Beast
He’d spent most of this past year running—a lone wolf, quiet, keeping to the roads, and minding his own business.
But standing in Savage’s office with Belle looking small and tense against the wall, something dark and unfamiliar settled in his chest. It was a possessive, protective anger he didn’t try to talk himself out of because Belle allowed him to be that way with her.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to drag anyone into it, and I thought if I ignored him long enough, he’d get bored and move on. But yeah, he’s been sitting outside of my house most nights.”
Belle swallowed and looked away, guilt flickering across her face. “I didn’t want to make things worse. Shane kept to himself for the most part, as long as I ignored him. But what if ignoring him has made this whole thing worse?”
Belle’s eyes lifted to his, soft and vulnerable, and it was getting harder to tamp down the anger that he was feeling. He wanted just five minutes alone with Shane, but he had a feeling that Belle’s ex was a slippery asshole who wouldn’t give any of them the chance to get to him.
“Listen to me,” Beast said, voice dropping into a tone he rarely used. “You’re not going back to that house tonight.”
Belle’s brows pulled together. “Beast, I’ll be fine.”
“No.” He stepped even closer, towering over her in a way he didn’t mean to but didn’t back down from.
“He knows where you sleep. That’s a line that doesn’t get ignored.
” Her throat bobbed, and Beast could practically see the wheels turning in her mind.
It all flashed across her features—fear, pride, stubbornness, all of it.
“You can stay here,” he continued. “At the bar. Savage won’t mind. Or—” He hesitated. Just for a second know that he was probably crossing a line if he said what he was about to. But with Belle, there didn’t seem to be any lines. “I’ll stay with you.” Belle blinked up at him, seeming stunned.
Beast went on before she could overthink it. “Either I stay at your place, or you stay at the bar with me. It’s your choice. But you’re not sleeping alone tonight. Not while that asshole’s lurking around.”
She wrapped her arms around herself like she was holding in both fear and relief. “You don’t have to be so nice to me, Beast. You barely know me. You shouldn’t get involved with my mess. You’ll be leaving town in a day or so, and I need to learn how to handle this problem on my own.”
Beast’s jaw clenched. “That’s bullshit, Belle. I’m not leaving town until I know that you’re safe. It doesn’t matter if my tires get fixed; I’m staying until Shane isn’t a problem anymore. You’re in trouble, and I want to help.”
“But why?” she whispered. “Why help me like this?”
Beast stared at her, and the way her eyes shimmered with vulnerability.
She clearly hated letting anyone see that side of her.
He wasn’t a man who got tangled up with strangers.
He wasn’t a man who usually gave a damn about someone he just met.
But there was something about Belle, and here he was, getting involved in her life more than he probably should have.
Because something about Belle made him want to plant his feet for the first time in years.
“Because you deserve to feel safe,” Beast said simply. “And because I’m not leaving you to handle a stalker ex alone.”
Belle’s breath hitched. “Okay,” she said softly. “Would you mind staying at my house? I’d have to go home to grab some stuff to stay at the bar, so it would just be easier if you came to my place.” Beast nodded as relief surged through him—unexpected and fierce.
“Sounds good.” His voice rumbled. “Then I’ll grab my things, and we can head out when you’re ready.”
Belle’s lips parted. “Beast—”
He cut her a look, firm but gentle. “I’m not letting you out of my sight until Savage figures out what the hell we’re dealing with.”
Belle exhaled, some of the tension finally leaving her shoulders.
“Thank you.” He watched her for another heartbeat, making sure that she was good.
Then Beast stepped back, but only a little.
Because staying by her side felt like the first right decision he’d made in a long damn time, right behind the decision to keep her safe from her ex.
Beast didn’t let himself breathe until they stepped out of Savage’s office, and even then, the air was tight in his chest—coiled, heavy, and protective.
Belle walked beside him, her shoulders drawn in, her braid brushing lightly over the back of her jacket.
She looked calm enough on the outside, but Beast had learned how to read people from a thousand miles of asphalt and more truck stops than he cared to count.
