Page 20 of Own To Obsess

Finally the high chief raised his head. “Questions from the tribes.”

“We have no knowledge if she chose you or not,” Rhaad boomed immediately. “You could have bitten her to make sure no one else could have her.”

“I have her claiming bite,” Kardos said, shrugging off his furs and pulling down the neckline of his thick top to reveal it. “She does not yet have mine. The high chief can verify this, as can the crowd that gathered here a few days ago. She entered and exited the temple without her furs, her neck was visible to all.”

“You dare to question our motives? We are trying to protect the Isles, not deceive them!” tribe leader Vasos exclaimed.

Kardos glared at him. “It has become the practice for shinnos to question the word of others in this temple, Vasos. I suffered the same the last time I stood in here with your shinno.”

The other shinnos muttered, and Sethol stepped forward, raising his hand for quiet. “Your argument is flawed, shinno Kardos. You collected this Omega. You had time to build a relationship or friendship with her. You took her from her home, stripped her from everything she knows, and exposed her to only yourself. I would also guess you mated her more times than was necessary to prepare her for our culture. If she was to choose, she would choose the Alpha she is familiar with, not any of us whom she doesn’t know. The comparison isn’t equal and her actions do not indicate she made an informed choice.”

“Plus the fact the high chief didn’t bless the union is enough to suggest her decision was made in error,” Gergo added.

“I did not release any information about my thoughts on their union,” the high chief said sharply. “Assumptions about why I didn’t bless them have no place in this hearing.”

“But it is a factor against Kardos’ argument, my—”

“Words shall not be attributed to me that I did not say!” bellowed the high chief. “Is that clear?”

Gergo’s nostrils flared, but he simply murmured, “Yes, my chief.”

“If that is the case, my chief,” Sethol began, “then I ask that any assumptions on the reasons for the Omega’s bite are also discarded.”

“And if that is granted,” Kardos shot back, “then all assumptions about any influence on the Omega to bite must be discarded also.”

The high chief rose to his feet as Sethol and Kardos glowered at each other, holding up his hand for quiet. “What I’m hearing is that you want to stick to the facts of the matter,” he said, his voice rising over their heads.

All of the shinnos and tribe leaders nodded, and Kardos held in his smile.

“The facts are,” the high chief continued, “that Kardos brought an Omega to the Southern Isles. Then she bit him. Nothing else mentioned here is factual unless motivations for the actions can be proved.”

The shinnos and tribe leaders were dumbly silent.

Kardos, however, turned to the high chief. “These facts are not enough to award the requests that would appease this grievance, high chief.”

“You still acted inappropriately outside this temple, Kardos,” Gergo hollered.

“That is not enough to remove me from consideration,” Kardos growled, his anger finally flaring at the man’s persistent idiocy. “Try taking a break from fucking your sled-dogs and actually look at the rules!”

Gergo surged forward, reaching for his blade, but his tribe leader grabbed him, yanking him back in line and talking furiously in his ear.

Vasos, the Tribe Azzan leader who stood next to Sethol stepped forward. “Clearly this grievance needed more preparation, my chief. I ask that you give us more time to prepare our concerns.”

“You have had over two weeks, as your shinno pointed out,” the high chief said. “With the blizzards nearing, I cannot extend this any longer.”

“I have a suggestion I would like to place before you and the tribe leaders, my chief,” Kardos said.

All eyes turned to him, somewhat wearily.

“You may speak.” the high chief said.

“There are allowances in the rules of the Year of Selection where the process is condensed due to approaching weather conditions.”

The high chief nodded. “Yes. I was considering this myself.”

Kardos inclined his head. “I suggest that this year’s selection is condensed down to the next three months, and all shinnos are stripped of all recognized achievements so far in favor of being judged only during the next three months. It is up to you what you would like to task us with, my chief, but I suggest that we all find solutions to problems you raised; birthing beds, trained sled-dogs, and increasing the stock needed by our potionists. At the end of the three-month process, the shinno who has made the most significant progress in these areas is the one to acquires the seat.”

The tribe leaders shuffled on their feet, clearly uncomfortable Kardos’ idea, but their shinnos remained silent.

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