"We will have you all finished in a moment." Doctor Smith's kind voice was so at odds with his punishing grip on the inside of my thigh that I wanted to laugh.
I couldn't though. If I did I would choke on the tears silently dripping down the side of my face. I should've been used to the quarterly humiliation. It'd been going on for the past two years.Every three months, like clockwork, Doctor Smith would collect me from the clan house and deposit me on the icy exam table. Every three months my clothes were stripped, my feet bound in stirrups, my thighs spread wide with just a paper cloth to provide the facade of decency.And it was a facade. A thin veneer of concern slapped on a heinous act. I bit back a moan of pain as the good doctor inserted the cold speculum into me, ratcheting open my most private place.I didn't blame Doctor Smith as he peered into my body with a little light. I couldn't blame him. He was only doing his civic duty. His job.But I could blame my clan. While other teens my age were preparing for college or enjoying the last summer of their youth before adulthood, I was being prepared for marriage.I was lucky I got to finish my highschool education. Some Brides were never given that luxury. Once their Bride status was announced, they were shipped off to their mysterious benefactor, never to be seen again."The mucosal tissue remains intact. Good for you, Maddie. Able to keep the boys at bay. Everyone wants a taste of a Bride, but we must always say no, right?"The good doctor leered at me from between my legs. Part of me thought he might have gotten into his profession for the wrong reasons. He always had something extremely awkward to say when he was staring at my vulva, and it made me uncomfortable.Not that I feared he would touch me. My status as a Bride afforded at least one perk. I could not be abused in any form. To do so would mean instant death for the perpetrator. But that also meant I missed out on all the teenage drama of boyfriends and dances and stolen kisses in the dark.I was to remain pure for my future Husband. Who had yet to make an appearance, and I had turned eighteen a few months ago. As much as I feared my future husband, I was so ready to get out of Dodge.The doctor finished his perusal of my nethers, slipping out of the exam room to give me the pretense of privacy.Everything that involved me was watched, in some shape or form. For my benefit, I was told. Personally I thought pervy old men wanted an eyeful of the Bride before I left the clan.I wiped myself down as best I could and dressed quickly. A scrub was in order. I hated the feel of the medical lube in my underwear. It was always a squelchy walk back to the clan house.A nurse waddled in, her huge belly entering through the door well before she did. I hated pregnant women. They reminded me of my place. My worth. Why I must remain pure for my future Husband.All of the eggs in my ovaries belonged to my Husband on our 'wedding' day. I was a walking womb, a broodmare. I was one of a select few women that were gifted enhanced fertility by the Goddess.I snatched the paper out of the nurse's hand, collected my things, and stalked out of the exam room. I had hated every moment since the mandatory blood-test that ruined my life. The one that searched for the genetic marker for the Engagement Accords.Every girl had to submit to one on their sixteenth birthday. Our blood was drawn, and then analyzed for the genetic compatibility to one of the four ruling classes of Supernatural Nobility. Vampyr, Were, Daemon, and Fae. Lucky me, I was a Moon-Bride. My future Husband was some sort of Wolf nobility.Again, the blame lay squarely with the clans. If humans had been a little less button-happy, and hadn't blown the world to hell during the Fall, none of this would even be an issue.But it was. The world had essentially been destroyed, humans were a dying race. To save us from ourselves, the supes had stepped in. Returned order to the world, saved our technology and our asses. At the cost of our females.I trudged up the lane to the clan house, lost in my own morose thoughts. Very soon I would be shipped off to marry my future Husband, become a breeder so that his race flourishes."Maddie! Maddie! Wait up!" The high-pitched squeal brought me out of my own head. "You're never going to believe it!"I slowed, turning. Tala was racing up the lane, dark hair streaming behind her. Not for the first time, I envied my only friend. She got to live in her own home with her parents. I wasn't even allowed contact with mine anymore. I was essentially