Belle wasn’t calm—he could feel it in his bones.
And she wouldn’t be until this Shane shit was handled.
Savage passed them in the hallway, his phone already out, speaking in clipped tones to Bolt about rerouting a couple of brothers to keep watch outside the bar. “You two go,” Savage said, eyes hard. “Grab what you need from Belle’s house. Don’t take long. I’ll have eyes on you the whole way.”
“Actually, Belle thinks that it would be easier for us both to stay at her house,” Beast said.
Belle nodded, though Beast could tell she didn’t like relying on anyone—not even the club she’d worked for, laughed with, and cared about for years.
Pride was a hell of a thing in people who’d had to survive on their own.
Beast understood that better than she knew.
“You good with staying with her?” Savage asked Beast. He didn’t want to have to explain the need he felt to take care of Belle.
Other guys might not understand or think that he was only after one thing with the pretty bartender—sex.
But he wasn’t after her for that. Well, not only that.
He wanted to protect her, and for some reason, he wanted to be with her, in her space.
“I’m good with it,” Beast said.
“Great, then I’ll have the guys move over to your house to keep an eye on things. If Shane shows up at your place, the Royal Bastards will take care of him. You stay in the house and stay safe,” Savage ordered.
“I’ll sit on her if I have to,” Beast said. “But her asshole ex will get nowhere near her.”
“Good man,” Savage grumbled, clapping Beast’s shoulder. “I know that we might have gotten off on the wrong foot and that we barely know each other, but I appreciate you stepping in to help us with this problem.”
“You mean, my problem?” Belle reminded.
“I don’t have to remind you about everything that I said earlier, do I?
” Savage asked. “You’re part of this club, and that makes Shane our problem, not just yours.
” Belle nodded, but Beast could tell that she was holding back with Savage, not saying what she wanted to say.
Did she still feel like a burden around him?
He’d never want her to feel that way, especially with him.
“You two need to get going then,” Savage said. “I’ll call Bolt and tell him about the change of plans. Be safe and check in every eight hours, got it?”
“Got it,” Belle said, giving him a mock salute. Beast wanted to laugh, but thought better of it, judging by how serious the two were as they stared each other down.
They stepped outside, and Belle hesitated for a moment before heading toward his rig. “We’re taking your car,” he said gently. “My rig is still down, and I’m not sure that you’ll want her parked in front of your house.”
“Her,” Belle repeated.
He shrugged, “Yeah, I guess it’s like when guys name their cars after women. I call my rig Gloria.”
Belle nodded at the truck, trying not to laugh as she said, “Nice to meet you, Gloria.” She placed her small hand into his own, and Beast felt as though his world might stop spinning.
It was the first time she had initiated touching him, and it made him feel things that he hadn’t felt for a damn long time.
“Come on,” she ordered. Belle unlocked her small, older sedan without argument and handed Beast the key.
“You drive,” she said, sliding inside the passenger seat.
Beast was in the driver’s seat before she’d even buckled her belt.
He scanned the lot, from the tree line to the road.
Every shadow looked like a threat to him now.
Or maybe he was just pissed enough to see things that way.
“You should know that I haven’t named my car,” she teased, smiling over at him.
“Good to know. I’m sure that we can come up with a name for her over dinner,” he said.
“Now, how do I get to your place?” He was all business right now, but he liked her playfulness—he’d like to see just how far that extended once he got her back to her place.
But for now, he was going to have to keep an eye on things to keep them both safe.
The ride to her house was quiet at first, and that worked for him because he needed to keep his eyes on the road and their surroundings.
Belle kept her eye on the road too, like someone who was used to keeping her eyes on her mirrors, and the realization twisted something hot and ugly in Beast’s gut.
He hated that she had lived like that for weeks and didn’t tell anyone, but he needed to remember that they had only met each other yesterday.
If they had met sooner, he would have made sure that she was safe.
“How long’s he been watching you?” Beast asked finally. He already knew the answer, but he was trying to make conversation.
Belle’s fingers fidgeted on her lap. “A few weeks.”
