Forged in the Flames

Chapter 84

Forged In The Flames By Karima Sa’ad Usman

Chapter 84 Summit 2 (Nikolas POV)

I got to the steps leading to the platform where the chairs were. I stood and looked up at the two kings.

The Alphas sat down.

It was now my turn to pay respect to the Kings that were present. I bowed to King Fredrick and Aleksander, climbed up the platform, and took my seat.

Abraham and Qusack sat on the floor with the other alphas, representing Forest. One day Alphas in Forest will occupy some of the seats, too, and it won’t just be my officers and me.

Title of the document

“Have you met the real heir?” King Fredrick said, and I looked at Miles.

“I am thrilled to meet the son of my father’s mistress. If that is what you claim, but according to records, Olive was buried with her child,” I said and looked at Abraham to bring the records. He nodded, letting me know he could get it if requested.

There was a look of dissatisfaction on Fredrick’s face.

“Unless you can prove beyond reasonable doubt that this isn’t a fabrication and Miles Gordon is the son of King Mathias, I say we drop it and move to more pressing matters,” I said, and everyone was silent, I

I looked at Miles to study him. He stood tall and regal; he was handsome, and unlike me, he had no visible scars, but something was broken about him. I did not want to imagine what it was like for him

growing up in Snow at the mercy of my evil uncle.

I did not know how to reach out to him, but unfortunately, he was on the wrong team, so I will treat him as an enemy for now.

“Well, everyone can see the resemblance between Miles and Mathais,” Fredrick said, laughing, and King Aleksander interrupted him. “Well, as everyone can see, Nikolas has his eyes, and his mother was Mathias’s wife. There is also no record of Mathais disowning or rejecting her baby. You chose to dismiss all that and still tried to disqualify Nikolas,” Aleksander said, and Fredrick growled.

“You are the King of Snow, and I am King of Hill; we wield equal strength on this council. You do not get to pick and choose which law to obey and which to bend. Since you have decided to disqualify your nephew because of the stupid grudge between you and your sister, you have also disqualified the Halfbreed.

It also troubles me how you got your hands on Mathia’s son if that is what he is. Because I know, Mathias never liked you.

If you choose to pursue this path, you will be digging a hole you won’t be able to cover up, Fredrick. Now, skip the whole nonsense and move to the following action.

The thing that brought us here. Our trade deal and assessing the Prince to see if he has kept up his side of the bargain,” Aleksander said forcefully, and I was impressed by his bravery. 2

I looked at Piotr with a question in my eyes, wondering what had come over the Hill King that made him grow ball overnight.

Piotr shrugged and smiled, but I knew there was more to it than that, and I hoped he would share it with me soon.

Miles went to sit next to Piotr on the floor, and I couldn’t help but let my eye wander to him.

I could not believe I had a sibling. This wasn’t the kind of atmosphere I would have wanted our meeting to be, but unfortunately, it was. I would just have to wait and see how things go.

“So, let us discuss the matter that brought us here,” Alpha Olsen said, and we were attentive.

“First, I will start by thanking his highness, Prince Nikolas, for granting us an audience and agreeing to host us under short notice.

We were not expecting the warm welcome we received in Forest, but we are grateful that you are not the type to bear a grudge.

We also want to use this opportunity to apologize to you for how things went in Snow during our last meeting.

Some harsh truths were divulged, and we hope it has not changed your opinion about our community,” He said, and I just smiled, knowing he had lied because that wasn’t the last meeting; it was just the meeting I was fortunate to attend.

“Indeed, we have seen all the construction works going on and also noticed the tireless efforts exerted to bring this place to life. One thing that baffles me is that we had reports that the werewolf population was much, but it seems there are more werewolves in Peakland than in Riverhead. Please tell us why that is,” he said and sat.

I had already rehearsed my reply, so it wasn’t a difficult question.

“Taking Forest wasn’t easy. I had to chip away bit by bit. Conquering it, pack by pack, territory by territory, until I had isolated Riverhead and boxed them in.

