Page 26 of Own to Obtain

Shaya glanced at Kyus, who was watching them both curiously. “Kardos instructed his men to put me in there, ma’am.”

Energy seemed to drain from the woman as her shoulders dropped. “And how did you get out?”

“I don’t think I can say,” Shaya responded, her voice quiet. “It is supposed to be kept secret, I think.”

“But you received no help?” the woman clarified. “You got out on your own?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not in the Southern Lands any longer, Shaya,” Kyus interjected, coming back into the room. “You don’t have to keep their secrets.”

Shaya shook her head, adamant. “It doesn’t feel right to talk about it.”

“You are not loyal to them,” Kyus said sternly.

“It’s not the fault of the people that he put me in there,” Shaya argued. “They were all waiting for me when I got out.”

The woman laughed softly. “Even on the darkest days,” she murmured, almost to herself as her eyes lowered, “light can be found in the people of Nyek.”

Shaya couldn’t help but be drawn to her words, intrigued by the wistful look on her face. She clearly had experience in the Southern Lands, and Shaya found that she was keen to hear it. This woman could be the only other person she would ever meet who understood the Land and its people as an outsider.

“Listen, Shaya,” Kyus said after a moment, “I understand the people are not at fault but that doesn’t mean you can’t—”

“Sit down,” the woman interjected briskly, all wistfulness gone. She gestured to the couch opposite. “I will help you.”

Shaya and Kyus looked at her, startled, before glancing at each other. Slowly, Shaya lowered back to her seat and Kyus made her way back to the couch, both of their eyes watching the woman in white.

The woman shifted in her chair a little, and the troublesome look on her face smoothed back to her blank expression. “The potion that you created could last for a long time,” she began, “but it will eventually fail.”

“What will cause it to fail,” Kyus asked as she settled back on the couch next to Shaya.

“It’s difficult to say. Currently, it is acting as a shield to disconnect you from the feeling of it. My guess is that if either you or your Alpha were to feel extremely strong, powerful emotions, more powerful than any previous experience, you would both feel it. That may be enough to break it. Based on the ingredients you told me, there is nothing detrimental to either of you.”

“She doesn’t want to break the effects of the potion,” Kyus said. “At least,” she glanced at Shaya, “I don’t think you do… do you?”

Shaya shook her head slowly.

“You don’t look sure,” the woman said slowly.

“I’ve tried to explain to her the importance of true mates,” Kyus said. “I don’t think she should make this decision lightly.”

“It sounds like she didn’t,” the woman murmured. She shifted in her chair uncomfortably, the strange look flitting back to her face. “Did he explain why he put you in the Discovery Mountains?”

Shaya shook her head. “I left before he had a chance to, but I know it was to do with him gaining the seat of high chief. That has been his main goal and his only concern since I’ve known him.”

The woman nodded, her eyes drifting toward the window. “I assume that he went into the Discovery Mountains himself.”

Shaya raised her brows. “I think so. He never told me that he did.”

“He must have,” the woman murmured. “That would be the only reason why you going through it as well would help him.”

Shaya frowned. “In what way?”

“An Omega and an Alpha who are bonded that both survive the Discovery Mountains is reminiscent of Az Eshra. They would be automatically entitled to the high seat together.”

Shaya nodded. She’d suspected something like that. “So he automatically won the seat?”

“You both did,” the woman clarified.

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