This is it! The very last chapter. I am so sorry it took so long to complete but I am ecstatic it's done! Because now the real work begins to self-publish this officially as my first novel!

My Ko-fi goal is 36% and I am SO grateful for all the ko-fi's, comments, messages, kudos, and all the love!

SMUT AHEAD! LEMON!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Searlus could not hide for long in my father's house. Eventually, word broke out that the King was in town, and we began to receive calls in heaps. His royal guard was quick to emerge from the shadows they had been hiding in. They surrounded our home the moment one of the servants finally loosened her tongue on a drunken evening at the local tavern. Searlus, of course, became quite stressed.

"You can't expect to hide forever, love," I admonished with a peck on his pouting mouth while we laid in bed.

He muttered something under his breath about having been successful at hiding for thirty-odd years until someone came along.

"Yes," I agreed, letting him know I heard him well enough. "But did you really escape your prison just to end up in another?"

He gave me a petulant shrug. "There is nowhere that can be a prison as long as you are with me."

"Bah!" I waved dismissively. "I'll start to drive you mad soon enough."

"Too late," he grumbled.

The wedding was beautiful. My father's and Anne's, I mean. We would have never announced our engagement before the happy day, of course. The bride and groom were the talks of the kingdom when it was announced that the King himself would be the one to officiate the ceremony. Papa was so thrilled, walking around with a dazed look and beaming smile on his face throughout the whole affair. Poor Searlus suffered from nerves the entire day until his part in it all was over, and we retired at a decent hour.

In jest, or maybe not, Papa begged us not to ruin his wedding night by making our usual "racket." Oh, if Searlus had no fur, we all would have seen a blush for sure. My sweet beast is easily flustered when it comes to our activities in the bedroom.

It took some time for Searlus to adjust to actual lovemaking and not just fucking me out of my senses. That was more than fine by me–believe me–for a time, but it has been rather lovely for both of us to be more present in the act. The brute can barely keep his hands off me, almost getting caught not acting very kingly several times by his subjects. I don't help matters as I do so love teasing him.

A month after my father's wedding, Searlus officially asked my father for my hand in marriage. Papa was kind enough to play along with the formalities, but once he caught Searlus alone much later, he tried to celebrate our engagement with his future son in law. My father obviously did not consider Searlus' size because he fully intended to drink the King under the table. Searlus ended up having to carry his unconscious, future father in law to bed. I am so happy that they've grown so close and get along so well!

Because the castle was nowhere near ready for our arrival, Searlus had more things sent from the castle to my father's home. Amongst those things was a wardrobe. Searlus told me that it had belonged to his mother and then me while I lived at the castle.

Such a gorgeous thing! I didn't know it was enchanted until I was alone with it for the first time in my room. It scared the dickens out of me! It wobbled to and fro, side to side, groaning and creaking, flapping its doors. I had stumbled away from it thinking it might explode! The whole household heard my scream. Searlus came to my rescue. Upon seeing the piece of furniture burying me in all manner of clothing, he doubled over, pointed and laughed at me. The wardrobe is enchanted, and was very excited to be reunited with me. I reacquainted myself with my old friend, whom I had no memory of.

For being a piece of furniture, it seemed so sentient. I made some light, awkward conversation because what can you possibly say to a wardrobe. I apologised to it that I could not remember our time together because I had lost all my memories.

It's whole demeanour dampened and drooped with a loud groan. But then, as if something just occurred to it, it started flapping its doors again. When it finally calmed down, it opened. I approached while it shook and groaned. I peered inside. There was nothing in it but a single book. I opened it and skimmed through the pages recognising my handwriting and sketches.

"This is mine," I whispered. The wardrobe creaked is its assent.

I sat down at my vanity and placed the book gingerly on the table. I turned to the very beginning and quickly became riveted. It was a diary! A diary with all of my memories, or some of the most important ones anyway, from my time at the castle! I could barely control my excitement.

Once I finished the first page, something odd and incredible happened!

Everything I had read on that page had somehow brought back the memory in my mind! I saw it all so clearly as if I never forgot in the first place. The more I read, the more came to me! I even recalled things that were not accounted for… like my abduction.

By the time I was finished reading my accounts, I was stunned with tears rolling down my face. I felt like I had just sewn together with a piece of me that was missing. I felt whole. And my feelings for Searlus grew even stronger, which I didn't think was possible.

The last few days in the castle had been difficult. After the incident in the courtyard, Searlus had locked himself up in his quarters. I had let a day go by, but he did not come to dinner, and I had to share a meal with those vile people. They were hideous, jeering and underhandedly insulting me–insulting the King! I excused myself and ran towards Searlus' room.

