Forged in the Flames

Chapter 86

Forged In The Flames By Karima Sa’ad Usman

Chapter 86 After the Summit (Nikolas)

Everyone except Piotr and Miles left between five and six in the morning. Piotr chose to stay, while Miles stayed at Fredrick’s insistence, much to my annoyance. Fredrick’s words disgusted me, but I didn’t show it. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had affected me. After everyone left, I went to my office to take care of some unfinished tasks.

I was well aware that my Uncle had left Miles behind to spy on me and report back to him. He didn’t even try to hide his intentions, but it didn’t bother me. I was relaxed about it because I knew I was prepared for war.

Soon after I sat down, Piotr came to my office. He greeted me in his usual cheerful manner and sat on the couch. I laughed, not wanting to admit that I had missed him.

“You can pretend all you want, but I know you missed me,” he said, making himself comfortable on the couch.

“What’s the plan?” he asked, and I furrowed my brow, wondering what he was referring to.

“I mean, Riverhead is empty. You must be planning something,” he continued. I shook my head, unwilling to share my plans with him. Instead, I changed the subject and asked about his father.

“What happened yesterday? Your father opposed Fredrick,” I inquired. Piotr laughed in response.

“My father is tired of Fredrick’s nonsense and can see through his desperate attempts. Even some Hill alphas didn’t appreciate that he was willing to discredit you for a half-breed,” Piotr explained. I nodded, realizing that Fredrick had made a mistake by involving Miles in the situation.

“Anyway,” Piotr leaned forward, “There are two ways for you to claim the crown. Either Fredrick approves your coronation or you declare yourself King and go to war against anyone who opposes you. We both know

Fredrick will never give his approval,” he said, leaning closer.

“So, when are we going to war?” he asked with a smile, seemingly content with the idea of battle.

“You might be surprised at my calmness, but liberation has never been easy to achieve. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to achieve, all of which you have already spent and still are. I would lie if I said I want this to drag on, but the ball is in your court. You either wait for the bastard and hope he approves your coronation, or name yourself King and wait for him to oppose,” he said and stood up.

“I’ll leave you with that thought and head back to my room for a delicious meal. Just know that you have my support no matter what,” he assured me, sensing my discomfort.

“Perhaps we can go horse riding later,” he suggested, and I nodded. He clearly intended to have some fun in Forest before returning to Hill.

Qusack joined me after Piotr left to inform me about my mother’s behaviour and why she had been confined to her room all night until everyone had left. It turns out she was trying to contact Fredrick through a note. I wondered what she hoped to achieve with that message.

Qusack handed me the note, and I recognised the handwriting immediately. It was the same as Abel Isle, confirming her alias without a doubt.

“Fredrick, you need to stop this nonsense and stop antagonising my son. He has done nothing to you. Your issue is with me for not fulfilling my obligations to the family and taking over Forest. There is no need to take it out on my son. I promise you he will not give you trouble…”

The letter was unfinished because she was interrupted, and I didn’t care about its contents.

What concerned me was that my mother was sending letters to my enemies, knowing the potential consequences. I looked at Qusack and sighed.

“I want her completely locked away in her room, restrained with silver bracelets. I want her closely monitored and guarded by werewolves and half-breeds,” I declared.

Qusack was taken aback by my words, but it was a difficult decision that had to be made. I couldn’t handle her tantrums and the situation simultaneously.

“Very well, I will assign Gabriel to do it,” he said. I was aware of my mother’s infatuation with Gabriel, and it tempted me to object, but I decided to allow it. Perhaps it would provide her with closure for the rejection and help her move on, so she would stop targeting Aliana at every opportunity.

“That’s fine,” I conceded, and Qusack nodded.

“By the way, I’m considering telling Gabriel about Gwen,” I revealed, and he listened attentively.

“Throughout the party, I couldn’t find peace. I feared that Fredrick would request to see him and expose the truth about his wife to mock him. It would have been disastrous. It’s best for Gabriel to process his shock and anger away from Fredrick and the battle. So, I plan to tell him this evening after we’re done with the day,” I explained, and Qusack understood. Then, I decided to tease him a little.

“I noticed you didn’t allow Ania to serve the other alphas. Is there a reason?” I asked, and he averted his gaze. I could tell he was possessive of her, though he probably thought I hadn’t noticed. Ania was stunning, and many alphas had their eyes on her. However, they all came with companions, so it would be impossible to ask for her company.

“You know, if there’s something between the two of you, I wouldn’t mind,” I reassured him, and he shook his head.

“She isn’t interested. She said I rejected her when they brought her to me simply because she couldn’t play chess. She told me she still doesn’t know how to play chess, and she only plays card games now,” he explained, and I realised that Ania had been deeply affected by what happened to her when she was brought to our camp.

