Sold To The Demon Alpha
Chapter 78

Aria’s POV

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was that the sun was already out.

The next thing that I noticed was that there was a large hand slung over my belly and a shock of black hair resting on my shoulder. My legs were tangled with another person’s.

What was going on?

And then all the events of last night hit me at the same time that Roma’s scent enveloped me and thee broad smile that covered my face would surely make him that i was creepy but I could not hide my joy that he had stayed the entire night.

He usually never did and even though I always slept off in his arms, I always woke up to an empty side of the bed, the only trace that he was , his delicious scent.

But today as I played with his hair and studied his beautiful face that looked peaceful and so young in slumber, devoid of all of the masks that he surrounded himself with when he was awake, I admitted to myself that I had fallen a little bit deeper in love with Roma Ruggiero again. It was a free fall with no landing and I didn’t know whether to celebrate or run for my life.

I was about to k**s his cheek when I felt his body suddenly harden and he began to whisper words that were unintelligible to me, his eyes shut really hard but his face scrunched up in agony. In fear.

Sweat pooled at his forehead and I realized with horror that he was having a nightmare.

Trying to shake him awake, I tapped him but he didn’t budge and half of his body was already over mine which made it hard for me to move.

“Please wake up” I said through teary eyes as I tapped him again and I gasped when he wrapped his hand around my throat, cutting off my contact with air.

“Roma” I coughed as I started to frantically tap his body.

“Wake up, Roma.” I screamed at the top I my lungs and slapped him hard across the face.

And when his eyes opened and he saw his hands around my neck, he bolted from the bed, naked as the day he was born looking horrified.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry, sweetheart” He whispered, looking utterly defeated and ashamed and when I tried to stand up and move close to him, he held out a hand, stopping me.

“Don’t come any closer, Aria.”

“I know it was a nightmare, Roma.”

He shook his head when I tried again, picking up his pants from the floor as he looked at me and I felt my heart break at how guilty he looked.

“I shouldn’t have slept here last night. I shouldn’t have even closed my eyes here without the chains and I did. I was selfish and I put you at risk.”

I shook my head and when I tried to get up from the bed again, he shook his head at me.

“Stay where you are, Aria. Please. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You are not going to.” I tried to explain but his mind was made up and I saw how disgusted he was with himself.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. But I have to go.” He said as he pulled on his shirt and before I could speak, he walked out of the room and slammed the door.

Roma’s POV

A f*****g nightmare.

I didn’t realize that I had not had one in weeks until this morning.

Maybe that was why I had been so relaxed and allowed myself to fall asleep, ruining what should have been a wonderful memory of a first time for Aria with the events of this morning.

I couldn’t even face her right now. Not without seeing that bruise on her neck from where I had tried to strangle her to death this morning.

And I could not watch her just forgive me for it like it meant nothing.

Because it meant something.

I knew that I was in love with Aria Ajello.

I didn’t think it was even possible but she had taken the black broken pieces of a heart that I didn’t even know existed any longer and made it into something that was deserving of love.

And I didn’t even deserve it.

I could not even sleep on the same bed with her without worrying about holding her throat or waking up to her dead body.

I remembered what the nightmare was about.

It was a long forgotten memory. A painful one. But a memory that existed no matter how many times I tried to bury it.

It was the night I challenged my father to a duel and killed him.

It was the night I had caught him trying to rape my pregnant mate. And he would have succeeded if I had not gotten there in time.

The only problem was that this nightmare had taken all the parts of the memory and changed something vital.

The only problem was that this nightmare had taken all the parts of the memory and changed something vital.

Because in this nightmare when I barged into the room and found my mate’s clothes torn to shreds and my father on top of her, the face that looked back at me was not Selene’s.

It was Aria’s.

Rubbing at my temples in frustration, I sent a message to Scian, telling her what I had done and asking her to please care for Aria.

The door to my study opened and Raphael walked inside, his brows raised as he looked at me.

“I can smell her on you, brother.” He said and the news was supposed to give me joy because if he could smell her on me, then my scent would linger on her for a while, scaring away anyone who would try to touch her.

But instead, it caused me agony. Because I was terrified that I had started repeating a cycle that had happened before.

It made me worried that history was about to repeat itself again. And that something was going to take Aria away from me. Just like how I had lost Selene.

“The Blue moon pack Alpha is not pleased that you killed his emissary. He demands a reason for that. Or he will not let it go.”

Looking at Raphael, I realized that I had no other choice. It was already too late to fight with fate and I could not let Aria go no matter what.

“Tell him the truth. He hurt my woman.”

Raphael’s eyes widened in shock.

“You’ve marked her?”

“No” And I had no intention of doing so.

But I would figure out the rest later. Right now, I needed to make sure that Aria was protected and it had to start with me admitting to everyone who she was. Because I would not be able to protect her alone.

“Make the announcement. She’s no longer a maid. All her debts are settled. She’s now the Lady of the Mansion. I’m not going to force her on the pack and no one can know she’s my mate but I am acknowledging her as my woman. That should be enough to make the Alpha back off, won’t it?”

“Indeed. But Roma, I must ask you again. Are you ready for this?”

There was only answer.

“Yes.”