I begged and pleaded for him to come out, but he did not answer. I wondered if it was because he was ignoring me or because he wasn't in his room at all, and was actually in that infernal cage he had promised never to lock himself in again.

I tried for days to find the entrance to the tower, but it was as if the castle itself was leading me astray.

I grew very angry with Searlus. At one point, I went back to his door and shouted that he was a coward. It was not my finest moment, but I was so lonely, and he had left me there in the cold after what we shared that should have been special but turned out to be a bad memory.

I yelled at the locked door that he was being overdramatic, told him he was a brute, and I threatened that I would leave. I meant none of it. I hope he did not hear me.

I was not idle, however. To stay away from the evil guests in the castle, and to try and fix the main issue with our relationship, I spent a lot of time in Searlus' study. I poked around and snooped. When I came upon the handcuffs he had made, an idea came to me! I called on the enchanted mirror, not knowing exactly how it worked. Someone answered the call, a man named Cogsworth I had seen before. He is who I ordered to make my golden cuffs. I wondered whether he would listen to me at all since I was not exactly his superior, but he was actually very accommodating. He helped me take my measurements, and he wrote down everything I requested. The Goldsmith delivered it the very next day. Everything else I needed was in the castle, the stones, the books, and tools. I worked day and night until I finished my task.

I tried them on. When they worked for the first time, I cried with joy. I wanted to keep it a secret and surprise Searlus with them, but I had no idea when he would be coming out of his room! I decided to give him the space he needed instead of breaking the door down with my new invention.

One day, I decided to leave the King's Quarters to go for a walk. It had been days after all. Some fresh air, nature, was very much needed. It would be the greatest mistake I ever made because it was then, when I was alone in the forest, that three men came upon me. They forced something down my throat, and I lost consciousness.

I wasn't sure whether it was a nightmare or not, but I heard a mighty roar, full of anger and grief. It woke me, and I sobbed, then I was hit over the head, and everything went dark again. You know the rest.

It was dinner time when Anne knocked on my door. I composed myself and asked her where the King was. She said he had not arrived yet from a meeting. I waited near the door, pacing back and forth like a madwoman until I heard the royal carriage and the usual commotion that came with Searlus' arrival. I threw open the doors.

Searlus exited the carriage and beamed when he saw me but then grew severe. He must have seen my tears and yearning in my face, for he dismissed everyone at once. I was all but running when I threw myself into his arms.

"My love, what has happened?" he panicked.

I looked up at him, and those troubled emerald eyes ripped the truth from me in an instant. "I remember," I whispered. "Take us somewhere we can be alone."

Searlus furrowed his brow and frowned, but then his eyes grew wide, and his jaw dropped open with a gasp. "You remember... you remember your time at the castle?"

I nodded.

His eyes were fearful, and he was so stricken. I could not understand why, should it not have been good news? "Come so we can talk," he whispered and led me to the garden by the hand. We strolled quietly at first until Searlus found his voice. "Do you remember everything?"

"I think so."

I heard him swallow loudly. He sighed and halted to face me. "So you remember that night," his voice shook. "The night I," he looked at where he had marked me, "gave you that."

I nodded slowly. "I do."

Searlus looked away and sniffed. "You remember how I abandoned you." It was not a question. "I left you to the wolves," he swallowed down a sob and fisted his hands. "I've apologised before, but it meant nothing because you did not remember. So I will beg your forgiveness again." He knelt before me, holding my hands in his and staring up at me with those beautiful, sad eyes.

"You were right," he confessed with a strained tone. "I was a coward. For that, I lost you. I promised myself I would try to get you back. At first, I thought it was my selfishness that drove me, and I was fine with that to be terribly honest. Then all I could think about were your words of love and the loving gleam in your eyes when you looked upon me that had not been there when we first met. I believed you every time you told me that you love me, but soon enough, I would allow my insecurities to fill me with doubt. I have promised you that I would never doubt you again. Belle, please forgive me, my heart, my love."

"You silly beast," I smiled through my tears. "Of course, I forgive you. But it is not your fault I was taken from you. Searlus," I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. "You have no idea how much everything you've done since then means to me. I had already thought you brave for tearing down the gates but knowing–remembering what I remember now... I don't think there's a word in all the world to describe how brave you really are." I cupped his damp face in my hands and thumbed his tears away. "You broke through your chains on your own! I loved you then, and I love you now, that has not changed. You have my respect, my loyalty, and my love. And I am so, so very proud of you." I began to cry in earnest. In the few lucid moments I had before passing the threshold, I had hoped you would come for me… and you did!"

"But I was too late!" he cried. "I failed you."

