Page 3 of Chosen
“He got rid of them when he asked me to be his bride.”
“Wow, he must really care for you. A lot of thesuperiouskeep their companions even after marriage.”
I shudder when I think of the monster I was companion to during the months of that horrible assignment. It was bad enough dealing with someone who treated me as an object to be used for their personal enjoyment, but I had to deal with the politics of navigating my way around his wife and the other companions.
Noah strokes her stomach, almost absently as she gazes off in the distance. “I won’t lie and say that Magnus was always sweet to me. As I already said, things were rough between us. I didn’t want to be a breeder. When I’d learned of my fate, I literally wanted to die. I was kind of jealous of you, mom and dad. I didn’t know where the three of you were assigned but I didn’t think it could be any worse than what I would go through. But seeing you so broken and not your happy, smiley self, saddens me because you clearly had a traumatic experience.”
I lower my head as the memories of the past months assail me and I wrap my arms around my body again to keep myself from falling apart. I’m not sure how to reply so I don’t say anything.
Noah continues. “I wish I could tell you that everything is going to be alright and you’ll be fine but I can’t. I don’t know what the sector 10 leader is like, nor have I been to that area. ButI did ask Magnus what he thought of the leader of sector 10 and he said, he’s a man of few words.”
I couldn’t hold back a snort. “That’s reassuring.”
“Well, he had far less flattering things to say about some of the other Sector Leaders. I can’t say your experience will be anything like mine, but there are laws in place for breeders. Once you give him an heir, you could be released with enough compensation for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life.’
I know her words are meant to make me feel better but they do the opposite. Not only will I be forced to give birth to a child under duress, I’d have to relinquish all ties to it.
There is nothing reassuring about that at all.
Chapter
Two
DRAKEN
“In the name of diplomacy, you could have waited for Sector Leader Magnus’s official wedding ceremony to collect your breeder. She is after all, the sister of his wife.” Braeden reminds me yet again.
I’ve lost count of how many times he’s reminded me of what he sees as my folly. Usually his advice holds weight in my decisions concerning how I rule my sector and how I conduct myself as its leader. He is after all, my closest advisor and my cousin, the only family I have left. But on this matter, I will do as I please.
“You’ve spoken your mind on this issue already. I will hear no more about this.”
Braeden releases an exasperated sigh. “Can’t you see that you’re making a big mistake here? You could garner a lot of good will between you and Sector Leader Magnus by allowing your breeder this time to be with her family. It’s my understanding she hasn’t had much time with them since her reassignment to the manor.”
The more my cousin speaks, the more irritated I grow. Perhaps he believes he can change my mind by giving me furtherdetails on the situation. I am more than aware of my breeder’s situation. She and her family broke the law by living on an off-the-grid commune. They had defied one of the most important rules on our planet.
Entering the Registry.
In some cases, such a grave offense would have resulted in the death penalty or at the very least, assignment to a hard labor camp. In my sector, the entire population in that commune would have been executed on the spot.
Did I think Magnus was soft for allowing most of the defectors to live? Perhaps, but that wasn’t my call. I suppose if he did, I would not have found my breeder through the new cross referencing program he’d introduced at the last summit.
“Are you just going to ignore me?” Braeden demands.
I continue to scroll through the latest reports on one of the mines in my sector where a new metal was recently discovered. A discovery that could prove fortuitous to the prosperity of our land.
“I didn’t realize, you required a response.”
I hear the thundering sound of his footsteps marching in my direction before Braeden slams his hand on the center of my desk. “Do my words no longer hold weight with you? I may not be the Sector Leader, but I know you’re making a mistake if you don’t heed my advice.”
I finally raise my head to meet his gaze. It’s not often that I get irritated with my cousin, but his tone is borderline disrespectful, and I don’t wish to continue this conversation. “I’ve considered your words but my decision still stands. Don’t bring this topic up again.”
He raises a brow, clearly surprised by my words. It’s not often that I’m curt with him but on this matter, I won’t be swayed.
“I’m not sure what I’ve done to offend you.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose as I feel a tension headache coming on. “I meant no offense, only that I no longer want to speak on the subject. If this issue means so much to you, then you have only to challenge me and you can run the sector the way you wish.”
His mouth falls open.
