Forged in the Flames

Chapter 50

I controlled my temper and remained still, not wanting to give her something to work with. It was hard, and I felt sick, but I restrained myself. “I am glad you know this,” Isabelle said and smiled.

“Yes, Nikolas is crazy about you. He dishonoured me for your sake. His love is strong, and I know it is true. His passion for you is honest, and his desires for you are unmatched,” she said and stood up.

“Yet he has a duty to his bloodline and his people. He must take back what your father destroyed. He must restore his crown, which would not have been lost if it weren’t for your father and your people,” She said and sighed. “He must take back that crown, or Forest would be fair game. I know the last thing you want is for Nikolas to go to war with the Snow and Hill kings because he will fall.

I can tell you that they both want Forest because of its resources,” she said, walking towards me. “Niko does not have the army or the might to push back if they come. Maybe he would have if the Werewolves were on his side. Still, I have been told that your warriors are no more due to the battles they fought defending the territory from my brother and trying to stop my son from taking what is rightfully his. Serves them right, I suppose,” She said, t*ouching my chin to look into my eyes.

She stared at me for a while, studying my eyes “Honey colour,” She said with a whisper.

“Beauty, they say, is in the eyes of the beholder, but you, my dear, do not need a beholder to shine,” she said. Even though it seemed like praise, I did not appreciate it because it was coming from Isabelle. She gave me the creeps “Nikolas will give up his crown for your sake if it comes to it. He cares that much for you. What do you think will happen when he does that, and the vultures come calling? What will happen to him and your race when he falls?” She asked me, and I fought myself from imagining the outcome even though it seemed plausible.

“For your race to thrive and for Forest to continue to be a safe haven for you and your kind, Niko has to be king,” she said, spelling out the truth. It was a truth I knew too.

“I will do all it takes to help my son gain his crown. I am willing to support him all the way. Are you willing to do what it takes, Aliana? Can you put aside your selfish desires for him and allow him to ascend peacefully? Do you love him enough to want what is best for him regardless of your desires?” she asked, letting go of my chin while my eyes danced in confusion. I looked down.

“I want what is best for him,” I managed, and she giggled.

“For Niko to be king, he has to obey the unity law. He also needs a queen by his side and not a mistress. It is either that or he takes the crown by force,” She said and looked at me.

“I called you here to speak to you, Aliana, because my son will never let you go. I also know you will hold on to him tightly because there is nowhere to go,” She said; somehow, she was right, but I loved him too.

I dared not say it, though.

I did not want her to have something she could use against Nikolas and me. I did not know what Nikolas had told her and how he planned to play the game. My silence would have to do for now, but her words stung severely.

“Let us put it this way. For him to ascend, he must make alliances and travel a lot. Some nobles will offer their daughters and other things if they do not see a woman beside him.

Will you be able to take it?

Will you subject another woman to suffering by sharing her husband with her as his mistress?

Will you ruin a home for your happiness?

I am asking you this because I suffered in my marriage. Though my husband’s mistress was dead before we got together, he never saw me.

I lived in her shadow and shared him with her ghosts all through. There was no day I was fulfilled in my marriage, and I did many things I wasn’t proud of to fill the void.

Looking at what you and Nikolas have, I sense he is willing to do the same with you. I believe, in your case, you will be around, so his wife would not have to compete with your ghost,” She said, and I was silent.

I didn’t want to imagine Nikolas with anyone else, so I shut it out completely, even though it brought me tears. The truth of her words brought tears to my eyes, and they fell freely. There was no point fighting them. Though silent, my tears eased the pain a bit.

“It is either he goes that route or declares war, and I know you would not want him to fight a war.

He is bound to lose Aliana, so I will ask you again. Do you love Nikolas,” she asked me. I managed to look at her while wiping away my tears and decided to answer it as honestly as I could.

“Yes, Luna, with all my heart,” I said in tears, and something faltered in her eyes. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Then do not be in his way for the crown, Aliana. Do not give Fredrick a reason to deny him his right. Do not give Fredrick a reason to march here with his troops and slaughter us. I am asking you to walk away when the time comes,” She said, and I shook my head.

“He won’t let me go, and I belong to him,” I said, and she sighed.

“Nikolas plans to keep you as his mistress while he marries a Lycan queen to get the crown. Are you okay with that?” She asked me, and I nodded.

“Whatever makes him happy. I am a werewolf, after all, and I have no say in these things,” I told her, but deep down, I minded and held onto Nikola’s promises to me.

I knew he would not break my heart, and he would fix everything.

If I have to pretend to be a mistress or a s*ex slave so he can get whatever he wants, so be it, but I knew he won’t be taking a queen.

I did not owe her an explanation and refused to tell her our plan.

So I will cry and tell her what she wants to hear.

She will believe me and be at peace, but I will keep my hopes up and pray everything Nikolas has planned turns out the way he wants because, in the end, it will just be us, and I was patient enough to wait.