dead to them, to make the transition to Bride easier.Tala slowed as she neared me, a bright smile splitting her face. "Maddie, I did it! I passed the exams! I got accepted!" She waved a paper in my face.Her excitement was so complete that I tried to push away the bitterness that threatened to swallow me. "You got into Brighthaven?"The paper she was clutching had the Brighthaven crest at the top. It was an exclusive academy. It was on my shortlist of universities to attend, before my luck turned.I wouldn't have hurt her feelings for the world. Not if I could help it. I wanted to be excited for her, as she basically vibrated with glee. I opened my mouth to congratulate her. "Tala thats–"My phone rang loudly, cutting off my reply. I pulled it out of my pocket, pausing at the name on the screen. Clan Master Bryant. If he was calling, then my time was officially up.I swiped my thumb across the green button, opening the call. "Hello?""Madison Timms? A car has arrived for you. Make your way to the clan house for immediate departure." The Clan Master's voice was clipped, and he ended the call immediately after. Pompous prick.Tala blinked her big brown eyes at me. They shimmered suspiciously. At least someone, somewhere would cry for me. I was so tired of doing all the crying myself.I pulled Tala in for a tight hug. I tried to swallow the emotion that clogged my throat. "Congratulations, Tala. I know Brighthaven was our dream school. You'll do great!" I released her, stepping back. I dashed tears from my eyes as I fled up the lane. "I have to go…my Husband has sent a car. It's time."My feet pounded on the hard-packed dirt of the lane. My heart sank as the clan house came into view. A sleek black car idled in the curved drive. It was real. It was time. "Madison!" Clan Master Bryant stood on the broad stairs leading into the clan house, his round, doughy face a mask of concern. He wasn't concerned for me. He was concerned I would act out and the coins that changed hands would decrease. I knew better though. I knew my worth and my place. The last two years had been a crash-course in Engagement protocols. My place in the clan was bought out, like I was a business transaction and not a person. My Husband paid a handsome fee to replace the taxes I would have afforded the clan by remaining and working. The money would presumably line the clan's vault. I doubted it though. The Clan Master was a greedy sort. Men bought and sold my flesh to pad their back accounts. Well, maybe not flesh. I would likely be inseminated. Wouldn't want one of the Weres to sully themselves
Rhys looped his arm through mine and led me to the steps. A deep growl jerked my gaze up from where I was watching my feet. I was kind of clumsy and I didn't want to face-plant in front of my future Husband. Alpha Cross watched me with glittering eyes. My pulse thrummed in my throat as I met his golden gaze evenly. He glared at where Rhys held my arm. "You forget yourself, Beta." His voice sent a shiver down my spine. It was dark, husky, and held an edge of danger. Rhys dropped my arm, hastily stepping away from me. "Sorry boss. I didn't mean to offend." He threw his hands up and backed away. "I'll just go park the car." He shot me a wink as he turned away. I felt bad for being such a brat to him. He had tried to make me comfortable. Poor guy. It wasn't his fault I was selected for the Bride program. "Madison…" I turned my eyes back to the Alpha. "I've waited so long for you." I stood at the bottom step, my hands clenched together in front of me to keep them from shaking. I want
My breathing was labored as I trudged up the third flight of stairs. Why the hell were my rooms so far from the ground?! Didn't they know this was a fire hazard? Was there even a fire escape? Couldn't they have an elevator? No, probably not. It would interfere with the classic beauty of the old wood, I bet. Rhys led me into a dark hallway. It was too dark really. Gave off a murdery vibe. Would it kill them to turn on some lights? "Your rooms are here, next to the Alpha's." Rhys opened a large door. "There's a bathroom through there." He pointed at another set of doors. The room was humongous. White-washed wood walls and floor-to-ceiling windows made the space so bright.There was a bed near the windows. It was monstrous. It could easily fit several people. It was mounded with an obscene amount of pillows. There was a small sitting area with comfortable looking sofas arranged around a cozy fireplace. I scooted through the room to look at the facilities. "Are you freaking joking?!"