“You ever see him outside your house?” he asked. She didn’t answer at first, and that was answer enough.
“Belle,” Beast said softly, “I need to know.”
She swallowed. “Yeah. He was out there twice that I know of.” Beast’s knuckles cracked as he flexed his hands on the wheel. The idea of Shane lurking around her home, watching her come and go, watching her sleep alone—it had Beast seeing red.
“You should’ve told someone,” he said, voice strained.
“I know.” Her voice was small. “I just didn’t want to make a fuss. I told you and Savage that I didn’t want to cause anyone trouble.”
Beast looked at her, really looked. She wasn’t weak—she just hadn’t allowed anyone to be in her corner. Until now. It was probably a big deal that she was allowing him into her problems, and he needed to remember that—not scold her.
When they turned onto her street, Beast’s entire body locked into alert.
It was a quiet neighborhood with small houses, wide yards, and the kind of place people chose when they wanted something peaceful.
Beast didn’t like it. Neighborhoods like this always spelled trouble.
There were too many blind spots that made it too easy for someone to hide in the shadows.
And it was much too easy to watch from a parked car without being noticed by anyone.
He pulled into her driveway and was out of the car before cutting the engine. He scanned the yard, porch, and windows, along with the tree line behind the fence. Beast saw no movement and no sign of Shane. But Beast didn’t trust that for a second.
He got back into the car and cut the engine. “Let me go in first,” he said. Belle opened her mouth like she was about to argue, she seemed stubborn like that, but she shut it again when she saw his face. He waited for her to nod her agreement, and that was all he needed.
Beast got out of the car and grabbed his duffel bag from the back seat.
He grabbed Belle’s hand, and they went up the front steps silently; his every sense was on high alert.
The door was locked, with no signs of forced entry, which was a good sign.
But he still pushed inside slowly, checking around corners, moving through each room with controlled precision.
With his background in security, it wasn’t his first time clearing a space.
When he came back to the doorway, Belle stood in the entryway, chewing her bottom lip as she watched him. “It’s clear,” Beast said, “for now.”
Belle stepped further inside her house and exhaled slowly, like she’d been holding her breath since they left the parking lot. “Um, is it alright to use the bathroom?” she asked.
“You don’t have to ask me to do stuff in your own home,” he insisted.
“Okay, I’m just out of my element here. I’m not used to having someone in my space. Not since—” she hesitated, but he knew that she was going to say Shane, but he was thankful that she refrained from doing so.
“You go do what you need to do, and I’ll message Savage that we made it here in one piece,” Beast offered.
She disappeared down the hallway to where he had seen the master bedroom.
He stood there, listening to the quiet creaks of the house, the faint hum of the fridge, the soft steps of Belle moving around her bedroom.
His chest tightened as he looked around.
The place was small—cozy, and lived-in. Family pictures hung on the wall.
There was a candle on the table, and a damn throw blanket over the back of the couch.
It was the opposite of his empty rig that he called home, and for some reason, it made something inside of him ache.
Belle returned wearing a pair of pajamas that had Santa all over them, and he couldn’t help his smile. Beast ran his hand down her arm. “I like these,” he said. He actually liked them more than he should.
“Thanks,” she said. “I didn’t go crazy decorating for Christmas.
I just have the tree,” she said, nodding to the Christmas tree that sat in the back corner of her small family room.
As they stood there, Beast paused and looked down at her.
She looked scared out of her mind, and he couldn’t fault her for that.
“You okay?” he asked. It was a silly question, but one he felt necessary to ask.
“I don’t feel safe in my own home. I wouldn’t be able to stay here—not alone,” she admitted.
“You’re not alone,” Beast said, voice dropping lower. “Not tonight, and not until this is over.”
Belle’s breath caught, her fingers brushing his jacket sleeve in a small, hesitant touch. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Beast didn’t move, and he didn’t dare breathe. He refused to look away from her. “You don’t have to thank me,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere.” He had no plans on leaving her—not tonight, and not while she needed him. And maybe—not for a while after that.