Zion's POV
The revelation hit me like lightning splitting through a storm cloud. She was not just the woman I would die for, not just the one I loved until it consumed me completely. She was my mate.
Everything else faded to background noise. The expulsion, the political campaigns, my family's public disgrace - none of it held weight anymore. Nothing compared to this moment. To her.
To the way her mouth had claimed mine in the maze gardens, making every other concern seem laughably insignificant.
Finding her had been a miracle. Discovering she was my mate felt like divine intervention.
Windsor.
She made me feel invincible.
We kissed with the intensity of two people trying to memorize each other before the world collapsed around us. I wrapped my arms around her waist, crushing her against my chest. Her fingers wound through my hair, trembling with barely contained desire. Her scent became intoxicating the moment she whispered that single word - mate.
