The silence in the courtyard was tormenting.
Not a single guard dared to breathe as Alexander remained on one knee before the stairs, his head bowed in total humiliation.
Diego descended the stairs slowly like a predator sizing up it's prey. A sudden wind was expelled out of him, pressing down on Alexander until the older man was forced to plant his hand flat in the mud to keep his balance.
"You bring me scraps, old man," Diego hissed. "You offer me timber reserves and river passes as if they aren't already under my boots. You offer me gold from a treasury that is already dry."
"Diego—" Alexander began.
"Silence!" Diego bellowed, cutting him off.
He stopped two feet from the kneeling Alpha, looking down at him with frost. He unsheathed his broadsword, planting the tip of the blade
