Own To Obsess (Myth of Omega Book 8) Read online

  The fury that burned in Kardos’ chest couldn’t compete with the surprise of hearing his father directly referring to him as his son. He hadn’t done so since he gained the seat of the high chief.

  “Don’t look so shocked,” the high chief snapped, as he turned to pace the room. “Granted, I am not to show any favoritism to you or award you any special privileges, but do you think I haven’t been closely watching your progress? Do you think I haven’t been immensely proud of every action you have taken since you were a boy who has shown how much he loves the Isles? Do you think I wasn’t overjoyed when you became tribe leader and shinno to Nyek?” He shot Kardos a look. “You are my son, Kardos, and this seat is your birthright. The other shinnos’ prejudices allow them to underestimate you, even though you have proved yourself over and over, but that is their mistake—I have no sympathy for them.” He turned to face Kardos again. “But this mistake is yours, and it gives them cause to destroy everything you have already gained, everything you strove to achieve. If you are disqualified, it will be the first time in eighty-four years that a different tribe gains the seat.”

  Kardos exhaled as his father’s word sunk in, the violent, angry, dark emotions and thoughts within him almost drowning him with their potency.

  His father looked over him from head to foot, his eyes wild with distaste. “Where is your honor?” he spat. “Where is the man who lives and breathes the traditions of the Isles? I do not see him anymore. Did the Western Lands corrupt you so much that—”

  “No!” Kardos bellowed, his fury reaching its peak.

  His father jerked backward, shocked at his outburst. Kardos had never raised his voice at his father before, but he couldn’t allow him to say or think such things.

  “No,” he repeated, forcing his voice to lower. “I am still that man.” He locked his father’s hard glare with his own. “I assure you.”

  The high chief’s jaw clenched, and he turned away exhaling harshly, silence filling the room for a short moment. “I have set a hearing to address the shinnos’ request two weeks from today. They are currently arguing that I am delaying to give you more time to find a solution.” He turned back to Kardos, his eyes still fiery but his voice quieter. “They are right. So I hope you have a plan to explain what the fuck you were thinking.” He headed to the door. “And a way to maintain your position so you still have a chance at the seat.” He turned to Kardos. “Because you are no son of mine if you have thrown away the Nyek name in this selfish act to claim this Omega for yourself.”

  “I didn’t bond with her, Father,” Kardos muttered, annoyed that this was the circumstance in which he was once again calling him Father. It should have been when he claimed the seat. “She bonded with me without my consent.”

  The high chief looked upon him with disdain and shook his head. “I hope you do not plan to argue that at temple.” He turned for the door, throwing his words back at Kardos as he exited. “Because if she is that willful and disobedient, she was never suitable for our Lands.”

  ***

  Two hours later, Kardos was still in the grip of a blinding fury, pacing the room the high chief had left him in and battling the many thoughts that crowded his mind. His father had given him a chance to retain his position for the seat, but how? He could barely think past his anger at the shinnos or how difficult things would be now. And he also had to consider Shaya.

  He slowed to a stop in the middle of the room. He needed Az Eshra. They were the only way to find a solution.

  Turning on his heel, he headed back to his bedroom, but neither Rozalia nor Shaya were there. Several servants were fixing his room, righting furniture, cleaning, and taking out the moldy food and broken items.

  He questioned the servants about the whereabouts of the women and then headed to the Shaya’s guest bedroom on the same floor.

  When he entered, Rozalia was sitting on the edge of the bed stroking Shaya’s forehead as she lay sleeping. Kardos stood for a moment staring at Shaya, unable to decipher the conflicting emotions rising in him.

  As soon as Rozalia saw Kardos, she straightened. “We need to talk, Kardos,” she said solemnly.

  “I need no more scolding, Rozalia,” Kardos growled.

  Shaya whimpered and rolled over in the bed, curling into a tight ball on her side. Kardos resisted the powerful urge that rose in him to climb into the bed with her and pull her into his arms. She needed his arms, his purr, his chest. And he needed her scent, her soft skin, her… With great effort, he dragged his eyes away.

