Chapter 1

"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."