Chapter 2

Maggie crossed her arms, her eyes sharp as she engaged in a fierce verbal battle with John.

John refused to back down and argued right back.

“We agreed on one hundred and eighty thousand dollars. Why are you haggling now?”

“You have no integrity. Believe me, I can call off the marriage!”

“You’re not the only pack in this region with a daughter who went to college.”

Dora quickly tried to smooth things over.

“Alpha John, please don’t!”

“Just tell us whether you like my sister. Is she your type?”

“If I like her, you still need to name a reasonable price.”

John looked me up and down, the smile on his face greasy and unpleasant.

In the end, he gave in.

“Wait until the Elder arrives. She’s the one paying, so how much you get depends on how capable you are.”

When I had wanted to attend college, Bob had refused to pay, and Maggie hadn’t been willing to give me a single cent.

She had simply banished me from the pack and cut off all contact so I couldn’t ask them for money.

Now, for the sake of money again, she had called me back to destroy the rest of my life.

Just then, a baby began crying from inside the house.

Dora and Maggie didn’t react at all.

I looked at them curiously.

“Maggie, what’s going on? Where did a pup come from in the pack?”

Dora’s face lit up with uncontrollable delight, as if she had just thought of something wonderful.

“Of course it’s your little nephew. We’re just waiting for you to complete the mate bond. Once I get the money, I’ll be able to live a good life!”

So Maggie and Dora had sold me to John to use the money from my sale to raise the pup and pay for a wedding.

Maggie cut Dora off and spoke to me.

“Tomorrow, you and John will go to the pack hall and hold the Mate Ceremony.”

My heart skipped a beat, but I pretended to remain calm.

“Maggie, isn’t that a little too soon?”

I quietly began massaging Maggie’s back.

“Forming a mate bond is a major event. It shouldn’t be handled so casually.”

When Maggie ignored me, I began to feel anxious.

“Alpha John, why don’t you come with me to the human city? I just found a job that pays twenty thousand dollars a month!”

John rejected the idea immediately and glared at me viciously.

“No! What if you dump me after we go to the human city?”

“You’re staying with me in the pack territory. You’re not going anywhere.”

“If you dare run, I’ll break your legs!”

He was terrified that I would escape.

Maggie’s eyes lit up as she looked at me, and she asked again to confirm.

“Is it really that much?”

“You’re not lying to me, are you?”

I took out my phone and showed them.

“Of course not. Look, all the terms are written right here.”

“This company is publicly traded worldwide. There will be no shortage of chances for promotions and raises.”

Maggie snatched the phone from me and stared at the words “twenty-four thousand dollars” in the salary section.

Greed glowed in her eyes as she muttered to herself.

“Twenty thousand dollars a month. Our entire Ridge Pack can’t save that much in a whole year.”

Then Maggie pulled me behind her like a mother wolf protecting her pup and shouted confidently at John.

“You’re no longer good enough for my daughter. If you want to marry her, you’ll need at least one million dollars!”

Dora looked at me with jealousy and disbelief.

“Twenty thousand dollars a month? For a useless loser like you? How is that possible?”

“Maggie, don’t let her trick you!”

“I think she just wants to escape back to the human city. Once she does, there’ll be nothing we can do about her.”

Maggie looked at me suspiciously before shutting down my phone and slipping it into her pocket.

“You don’t have the guts to do that.”

John’s gaze turned vicious, completely losing its earlier greasy quality.

“If she can earn twenty thousand dollars, that’s her money. Do you really think she’ll obediently hand it over after she gets to the human city?”

“You should still marry her to me. Once she has a pup, she’ll be tied down. Then you can send her to the human city to work and support the family.”

“By then, we’ll all be one family. We can use the money she earns together.”