  Rozalia beckoned him to follow her and led him out of the room and down to one of the meeting rooms on the east side of the house.

  “What did you do to her?” she said, rounding on Kardos as he entered the room behind her. “She was hysterical when I went in there. I had to give her a sedation potion.”

  “Quiet!” Kardos barked. He was in no mood for Rozalia’s mouth right now. There were times he needed her as an adviser, a friend, or even a mother, but that time was not now. “I’m going to my temple. Make sure she is looked after until I return.”

  The look in Rozalia’s eyes changed as she lowered hers, then nodded.

  Kardos turned to go, but a niggling feeling in his chest stopped him. “Why isn’t she pregnant?” he asked Rozalia with a scowl. “She was in her full Haze and yet she is not with child. Why?”

  Rozalia’s eyes widened. “You want her pregnant?”

  Kardos’ scowl deepened and he growled low. It was something he couldn’t explain or understand, but it bothered him deeply that her Haze ended without her securing his seed in her belly. He hadn’t realized it, but he’d been subconsciously waiting for the change in her scent signifying it.

  Rozalia seemed to sense something in him; she dropped her shoulders and took a step back. “I’ll look into it, my shinno.”

  Kardos let out a gruff exhale and headed out of the room and prepared to go to at his private temple where he sought the answer to all difficulties he faced.

  All he needed now was to settle his mind and the answer would come. He would seek a way to secure the seat and deal with the Omega who had caused him to be so utterly disgraced.

  CHAPTER TWO

  SHAYA

  “Take it slow,” Rozalia said gently.

  Shaya gripped onto her arm as she lowered into the hot bath, wincing at all the different aches and pains bounding through her body. But once the hot water enveloped her, she sighed deeply as her muscles relaxed. Rozalia examined some of the bottles she’d brought with her, tipping them to release tiny, powerfully scented droplets of various healing oils into the bath before setting about scrubbing Shaya clean from the enormous amount of Kardos’ seed crusted around her neck.

  Shaya remained quiet. She’d woken groggy and dazed, a deep, satisfying ache in her muscles, a dull pain between her legs, and little memory of how she had ended up in the guest bedroom. The last she remembered, she had been in Kardos’ bedroom, sinking her teeth into his neck in despair.

  And it worked. The presence smoldering deep within her chest told her as much—she had bonded with him. The enormity of that idea, now that she was more clearheaded, stunned her. She had done it. She had acted against him, shown she wasn’t weak, proved she could retaliate… and yet the realization that it had happened manifested pure terror in her.

  What would Kardos do to her now? Or… what had he done to her?

  She wasn't sure what the immediate repercussions had been; she couldn't remember. The ache in her limbs and the pain between her legs didn’t seem like it was due to him being violent toward her, but it was impossible to know how the Alpha would have behaved about her outright defiance. Rozalia was also behaving strangely. The older woman hadn't spoken to her at all since she woke, simply ushering her here and there, getting her undressed and prepared for the bath.

  However, Shaya wasn’t willing to engage Rozalia in conversation just yet. She suspected, from how lethargic she felt when she woke, that she may have been drugged again and
she couldn’t ignore the fact that Rozalia, as Kardos’ potionist, would have been the one to create the potion that Kardos gave her on the ship. Shaya couldn’t deny her disappointment with that realization; she thought she’d found a new friend, but she hadn’t. What if Treska had been involved too? Had everyone known all along what Kardos planned for her?

  The thoughts were too heavy for Shaya to contemplate while she still felt so frail. A weak apathy dominated her body and mind—she didn’t feel her usual self. It had to be because of the bond to the Alpha—it sat heavy in her chest, hard and sharp like a claw buried deep, combined with the pain in her body and the aftereffects of whatever potion she had been given all made her feel strange. So she simply kept quiet and allowed Rozalia to do as she wished, even allowing the woman to wash her hair. It was now a stiff puff that was in dire need of care, which indicated the loss of time she couldn’t account for.

