Chapter 2 Buy A Mate 

Tristen POV

'Alpha Tristen,' Elder Walker yells in my mind. 'Are you listening?'

I rub my fingers against my temples, trying to rid myself of Elder Walker's annoying voice in my mind. But it is of no use. He is insisting that we have this conversation, and we have it right now.

'Yeah,' I answer back through the mind link. 'I am listening.'

'It is time that you consider forming an alliance with the South Redwood Pack through marriage,' Elder Walker continues. 'The new Alpha of South Redwood is looking to exchange twelve Omegas along with the former Alpha daughter for Three Million dollars.'

'I don't plan on getting married any time soon,' or ever, I leave the last part unspoken. 'Why would I make a deal such as this one?'

'You need a Luna to help you run the pack,' Elder Walker hisses through the mind link. 'There are parts of running a pack that need a woman's touch.'

'Not in the North Twilight Pack,' I mumble back.

'Yes, even here in the North Twilight Pack,' Walker answers me grumpily.

'Three Million,' I whistle in my mind. 'That is a lot of money.'

'For thirteen new members of our pack, it is quite the deal,' Elder Walker snaps at me. 'Make the deal.'

Elder Walker cuts off the mind link between us, and I am left staring at my Beta Mason. Mason has been my Beta since I took over the pack from my father at eighteen. He was the logical choice for a Beta, as his father was Beta before him. He had been trained all of his life for the position. But there are certain things that we don't agree on.

"That looks like it was a fun conversation," Mason says with a smirk on his lips. He knows how much I hate interacting with the Elder Council.

"We need to prepare the pack for thirteen new members," I say curtly. "And we will need to prepare a transfer of Three Million Dollars to the South Redwood Pack."

Mason looks up from the tablet that he is taking notes on. "Surely you cannot be serious," he laughs uneasily. "That is a huge chunk of money. What exactly is the deal being made?"

I sigh uneasily. I know Mason is going to have issues with this deal. He is a hopeless romantic at heart, and I know he will not take kindly to the idea of me purchasing a mate.

"The South Redwood Pack has offered us twelve omegas in exchange for three million dollars," I say, conveniently leaving out the part about buying the former Alpha's daughter.

But Mason does not miss a thing. "Who is the thirteenth member?" He asks suspiciously.

"The daughter of the former Alpha," I say, not looking up from the paperwork on my desk.

"There is something that you aren't telling me," Mason crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his chair.

"I have told you all that you need to know for now," I tell Mason as I shuffle the papers.

"Nope," He says sternly. "You are not getting off that easy. If you want me to secure the funds, then I want to know what is going on."

"The elders believe that it would be in the best interest of the pack if I were to create an alliance through marriage with the South Redwood Pack," I sigh. "I guess the new Alpha over there agrees because he is willing to send his sister to be my mate."

"This is absurd!" Mason yells. "You can't just buy a mate. A mate is someone who is given to you as a gift from the Moon Goddess."

I shake my head in frustration. I knew that this was going to be a problem. Mason is convinced mates are a gift and the mate bond should be treated with respect. He cannot wait to find his fated mate. I, on the other hand, disagree.

A mate is not something that I ever want. I don't want to be tied to a single female for the rest of my life when I can have as many females as I want. I can still produce a strong heir with any woman that I choose.

"Don't worry, Mason," I say humorously. "I don't plan on actually making her my mate."

"But you told the elders…" Mason's voice trails off in confusion.

"I am making the deal like the elders told me to, but I never promised to make her my mate," I explain to Mason.

"What do you plan on doing with her?" Mason's voice is becoming high-pitched. "She is the daughter of an Alpha. You cannot force her to live as an Omega."

"No one is planning on forcing the daughter of an Alpha to live like an Omega," I groan. "Hell, if she is pretty, I may keep her for myself."

Mason's eyes widen, and I can't help but chuckle at him. "You can't be serious," he says. "She is the daughter of an Alpha. You can't treat her like some Omega pet."

"How do we know that she's even of Alpha blood? Why are they so keen to make a deal when it comes to her anyway? I bet she is some lowly Omega born to an Alpha," I laugh.

"If you don't plan on making her your mate, then why make the deal at all?" Mason says angrily. I can tell this subject is really getting under his skin.

"Thirteen new pack members is a huge investment," I try to explain. "This puts the North Twilight Pack one step closer to being the largest pack in the country."

"We already are the largest pack in the country," Mason says as he rolls his eyes at me.

"Well," I shrug my shoulders. "These thirteen members will keep us on top. Get the money ready for the transfer."

"When do I transfer the funds?" Mason groans.

"Not until we have the pack members, of course," I tell him.