They expended a lot of their military and citizens to push back, and in the process, they lost a chunk of their population. Some have also died due to insufficient care, so I am building the werewolf hospital. I can’t have a mega city without slaves to help me build it,” I said, and the word ‘slave’ sounded off, but it was necessary.

All of them laughed, and they seemed satisfied with my response.

“So why did the informants lie?” Olsen said, looking at King Fredrick.

“Who are these informants?” I asked, and Olsen laughed.

“We can’t divulge their names to you, your highness. We can only refer to them. They won’t be informants if they are known to you, now, would they?” He said, and I acted to feel uneasy about it.

Unfortunately, fifteen of them were dead and rotting in the ground, while I had two locked up underground, chained in silver. I had absolutely nothing to worry about, i

I was only keeping those two for information and intel. Once I was satisfied with what they had to offer, they, too, would join their comrades in the beyond if there was anything other than darkness after death.

“I believe our informants must have misled you, your majesty, for reasons best known to them,” Olsen said, and Fredrik shook his head.

“Riverhead is just one part of Forest. There are other places to check. Send your scouts to check,” Fredrick said, but I had that covered already, so I wasn’t worried.

Woodland wasn’t within range, and none of the scouts would have the time to search that far. Woodland also seemed underdeveloped. They would not bother to venture into its woods.

“Feel free to send scouts around. I am tired of saying the same thing. Maybe it will be best if you see it for yourself. I can delegate an officer to be the designated driver for that escapade,” I said confidently, and everything in my demeanour showed that I meant it.

“There will be no need for that, Your Highness. Let us discuss the matter that has brought us here.” He said, and I braced myself for the next thing.

“We learned you plan to marry a Lycan to fool this committee into giving you a crown. Let’s say you settle down with a Lycan. What will happen to your werewolf mistress that you dote on?” He asked me.

“I am allowed to keep a werewolf mistress mated or not. After all, King Fredrick has a beautiful werewolf Mistress in Snow. No one is questioning him about her. He even claimed her, so why can’t I keep my spoils?” I asked them, and they began to laugh.

“So, it is a revenge thing for you?” he asked, and I chose not to answer.

“She is mine, and I am not sharing or throwing her away. It isn’t against the unity law for a king to have a Mistress. I have fulfilled all the obligations given to me except the slave trade, of which you can see I do not have stock, so it is time for the committee to decide if they will give me my crown. I need to know my fate,” I said confidently.

“Well, some of us are yet to enter a trade deal with you; it seems you only approved to trade with alphas that voted in your favour,” Olsen said, and I laughed and leaned forward.

“I will ask you a question, and you will be honest with me,” I said, and he nodded, listening attentively.

“If you are at war, will you feed your enemies and give them the power to fight you?” I asked, and his eyes widened with realization.

“I came to you as a lost prince trying to restore my family name. I toiled for fifteen years, gathering an army and taking back what was stolen from me, only for this committee to play politics and deny me my birthright.

My mother was humiliated, and my uncle tried to paint me as a bastard. Even now that we all know I am Mathais’s son, none of you dare to own up and speak the truth. That the crown should be given to me, and you expect me to be kind.

Just as you have treated me, I have done the same.

I choose to share what I have with those that wish me well. I am not trying to sway anyone, just stating my reasons as honestly as possible,” I said calmly, and Piotr laughed evilly. Miles almost chuckled, but he controlled himself. It was clear they were not in agreement.

“We are not the ones to decide; the ball is in Fredrick’s court. As long as he isn’t in agreement, we can’t give you the crown, and none of us wants to risk a war with the King to give you the crown,” I heard Olsen’s voice in my head.

He shouldn’t be able to do that because we do not belong to the same pack unless this was his unique ability. Linking people that he wasn’t connected to. I looked at him, and he maintained eye contact briefly before sitting down.

“Well, as for the crown, I am still not convinced.

You need to do a lot more than a snack and drink to convince me to agree to give you the crown.

Your prince status is not verified either. The only reason you are getting this much respect is that you are hosting the event,” Fredrick said, sounding bored, and Aleksander cut it.

