Tamed By Darkness: When The Beast Comes To Protect

Bella

My body trembled as I sat on the icy pavement, the chill biting into my thin, tattered clothes. I hadn’t eaten in days, and my strength was ebbing away with each passing moment. I curled my arms around my knees, shivering as the cold wind seeped through every threadbare layer. The night was eerily quiet, the city’s usual hum dulled by the freezing weather.

People walked by, their faces turned away, pretending I didn’t exist. The few who acknowledged me did so with sneers or whispers, their mocking laughter echoing in the empty corners of my heart. Each glance and cruel word chipped away at the fragile remnants of my dignity.

How did it come to this?

I wasn’t always like this—hungry, homeless, and utterly lost. There was a time when I loved my life. I had dreams, laughter, and a sense of purpose. But all of that vanished the day he came into my life.

The man I once thought I loved.

I shook my head, trying to push away the memories, but they surged forward with relentless force. I had been a fool, blinded by his charm and sweet words. He told me I was beautiful, precious, the only one who mattered to him. For a while, I believed it. I clung to his every word, even when his actions told a different story.

Even when he cheated, I forgave him. Even when he raised his hand, I made excuses. "He’s just stressed," I’d tell myself. "He doesn’t mean it."

But the night he stood there, smirking as his friends pinned me down, was the night something in me shattered forever.

I escaped that night, slipping away while he was passed out drunk, and I’ve been running ever since. From him. From his friends. From the life that had once seemed so full of promise but had turned into a nightmare.

Now, here I was, cold, hungry, and desperate, yet strangely freer than I’d felt in years. The price of freedom, it seemed, was everything else.

A gust of wind blew through the alley, making me shiver harder. I tightened my grip on my knees, pressing my back against the cold brick wall. My eyes fluttered shut, and for a moment, I allowed myself to dream of warmth—of a bed, a hot meal, maybe even a future where I wasn’t constantly looking over my shoulder.

But reality came crashing back as I heard footsteps approaching. Heavy boots clacked against the pavement, growing louder with each step. My heart quickened. I kept my head down, hoping they would pass me by.

The footsteps stopped in front of me.

“Bella,” a voice drawled, sending a chill down my spine that had nothing to do with the weather.

No. Not him.

I looked up slowly, my stomach twisting into knots. There he was, standing over me with that same smug smile that haunted my nightmares. His dark eyes roamed over me, and I could see the sick satisfaction in them.

“Found you,” he said softly, crouching down to my level. “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?”

I didn’t answer. My throat was dry, and every instinct in my body screamed at me to run, but I was frozen in place.

He reached out, brushing a strand of dirty hair from my face. I flinched at his touch, but he didn’t pull back. Instead, his fingers lingered, trailing down my cheek.

“You’ve let yourself go,” he said, his voice tinged with mock pity. “Look at you. Skin and bones. Wearing rags. This isn’t the Bella I remember.”

I pressed myself harder against the wall, trying to put even a fraction of space between us.

“And yet,” he continued, leaning closer, “you’re still mine.”

His words were a knife to my heart. Mine. The word echoed in my head, and with it came a flood of memories—his possessiveness, his control, his relentless need to remind me that I belonged to him.

Not anymore.

I forced myself to move, shoving his hand away. “Leave me alone,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

His smile didn’t falter. If anything, it grew wider. “Leave you alone?” he repeated, laughing softly. “Oh, Bella. Don’t you see? You can’t escape me. You’re mine, and you always will be.”

I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. “You don’t own me,” I said, my voice stronger this time. “You never did.”

His smile vanished. In an instant, his hand shot out, gripping my chin tightly. “Don’t test me,” he snarled, his face inches from mine. “I’ve been patient with you, but my patience has limits.”

Fear coursed through me, but somewhere beneath it was a spark of defiance. I had spent too long being afraid, too long letting him control me. Not anymore.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice trembling. “I’ll come with you. Just… please don’t hurt me.”

His grip loosened, and he smirked, clearly pleased with my apparent surrender. “That’s better,” he said, stroking my cheek. “See? Things are always easier when you behave.”

I nodded, lowering my gaze to hide the hatred burning in my eyes. As his hand dropped to his side, I took my chance.

Without warning, I lashed out, kicking him as hard as I could between the legs.

He doubled over with a pained grunt, and I didn’t wait to see what he’d do next. I scrambled to my feet and ran, my legs screaming in protest as I pushed them harder than I ever had before.

“Bella!” he roared behind me, but his voice grew fainter with each step I took.

The street blurred around me as tears filled my eyes, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.

Suddenly, headlights blinded me, and the screech of tires filled the air. I turned too late, and the impact sent me sprawling to the ground.

Pain exploded through my body, but as darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, a strange sense of peace washed over me.

Maybe this was it. The end. The end of fear, of pain, of running.

As my eyes fluttered shut, a single thought crossed my mind.

If this is the end, at least I fought back.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, I smiled.