Confused

OK I just finished this tonight. Although I am very confused about who/what Linoge was as well as what this "work" he need an heir for was, there is one thing that REALLY doesn't make sense. Linoge himself said that he could not forcibly take a child, but rather it had to be given to him willingly. If that is the case, how was he able to take Ralphie. At no point in time did Mike consent to his son being taken. Regardless of whether or not Molly agreed to the deal, Mike did NOT. Therefore he forcibly took Ralphie from Mike. To me this is a contradiction. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the movie and can't believe I have gone 13 years without seeing it. Just thought I would post this for discussion purposes.