Forged in the Flames

Chapter 81

Forged In The Flames By Karima Sa’ad Usman

Chapter 81 The Snake In Forest (Nikolas POV)

The morning arrived, signalling the time to put my plans into action. I needed to evacuate the werewolf population in Riverhead and move them to Woodland, where they would be safe and hidden. Only a few individuals would remain behind to continue working on projects.

I had sent for Grant and Ingham to join me, as it was crucial to prepare everyone for the upcoming events. I knew that the meeting with the committee wouldn’t bring any positive outcomes, but I was willing to comply to avoid raising suspicion until I was fully prepared.

When I entered my office, I found Gabriel and Israel waiting for me. Qusack and Abraham were also present, and they all stood up to greet me. I answered their greetings and took my usual seat behind the desk.

I looked at them to examine their mood before proceeding. Gabriel and Abraham did not look like they had enough sleep so I figured they were up working together.

Title of the document

I would have to tell Abraham not to overwork Gabriel because of his health. Although the doctor had given the man a clean bill of health, it wasn’t wise to overwork him again.

Pushing my thoughts aside, I decided to table the matter at hand.

“I want to relocate the majority of the werewolf population to Woodland,” I stated, and Qusack seemed confused while Gabriel wasn’t surprised. He already knew my intentions. I understood why my father had chosen him as his second-in-command; he was quick to reason.

“You want to make it seem like the werewolf population in Forest is smaller. Are we expecting visitors?” Gabriel asked, aware that would be the only reason I would want to create such an illusion. Abraham seemed pleased about something, and I asked him what was going on.

“I told you he was awesome,” Abraham responded, referring to Gabriel’s insights. I sighed and refocused my attention on Gabriel. “Please have a seat. Let me brief you on what’s happening,” I said, and Gabriel complied. His humility was admirable, especially for an Alpha who rarely obeyed orders easily. I didn’t command him; I simply asked, and he obliged. Aliana’s stubbornness must have come from her mother, as Gabriel was quite different.

“The alpha committees have been pressuring me to participate in the slave trade, but I have refused. I’ve been using the excuse that the werewolf population in Forest is small, and I cannot spare any slaves. However, this response hasn’t been well-received by many of them. They recently held a private meeting without inviting me, hosted by King Frederick, where they expressed their displeasure with my refusal and lack of compliance. Fortunately, I was informed about this meeting by a trusted friend. Now they have decided to hold a committee meeting in Forest on the thirteenth, just a few days from now. I don’t want them to sense my rebellion until we’re fully prepared,” I explained, and Gabriel nodded in understanding.

“So, you want to make the werewolf population appear smaller to reinforce your reasons for not participating in the slave trade,” Gabriel summarized, and I agreed with his assessment. “Will the kings be present at the meeting, or only the alphas?” he inquired, but I didn’t have that information.

“The letter didn’t specify,” I replied, and Gabriel sighed.

“You must be cautious. If Fredrick himself or his representative attends, it won’t be for the meeting alone; they’ll likely be here to gather information about our territory. Fredrick has had his eyes on Forest for a long time. He will do anything to acquire it. Snow, despite its rich

iron ore and coal lands, has fallen on hard times. Frederick needs our resources to revive the Snow economy and control other lands, and he won’t let anything hinder him,” Gabriel warned. Intrigued, I leaned forward and asked him for his suggestions.

“So, what would you suggest I do?” I asked.

“Reply to the letter, allowing each party to bring a maximum of one person. Blame it on the lack of staff and limited food storage. Let them know that you can’t accommodate more than one guest per party, considering the current circumstances. There are a total of forty-three individuals expected. Then position your men in the shadows to keep an eye on them. Each man will monitor two guests, and they must be Lycans to maintain communication range. In case there’s an issue or something suspicious, they will alert you. Above all, don’t get too friendly with Fredrick or let your guard down around him.

Avoid eating or drinking while he’s nearby. I know his tactics, and he might attempt something malicious while in Forest. As long as it’s not his territory, he can’t be held accountable,” Gabriel advised, providing me with a plan for handling the guests. Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

“Qusack, fetch me a pen and paper for the reply,” I instructed my Beta, and he immediately got to work. He brought the necessary materials, including sealing wax and a stamp. I put the pen on the paper and started writing.

“Esteemed Olsen Sadowski,

I am delighted to receive news of the committee’s decision to hold this month’s meeting in Forest. I take great pleasure in extending a warm invitation to each of you in the magnificent setting of the Forest. However, I humbly request that each alpha kindly bring only one guest, if necessary. This request stems from the fact that we currently have limited staff and inadequate food supplies due to the scarcity of slaves in Forest.

I hope that this communication doesn’t offend the esteemed committee but serves as evidence of my sincere desire to comply with the present circumstances. I eagerly await your visit with great anticipation.

Thank you for your attention.

