Page 2 of Own to Obtain

“You have no idea why she left!” Kardos bellowed. “She could have been coerced by her sister or suffering aftereffects from the discovery journey.”

The high chief maintained his hard stance. “Any aftereffects she is suffering is because you put her in there.”

“I did what I had to.” Kardos forced himself to hold still as his anger twisted into a rage he could barely control. “When I brought her to you to bless us and our bond, you instead chose to put us at the mercy of the people. Your decision inspired a discontent toward her that she didn’t deserve. You could have helped then, but you chose not to. I think I understand that decision now, but you cannot blame me for rectifying the situation.”

“You didn’t need to rectify it in that way! You are the first Southern Lands’ Alpha and Omega couple in over a century. The people would have seen how special you were eventually—they were already beginning to.”

“There was no time to wait for that revelation,” Kardos argued. “The Discovery Mountains helped to prove it swiftly without any doubt.”

“No. That was about the seat, Kardos, not you as a couple. Don’t deny it.”

“I don’t. But it also enabled Shaya to show everyone just how special she is.”

“Theyalreadyloved her by then, Kardos! Many Islanders love you both. Do you know how many letters I received asking me to reconsider my decision? An enormous amount. Especially after you took her to meet the tribe.”

“And yet some dared to attack her,” Kardos said through gritted teeth. “That kind of action does not occur without some dissonance somewhere in the Isles, you know that.”

“I assume you have silenced that.”

“Not completely. Anata, from my own tribe, was working with someone from another.”

The high chief’s brow twitched. “Which one?”

“I don’t know. Zoltan interrogated her thoroughly but she herself was never made aware of which tribe she was working for or even the names of the men who carried out the attack with her.”

The high chief growled. “Then why didn’t you keep her alive so she could identify them?”

“Because I wanted her dead immediately,” Kardos said, his tone fierce. “Every breath she took after assaulting my Shaya was an insult to us both. I will find her accomplices; they won’t escape either. I promised Shaya I would kill whoever did this, and I will.”

The high chief exhaled heavily. “This kind of organized attack cannot be made to stand, Kardos. It’s not just an inter-tribe dispute. An attack on the only Omega in the Southern Lands is an attack on everything—on our way of life and our future.”

“Agreed. But this can be discussed when I return,” he said briskly. “My presence is not necessary to make the announcement. I will bring Shaya back here and address the people, and destroy these traitors upon my return. Then everything will be as it should.”

The high chief was silent for a long moment. “If she is unhappy, she’ll never survive here,” he said quietly as his dark eyes bore into Kardos. “She will never accept her place, and she will never give herself fully to the people.”

Kardos didn’t respond. He already knew that and he didn’t need to discuss it. Shaya would do as expected—it was her calling. This Land was hers as much as it was his; he knew it. He saw it in her eyes when she met her tribe and in her delight whenever she traveled across Nyek. She was a Southern Islander at heart. And she was his chieftess.

The high chief sighed, all tension draining from his body. “I know you will go after her no matter what I say,” he said, his voice quiet but firm, “but you are confirmed to be the next high chief now. You cannot pick and choose when you focus on the seat, Kardos. You forced this change upon the Lands. You have forced the announcement of your ascension and it entails an immediate requirement that must be met. You have no right to ignore that now.”

Kardos growled viciously at his father’s words but he couldn’t deny they were true. If he had won the Year of Selection, he wouldn’t have been required to take over from his father as high chief until the right time arose—a time they both agreed was suitable. However, Shaya’s successful discovery journey meant that the current high chief had to immediately rescind the seat for the Alpha and Omega couple so they could promptly work to restore the Isles to what it previously was. Nothing of that importance could be delayed until after the blizzards or until after he collected Shaya. All the formal procedures had to be done now, and with the blizzards looming, it was understandable why his father was being adamant.

“If you don’t prepare them,” the high chief continued, “many of our people will not have the will to survive it. Not only is it expected from the high chief, but you know the difference in mortality rates is greater when spirits are low. We are expecting multiple blizzards, Kardos, not just one. They will need your encouragement, especially now that the Omega they were all praying for to survive the Discovery Mountains is missing.”

Kardos exhaled his frustration. His father was right and yet he could not bear the thought of spending even one moment not pursuing Shaya and returning her to his arms.

“You know you will find her,” his father said, somewhat encouragingly. “You will certainly have the support of King Malloron, and he is allied with Emperor Drocco. There isn’t going to be anywhere she will go in the known Lands where you will not be able to find her, Kardos.” He stepped forward, his eyes searching Kardos’ face. “I know you are tired of having to prove yourself to the Isles, and I don’t blame you. But this time, they do truly need you. Your Omega will live. They may not.”

Kardos growled long and hard. For the first time, the responsibilities he had dreamed of attaining for so long weighed so heavily on him he could not bear it. Nothing his father had said was wrong or unreasonable. A few words of encouragement to the Southern Islanders would indeed help them during the oncoming blizzards, and there was a time when he would have taken so much pride and pleasure in empowering them in such a way, but he was desperate for his Omega. As an Alpha, he couldn’t see anything more important than having her back with him immediately, but as high chief, he had to minimize the deaths of his people. And his father was right; there wasn’t anywhere Shaya would go that he could not find her. His growl lowered to a reluctant rumble in his chest. “How long will this take?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“It will take three days to travel to all the Isles,” his father said. “And depending on what precautions you want to put in place, that may take another one or two.”

Kardos growled again in annoyance.

“You can leave immediately after.”

“It makes no sense for me to do this beforehand,” Kardos argued. “I can go and bring her back within the four or five days it will take for me to do this.”

“The blizzards could arrive any time after that, before you’ve prepared the people,” his father pointed out. “The casts are only a prediction. They could even come early.”

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