Chapter 86. Bound by Fire and Fate

Heather POV

A strong hand wrapped around me, pulling me close. It was Kayden.

“What are you still doing here?” I whispered, my voice barely audible, betraying the storm inside me.

“For some reason, my wolf said you’d come here again,” he replied, his arms still crushing me in a near-bear hug. “It’s weird—Odin, my wolf, has this strange foresight or something.”

“Kayden…” I gasped, struggling to speak. “I can’t breathe.”

He released me instantly, his worried eyes scanning me from head to toe. His gaze lingered on the bruises marring my neck and hands.

“What happened?” he asked, his warm hands cupping my cheeks. His touch was meant to soothe, but all it did was drag the pain I’d tried so hard to bury to the surface. The Raven dungeons, my mother’s last words, her haunting embrace—they flooded back, drowning me. A sob escaped my lips as I broke down, and Kayden pulled me into a gentler hug. I clung to him, my tears soaking his shirt,