Saving Kitty | OLD | ✔

Twenty Four | Been to Hell

"I like you."

"You like me?" She asked incredulously. "You like the girl, whose grandfather tore your parents to pieces?"

"Yes." He snapped, his arms crossed over each other. "I do."

That stopped Kitty in her tracks. Disbelief was written all over her face as she looked up, seeing no indication that Raphael was lying.

"Why?" Her voice was no louder than a whisper. She knew it was stupid, to be focused on Raphael liking her, but it had been a while since someone other than Jordan and Eden had voiced positive things about her. Micah, while she knew he liked her as a friend, she was sure his reasoning for being close to her might have linked to Gabriel. Hell, Raphael's might have been linked to his brother!

"I..." he let out a long breath before slumping against the wall. "I know it's not the same, but I know what it's like to be seen as someone who... I guess causes problems."

"Causes problems?" In the past two days or so that Raphael had been back, he'd seemed to be full of life. She hadn't seen any dark glares aimed at him, hadn't heard a bad word about him. He'd been nothing but helpful.

"Not causes problems, but I'm used to the stares and whispers." He peered round the door before turning back to Kitty. "As soon as I saw my mother's body motionless on the floor... I ran." His head hung low, and Kitty's heart panged painfully. "I didn't even wait for her body to go cold. I just ran – hightailed it out of there. I came back the next morning, and... I knew the pack knew. I hadn't even tried to protect anyone. Instead, I ran like a coward."

"Raphael–," Kitty reached a hand out, but he batted it away. He looked to her, his hazel eyes shone with tears. Ones that wouldn't fall. It broke Kitty's heart to see a wolf, let alone Raphael, so vulnerable.

"Gabriel says he understands, but sometimes I wonder what really is going through his mind. But... it's what I've been doing since. I've run from pack-to-pack pretending that I'm searching for my mate. Truth is, I'm trying to find a better version of me. Just like you're trying to... make up for your family's mistakes."

"It's the right thing to do." She believed it. She really did. Her family had caused so many unneeded deaths. Maybe she wanted redemption, but deep down, Kitty knew that her name was always going to be tarnished. She was always going to be followed by the shadows of her father's crimes. "And Raphael, not everyone is strong enough to stand up in the face of an enemy. Sometimes, they lurk in the background and try and help where they can."

A small, sad smile appeared on Raphael's lips. He grabbed a piece of ripped paper from his pocket and held it out. Kitty took it, staring at the numbers.

"If you ever need help, I'm just a call away." He then engulfed Kitty in a tight hug, but it was one she knew he needed. Hugging him back, she gave him a small smile of her own before leaving the guest room and Raphael behind her. After a couple of steps, she glanced back to see Raphael watching her.

"You know, Gabriel understands." Raphael frowned at her words. "Family comes first – no matter what you've done."

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Walking back up to the house, Kitty felt her nerves swirl in her stomach like a whirlpool. She'd snuck the letter into Eden's bag while she stared out the window, huffing every so often. She may have been holding a grudge, but she wasn't afraid to let you know.