CHAPTER 6 I Will Double It

Thomas's POV

Instead of returning to the Red Moon Pack after that ridiculous match-making party for Mia, I chose to stay in a human city right on the outskirts of the Moonshadow Pack.

Dylan pulls up the only hotel that we could find within a close enough driving range and I groan at the look of it. The roof looks like it could blow off with the slightest bit of wind. Windows are boarded up with plywood and the paint is peeling off of the siding.

"You couldn't have found a nicer place," I snap at Dylan.

"Not within the distance that you requested," Dylan smirks. "All of the nicer places have been booked for weeks because of the match-making party. Remember you weren't planning on staying for more than an hour?"

"Shut up," I growl at Dylan before I get out of the car. "You really know how to piss me off."

"That's what I am here for," Dylan says as he puts the car in park.

We step into the small hotel room, which is worse than I expected. There is only one large bed in the middle of the room. There are cigarette burns all over the comforter and the whole place smells like smoke. There is nothing that I hate more than the smell of cigarette smoke.

Dylan shuts the door behind us and wrinkles his nose in disgust. "I knew it was going to be bad, but I didn't know it was going to be this bad."

"What's done is done," I say as I run my hands through my hair in frustration. "What did you find out about Mia at the party?"

Dylan flops down on the bed and a cloud of dust wafts into the air. Choking on the dust Dylan scrambles off of the bed. "We are going to get lice saying here."

"Answer the question, I growl at him. "What did you find out about Mia?"

A serious look crosses Dylan's face. "I don't think she is the right Luna for the Red Moon Pack," is the only thing that Dylan says.

"And why is that?" I say with my arms crossed over my chest.

"It would appear that she is not well-liked within her pack. She has a bad reputation." Dylan informs me.

"What kind of reputation could she possibly have?" I snort with laughter.

"Her mother died while in childbirth with her. The pack blames her for the loss of their Luna," Dylan speaks in a whisper.

My breath hitches in my throat. Ten years ago I lost my own fated mate in childbirth. Unfortunately, I lost my son as well. I would have given anything to have either one of them in my arms.

"What kind of monster blames a baby for something that they couldn't control?" I snarl.

"Apparently, her father does," Dylan says hesitantly.

"I always knew that he was a piece of shit," I say as I sit down on the disgusting bed. "What does that have to do with her not being a suitable Luna, though?"

Dylan takes several steps away from me before he speaks. "She is living as an Omega and she doesn't have a wolf."

Once again I scoff at Dylan's words. "She is the daughter of an Alpha. How could she not have a wolf? She should have shifted between the ages of sixteen and eighteen."

"Well, she didn't," Dylan says with a shrug of his shoulders.

I sit in silence and think about what Dylan has told me. I wait for it to change my mind about wanting to make her my Luna for a year. But it doesn't. If anything it makes me feel more protective over Mia. No one deserves to be treated poorly over something that they cannot control.

"There is one more thing," Dylan interrupts my thoughts. "She has been promised to Alpha Richard. That party was all just a ruse."

A growl escapes from my chest and I can feel my anger bubbling to the surface. "Alpha Richard is a fucking monster," I scream.

"He was the highest bidder," Dylan shrinks away from me.

"How much did he promise the Moonshadow Pack?" I demand to know.

Dylan refuses to answer me. He looks down at his feet and shuffles from side to side.

"Answer me," I command him.

Sweat begins to form on his brow. "Half a million," he says through gritted teeth.

Laughter begins to bubble in my chest. "You can't be serious? He sold his daughter for five hundred thousand dollars. He is a bigger piece of shit than I thought."

Grabbing my jacket, I turn to leave the hotel room.

"Where are you going?" Dylan asks me with a confused look on his face.

"I am going to outbid that abusive fucker and get our new Luna," I say with a smile on my face.

"You are seriously going to pay her father and her to be your mate for a year alone," Dylan says before I have the chance to walk out of the door.

"It appears to be the only option," I tell him. "This arrangement suits us both. She gets out of Moonshadow Pack and away from Alpha Richard."

"And what exactly do you get out of the deal?" The concern is written across Dylan's face.

"I get a Luna, so the elders get off my fucking back for a year," I say as I walk out of the door and slam it behind me.

I breathe in the fresh night air after leaving the musty, smoke-smelling hotel room. Getting in my car, I immediately dial the number to Alpha Aiden and Luna Madison.

"It is late," Alpha Aiden says in a gruff voice. "This better be important, Thomas."

"I am calling about your daughter," I say as I back out of the parking lot and race toward the Moonshadow Pack.

"I am sorry about her actions," Alpha Aiden says awkwardly. "You will be happy to know that she has been promised to Alpha Richard. He should tame in her no time."

"That's what I am calling about," I tell Alpha Aiden. "Whatever Alpha Richard is offering you for her, I will double it."

The other end of the phone goes silent for a few moments. "How soon can you be here?" Alpha Aiden asks.

"I am already on my way," I growl through the receiver before hanging up the phone and racing down the road.