  After she was finally dressed and dried, she felt a little better. The pain in her body had lessened and Rozalia began working her creams and oils through her hair to soften it, massaging her scalp, which helped her to relax. The hard claw in her chest hadn't changed, but at least she knew other things could positively impact her mood.

  As she sat there, a sudden image of Kardos's mouth between her legs seared into her mind and she quickly inhaled, surprised. His mouth buried into her, his tongue swirling around her nub while his pretty eyes locked onto her face. Her legs spread as wide as she could get them as her hips rolled up to feed him, and her fingers digging into his scalp.

  A shudder trembled through her body at the memory, and she squeezed her legs tightly together, pressing her hand between them as the recollection of how incredible her body had felt returned.

  As Rozalia treated her hair, indecent memories with Kardos came back to her one after the other, as well as the powerful emotions she’d had during each one. By the time Rozalia was wrapping her head, Shaya was trembling and breathing heavy, hardly able to believe everything that had transpired.

  “You remember.” Rozalia watched Shaya carefully as closed the jars and bottles laid out on the bed.

  “Yes,” Shaya muttered. “But….” She hesitated, unsure if she wanted to share her thoughts with Rozalia. This woman was clearly on Kardos' side, and based on the emotions blasting from the bond in her chest, Kardos was furious. She hoped she was misreading it, but she doubted it. He had gone into a fury soon as he realized what she'd done, and she wasn't sure why he hadn’t attacked her outright.

  “The memories always take a while to return,” Rozalia said, her voice quiet as she packed away the creams.

  “Why?” Shaya was unable to help herself asked.

  Rozalia shrugged as she straightened the bed. “It is something to do with the way an Omegas body changes during her Haze.”

  “Haze?” Shaya stared at her bewildered. “What is that?”

  Rozalia froze. “You don't know what a Haze is?”

  The astonishment on her face made Shaya a little self-conscious. She lifted her shoulders. “Should I?”

  “Yes,” Rozalia spat out, her demeanor hardening. “I have no idea why you have been withheld information about being an Omega, Katashaya, but it is irresponsible that it has been kept from you.”

  Shaya stiffened. Rozalia was indirectly talking about Kyus. “Any information that has been kept me was either for my own good or because I didn't need to know,” she said, somewhat defensively.

  “Of course,” Rozalia shot back. “What is the point for an Omega to know anything about her Haze if she is constantly blocked?” She shook her head, muttering under her breath as she tidied the room.

  “You are not an Omega,” Shaya said quietly. “I'm sure if you were your opinion would be different. I'm sure you would want to be able to choose who you mated with, who you bonded with, what your life was like, and how you live it.” Her voice rose as her annoyance heightened. “I'm sure you would not appreciate your existence being traded like a commodity or for you to be bred like cattle. I'm sure you would not want that for yourself or for Treska.”

  Rozalia slowed to a stop, holding a pillow in her hands. She turned to Shaya. “I do not doubt that could be true,” she said slowly. “But I would want to know exactly what I am and why certain things happen to my body,” she said firmly. “And I would want Treska to be aware of all the circumstances surrounding what she is too, so she could prepare for what may happen.”

  Shaya didn't respond. It was an easy thing for someone to have an opinion without experience, but she had already said too much.

  Rozalia sighed and sat down the bed. “The Haze is the condition an Omega goes into when she is ready for breeding,” she explained. “She becomes highly aroused and her entire body changes in order to prepare her for what is to come. Her scent changes to attract Alphas, and it will be impossibly enticing to the most suitable and compatible Alpha. The Omega’s body becomes solely focused on preparing itself to mate constantly, and all other functions become secondary. She also gains a golden sight, which is when her irises turned golden and she can see the Alpha who is most suited to breed her through his golden glow.”

  Shaya frowned. “Kardos had that.”

  “Yes.” Rozalia nodded. “When in your Haze you will see the glow from all Alphas, but it will emanate stronger from the Alpha that you’re most compatible with.”

  “But he had it on the ship,” Shaya pointed out. “And also in his bedroom. Does that mean I was in my Haze both times?”

