#Chapter 144 – A Traditional Request

Damon I didn’t bother changing out of my armor. I wanted them all to see the blood still drying on the leather. Let them smell the sweat that clung to me like a second skin. I walked into the council chamber without ceremony, without a word, my boots echoing like war drums against the marble floor. They wanted a King? Here I was. The room stilled as I entered. Elders in ceremonial robes turned, pretending to conceal their discomfort at the scent of battle. A few nobles flinched as I passed, their nostrils wrinkling. The old warriors among them hadn’t seen a battlefield in years. Most of them never had. But they all had opinions. I reached the center of the chamber and stopped, standing up to my full height and looked at them, one by one. Jackson stood to the side, watchful. Ronan was off seeing to the injured and I hadn’t asked him to come. I didn’t need my Beta for this. A minor Lord cleared his throat first, as expected. “Your Majesty,” he said. “You’ve return