Chapter 5 Beast
Five
Beast
Belle’s finally asleep. Actually sleeping, not the whimpering half-consciousness she’s been drifting in and out of between rounds of heat. Her body is soft against mine, her full curves pressed into my fur, one of her delicate hands curled against my chest.
Three days. Three days of heat, knotting, claiming. Three days of her screaming my name, begging for more, taking everything I gave her and still wanting more.
My perfect little omega.
Mine. The thought makes my chest swell with fucking bliss. The bond between us is strong now. It’s like a golden thread connecting our souls, pulsing with warmth and power.
She chose me. Her Beast. Her monster.
I’m never letting go.
I run a careful claw through her hair, marveling at the softness of her thick curls. At the trust it takes for her to sleep like this, completely vulnerable in my arms.
“Sire?” Gideon’s voice is barely a whisper from where he’s mounted on the wall. “Is our lady…?”
“Sleeping,” I rumble quietly. “Her heat broke about an hour ago.”
“Thank God,” Louise’s voice chimes from the tea service on the side table, making me roll my eyes. “I was running out of energy tonics. Do you have any idea how hard it is to brew stamina potions for three days straight?”
So dramatic.
“Almost as hard as listening to them go at it for three days,” Felix adds from the mantle. The clock sounds traumatized. “Seventy-two hours. I counted. That’s two hundred and sixteen…”
“We don’t need the math, Felix,” Rosalie cuts him. The mirror on the wall shimmers. “What matters is that our lady survived her first heat with her mate.”
“Barely,” Gideon snorts. “I’ve been in battles that were less intense.”
I bare my fangs at the sword.
“I think it’s romantic,” Adrien pipes in. The candlestick flickers from the top of the dresser. “True mates, finding each other. Well, it had to be… vigorous.”
“Vigorous,” Louise snorts. “That’s one word for it.”
“Hey, I offered contraceptives,” Adrien adds. “Multiple times! But nooo…”
“He’s breeding her,” Gideon interrupts him, putting an emphasis on the word breeding. “That’s the whole point.”
I chuckle and tune out my ridiculous staff. They’ve been stuck with me in this damn curse, through no fault of their own, so I understand their excitement. I know how hard our time locked in this palace, in their object forms, has been. And I pray my mate choosing me will be the end of it.
I focus on Belle’s breathing. It’s deep and steady.
Her scent smells different now. It’s no longer the overwhelming sweetness of her heat, but something richer, warmer. Maybe even more intoxicating. Because now her sweet vanilla bean aroma is mixed with mine. It has an unmistakable deep, wild undertone.
“She’s good for you,” Rosalie says quietly. “Never saw you like this. Even before.”
I grunt, then look down at the perfect creature who walked into my castle and turned my entire world upside down.
“Sire,” Louise starts again, more carefully this time. “What happens when she wakes up? When the heat clears and she’s thinking rationally again?”
Silence falls over the room. The servants exchange glances.
Finally, Rosalie adds, “We just want you to be prepared in case…”
My heart squeezes with a pain so sharp it cuts my breath, but then Belle stirs, making a small sound, and I instantly relax as she settles back into sleep.
“Someone’s whipped,” Gideon mutters.
“Someone’s about to be a wall decoration in the dungeon,” I growl at him.
“But we don’t have a dungeon, my lord.”
“I’ll make one just for you, Captain.”
“Kinky.”
Before I can respond, Belle shifts again. This time her eyes flutter open, at first unfocused and sleepy. Fucking adorable. And still utterly fuckable…
“Pierre?” Her voice is raspy from screaming and still laced with sleep.
“I’m right here, my little omega.” I brush a curl away from her face. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I was fucked by a Beast for days,” she says through a hoarse chuckle.
From across the room, I hear Gideon mutter, “Because you were.”
Belle’s still too out of it to pay attention to the talking sword. She just burrows closer into me, her hand sliding up to my chest, fingers threading through my fur.
“Thirsty,” she mumbles. “And hungry. And sore. And…”
“And?” I prompt when she trails off.
“Horny.”
Every servant in the room groans.
“How,” Felix demands. “HOW are you still horny? The heat broke! Science says…”
“Science doesn’t account for true mates,” Rosalie interrupts. “Their bond amplifies everything.”
“Oh great,” Louise mutters. “Wonderful. Should I start brewing more tonics now?”
Belle’s eyes are fully open now; she’s staring up at me with that heated look I know very well by now.
“Hi,” she croaks.
“Hi yourself,” I rumble back.
She stretches, wincing a bit.
Then she notices my staff watching us.
“Oh on her body, my god.” She pulls the sheet up higher. “How long have you all been there?”
