Page 33 of Own to Obtain

A formidable, dark-haired Alpha strode through the Lox in impressive, unique armor, and a thick sword in his fist.

The emperor.

He headed directly for Kardos, who stepped out from between his men to meet him with his blade.

Their swords clashed with a sharp metallic ring that sounded across the palace. The emperor’s swings were heavy and his strikes hard and fast. Kardos found himself working harder than normal, but he found it refreshing. They both spun and pivoted and clashed blades furiously, each hoping to get the advantage, and Kardos soon realized that the emperor was a skilled fighter, possibly as good as he. He was certainly bigger than most Alphas Kardos had trained with. He’d had never seen any other Alpha that matched his own size, except possibly Malloron, but the king’s skill was in his magic. This emperor’s obvious talent with his sword put Kardos slightly on edge. Would that mean that he would be more successful in keeping Shaya from him? That could not happen.

With a new sense of energy, he drove the emperor back farther down the corridor, bellowing out his frustration when the man continued to stave off Kardos’ blows.

“This is a pointless attack,” the emperor growled at him. “You will not win. I have thousands of warriors in the Lox army, you have only brought a handful.”

“In case you haven’t noticed,” Kardos said the gritted teeth. “We are a formidable pack. None of your Lox warriors come near to our skill, and even if we have to retreat, I will be back within a few hours to collect what is mine, so you might as well give her to me now.”

“No one is keeping her here,” the emperor said as he darted back from Kardos’ swing.

“Then why are you resisting?” Kardos bellowed, incredulously. “Why is there an entire army trying to stop me?”

“I tend not to be accommodating when someone fucking invades my palace!”

They continued to parry; spinning, dodging, and advancing their attacks on each other until Kardos realized they were in what looked like a small hall, separated from their men. He snarled and darted back, realizing this could be an ambush, but the emperor didn’t lurch forward to attack, simply watched him guardedly.

Kardos glanced around to see large windows along one wall and a dark wooden floor that stretched across the whole space.

“Give her to me and we will leave,” he ordered, his voice echoing around the empty hall.

“Lower your weapon.”

Kardos growled out a bitter laugh. “You have much to learn about battle.”

To Kardos’ amazement, the emperor lowered his sword to his side, leaving himself vulnerable. “I am not your enemy. His voice was low as he breathed heavy. “I have no interest in keeping an Omega from her Alpha.”

“Then give her to me,” Kardos thundered. “I know she is here, so do not even try to lie.”

“She is here,” the emperor confirmed, dipping his head in a nod. “But she came here of her own free will, seeking sanctuary.”

Kardos face tightened. “Sanctuary?” he spat out. “What the fuck for?”

The emperor kept his eyes on him, monitoring him as though he were a dangerous animal. “From you, from what I can tell.”

The anger that embraced Kardos swirled through his veins, tightening his resolve that this whole situation was fucking ridiculous. He roared, tightening his hold on his sword. “She belongs to me! We are bonded. You cannot keep us apart, regardless of what she says.”

The emperor inclined his head. “I tend to agree; however, my Omega empress looks out for the well-being of Omegas in this Land and she is taking your Omega’s request seriously.”

“My Omega is not of this Land,” Kardos shot back. “She is ofmyLand.”

“From my understanding, she is from the Western Lands,” the emperor pointed out, “whom I have an alliance with.”

“I have an alliance with the Western Lands too,” Kardos said his eyes blazing and tolerance wearing thin. “She was given to me as part of that alliance and nothing you can do can break that. King Malloron is part of my tribe, and that is worth more than any alliance you have with him.”

The emperor was silent for a long moment, his dark eyes boring into Kardos’. “Our tribe is our family,”the emperor said slowly.“We do not fight within our tribe.”

Kardos frowned, something strange skipping through him. Suddenly he realized that the Emperor had spoken in Mayaros. He froze for a moment, wondering if Shaya had taught him, but before the anger and jealousy could take hold he knew it wasn’t possible. Shaya did not know that saying; it was an extremely old one told to children when they argued with other children within the tribe. He forced himself to focus through the fog of instinct and observed the emperor carefully. He had black hair and eyes, his skin was tan and marked in scars that were clearly from battle. He was older than Kardos by at least eight to ten years, and clearly a seasoned warrior from the way he held his sword. “How do you know Mayaros?” Kardos asked carefully, speaking in his own language.

“My grandfather. He trained in the Southern Lands and my grandmother was a tribeswoman.”

“From which tribe?”

“Nyek.”

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