I was bored. Heinously, utterly, completely bored. I threw my phone down on the couch next to me in disgust. There were only so many mobile games I could play before I went nuts. Moonlight filtered in through the large windows and I turned to them curiously. Other than watching the Alpha turn the day I arrived, I'd never seen any one else in their wolf forms. I knew what they said about curiosity. I knew it was a stupid idea, even as I plastered my face to the window. The lawn below me was silvered under the moonlight. There were dozens of wolves on the lawn in a variety of grays. Some tussled playfully, some ran in excitement, and even more just lazed around in groups. They didn't look mad to me. And I was bored. To death. That's why I found myself creeping out of my room. I edged along the dark hallway. I wanted to see the wolves up close. They looked so fluffy. Was it considered rude to pet them in their animal form? I tiptoed down the stairs. No one would be inside right now,
"Do something!" Someone roared next to me and I struggled to open my eyes. I managed to get them cracked. Bright light split my head wide open. Nope. I let my eyes flutter closed again. "Xander, calm down!" Rhys was here too. Someone moved my arm and a scream ripped itself from my throat. "It's okay." A soft feminine voice this time. "The muscles are torn but it will heal. The fever will take her soon though, so if you want to say something, now is the time." Fever? What fever? "We'll leave you alone with her Xander." Rhys' voice moved further away. Soft, cool fingers brushed hair from my forehead. His hands were more calloused than I expected. The pads of his fingertips scratched at my skin. "This isn't what I wanted, Madison. Why didn't you stay put?" His voice wrapped around me, anguish making him hoarse. We barely knew each other. Why did he feel so much for me? We only had two whole conversations in the last week. I wanted to snap at him, but his hands were blessedly cool a
"Oh, you're awake!" Someone jerked at the drapes around the bed roughly. Was I though? With a talking wolf in my head, the sense that I forgot something very important while I was dreaming, and the bright light of the room beyond the drapes…felt like I was still asleep. Rhys popped his head in the crack he had made in the curtains, cocking his head to the side. His nose wrinkled. "You need a bath, beautiful." "And you need better manners," I muttered. I flushed under his curious scrutiny. "What? Do I have snot on my face?" His lips hiked up in a half smile. "No. I can hear your wolf. It's kind of entertaining. Mostly child Weres haven't fully integrated with their wolves, so to have an adult wolf keeping a running commentary at the same time you're talking is hilarious." 'Shut the hell up Eclipse. You're making us a laughingstock.' 'He looks lickable. Can we lick him?' A wave of lust hit me so hard that I gasped. Rhys was attractive. But he was not my Husband. Now that I was par
I slid out of my room. I was tired of cutting myself off from my new family. Just because Xander was a jerk and only wanted me to pop out pups, didn't mean the rest of the pack would be so dismissive. If Rhys was any indication, then I might even be more welcomed at the pack house than I was in the human clan. I hadn't given anyone a fair shot, spending the last week in my rooms. Had it only been a week? It felt like a lifetime ago when I had been congratulating my best friend for getting into Brighthaven. I skulked down the stairs. The smell of bacon wafted up and my stomach growled. How long had it been since I had eaten? How long had I actually been gone with the fever? "I heard humans are prudes." The voice cut through the general din and I paused on the steps. "Do you think she's strong enough?" "She's a waifish little mite. I dunno that the Alpha won't break her in half." Someone answered, ton
I slammed out of the dining room, my thoughts a tangle of distrust and anger. If I was only to be returned to my genetic ancestors, then why hadn't anyone else in my family been chosen before? It didn't make sense. If I was not here to be a Bride, then what was I? What was the Bride program, really? I needed answers. I searched for the cinnamon and wood smoke scent. Xander owed me an explanation. Immediately. I couldn't smell him. What the actual hell? Did he just cease to exist?I barreled through the front door, flying down the steps of the porch and into the yard. There were people on the lawn doing drills. Wrestling and fighting. I saw him, not Xander but Rhys, leaning against a low wall. His eyes widened as I snatched his arm on my way by, dragging him along with me. I could hear the whispers following us, but I didn't care. Rhys was my first real acquaintance here and I needed the truth. I