  Rozalia nodded again. “On the ship, you went into a semi-haze; it wasn't as complete like the one in his bedroom.”

  “And you induced both of them, didn't you?” Shaya forcing herself to hold the older woman’s gaze.

  “I induced the one on the ship,” Rozalia corrected. “The one his bedroom… I can only guess the bond caused that.”

  Shaya didn't respond. Although she felt betrayed by Rozalia’s admission, she didn’t know how to address it or if she even should. Rozalia had never promised her anything, and she didn't want to get into an argument while she still felt so unsure and ignorant about things.

  From her recollections it seemed as though Kardos had looked after her during their time in his bedroom. In fact, she remembered he’d been caring and considerate. He fed her, rocked her to sleep, kissed her thoroughly, told her things… things that made her nearly ache in embarrassment, but she had truly loved hearing those words while he looked at her with such... She couldn’t even place the look in his eyes when he gazed at her, but she knew she loved it, had reveled in it. A deep yearning bloomed in her stomach. Where was he?

  Shaya shook her head sharply as she immediately redressed her thoughts. There was no way Kardos did not blame her for the bond. He’d initially been angry and set about destroying everything he could get his hands on, but then he glowed, and everything intensified—his scent, her desire and need for him, his attention on her… everything. Now she knew why. It was instinctual—it wasn’t real.

  “For the meantime, I suggest you spend some time looking over your notes about the Southern Isles,” Rozalia said, breaking into her reflections. “I’ll bring your meals.”

  Yes, that’s what she needed to do—study the culture. That might help her figure out what Kardos might do with her.

  Shaya spent the rest of the day reading her notes and trying to remember what Treska had told her about the Southern Isles. In particular, she refreshed her memory on the structural hierarchy of the Southern Isles, the purpose of the shinnos, and how the islands were organized. A niggling question about who she would have been paired with if she hadn't bonded with Kardos rose in her mind, but there didn't seem any point in questioning that now.

  As she studied other questions arose. Why was Kardos so keen to give her away? What had he been promised in exchange for her? He had never said. And yet his fury suggested that it was something significant.

  Throughout the day, Rozalia brought her trays with food; stew, soup, and pastries, both swee
t and savory, for her to eat, and although she nibbled at everything, she had lost her appetite. Every time the door opened, a blast of roiling nausea shot through her from fear it might be Kardos striding through the door, and she had no idea what he would do. The horror of possibly facing him forced her to stay in the room, mirroring her past imprisonment.

  Rozalia’s suggestion to study—as well as bringing her food—indicated she also thought it best Shaya didn’t leave the room. But then what did she expect? Shaya hadn't thought through the consequences of her actions when she bit him, but she reluctantly acknowledged she was thankful she wasn't chained up or back in the black box-room.

  When night fell, she paced the room, an unease to her thoughts, a sense of unknowing that darkened her mood. As she tired, she realized she was glancing at the door more often, and the low burn of the bond in her chest was becoming more intense. She needed to see Kardos. Her whole body ached for him, especially when her mind lingered on the memories of her Haze. On top of that, she wanted to know where she stood with him. His treatment of her would tell her what she should expect during the rest of her time in the Southern Lands, and it was becoming nerve-racking not knowing.

  But she couldn’t remain up all night; the pains in her body needed rest and relaxation. Eventually she climbed into the bed and gripped onto the pillow, wishing it were the chest of the Alpha. The incredible memories of being with him in his bedroom were the only things that soothed her nerves enough to help her fall asleep. If things could only be like that with him all the time, life would not be so bad.

  Kardos didn’t come that night. Or the next. Or the next.

  Shaya found herself alert and on edge waiting for him to return, but he didn’t. Instead each night she went to sleep rubbing her chest to try to ease the sharp and powerful weight of the bond as it grew heavy and more burdensome. Rozalia continued to bring her food and encouraged her to study, but the claw in her chest soon disoriented her. She couldn’t tell if what she was feeling was coming from the bond or her own emotions, and a dark gloom set in deep. She found herself in yet another prison. This one a bedroom—except there was no ocean and no Kardos.