Sold To The Demon Alpha
Chapter 18

Roma’s POV

“You are here again, my Lord.” Scian, the chief healer said with a soft smile and I merely nodded as I looked over to the door which led to the room where Aria was being attended to.

It had taken everything in me to not rip Natalia to shreds when I entered the room and saw that she had been hurting Aria.

That she had been hurting my mate.

My mate.

The words still sounded strange to admit.

It was still almost unbelievable that I had been given such a fragile, weak little woman as a mate by the goddess after the death of my wife and pup.

Knowing the goddess, this was not a gift. I was sure that there were many strings attached to this pairing. And I was going to do my possible best to ensure that the mating bond did not click into place.

If not for my sake, then for hers.

She was too naive, too trusting, too soft for the world. She did not deserve to be bonded to a monster. She did not deserve to die from a mating that she would not survive because she was human.

“Will she be alright, Scian?” I asked, making sure to not sound too interested or curious but Scian must have seen through my act because she rested a hand on my arm and grinned.

Perhaps I had not hidden my expressions as hard as I wanted to because it was Scian.

Scian was the one who had patched me up over the years. Scian was the one who held me when I had cried about the pain in my heart and lied that it was my injuries that had hurt.

Scian was the closest thing to a mother that I had ever had. Perhaps it was also thanks to her that I grew up somewhat decent and had not become a complete monster.

“She is a strong young lady, my Lord. Right now, she is probably smiling and trying to tell whoever is in there treating her that she is perfectly alright and doesn’t need help.”

That sounded exactly like what Aria Ajello would say.

“That sounds like her.” I answered and Scian nodded with a smile.

“Does that sound familiar to you? Ring any bells?” She asked with an eyebrow raised and I frowned, looking down at her with a disbelieving expression.

Surely, she was not saying that Aria reminded her of me?

She nodded as if I had spoken out loud.

“I remember when you used to come here after getting yourself hurt and would put up a facade that you were okay and even go as far as telling a few jokes because you did not want me to know that you were hurting inside.”

“I could at least defend myself against my opponents. She can’t. Plus she cries at every chance that she gets. We are not the same.” I bristled with annoyance.

Scian’s smile widened.

“Perhaps because you are now a big bad scary werewolf, you believe that you are bigger than everybody and in truth, your wolf is the largest in the pack so you are the biggest. But the only difference between you and that child is that she still believes in the good in this world.”

“She is naive.” I blurted.

And being naive in this cruel brutal world would get her killed. Just like how it had gotten my mate and pup killed.

I would never be naive again.

“Perhaps, that is what you need, Roma. You are too removed from this world. Perhaps what you need for that heart of yours is someone that is sweet, naive, has a sense of humour and can put up a decent smile.”

“I can put up a smile.” I argued and tried to smile. It made Scian laugh and for a second, my heart felt lighter.

I, however, refused to agree that she was right.

I didn’t need any light in my life. I didn’t need anything sweet.

I was just fine.

“She is the one, isn’t she?” Scian asked and I paled, raising my eyebrows in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“You brought her to me that day with bruises, looking so angry you wanted to cry. You watched her all night as she slept and disappeared before she woke. And everyday, just around the time when she was told to come here to check her wounds, you appeared in the infirmary without fail, suddenly needing my company and hiding in my office. If she is not the one, what is she?”

I froze, speechless and Scian gave me a knowing smile.

“Does she know?” She asked and I shook my head immediately.

“No. And I don’t plan to tell her. Ever. She wouldn’t believe in the existence of mates either so why bother?”

“But she believes that wolves exist, does she not?”

“She is human! I cannot take the risk, Scian. She will not survive it.”

“You have already considered mating with her then, have you not? Before her, you had vowed to never ever go through that again.”

I didn’t like where Scian’s theory was heading.

No, I did not want to have a mate. No, I was not interested in Aria.

Thinking about her only almost every time meant nothing. It was all thanks to that mating bond that was trying to force me into something that I was not interested in doing again.

“You are wrong, Scian. Whatever you are thinking. You are wrong.” I growled and she nodded calmly, stretching to k**s my cheek.

“Let’s hope that you are right and that I am wrong then, my Lord.”

“It’s Roma. I’m tired of telling you to not call me that.”

“Have a nice day, my Lord.” She said with a smirk and I pinched the bridge of my nose, exasperated, my eyes still fixed on the door to the room Aria was in.

“The door to the exit is that way, my Lord. Or do you perhaps want to see the girl that you absolutely do not care about.”

If Scian was a man, I would have probably challenged her to a duel for such a sarcastic remark but I settled for glaring at her as I headed towards the room where Aria was in.

I just needed to see how she was doing.

This meant nothing.

Knocking, I entered and saw that she was laughing at something the healer, Scott said.

Bristling with annoyance, I cleared my throat and he bowed, his smile fading.

“I’ll be back soon.” He told her and she smiled, waving at him as he sidestepped him and closed the door on his way out.

How could she be smiling when she was just hurt by someone minutes ago?

I would have been planning how to get even the minute Natalia walked away.

“I came to see if you were fine. You are. So I’ll go now.” I said and turned, heading for the door immediately.

Her soft voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Thank you for being kind to me, Alpha. I know you don’t like humans so I’m grateful for your kindness.”

I nodded, refusing to turn around and fled the room before Aria Ajello would do more damage to me than she already had.