she shook.

I did not want to be around for it. I wiped my mouth with the napkin to excuse myself. Piotr did the same, and Grant copied. We respectfully left them in the dining room and headed out.

“There is this cool restaurant in town you would like. Something tells me food with my folks won’t be the same again after this. They loathe Fredrick. They hate him and anything that has to do with him. Except you, of course, and that is because of Mathias,” Piotr said, and I took a lot with those words.

We headed into town with Piotr behind the wheel.

All the ladies flirted with him, and he seemed a charmer too. We drove past a lingerie store, and a red lace caught my eye.

“Let us check that store out,” I pointed al the store, and Piotr looked at me and smiled.

“You have great taste, Nikolas. I bring my girlfriend to shop there most of the time. You will love their stuff,” he said, turned the vehicle around, and headed for the store.

When we got there, he stopped the engine and stepped out.

“Warning, a werewolf owns the place,” he said quickly, and I told him it was okay. Grant was silent all through. We went to the shop, and the owner greeted Piotr with respect.

“This is the Forest King,” he told them, introducing me respectfully, and the women knelt immediately. They were also looking at me as if they were auditioning for something.

“Do not start rumours, Piotr. I am yet to be King,” I said aloud so the news does not get to the wrong ears.

“All formalities, we know the crown is yours already. You own the place already,” he said, and I moved towards the red lace at the window that caught my eye.

I knew it would be perfect It was a size ten. I knew Aliana would look beautiful in it. I found others and bought about four sets. When I paid them with a gold coin, they were in shock.

“That is too much, Nikolas. We pay Werewolves with copper here, but I won’t tell,” he said and winked at the shop owner, who thanked him and hid the coin.

She then gave me a bracelet made of gemstones. It was beautiful, and the emerald stone and amethyst looked divine. Although it was held together with bronze, I knew it was the best she would have since they were not allowed silver and gold.

“For the special someone, your majesty,” she said, and I collected it. I did not know if Aliana would like it, but I hoped she would.

We left the shop, and Piotr showed us about Peakland. We ate at a local werewolf restaurant, and I realised that Piotr liked werewolves. I wondered if his girlfriend was Lycan or a werewolf. Everyone was secretive about such things, so I did not bother to ask.

I noticed that werewolves in Hill looked good but weren’t free, and they weren’t treated well either. They ate and shopped separately, lived in poor homes, and lacked variety.

They had no dedicated medical facility, and the schools they attended were run down. But I knew they would be grateful for it because they were better off than the werewolves in Snow. To the world, they would believe they were better off than the werewolves in Forest. No one knew we paid wages, gave free food, and let them maintain their homes in Forest, and I planned to leave it that way.

The King kept his promise and organised the dinner.

I met many people, and most of them knew my father. They had a lot to say about him and said I had their full support on the committee.

They also hoped I would open trade with Hill. I told them I would work on it when I got home A few tried to find out if I was mated, but I found a way around the question to avoid offending anyone.

Marrying someone just to be King was not right. The dinner ended, and I retired to my room.

I had informed the King that I would leave early so they would not see me during breakfast.

Queen Racheal was unhappy about it, and since I did not see Lena around, I figured her parents grounded her. It seemed they did not approve of her relationship with Miles, who happens to be my cousin.

Queen Racheal pleaded with me to visit soon, and I told her I would. Piotr also said he would visit me in Forest. I told him he was welcome. He wasn’t a bad guy, and he seemed like someone I would like to have as a friend. Morning came, and Grant and I left Peakland, ready to return to Forest. I was eager to get home, dying to hold Aliana in my arms and make love to her.