Page 54 of Accidentally on Purr-pose

As the applause began to fade, Izei felt his moment arriving. His free hand moved toward his pocket, his fingers closing around the small velvet box that contained his mother's ring—a simple but elegant diamond solitaire that had represented love and commitment in the Callel family for generations.

"I have one more item of business," he announced, his voice cutting through the lingering celebration.

Freesia turned toward him with a confused expression, clearly not expecting any additions to their carefully planned ceremony. But as Izei slowly dropped to one knee before her, pulling the velvet box from his pocket, understanding dawned in her sapphire eyes—along with something that looked remarkably like joy. A collective gasp swept through the crowd as three hundred people realized they were about to witness something even more momentous than the birth of a new pride.

"Freesia," he began, "three months ago, you were a woman on the run, carrying the weight of four centuries in a small satchel and believing you had to face that burden alone. But from the moment I met you, I knew you were extraordinary—not because you're the last Waverly royal, but because you're the strongest, most compassionate, most magnificent woman I've ever known."

He opened the velvet box, revealing the diamond that caught the candlelight and threw it back in brilliant sparkles.

"You've taught me that true strength isn't about carrying every burden by yourself—it's about finding people worthy of sharing those burdens with you. You've shown our people that unity isn't just an ideal, it's achievable. And you've shown me that love isn't about protection alone but about choosing each other every single day."

Tears were streaming down Freesia's face now, her free hand pressed to her mouth as she stared down at him with an expression of pure love and wonder.

"Will you marry me, my queen?" Izei asked, his voice thick with emotion but steady with certainty. "Will you build this future with me, not just as leaders of the Valeria pride, but as partners in everything? Will you let me spend the rest of my life proving that you never have to carry anything alone again?"

"Yes," Freesia said without the slightest hesitation, her voice breaking with joy. "Of course, yes, Izei."

Izei slipped the ring onto her finger with hands that remained perfectly steady despite the magnitude of the moment, then rose to his feet and pulled her into his arms. Their kiss was fierce and tender and full of promises, witnessed by three hundred people who erupted into even louder cheers and applause than before.

This, Izei thought as he held his future wife against his chest, this is what building a legacy feels like.

TWENTY-ONE

FREESIA

The bedroom was a sanctuary of silence after the day's joyful chaos. Moonlight streamed through the large windows, painting silver stripes across the dark wood floor and pooling on the large four-poster bed where Izei lay waiting for her. Freesia slipped between the cool sheets, her body still humming with the residual energy of the day—the triumph of signing the Unity Accord, the overwhelming joy of his proposal, and the weight of his mother's ring now a permanent presence on her left hand.

She thought they might simply curl together and sleep, letting the exhaustion of overwhelming happiness and peace pull them under. It had been a monumental day and rest seemed logical. But before she could settle, Izei rolled toward her, his movement a controlled surge of heat and intention. One large hand cradled the back of her head, his fingers tangling in the dark silk of her hair while his other arm slid beneath her, pulling her flush against the solid warmth of his body. Then his mouth was on hers.

It wasn't a gentle goodnight kiss. It was a claiming, deep and thorough, a silent conversation that bypassed words and went straight to her blood. His lips were warm, insistent, and when he bit gently at her lower lip, a bolt of pure heat shot straight to her core. Her tigress purred with immediate, primal approval.

Okay, fine, she thought, a smile curving against his mouth. We can celebrate this way too.

She opened her mouth for him, his tongue sweeping inside to meet hers, and her hands came up to bury her fingers in his thick black hair. She could feel the completed mate bond singing between them, a live wire of connection that amplified every touch and every shared breath.

When he finally broke the kiss, pulling back just far enough to look at her, his dark eyes seemed to burn. "You have been a queen all day," he said, his voice a low rasp that vibrated through her. "Now you're just mine."

A slow, possessive smile touched her lips. "And now you're all mine."

He dipped his head, his mouth leaving a trail of fire as it moved down the column of her throat, nudging her onto her back fully. Then his hand slid down to cup her breast with his thumb sweeping over her nipple in a deliberate, circling motion that made her arch off the mattress.

"Izei—" His name was a gasp.

He replaced his thumb with his mouth, his tongue swirling around the taut peak before drawing it deep. Pleasure, sharp and sweet, arrowed through her as his other hand found her other breast, mirroring the rhythm of his tongue with clever fingers. The dual sensation was exquisite, a focused worship that made her thighs clench and her breath hitch. She tangled her hands in his hair, not to guide him, but to hold on as waves of sensation crashed over her.

For weeks, through danger and grief and strategy, their physical connection had been a fierce, necessary comfort. But this was different. This was celebration. This was the luxury of time and safety and the unspoken joy of a future secured. She let herself sink into it, into him, every muscle relaxing as she gave herself over to the pure, undiluted pleasure of being cherished by her mate.

He finally released her nipple with a soft, wet sound that sent another shiver through her, then began kissing a slow, deliberate path down her stomach. She knew where he was headed, and anticipation coiled low in her belly. He moved down her body with the predatory grace that was so inherently his, soon settling between her thighs. The moonlight caught the powerful lines of his shoulders and back as he looked up at her, his gaze holding hers for a charged moment, and then he lowered his head.

The first touch of his tongue was a revelation, tracing her sensitive folds with a patience that was utterly maddening. Her hips lifted off the bed of their own volition, seeking more and he gave it to her, his tongue delving inside her before retreating to circle her clit with slow, relentless pressure.

Pleasure, hot and bright, began to build like a storm that was only amplified by the bond. She could feel his own fierce satisfaction, his desire to give her this, mingling with her rising ecstasy until she couldn't tell where his feelings ended and hers began. Her hands fisted in the sheets, then flew back to his hair, her fingers tightening as she pressed him closer.

"Don't stop," she begged, her voice ragged.

He answered by sucking her clit between his lips, applying a perfect, rhythmic pressure that made her cry out. Just as she began to teeter on the edge, he slid two fingers inside her, curling them upward to find a spot that made her entire body jolt. Then he pumped his fingers in a deep, driving rhythm that matched the suckling of his mouth.

Oh, wow.