It fit him perfectly.
“Long live King Alexandros!” Heliodora called out, and the other council members cheered as well.
Including Pelias, who did it while also looking even more miserable than he had earlier.
“Thank you,” Xander said. “My first act as king will be to put together a plan for the upcoming war. I would like the council to meet to decide the best ways to prepare our citizens and channel funding into creating weapons and armor. We will need to help house and feed the Ilionians arriving from different villages and cities to make certain that they’re provided for. The citizen army will also need to be called up for battle.”
“It will be done,” Stolos promised.
“My second act will be to break the betrothal between Lykaon, son of Pelias, and Princess Kallisto of Locris.”
He had remembered his promise. I gripped the back of his throne so that I wouldn’t throw myself at him to thank him. He had just saved my older sister from a monster.
Pelias was outraged. “You have no right, no authority to—”
“I have every right,” Xander interrupted him. “And the only authority. I am your king.”
“There are penalties, fines that the Locrian royals will have to pay!”
“That is only if they break the contract, and they have not. I did. If you feel you are owed compensation, write a request and I will consider it,” Xander said.
Pelias looked as if he wanted to continue arguing, but seemed to quickly realize that there was nothing he could do.
Xander looked at the others and said, “I would like for the council to meet immediately to begin work on a plan of action. And for the throne room to be cleared so that I may have a moment alone with my wife.”
Him becoming king had changed everything. The council no longer had any sway over him. They were now subject to him and his decisions.
The power had shifted.
And power looked good on him.
Everyone who had gathered to bear witness to Xander’s coronation filed out of the room. Io was the last to go, and I saw the look of concern on her face. It made my heart twinge but it wasn’t enough to get me to excuse myself and leave.
I wanted to be here with him.
When Io shut the door behind her, he said, “Why did you break your promise to me?”
It took me a moment to figure out what he was talking about. “The terawolf?”
“Yes,” he angrily confirmed. When he’d asked to be alone with me, I hadn’t known what to expect, but it hadn’t been him being mad about the terawolf.
“I didn’t go to the docks, so I didn’t break my promise.”
“You knew that I meant for you to stay in the palace!”
“I ...” I couldn’t lie about this. “I did know that. I’m sorry. But I had to help. And the terawolves were headed for the docks. I was afraid they would hurt people.”
He was quiet for a long moment. “You wanted to help Ilionians?”
I nodded. “And you.”
His anger quickly receded. He tried to be stern. “No more hunting terawolves.”
“We won’t. I think we killed them all.”
“You what?”
I quickly told him the story, and despite him being upset that I’d left the safety of the palace, I saw the admiration and respect in his eyes. It completely thrilled me.
