Soulbound

Violated

The world felt strangely distant as Isabella ran through the woods, her heart hammering in her chest. The rain had softened to a steady drizzle, the ground beneath her feet slick with mud, but she hardly noticed. Her thoughts were a blur, the cold wind whipping her hair around her face as she struggled to process everything that had happened. The man she had once loved—the man she had trusted with her life—was a monster. And now, that monster was chasing her.

She had made it nearly a mile from the estate before her legs finally gave out, and she collapsed against the trunk of a large oak tree, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She could feel the panic rising in her chest, threatening to overwhelm her, but she fought it down. She couldn't afford to lose control now. Not when Vincent could appear at any moment.

The sound of footsteps behind her made her blood turn to ice.

"Isabella," Vincent's voice came through the trees, calm, unhurried, as though they were merely playing a game of hide and seek. "You can't run from me."

She scrambled to her feet, heart pounding as she searched for any escape. But the forest was dense, the trees towering above her, their branches twisting together like a dark canopy overhead. She had no sense of direction, no idea where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away.

But there was no getting away from Vincent.

His voice was closer now, just beyond the trees. "I told you, I don't want to hurt you. But you're not leaving me any choice."

The fear that had been gnawing at her since she'd discovered the truth about him erupted into pure terror. She turned and ran, her body moving on instinct, her feet slipping and sliding in the mud as she plunged deeper into the woods. The branches scratched at her arms, the cold rain soaking her to the bone, but none of it mattered. All that mattered was escape.

She could hear him now, moving silently through the trees, the way only a predator could. His footsteps were barely audible, but they were there, keeping pace with her every move.

And then he was in front of her.

Isabella skidded to a halt, her breath catching in her throat as she came face to face with Vincent. He stood in her path, his clothes soaked from the rain, his eyes dark and unreadable. There was no trace of the charming man she had fallen in love with, no hint of the warmth he had once shown her. He was cold now, calculating, his gaze fixed on her with the intensity of a predator eyeing its prey.

"Stop," he said softly, almost a whisper. "This isn't what I wanted, Isabella. But you're leaving me no choice."

She backed away, her heart racing, but Vincent moved too quickly. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of her again, his hand gripping her wrist with an iron strength.

"Let me go!" she screamed, trying to pull away, but his grip only tightened.

"I can't do that," Vincent said, his voice low, almost regretful. "I tried to protect you. I tried to keep you safe. But you've seen too much now. If the Council finds out you've run, they'll kill you. I won't let that happen."

"Then let me go!" Isabella pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to be a part of this. I don't want any of this!"

"I can't let you go," Vincent said again, his grip unyielding. "Not now."

And then, with a speed that left her breathless, he pulled her closer, his face inches from hers. His eyes, once so familiar, were now filled with a hunger she had never seen before. She could see the sharpness of his fangs as he spoke, his breath warm against her skin.

"You'll understand, eventually," he whispered, his voice almost tender. "You'll see that this is for the best."

Before Isabella could scream, before she could even react, Vincent sank his fangs into her neck.

Pain exploded through her body, a searing agony that burned through her veins like fire. She tried to fight, tried to push him away, but her limbs were growing heavy, her vision blurring. She could feel her blood being drawn from her, feel the life draining out of her as Vincent held her close. Her heartbeat slowed, her breaths coming in shallow gasps, and for a moment, she thought this was it. This was how she would die.

But then something changed.

As the last remnants of her human life slipped away, a new sensation took hold of her—a cold, creeping numbness that spread through her body like ice. It started in her chest, then moved outward, filling her limbs, her mind, her soul. It was a feeling of emptiness, of being hollowed out, as if everything that had once made her who she was—her thoughts, her memories, her emotions—was being stripped away.

She wanted to scream, to fight, but her body wouldn't respond. She could feel her heartbeat slowing to a crawl, her lungs barely pulling in air. The world around her seemed to fade, the sounds of the rain and the wind growing distant, muffled, until there was nothing but silence.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the pain stopped.

Isabella lay still in Vincent's arms, her body limp, her eyes wide open but unseeing. For a moment, everything was still. The rain fell softly around them, the trees swayed gently in the wind, but to Isabella, it was as if the world had ceased to exist.

She was aware of Vincent lifting her, cradling her in his arms as he carried her deeper into the forest. She wanted to scream at him, to claw at him, but her body wouldn't obey. She was trapped, paralyzed, caught in the limbo between life and death.

And then, slowly, the numbness began to fade.

It started as a tingling in her fingers, then spread up her arms, through her chest, her legs. Her vision cleared, and the sounds of the world returned—the patter of rain, the rustle of leaves, the steady thud of Vincent's footsteps on the ground.

She blinked, her mind sluggish, as if waking from a deep sleep. Her body felt different—stronger, lighter, but also... wrong. She could feel the ground beneath her, but it no longer felt solid. Her skin no longer felt warm. Her heartbeat, once so steady and comforting, was gone.

She was no longer human.

Vincent stopped, laying her down gently on a soft patch of moss beneath an old oak tree. He knelt beside her, his face filled with something that looked like regret.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the rain. "I didn't want to do this. But it was the only way."

Isabella stared up at him, her mind still struggling to process what had happened. Her body felt strange—too light, too cold. Her senses were sharper now, every sound amplified, every smell more intense. She could hear the distant rustle of animals in the forest, the faint crackle of electricity in the air. But all of it felt... wrong.

She sat up slowly, her movements stiff and awkward, like she was learning to use her body for the first time. Her fingers brushed against her neck, where Vincent's bite had been, but the skin was smooth, unbroken.

"What did you do to me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Vincent didn't meet her gaze. "I saved you."

Isabella's eyes burned with tears, but she couldn't cry. Her body wouldn't let her. She wasn't human anymore.

"You turned me into a monster," she said, her voice trembling with a fury she could barely contain.

Vincent reached out, but she pulled away, scrambling to her feet. "Isabella, please. I—"

"Don't touch me!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the forest. "You took everything from me!"

Vincent stood, his face filled with regret, but Isabella didn't care. She was no longer the woman she had been. She was something else now—something darker, something more powerful.

And she hated it.