They had brought those women to me, but I wasn’t interested, and it had nothing to do with them being half-breeds; I was concentrated on my conquest. I was so close to taking Forest that I could not let myself slip. The same had affected Qusack, and now that he was ready to relax and settle, it had come back to bite him in the a*ss.

“If I had known it would turn out this way, I would have kept her, Niko,” he confessed, and I sighed.

“I took Aliana from her father to bring disgrace upon them both. I had planned to end Gabriel’s bloodline and render his daughter useless. But look at me now, going to war for her sake,” I admitted, and Qu sack smiled.

“I already knew that part,” he replied, and we shared a laugh.

“I’m sure she’ll come around. I think she likes you and is just hurt by the rejection. Just don’t give up. Be yourself and develop an interest in card games. Chess is long and boring anyway,” I advised, and we laughed together.

“What should we do about your brother?” he asked, mentioning a sensitive topic that I wasn’t ready to discuss. His question wiped the smile off my face, and I let out a sigh.

“To be honest, Qusack, I have no idea. I don’t know how to handle him. He’ s a mystery to me. I can’t comprehend why he chooses to stay with a man who isn’t his relative,” I replied, and Qusack stood up

from the couch.

“Well, I suppose you’ll find out when he sees you. He’s been insisting on speaking with you ever since your Uncle left,” he said, and I was surprised that Miles wanted to talk to me. I suspected it was because I had somehow dragged Lena into my feud with Fredrick. I wasn’t afraid of the guy, so it was fine.

“Warning: he’s in charge of most of Fredrick’s army. He leads battles for your Uncle, and he’s never been defeated. Be cautious when you have a conversation with him. He’s not as mild- mannered as he appears,” Qusack cautioned, and I nodded. I already had that information, but I appreciated Qusack’s effort to dig deeper. “I would like him to meet with Gabriel after I see him, So hold off on my mother,” I said, and he nodded in agreement. Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

A few moments later, Lisa arrived at my office carrying a tray of breakfast. She told me that Aliana had sent her. When I checked with

Aliana, she confirmed it. I didn’t realise how famished I was until I started eating. However, the food she brought was too much.

“I’ll come back for the dishes,” Lisa said, leaving my office. Just then, Miles entered, and suddenly, the atmosphere became tense.

I set aside my food and observed him closely.

He walked up to my desk and sat down on the chair across from me without waiting for an invitation. The man had audacity. He exuded confidence and dominance. If I weren’t powerful myself, he would have intimidated me, but there was no point in that; I had already won that contest during the meeting. I knew it wasn’t intentional, so I did not take offence, nor did I let it show that it bothered me.

“If this has anything to do with Lena, know that I had no idea Fredrick was unaware of your relationship with her,” I spoke hurriedly. I didn’t care much for Miles, but I knew I had hurt him the previous night.

“Good morning, Nikolas,” he replied, ignoring my words, so I chose to forget about it and nodded in response.

“So, what do you want?” I asked defensively. He chuckled lightly.

“We both know why King Fredrick left me behind,” he informed me, and I maintained a neutral expression.

“To be honest, Nikolas, I’m shocked that your Uncle would betray you like this. But I’m not surprised, because he doesn’t care about anyone. He executed his Luna for infidelity when I was just four years old. He has had a total of eight Lunas, but now he only keeps mistresses. One of them has been around for five years, even though she’s a werewolf. I don’t understand his attraction to her. He even claimed her and is possessive of her, just like you are possessive of your mistress,” he said, and though his words shocked me, I didn’t let it show.

“Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that I don’t feel safe with Fredrick. I’ll only be safe as long as I’m useful to him. I love Lena deeply, so I’ll try to be of use for as long as I can. But with Fredrick, you never know,” he explained, and I examined him closely.

“I want you to promise me that if Fredrick falls, you won’t come after me just because we share the same father,” he requested, and I furrowed my brows at him. Had he already predicted Fredrick’s demise?

“Don’t be surprised, little brother,” he said, and I had to calm down my inner wolf from growling.

“I’m well aware of your strength, and I know you must have strong reasons for avoiding war. But Fredrick seems to be pushing everything in that direction. His clash with King Aleksander yesterday

has shifted the power dynamics.

Fredrick is no longer the revered King he once was. Hill will no longer submit to him.

Aleksander and Piotr have made sure of that, and the council has recognised and acknowledged your rightful status. So now

Fredrick only holds one-third of our territory, sharing the rest with you and King Aleksander, who appears to be leaning in your favour. Your friendship with Piotr also indicates that Forest is aligned with Hill. I just want you to understand that I bear no ill intentions towards you and have no desire to become the King of the Forest. I simply wish for my kind and the werewolves to be free from oppression and abolish the Unity Law that our father helped establish,” he expressed sincerely, and his words held undeniable earnestness.