Chapter 81: The Mate He Never Claimed

The battlefield still smelled of death.

Smoke curled between broken stones, carrying the metallic tang of blood and the bitter sting of burned earth. Warriors limped. Healers rushed. The silence after war was never quiet—it was full of screams that had already fallen silent.

And in the middle of it all… Clara’s body lay still.

Lucien stood a distance away, jaw tight, blood streaked across his face. Serena stood beside him, hand gripping his arm, ...