Page 19 of Own To Obsess

“What do you mean?” the high chief asked, hesitantly. “I think that situation is abundantly clear by now.”

Kardos inclined his head. “I am asking for the acknowledgment from each tribe leader in our most sacred temple, my chief.”

“Why?” Sethol asked, suspiciously. “What do you hope to achieve by that?”

“Your selfishness isn’t something to boast about, Kardos,” Gergo said sharply.

The high chief raised his hand. “You were not given permission to speak,” he said to them both sternly. “If you would like this hearing conducted properly, you will abide by the rules.”

Gergo and Sethol both immediately lowered their heads and offered their apologies.

The high chief looked at all the tribe leaders. “Will you abide this request?”

The tribe leaders glanced at each other but all agreed. The high chief started at one end of the semicircle and each tribe leader said to him, “I acknowledge that shinno Kardos has an Omega mate.”

“Is there anything else, shinno Kardos?” the high chief asked after the final leader spoke.

“No.”

“Then please come forward and allow the hearing to start,” the high chief instructed.

Kardos strode to one side of the high chief’s platform, clasped his hands against his chest in the way of the Southern Lands and bowed to the high chief, then turned to the side so he faced both the high chief and the rest of the tribes.

“Do you honor Az Eshra in every word that you are about to speak,” the high chief asked.

“Yes,” Kardos responded.

“Do you honor your people, Tribe Nyek, in every word you are about to speak.”

“Yes.”

“Do you honor the people of the Southern Isles?”

“Yes.”

“And is there any other that you wish to honor through this hearing?”

“I honor my father, High Chief Kelyos, I honor my mother, Kiona, and I honor my mate, Katashaya.”

There was a moment of silence after he finished speaking, and Kardos knew his father had been caught by surprise. It was unusual for a mother and father to be honored in a hearing, and the high chief had always been very reluctant to speak about Kardos’ mother. He barely said her name when Kardos was growing up, and over time Kardos came to realize how much his father had suffered after her death. But for what Kardos was about to do, it was necessary to honor her in this hearing. He hoped his father would understand.

“Shinno Kardos,” the high chief finally began, “you are accused of working against the traditions of the Southern Isles in order to lay claim to an Omega destined for pairing. This selfish act throws into question your commitment to the Southern Lands and its people. In light of this, the request has been made for you to be removed from the selection process for the next high chief, and additionally to submit yourself as a breeder in order to honor your commitment to the Southern Isles. What is your response?”

Kardos firmed his stance. “The very nature of the accusation is untrue. My bond to the Omega proves the exact opposite.”

“In what way?” the high chief asked as some of the shinnos bristled.

“I have long argued that I am the most suitable Alpha to be the next high chief,” Kardos said. “The Omega choosing me to be her Alpha proves it. What better man to lead than the Alpha who is bonded to an Omega? This decision by the first Omega to return to the Southern Isles proves my worth as a viable candidate for the seat of high chief; it does not lessen it. And I believe these malicious accusations against my efforts to preserve the Southern Isles and protect Southern Islanders is a danger that must be addressed in this hearing.”

The high chief pursed his lips. “A danger how?”

“Any shinno that has made these accusations seeks to deprive the Southern Isles of the rightful high chief to the seat. The high chief who will ultimately ensure our continued survival in the Isles. It could be argued they seek the death of their own people.”

“That is not the same, Kardos,” the high chief interjected as the tribe leaders exclaimed in anger. “It is your opinion that you are the rightful high chief, it has yet to be proved.”

“It is my opinion and the opinion of my Omega mate by way of her bite,” Kardos pointed out. “I am the only Alpha in this room who has an Omega mate, as acknowledged by all tribes. I am the only Alpha who has been chosen by an Omega. And I am the only Alpha whose mate will beartrueAlphas and Omegas. Children fit and capable of ruling and leading each and every tribe. Those facts cannot be discounted. They also cannot be claimed by any other Alpha in this room or any who has stood in this temple for nearly one hundred years. Tell me who you think the people will want to rule them?”

The high chief was quiet for a long time, his eyes low as he thought. The tension emanating from the shinnos and the tribe leaders was thick with aggression and resentment, but that was to be expected. Kardos kept his eyes on his father.

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