Bound by Pride

(KAELEN’S POV) – AT THE DUNGEON

The air reeked of rust and damp stone.

I sat against the cold wall, my body heavy, my mind heavier. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my father’s face… his body limp in my mother’s arms, his blood spilling onto the floor.

My chest tightened, but I forced myself to swallow it down. No tears. Not here. Not now. I told myself over and over again.

Still, the grief claw