Page 47 of Own to Obtain

When the carriage slowed again, Kardos carefully picked up Yepa then lifted Shaya into his other arm as he headed to the wolves’ bunker.

The bunker was deep in the side of a small mountain rage by the edge of the island. The pack was trained to stay within the confines of the area and not venture into the corridors until they were collected. Kardos did not go inside, otherwise the wolves would think that it was time to leave, so instead he placed Yepa on the outskirts to run in and join the pack.

Shaya watched him go, that gorgeous smile on her face, and Kardos swung her into his arms and kissed her fiercely. “I told you that you belong here,” he said. “If that isn’t a sign, then I don’t know what is.”

“You did the work.” She smiled at him shyly. “I wouldn’t have been able to save him.”

“But you did,” Kardos said firmly.

He carried her out of the bunker, through the winding corridor and up onto the top of the rocks where the carriage waited. From this viewpoint, they were able to see the landscape of the island, and as usual it was a sight to behold, but for different reasons this time.

To one side they watched the dark grey and white blizzard trek across the island, eating up everything in its wake, trees torn from their roots and even some rocks crumbled underneath its power.

“That is truly amazing,” Shaya murmured. “I know it’s destructive,” she added, “but it is also fierce.”

Kardos nodded solemnly, knowing they had to continue quickly to keep ahead of the blizzard. “It is heading for Nyek villages. We have to go.”

***

As the carriage slowed to a stop, Kardos pushed open the hatch and jumped out, immediately running toward the mountains as his driver followed behind. He climbed up the rocky path that led deep into the crevices and wound through the narrow ledges that took him to the shelter.

The shelter on this side of the village was deep into the mountains, deeper than any of the mountain huts his people lived in. It wasn’t ideal—there was a lack of light and fresh air, and it was not big enough for all of the people of the mountains, but the other shelter was on the other side of the mountain range, so the Islanders just had to get to their nearest one.

As soon as they arrived, the tribe surrounded them, greeting him, clearly relieved and excited to see both him and Shaya. They offered him food and water, which he insisted they provide Shaya first. He unwrapped her from his body, then she made her way over to a small area designated for eating, smiling and thanking the members of the tribe.

Zolt approached him as Kardos watched his Omega interacting with their people. “It’s good to see you, my chief. I knew you would return before the heart of the blizzard.”

Kardos shot him a look. “It was dangerous to have the men waiting for me, Zolt. They could have died.”

“There was no point in trying to stop them,” Zolt replied warily. “They were furious they had not been selected to go with you. If I hadn’t sent them to watch for you and the chieftess, I would have had an uprising on my hands.”

Kardos let out a gruff chuckle. “And what about the other lookouts?”

“Word has been sent to them.” Zolt gestured to Shaya, who was now kneeling down to talk to a shy little boy. “How is she?”

“She is back,” Kardos said firmly. “Tell me what is happening with the tribe. Is everyone safe?”

“Everyone on this side of the mountain are safe,” Zolt said. “The other side has had some problems.”

“Like what?”

“The izak-rock was not turned frequently.”

“What?” Kardos let out a string of curses. “For how long?”

“I am uncertain. The team in charge wasn’t sticking to their schedule; the man who was overseeing it hasn’t been found since blizzard started.”

“So what about the members of the tribe in that part of the mountain,” Kardos asked insistently. “Are they out of their homes? Are they safe or not?”

“I haven’t heard from that part of the mountain,” Zolt said, his face solemn. “I sent a scout there, but no word as of yet.”

Kardos cursed again, shaking his head as he thought about options.

“What’s wrong?”

Kardos turned to see Shaya had wandered back over to him and was watching him carefully.

“What does it mean if the izak-rock wasn’t turned?” she asked, watching him carefully

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