Yours faithfully,

Prince Nikolas Kowalski”

I closed the letter with my royal title to convey that I wasn’t deterred by Fredrick’s nonsense. Once the ink had dried, I handed the letter to Gabriel for him to read, and he nodded in approval.

“Your penmanship is exquisite,” Gabriel said and I knew he meant no harm by it. He grazed his hands through the writing in complete awe of my skills.

It was normal for him to feel that way, Afterall I grew up in the wilderness.

“I took it upon myself to improve. There was no way I planned to be a king and succeed while depending heavily on scholars. Ignorance isn’t bliss in matters of leadership, it is foolishness that could effortlessly birth failure,” I said repeating my mother’s words. He looked at me and smiled.

“Those were King Mathia’s popular words. He said it too many times that it became etched in our memories,” Gabriel said reminiscing.

Gabriel smiled, recalling the popular words of my father, which I had adopted as well. My mother never mentioned that it was my father’s saying. In fact, she rarely shared any information with me, always choosing her words carefully. Her mental state had always been questionable, and it was evident that her transformation didn’t happen overnight.

“My mother used to tell me those words while we were in the woods,” I mentioned, and Gabriel’s face registered a hint of sadness.

He somehow blamed himself for my upbringing, but I had come to accept it as destiny, considering all the evidence we had uncovered. I couldn’t blame him at all; he was caught in the midst of a hatred that extended far beyond him.

“It’s not your fault,” I assured him through our link, and he looked at me, battling his emotions.

“If I had known he wouldn’t grant her asylum, I wouldn’t have asked her to leave,” he confessed, and I nodded to let him know that it was okay. It had all worked together for good. It had made me a strong, independent man and allowed me to see things from a different perspective. It was a blessing in disguise.

“The letter is perfect. I’ll send it now,” Qusack said, folding the letter and placing it in an envelope. He melted the wax and stamped it with my seal to authenticate the letter and ensure its security. Since it was a normal letter without any threats, it was safe to go through the regular postal service.

Qusack excused himself to deliver the letter to the post office, which was conveniently located near the palace. Abraham spoke up once Qusack had left. His emotions seemed to be a mix of excitement and concern.

“After everything that happened yesterday, Gabriel, Israel, and I took the opportunity to go through some correspondence. Gabriel found something important that will shock you,” Abraham revealed, and I raised an eyebrow, expressing my impatience with the suspense and urging him to continue.

“In addition to the damning correspondence we found between your mother and her brother three weeks before the uprising, we also discovered letters exchanged between Asci Cauls and King

Fredrick,” he disclosed, capturing my full attention. It didn’t surprise me that my mother was involved in this mess. The signs had been there all along, and we didn’t need to search hard to find them.

“Asci Cauls wrote to Fredrick from Forest?” I asked, and Abraham nodded.

“That’s what caught our attention. The names were all coded, but Gabriel managed to decipher them,” he explained.

“Tell me,” I urged him, my impatience evident. Abraham nudged Gabriel to speak up.

“Asci Cauls is an anagram for Isaac Lucas,” Gabriel revealed, and I was shocked. I had suspected that treacherous individual when I questioned Newton, but I never expected him to be so close to home. He was a snake. Why did Aleksander recommend such a person to work as my father’s right hand? Who appointed him? Did they not conduct any background checks? Weren’t there loyal Lycans in Forest that my father could trust? My father’s decision to hire an outsider still baffled me.

“I can’t believe Aleksander would recommend a snake to work for his friend. I can’t believe he was involved,” I exclaimed, expressing my shock and disbelief. Gabriel quickly shook his head.

“Relax, Your Highness. Let me explain everything in detail,” he said, trying to calm me down. Rage was building inside me because, for a moment, I trusted the Hill King.

“The seal on Isaac Lucas’s recommendation letter is a fake. It’s a good replica, but it didn’t come from the Hill King. If Mathias had attended to the letter, he would have noticed, but your mother handled it and approved the recommendation.

She signed her own name and your father’s on the document.

While her signature was accurate, your father’s signature was inconsistent with his actual one.

That’s how we figured out that she had signed it. The forger replicated her signature correctly but failed to replicate your father’s correctly.

It wasn’t a convincing attempt.

It’s astonishing how they managed to pass it off.

At first, I believed Isabelle’s involvement was due to ignorance, but the other evidence we found was incriminating. Once Isaac Lucas started working for your father, the correspondence was written using anagrams for the names. That’s what caught the attention of the record keeper. I believe Isaac Lucas sensed that the half-breed record keeper was onto him, so he killed him. We’ll never know the exact details since there are no documents to confirm it, but one thing is certain: the record keeper was onto them, so they had to eliminate him,” Gabriel explained, and I sighed. Abraham presented me with some letters, and I knew it was going to be a long morning.

He handed me the first letter.