“Very well, I am glad you aren’t disillusioned. Do know you can come to me for anything. I learned Gwendolyn was your mother,” she said, and I nodded.

“She was my midwife, and we were friends. She knew my secrets and kept them. I apologise for the way I treated you yesterday. It is just that being here without Mathias breaks my heart. You should know exactly how I feel now that you are in love. Although our love was one-sided, he was all I had, and Gabriel took him from me. Niko has pleaded with me to separate the two, precisely what I would do. I won’t trouble you, Aliana, but I will plead with you not to say or do anything that would Jeopardise my son’s chances of becoming king.

Fredrick and Aleksander have spies everywhere. No one should know what Niko feels about you or that what you have is more than s*ex because they will use it against him.

It is wrong for him to sleep with or even have your scent, but it is excusable since he isn’t king yet. Please do not give them something to use against my son,” she said, and I nodded.

I had nothing to say about that because Niko and I were careful too. I hope he gets the kingship soon because I hate the fact that we have to pretend.

“Very well, Aliana. Thank you for your time, and I appreciate your sincerity,” She said, and I nodded.

“If you want to discuss anything with me or ask me anything because I know your father might have told you stuff, feel free to ask. I won’t take offence, and I will be happy to explain. It gets boring around here; I would not mind a bit of a challenge from you,” she said, and I nodded.

There was nowhere in hell I would tell her what I discussed with my father. Even though she seemed nice to me, I knew I could not trust her still. So, it was best to be on my guard where she was concerned.

I left the room, and the look on Ania and Lisa’s faces showed they heard everything.

“Honestly, I was worried for you in there,” Ania said, squeezing my hand for comfort.

“Do you trust her?” She asked me, and I shook my head.

“Hatred that strong does not dissipate overnight, Ania. I know she is planning something. She might have realised she can’t control her son, so she is trying to keep her enemy, which is me, closer,” I said, and Lisa laughed.

“And here I thought I was the only pessimist among us. I must say you must have put up a hell of a performance for her to think she got you, Aliana,” Lisa said, and both she and Ania laughed.

I could not laugh because Isabelle had indeed gotten to me. Her words had cut deep and stung because they were true. I just hoped everything would go well and not come to war because Nikolas needed to get the crown so we could all be safe.

I would rather be his mistress than for Fredrik to be our king.

There will be no freedom or safe haven for werewolves and Halfbreeds. I do not want to be in a world like that.

Besides, Fredrick would have to defeat Nikolas first for that to happen. That also was an unwanted outcome. I will start praying harder and doing all I can to ensure his success.

We stepped out of the palace and decided we would go to town. I noticed my father was home, so I went to check on him.

I knocked on the door, and to my surprise, Israel answered it. I frowned, wondering what Israel was doing in my father’s house.

“Good afternoon Israel,” I said, and he smiled at me.

“Where is my father?” I asked, and he told me to keep my voice down.

“He is in the room sleeping. The nurse just gave him his meds and left now.” He said, and I became scared.

I rushed to his room, and true to Isreal’s words, my father was on the bed sleeping. Israel gradually pulled me away from the door and led me back to the living room.

“What happened?” I asked Isreal, and he sighed. “Your father collapsed on sight this morning while he was working.

The work is too rigorous for him, and his hours are too long. I doubt he can take it anymore. We have written Alpha Nikolas several times to replace your father, but he refuses to answer. Maybe you can plead with him on his behalf,” He said, and my heart sank.

No matter how much Nikolas cared for me, I dared not discuss my father with him. How will I tell Nikolas to take it easy on my father when he believes my father is the one that ruined his life?

“How do I tell him?” I asked Israel. It was a rhetorical question because I knew he had no answer.

“You have to figure it out, Aliana, because if he continues like this, he will die. He is too old for this,” Israel said, and I became scared because I was torn.

I loved my father and believed everything happening to him was unfair. I decided I would talk to Qusack about it.

The last thing I wanted was for Nikolas to feel like I was taking advantage of our relationship.

His mother said he told her to separate the two, meaning he can only be with me because he has somehow mentally separated me from my father, but that is an illusion because my father would always be a part of me. I hoped Qusack would be able to do something about it.

“I will talk to Qusack about it,” I told Israel, and he shook his head.

“The Beta has already pleaded with the Alpha on the matter. You have to talk to the Alpha directly. He might listen to you,” he said, and fear engulfed me. It was a daunting task I suspected would not end well, but I knew I had no choice but to try.

Since Nikolas did not give me permission to see my father that day, I could not sit with him. Israel told me he would be there and send his wife the next day when he goes to work. I had no choice but to leave.

Suddenly I did not feel like going to town anymore.

I told Ania and Lisa to go without me while I returned to the palace to wait for Nikolas in his room.

I was afraid, but I knew I had no choice but to discuss it with him. Hopefully, it will turn out well.