Page 55 of Own To Obsess

When she woke, she attended to the tomato garden, drank tea, and then spent hours trying to figure out the rock. She had to mentally remember the combination, since she had nothing to make a note of things.

She lost count of the days, but she knew it had been awhile; she was weakening and pushing the rock was decidedly more difficult.

Surely Kardos would not leave her here to die, would he? Confusion and disappointed crept into her the more her starvation and deep-seated chill grew. Kardos said they were family, but how could anyone leave their family in such a dangerous position? It must have something to do with the high chief’s seat. That’s the only thing he cared about. Clearly he didn’t care about her more than that. She could die in here before anyone found her. She’d already been in here for at least a week and no one had come. How could she trust him now?

Finally the rock changed from blue to green, and she rejoiced, tears stinging her eyes at the progress.

As the tomatoes ripened, she rationed herself and managed to maintain a steady schedule of “meals.” She noticed a repeating pattern with the rocks; it went from blue to green, then yellow, orange, and finally red. Orange was more manageable in terms of heat, red was almost overbearing but she didn't care. The cold in her body had been so unbearable, she withstood the near pain of the red heat as it radiated heat on her skin.

The next few days as she enjoyed the heat and her meals, something strange began to happen. After her belly was satiated, and her body was warm next to the rock, a strange glow bloomed in her. It wasn’t from the bond; it was something separate growing from within. Shaya simply let it settle over her and found it a peaceful, calming influence she enjoyed. Yet, the nagging sense she needed to escape remained but she still didn’t know how.

As the cavern warmed up, and frost on the walls melted, a map appeared embedded into the wall. It looked to be a sketch of the tunnels she’d traveled through, but she couldn’t be certain. Stepping back to look at the whole thing, it seemed to mirror the same of the mountain range and a chip in the rock had to be where she was on the map. But the corridors were so complicated; how would she remember it? And yet, she realized bitterly, if she wanted to escape, she had to.

For the next few days, she memorized the map, closing her eyes and tracing her finger along to visualize a way out. Finally confident she knew the way, she ate her last batch of ripe tomatoes, and sat with the peaceful glow for a short while before leaving the cavern, armed only with the hand rake.

Shaya traveled through the tunnels, carefully turning down the corridors she had memorized, but as night fell and the farther she traveled from the cavern, the colder it got. Shivering, she hurried along the corridors, eager to get out from the inside of the mountain before darkness descended completely.

But as she turned the final corner that should lead to the exit, she stopped dead in her tracks.

A white wall blocked her path.

Shocked, Shaya stood stared at it, her panic rising. This was not on the map!

She looked back the way she came, but there was no way of seeking an alternative route or attempting to head back to the cavern, not now—not in the dark and not tired and cold.

The cold gripped her harder the longer she stood there wondering what to do, and as the darkness descended quickly so did her dismay. She was never going to get out.

Curled up in a corner by the wall, shivering, the cold seeped deep into her body and the trembling buried right down to her core. It was likely she would not survive the night. Her eyes prickled with thoughts of failure. She grieved for the loss of what she thought she had with Kardos. He’d lied. Whatever his reasons for abandoning her in here they were meaningless. He’d said she was special, but how could he do this if she was? Every time she thought she understood him, every time she lowered her guard and gave him a chance, he treated her badly. She’d accepted his way of life, the punishments, the horrible attack, the confusing traditions, and what allowances did he make for her? None.

In the bond, worry overshadowed everything else. But was he worried about her or something to do with his seat? She couldn't tell, and she no longer cared.

She hated that her body loved everything about him. It fooled her every time.

And annoyingly, as the hours wore on and her body became stiff, she still wanted him. He should be here with her; his hard, beautiful body, his warm scent, beautiful eyes, and reluctant smile. Even though she was furious, all she craved was her Alpha’s arms—one last time.

Shifting, she leaned against the wall and realized it didn’t feel like solid rock. She pushed her finger into it and was shocked that it made a dent. The whole wall was made of snow! Shuffling onto her knees, she grabbed the hand rake and stabbed at the thick wall. Her limbs were so heavy she barely made any impact, but she had to keep going.

It was slow progress and the rake wasn’t the right kind of tool—what she needed was a scoop. She put it down and tried scooping with her own hands, and relief filtered through her as chunks of snow fell away. Encouraged, she scooped harder, hoping the wall wasn’t too thick for her to get through. Hours seemed to pass as she scooped away in the dark, her mind determined and focused.

Suddenly, the entire wall collapsed and even though she jumped back as far as she could, a mass of icy snow fell on top of her. It would take all her remaining energy to claw her way out from under, but her heart lifted seeing a gleam of light reflecting through the frigid white.

She took a moment to take a shallow breath, but with the snow covering her entire body, she was losing feeling in her limbs, and she knew she wasn't going to make it.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

KARDOS

“Have you gone fucking mad!” Rozalia fumed, sweeping toward him.

Kardos clenched his jaw, annoyance hurtling into him that Rozalia would speak to him that way, but it wasn't though he wasn’t prepared for it. “No, Rozalia. This was the only way.”

“Only way for what?” she hollered. “Forwhat, Kardos. Tell me! She is going to die in there.”

“She will not!” Kardos bellowed back, an uncomfortable feeling twisting around his chest. “She can survive.”

“There are plenty of Alphas who do not survive it,” Rozalia snapped at him. “Each year many think they can conquer the discovery mountains—they do not survive it!” She is an Omega! What makes you think she can do something designed for Alphas?” By the time she finished speaking, she was shouting.

Kardos turned to her, his face hard. “You watch the way you speak to me, Rozalia,” he growled, his voice low. “I would not have put her in there if I thought she couldn't survive the discovery.”

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