Sold To The Demon Alpha
Chapter 58

Aria’s POV

“What do you mean, become human?” The moment I asked the question, I realized that I was being intentionally obtuse.

Because Raphael was a werewolf and this meant that this Beast, whoever he was, was human.

The Beast abandoned the bag and came back to stand beside me and when I flinched, it looked almost sad.

And that was when I noticed the difference between the creature and the ferals that I had seen.

There was a piercing intelligence in those red eyes that stared at me that the ferals lacked. Something that was human.

“Why doesn’t it want to hurt me? But it wants to hurt you and it killed all of those wolves?” I asked Raphael and he merely shrugged.

“How about we ask the son of a b***h when he turns that question?”

The Beast turned and snarled at Raphael and when he chuckled in response, I wondered how he wasn’t terrified about that. Then again, it might be because of his sunny personality and the fact that he was a werewolf who could heal from serious injuries.

“And when is he going to turn?”

“I have no idea.” He replied but then his expression changed and he looked at me.

“Touch him.”

My mouth fell open in shock and I shook my head immediately when I saw that he was serious.

“You’re joking. Tell me you’re joking.”

“Unfortunately, I am not. It will surprise you what might happen when you do.”

I looked at the Beast watching me by my feet and looked back at Raphael who had a smile on his face.

“This isn’t funny.”

“No. It isn’t. I’m surprised to witness this. And I can’t wait to tell him when he turns that his theory was right. Now, touch his fur. Gently.”

“I don’t think he will appreciate something like that.”

“Says the person who has a gigantic wolf laying at her feet and giving her those eyes. Breathe. And touch him.”

I swallowed nervously and tried to remain calm.

Raphael was up there and even though Roma was nowhere to be found, he was right.

The Beast had done absolutely nothing but stare at me and not long ago, I had been a first hand witness of exactly what it was capable of and how it had not extended the same courtesy it did with me to Raphael even though Raphael seemed to know who he was.

Still being alive after everything I had just witnessed was a miracle.

I released a harsh breath and closed one eye as I reached out to touch his fur and the first word that came to mind was soft.

As soft as silk.

Reaching into my pocket for my handkerchief, I cleaned its bloody snout and face, breathing hard as I tried to think of it like I was caring for a pet and not a wild beast.

When I was done, he rubbed up against me and when I looked at Raphael, he nodded.

“Will you tell me who he is?” I asked Raphael and just as he was about to speak, the Beast growled and moved away from me.

I moved back, worried that something was wrong but could only watch in fear as bones cracked and he started to take a human form. The form of a man that I knew.

If the shock of dark ebony hair did not give him away, those red eyes that turned pale blue did and my mouth fell open in shock.

Because where the Beast had been standing before was now a man on two feet.

And he was none other than Roma Ruggiero.

Roma’s POV

“I’m going to knock out your teeth, if you don’t stop smiling” I growled at Raphael as I paced the hallway of the infirmary while he watched me with amusement.

Of all the many times that I had brought Aria back to the infirmary to be treated, never had I been fearful of what would happen when she opened her eyes.

But this time was different.

Because she had passed out after seeing that I was the Beast.

“She was going to replace sooner or later. Plus, you didn’t exactly make it easy for me to extract her, with you guarding her like she was going to vanish if you so much as looked away.”

I paused and turned to look at him.

“I did?”

My memories when the Beast took over were murky at best but I had felt it when he saw her tonight. It had been like he had willingly let me see what he was seeing this time.

“And you were right. The only person the Beast does not care about ripping to pieces is her. You took one look at me and sent me hiding in a tree, fearing for my life.” He said the last part lightly but it didn’t lessen my guilt.

It didn’t change the fact that I was still a monster.

I could still smell the b***d of the ferals that I had killed and even though they had needed to be put down, it didn’t lessen the guilt that I ended a life. Every death was a stain on my already black soul.

“What do you think she’ll do when she wakes up?” I asked Raphael and his expression turned serious.

“You’ll have to give her time, Roma. It won’t be easy to accept it. Hell, she freaked out when I first turned in front of her. Still does whenever she sees someone turn into a werewolf but that’s because she is not like us. You, on the other hand are something different from us. You’ll have to give her time.”

I nodded and my mind went back to the horror I had felt when Salem had told me what she had done.

At how close I had come to losing Aria once again because of no one’s fault but mine.

“Where is Salem?” I asked Raphael and his face hardened.

“She’s currently staying at Carly’s cabin. Her aunt is one of the delegates that will be coming for the ball from her pack and she has asked to go with her for a few weeks or permanently. Depending on whatever you decide.”

I nodded and he patted my shoulder gently when he saw the guilt on my face.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Isn’t it? It’s always my fault, Rafa. I did this. If it wasn’t for me, Salem would have never done what she did. If I had been in the woods, a second later, I don’t want to imagine what would have happened to her.” I released a harsh breath when I felt my claws come out and closed my eyes, trying to remain calm.

The last thing anyone needed was another appearance of the Beast.

Scian came out of the room where Aria was in and when she looked at me, I swallowed nervously, my heart in my throat.

“How is she? Is she awake?”

Scian nodded.

I released the breath that I didn’t know I was holding and was about to touch the door knob when Scian held my hand and shook her head.

“Give her some time, Roma. Please.”

I heard the words that she didn’t say.

Like everyone else, Aria was terrified of me.