Alpha Will hesitated, the bravado draining from his face. "I—" he stammered, clearly taken aback by the Alpha King's request.
"You heard me," Alpha King Elijah said quietly as he stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
Until there was barely any space left between them.
Elijah stood so close that Alpha Will could feel his breath, and the heat of his presence pressing into him. He did it deliberately. A dominance move no wolf in the room failed to recognize.
"Yes," Elijah continued evenly. "Tell me. Do you want the throne?" His lips curved slightly. "Say the word, and it's yours. After all, I'm clearly no longer a competent king."
He shifted forward again, his chest brushing Will's, forcing him back and Alpha Will had no choice but to step away.
A low murmur rippled through the hall at the scene.
"That's enough," Irene said sharply as she stepped between them. "I'm sure he's gotten the point, your majesty."
