Page 50 of Own To Obsess

Kardos' jaw clenched and he looked away from her for a long moment. “I was so close to becoming high chief that day, I was… disappointed it slipped out of my reach again. I didn’t intend to scare you, Shaya.”

Shaya exhaled out, and as she did, some of the stress and worry, and despair that she had been feeling left her body. “I know I do is important for you to get the seat, but—”

“You do?” Kardos said sharply. “Tell me why.”

Shaya stumbled over her words, realizing that she was about to disclose what Rozalia had told her. She quickly shut her mouth and thought carefully, it wasn't as though she heard about the prejudice from Rozalia. “The other shinnos… They think you are not suitable for the throne because of… your coloring. I know they have a prejudice—”

“That has nothing to do with why I want the seat,” Kardos growled. “It is an important element of it, and no doubt if I get it, it will change opinions across the entire Isles. But that is not the most important thing to me.”

Shaya straightened, sensing something strange about the way he was speaking, and something bloomed in the bond the first time since her hair was cut. “Then what is it? Why do you want it so badly?”

Kardos was silent for a long moment. “I don’t remember my mother. When she died, it didn't occur to me to honor her.”

“How come?”

“I had not learned about honoring the people we love at that age,” Kardos said. “My father honored her frequently, and he was so distraught that he rarely spoke to me. I should have been honoring my mother with him.”

“But you can honor her now, can’t you?” Shaya asked.

“Yes, but I barely remember her now,” Kardos said, his voice devoid of any emotion. “I know she had the whitest blonde hair that I've ever seen, and I know she was beautiful, but I cannot remember her.”

“How old were you when she died?”

“Four.”

“Not all four-year-olds would remember their mother at that age,” she said softly. “It doesn't mean that you would have remembered her if you honored her.”

“Do you picture your sister every time you honor her with your hair?” Kardos asked.

Shaya didn't answer, because he was right. Every time she treated her hair, she couldn’t help but remember Kyus—the way she stood when she peered down at Shaya and the things she would say… Shaya suddenly realized the importance of honoring someone could have for those who are grieving. They remained alive longer during spent time thinking about them. Kardos’ mother had slipped away. “I understand,” she said, her voice quiet. “So you want the high chief’s throng to honor her?”

“She didn't get to become chieftess when she should have,” Kardos said, a bitterness in his tone. “When my father became high chief, it was her right, but some of the louder voices in the Isles complained that she was unsuitable because of her features. So she wasn't able to take the place that was rightfully hers—that my father had worked hard for them both to get.” Kardos' jaw was hard as he spoke, and his fingers dug into Shaya's thigh as he continued. “He spent days and nights away from her for the longest time in order to achieve his win, and when he won, he still had to spend time away from her because he moved to the Central Island while she remained on Nyek. He’s not allowed to show any favoritism to any one island, so it became an issue of conflict that he was paired with a woman who wasn’t permitted to live with him. Some of the other tribe leaders, particularly the ones who were in the year of selection with him, complained that he should have a new wife, someone who could survive the blizzards and be with him to oversee the Southern Isles as it should be.”

“That's terrible that they would interfere with their relationship,” Shaya said, horrified. “And your parents were bonded, how could that even be possible?”

“Being paired with someone doesn't necessarily mean that you are bonded with them,” Kardos explained. “Many pairings are made through the convenience of two tribes making an alliance, but the Alpha is not required to bite the Beta. He can if he wants to, but it is not a requirement, and even if he does it can only ever be a one-way bond.”

“So your father did not bite your mother? Even though he loved her?”

“She didn’t let him because she knew the prejudice against her. She knew it could stunt his potential, so she didn't allow it.” Kardos lowered his eyes, as his jaw clenched. “And I know it is something he now regrets.”

Shaya stared at the waterfall nodded. “Yes, because the other tribe leaders wouldn't have had any argument if they’d been bonded, even one-way. It wouldn't have been so easy to swap out his mate with someone else.”

“Exactly,” Kardos said.

“So what happened?”

“She died in a blizzard while the debate was still going on. My father was trying to argue with them against what they were suggesting. I don't really know what her opinion was—I was too young. I only heard about it when Rozalia told me about it when I was older.”

“So you want to get the seat to honor the place she should have had?”

Kardos stared at the waterfall. “She should have had her seat next to her mate.” He looked down at Shaya. “She should have been the one who lessened the prejudice in these Isles.”

“Your father must have been devastated,” Shaya murmured.

Kardos' jaw clenched. “He never spoke about it with me. When he became high chief, I couldn't have any benefits as his son.”

Shaya inhaled a deep breath. The Southern Isles was much more complicated than she realized. “So are Az Eshra your family?” she asked tentatively. “You come here to... visit them?”

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