I shook my head swiftly and scoffed. "Look around! We are here together. I have fallen in love with you twice now, and there is no one else for me. I am even more certain than ever that I belong at your side, wherever you go." I grinned wide. "Had this travesty not happened, we would not be here now."

I got down on my knees and wrapped my arms around him. We stayed there for some time, just breathing each other in and feeling the warmth of our embrace. I looked toward the main house and saw there was barely any light through the windows.

Then an idea occurred to me.

"We could do it again," I whispered. "Do it over. Do it right."

Searlus pulled away with a furrowed brow. "Do what again?"

I extricated myself and smiled up at him wickedly. "That night in the courtyard," I murmured.

Searlus took in a trembling breath. Even in the dark, I could see his eyes grow hungry with want. He looked around, and then he sniffed the air. "The closest guard is at the entrance," he muttered. He gazed down at me, desire written all over his face. "What do you want," he asked, breathless.

I fisted my hands in his shirt and pulled him close. I stared directly into his eyes. "I want you to take me here," I whispered back. "Let us do that night over again, but this time with a happy ending." I grinned and winked.

Searlus' breath became shallow, and I could feel a warmth coming off him from his mounting arousal. "Are you certain?" he asked again, boring holes into my eyes.

"Oh, yes. Please."

Searlus whipped his head around again to make sure no one was near. He sniffed the air once more, and then he growled low and deep. "We'll have to be quiet. The patrol is too close enough not to hear our usual… sounds."

I shivered with lust. "I don't care."

He hummed in approval. "Your cuffs?"

"Forget them. I trust you," I said as I pulled him into a passionate kiss.

He groaned and broke our kiss to look at the night sky. "At the very least, you'll be sore, my beauty."

I tugged him down to me again and crushed my lips to his. I demanded entrance with my tongue, and he complied eagerly. I broke the kiss and smirked. "Good. I wish to awake, knowing exactly what you've done to me."

In answer, he snarled and turned me over without warning. I felt his warm breath by my ear as he whispered, "I think about that night a lot—more than you can ever know. I'm filled with shame but mostly because... I liked it." He purred and nuzzled the side of my face. "I liked having you beneath me, with the smell of the earth and grass in your hair."

He grabbed onto my hips and pulled me toward him until my backside was flush with his hardness. Warmth pooled between my legs, and I moaned softly.

"I'm loathe to admit that I even enjoyed the scent of your fear." He purred and dragged his claws down my side. "Does that frighten you?" he rasped in my ear again, sending shivers through my whole being.

I shook my head in answer.

His paws reached my rear, and he kneaded into my cheeks almost painfully. "I liked the taste of your delicate flesh in my mouth." Dragging his hands back up my legs, Searlus pulled at the hem of my trousers. He didn't even bother unfastening them, he ripped them in half, exposing my undergarments. I gasped and yelped in surprise.

"Shush," he commanded while hooking his thumbs in my pants. "I liked your smell. You were so aroused, as you are now. Your scent alone drives me mad." He inhaled deeply and sighed with pleasure. "I liked the sounds you made, the soft cries into your hand. I was lost in desire, Belle. I lost control." He growled low and deep. "But even then, I knew you wanted me. Just the thought, lords above, drove me to seek my pleasure in you." He dragged my pants down slowly, and I felt the crisp air on my bare sex.

First, he teased me with his fingers, circling my folds slowly and softly. Too slow. Too soft. He was set to drive me mad because then I felt the first lap of his tongue, and I almost forgot to swallow my cry of pleasure. Even then, he did not pick up his pace. His languid and gentle licking had me pushing back into him for more, but he would only hold me fast and growl in warning. And that was something . I was a bit late to cover my mouth and smother my sob.

Searlus had enough mind to pause, to my chagrin, and listen for the guards. There must have been no change because he gripped my hips tighter and continued his task until I was whimpering into the earth.

I was dazed and out of my mind when Searlus pulled back, and I heard the rustling of his clothes. I breathed with my cheek pressed in the dirt and stray weeds. Then I felt the warm tip of his large cock align with my entrance, and I keened into my hand, it felt so incredible.

Searlus panted as he probed lightly. Although I had grown used to his size, he started slowly and made sure I was soaked with his slick before pushing in his tip. He barely held in his moan, but he managed. I did not.

Searlus hissed in my ear. "Silence," he said on a growl. "Or is it that you want to be heard?" He slid in further, and I felt the first uncomfortable stretch before I could grow accustomed to the intrusion. "No one would dare approach," he tempted, his voice hoarse and low. "No one would dare speak a word of it."

It was the most erotic thing we had done this far, and I loved it.