“The entire time, my lady,” Adrien says cheerfully. “We live here.”
“The entire…you heard…”
“Everything,” Gideon confirms. “In great detail. You’re very vocal.”
Belle buries her face in my fur, and I shoot Gideon a warning look, paired with a low snarl.
“What the sword means,” Rosalie intervenes smoothly, “is that we’re delighted you survived your first heat, my lady. And we’re honored to welcome you as the mistress of the castle.”
Belle peeks out. “Mistress?”
“You’re our Master’s true mate,” Louise adds.
“I’m a merchant’s daughter from a tiny village.”
“You’re an omega who tamed a Beast,” Rosalie counters.
Belle looks up at me, and I see something soft and uncertain in her pretty brown eyes. “Tamed?”
“Absolutely not.” I nip at her shoulder. “I’m still very wild.”
“Could’ve fooled me. You’ve been very…”
“Very what?”
“Sweet.”
The servants all lose it. Gideon’s laughing so hard he’s shaking on the wall.
“Sweet?” I question in mock-offense. “I’m a Beast, my lady.”
“A sweet Beast.” Belle’s grinning, all uncertainty gone from her expression.
“I’m going to fuck you so hard you forget how to form words.”
She laughs when I start tickling her. And of course, we begin kissing again. Heated, hungry and fucking perfect.
“Oh no,” Felix moans. “Not again.”
“Yes, again,” I growl against Belle’s mouth. “Everyone out!”
“But…”
“Out!” My roar resonates through the entire floor.
They don’t need to be told again. Gideon floats away, still snickering. The bastard. And the others follow.
When the door finally closes, I turn my full attention to my mate.
She’s already pulling at the sheet, her gorgeous eyes dark with want.
“Your heat’s over, Belle,” I say with dread in my chest. “You don’t have to…”
“I know.” She holds my gaze, pushing the soft fabric completely away, revealing her generous curves and velvety skin. I stare, fascinated to see that even its dark tone can’t hide the marks of my teeth and claws. “I want to.”
Fuck.
I don’t even try to be gentle. Just roll her under me and bury myself deep inside her glorious cunt in one long, perfect stroke.
She cries out, her back arching, and wraps her legs around me.
“Yes,” she gasps. “God yes, Pierre…”
We end up fucking for hours with no heat driving us. No biology forcing our wild hunger. Just true mates, wanting and needing each other more than our next breath.
When we finally collapse…sweaty, satisfied, thoroughly wrecked…I pull her close and hold her.
“This is insane,” she mumbles against my chest.
“What is?”
“This. Us. Everything.” She tilts her head to look at me. And I let myself drown in her ravished beauty. “Three days ago I was riding here to save my father. Now I’m…”
“Mine,” I finish. “Now you’re mine.”
“Yeah.” She smiles softly. “Yours.”
My chest swells. She’s mine. She chose me. She’s staying.
The curse is as good as broken.
I start dreaming our future… how I’ll spoil her, the life we’ll have together in our castle. Maybe we’ll even venture out eventually so I can show her the kingdoms I once ruled. How we’ll have pups. How fucking gorgeous she’ll be pregnant with them. Round and soft…
But when I look back down, I find Belle staring at nothing, her expression distant and maybe even a little sad.
“Belle?” My voice cracks a bit. “What’s wrong?”
She’s quiet for a beat. Then answers, “My father.”
Two words. That’s all it takes for my perfect fantasy to shatter.
“What about him?” I ask around the tightness in my throat.
“He’s alone with my siblings.” Her voice is so small it breaks my heart. “I was the only one taking care of him. He’s older, you know…”
She trails off, but I hear what she’s not saying.
She’s worried. About the father she left behind. The father she came here for.
“I just…” She swallows hard. “I’d like to check on him. Make sure he’s okay.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Because I know what’s coming next. She’s going back. And if she goes back… Our bond. Everything I just found, just claimed as mine…it will all disappear.
But when I look at Belle’s face, I can clearly tell she’s worried. There’s guilt and conflict written all over her lovely features. And I know I’ll do whatever’s in my power to erase that.
“Okay,” I hear myself say. “We’ll check on him.”
She looks up at me, surprise and relief taking over her sad expression. “Really?”
“Really.” I force myself to grin.
Belle throws her arms around my neck, covering my face with kisses. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
I hold her close and try not to think about what I’m risking. Try not to imagine her choosing her father over us. Choosing her old life over the one we could have together.
She’s mine, I tell myself. Our bond is strong. She’ll come back.
She has to. Because if she doesn’t… I don’t finish the thought. Can’t.
Instead, I hold my mate tight and pretend I’m not terrified of losing her.