“His Prince status is verified. It is not yours to give. He is already a prince by birth. As I stated, no record says that Mathias disowned his son. As you have proven, he might have wanted to separate from the mother, but he did not disown his son. So, Nikolas is a Prince.

As for Miles, even though he looks like Mathais, there is no record of Mathais having a son by that name. So, unfortunately, you can’t force your way this time, Fredrick. It is time you start respecting boundaries. Forest has a leader now, and you have to accept it. You might not want to confirm his coronation, but that would not take away what he truly is. He is a prince,”

Aleksander said, sounding very angry, and Fredrick laughed.

“Do not get worked up over Isabelle’s son, my dear friend. We will discuss this later when you are calm. Even if he is a prince, he still can’t wield the authority of the King. We have to crown him, and I do not trust his intentions, and because of that, my answer is no. We should move on to other things,” Fredrick said, and with that little conversation, I realised that Fredrick’s hold on Aleksander was wearing.

I might just get lucky when I choose to declare myself King. But I knew I would have to be careful. I will only get one shot at it.

The rest of the meeting went smoothly, and they discussed matters that troubled them. They discussed the visitors that had visited Snow from the sea. Although they had returned, they were worried that they might bring trouble.

Some alphas joked that there was nothing of value to take from Snow, and though many people laughed, it got to Fredrick.

I could see why he wanted Forest badly.

They had ruined the snow lands and wanted to take over Forest too. Too bad I won’t be letting him.

After the meeting, there was entertainment. I ensured only Halfbreeds attended to the guest, and when it was time to retire, they were led to their rooms. I knew I could not rest until they were all off my land.

While I was ready to retire, Fredrick sent for me, and I went to see him in his room.

I entered the room, and he was with Miles. It was clear he had summoned Miles there too. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Fredrick’s back was towards me. I guess I wasn’t worth looking at.

“Glad you are here, boy,” He said, and I knew he meant it in a demeaning manner, but I did not let it bother me at all.

“Miles will be staying with you a while. I want him to get to know his little brother. Whether you like it or not, he is Mathias’s,” he said to me, and I wanted to disagree, but then I held my tongue.

I would use the opportunity to get to know Miles and understand the workings of his mind. “How long will he be staying here?” I asked, and Fredrick shrugged.

“As long as he wants,” He said, and I laughed. “There is no way you will just dump your general in Forest without a mischievous plan. Besides, I doubt he will want to stay because Lena does not stay here,” I said, and I got the first reaction from Mile.

He looked at me with pleading eyes. At the same time, Fredrick turned to look at me, finally deciding to talk to me face to face.

“Lena? Who is Lena?” He asked, and realisation dawned in his eyes.

“Aleksander’s Lena! That is why you go to Hill often!” he asked and started laughing.

“You need to be wise, Miles; women are nothing but trouble. Do not get caught in their web, or they will suck you dry and move on to the next prey,” he said, and I was tempted to ask him who broke his heart

but refrained last minute. “Would that be all,” I asked, and he dismissed Miles, leaving me standing in his room. When Miles had gone, he looked at me with a sinister expression.

“I do not know what you are playing on,

Nikolas, but know this; I will never let you get the crown.

I will never give my approval. The committee will never move against me. Until you bow to my will, you will be nothing but royalty by name only,” he said, and I wasn’t surprised because I had already figured that out.

“Did it ever occur to you that I might be content where I am? As you can see, I am fixing the place, and we have something going on for us here. Being a prince the rest of my life isn’t so bad,” I said, and he laughed.

“You won’t be so smug if I ask to bed your whore because only another king can refuse that request. You are lucky that I am not a paedophile, or I would have had fun tonight, and there is nothing you can do about it,” He said, and those words got to me. Although I tried to mask it, it got to me, and he knew. Only then did he dismiss me.

I left the room holding my rage, wanting to punch something.

Bane was going crazy imagining what would have happened if put in a situation.

I tried to calm myself down and headed to my room. There was no point losing my cool over something that would never happen. I will never let him.