I shook my head. I wanted to be quiet. I wanted to feel like I couldn't let anyone else hear. It was exciting, and I dripped with anticipation.

Searlus drove forward again, and I clawed the ground while taking in a lung-full of air. "By the stars," he rasped and cursed. I felt his claws dig into my hips as he rocked forward once more, completely seating himself. Neither one of us could hold down a groan of pleasure. He didn't move. He stayed there and spoke again, cupping one of my breasts and teasing it. "To think," he breathed, "that I was certain... I would never have this, that I would never be able... to touch you in this way." He shuddered, and the vibration travelled the length of my body and up to my delirious brain.

I began to whimper in earnest and tried to thrust back, but it was impossible. Searlus was all-consuming, and I could think of nothing else, which is why it was a shock when he abruptly tore off half my shirt.

"Do you want me to…" he asked.

I let go of my mouth and hissed. "Yes. Please, yes. Bite me. Bite me and fuck me until I lose my senses."

Searlus said nothing. He just clamped his teeth over my scar, fast and hard. He did not draw blood, but it was a damn near thing, and I relished the pain and pleasure, rolling my eyes under my lids and groaning into my palm. I let out a string of muffled curses and the bastard actually chuckled. I released my grasp and groused "All this talking and laughing . Clearly, you've grown too bold."

I could feel Searlus' smile on my shoulder, and he let me go to speak. "And who's fault is that? Hm?"

I growled like an animal and snapped over my shoulder. Before I could rebuke him for his cheek, he pulled away and thrust back in with such force, and it knocked the wind out of me. It wasn't near the strength he used when I had my cuffs, but I saw stars anyway.

"Like that?" he questioned with a hint of concern.

"Yes," I panted, "just like that."

That was all the invitation he needed to ravage me like the beast he was while pinning me to the ground once more. I knew I would be full of scratches and bruises the next day, but that is precisely what I wanted. I craved the animal in him, and I wanted to be marked everywhere. Searlus pumped into me with shallow thrusts at a dizzying speed. I was forced to release the hold I had on my mouth again because breathing became difficult. My breath came out in high-pitched wheezes, and it was a miracle I did not shout through the maddening pleasure that tore my senses to pieces. I hadn't felt so out of my mind with bliss since our first time. I'm pretty sure I was smiling because my cheeks began to ache along with the rest of me.

Gods above, it was incredible.

My climax came out of nowhere. I came hard, and with Searlus unrelenting in his onslaught, I knew my second one was fast approaching. And I was correct. Searlus gave his final thrusts with a low growl. The sensation of his pulsing cock and his spend pushed me over the edge once more, making me keen loudly into the earth.

My whole body convulsed with aftershocks and I knew my legs would be useless. Searlus huffed and heaved as came down from his own pleasure. He kissed my bite mark several times, laid me out flat on the ground and turned me over. I saw the night sky first, full of stars. Then Searlus hovered above me, his expression was soft and loving, and a bit drunk.

He brushed his lips on mine softly and mumbled. "I love you." He didn't wait for me to reply. He kissed me tenderly, righted his clothes, and then wrapped me in his cloak. I sighed and fell asleep almost instantly. I awoke in the hot water of our bath, but Searlus shushed me and told me to sleep. I suppose he bathed me. I cannot remember anything else after that. It was the best sleep of my life.

Well, actually, I've had many more since then…

The castle was complete just in time for our wedding, which was grand and celebrated throughout the entire kingdom. It's been years since and I'm a queen now, if one can believe it. I hardly can even now. Best of all, Searlus and I have three children, one boy and two girls. We took the babes in as our own and plan to adopt more whenever the opportunity arises again. How they love Searlus! He had been so worried they would be frightened of him. But we are the only parents they've ever known, and in fact, our boy asked him one day when he'd grow his own tail and horns! The darling. Our darlings.

There is still peace, and our kingdom continues to grow prosperous, and most importantly...

We are happy.

Whosever hands my accounts have fallen into, my wish to you is that you find the kind of love we share, in whatever form that may be. Life is not without its troubles, but love can carry you through them.

Love,

Belle

Notes:

I hope you have enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, please consider subscribing to me here and maybe going to my Ko-fi page to buy me a coffee! It will all go toward publishing and marketing Searlus and the Sailor as my first novel.

My editor is almost done with the first pass and I hope to hire an illustrator for some special edition, hardcover copies. I've also already hired someone to make my book cover! So, things are in motion! That's all thanks to everyone who has contributed to my goal so far. THANK YOU!

Notes:

Help me self-publish by buying me a coffee: Ko-fi mordellestories

Check out my other fics!