"Black and white melt into grey,
Til' every truth is stripped away."
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Kitty didn't want to open her eyes. Everything hurt – she wasn't sure if it was worse than when she awoke only a couple of hours ago. Or was it a couple of hours ago? She couldn't remember. A human-like groan left her lips, and she felt something soft covering her body. Forcing her eyes opened, she ignored the glare coming from outside the windows.
Pushing herself up, she froze. Staring down she saw pale, dirty arms; her left was full of dark red, ugly marks. That meant she wasn't a wolf. So was that all a dream?
Taking in her surroundings, she found that she wasn't in the basement. But she wasn't in her room either. Wooden walls greeted her, only a couple of pieces of furniture. There was a set of drawers, a chair and a bedside table next to the double bed she was sat on. A candle sat on top of it. Kitty guessed she'd find matches in the bedside table's drawer.
It was familiar – all too familiar – but where was she? Letting out a small noise of pain, her hands cradled her head.
Trees blurred past. The wind whipped through her fur. She couldn't even take a moment to enjoy the run. She couldn't enjoy the fly-like feeling. Instead, she dove under low hanging branches, jumped over fallen twigs. Her legs wouldn't stop.
Her paws dug into the ground, skidding her to a halt. A blonde, shaggy wolf let out a deafening snarl.
Gasping, she looked around her. Still in the room. She pinched herself to make sure it wasn't a dream. Swinging her legs off, she let out a small grunt. Her body was sore. Yellow, green and faded brown spots covered her. No wonder she felt sore – she looked like a well-used punch bag.
Wrapping the sheet around her, she stood up. Her legs wobbled, and for a moment she thought she'd go crashing into the floor. Luckily, she stayed upright. Dragging her feet, she made her way to the window. Aside from the skeletons of trees, there wasn't much she could see.
At least I'm not in the basement, she thought. Then guilt slid up her. She'd left Brandon in there. No, she shook her head, I'm going back. No matter what, I'm going to get him out.
Pulling herself away from the window, she slowly walked over to the door. Her legs still felt weak. But they'd carry her; now wasn't the time to rest. Who knew what her father was cooking up? With Caleb egging him on, whispering ideas in his ears... she had no time to waste. There was more at stake now than when she'd left.
As she pulled open the door, she gasped.
Looking round, she saw that the hallway was empty. No guards. But then, there was never anyone posted – who would be stupid enough to try and escape? Who would burn themselves on the bars? Ignoring her thoughts, she darted out. Luckily, she knew the easiest way out of the house without being seen. She'd need to go to Nathan's room. His window lead to the back garden, and there was a roof she could slide down. Nathan had often sneaked out using it.
The only problem was that she had no hands to lift the glass pane. And she would have to sneak past her father's bedroom to get to Nathan's.
Within seconds, her vision returned. Her knuckles were white from gripping the sides of the wooden door. A slight crack marred the maroon wood. Cursing mentally, she wiped beads of sweat from her forehead and walked into the adjourning room.
The first thing she noticed was the temperature. It was cold, ice cold. Goosebumps rose on her skin and she tightened the thin sheet. Tentatively stepping into the room, she glanced about. There was a faint stale scent lingering in the air, and a scent she didn't really recognise. Somewhere, her mind was telling her who it belonged to, but that tiny voice wasn't screaming loud enough.
Kitty found that the more she looked around, the more the pieces were combining. She was sure she'd been here before. Frustration filled her.
"Don't let her get away!" She heard someone shout. Someone nipped at her hind legs but she pushed on. All she needed to do was outrun the wolves. The men wouldn't be able to catch up with her, but the wolves? They were a force to be reckoned with. Her father only took on the best runners.
She wasn't sure where she was. Only that she needed to carry on going forward. The goal was to get onto Gabriel's territory – that way the runners would be forced to stop. It was a cheap move, but one that needed to be done. If she stayed near the border edge, she'd be able to get away with it.
Except, she couldn't tell where the borders were.
Her mind was frazzled. Her senses pulling her in different directions. She hadn't had a chance to hone them and use them to her advantage. She was running on instinct: flee.
But with every turn she took, a runner was there to make her turn around.
The thought of escaping Caleb's clutches wasn't looking so bright after all.
Her breathing was becoming steadier. At least her mind was becoming less meddled. She knew for certain, she was off her father's territory. Caleb couldn't chase her – not just yet. Her father couldn't force her back. And wherever she was, was safe. In her heart, she knew it.
A snort made her jump. Someone else was here. Tightening the sheet, she tiptoed her way over to the sofa. How had she not noticed the muddied shoes sticking out? Grabbing something heavy (and metal) from one of the tables, she inched closer. Very light snores hit her ears. How had she not heard them before?
Holding her weapon high above her head, it slipped from her grasp. Landing on the floor with a loud thunk, Kitty couldn't help but look at the now-awake figure with a flabbergasted expression. Not even a "huh" was able to fall off her tongue. She was barely holding up the thin cloth covering her.
"Raphael?" She finally spoke, her voice hoarse. After she tried to clear it, she found it didn't make much difference. "What... where are we?"
"Kitty?" He seemed puzzled, before his eyes widened. He shot up like a bullet. "Are you okay? I mean–,"
"Where are we?" She asked again. The more she looked around her, the more she was sure she'd been in the wooden house before. As Raphael moved off the make-shift bed, Kitty clutched her head. Distantly, she heard her name being called.
The cabin was in sight. Limping, the rucksack abandoned somewhere in the forest, she kept moving. Her body screamed at her to stop. To just give up. But she couldn't. Looking behind her, she saw nothing but darkness. Within the sea of trees, she knew that the runners were still there. Still watching her, making note of her every movement. It didn't matter. They couldn't touch her.
She'd made it across territory lines.
That didn't mean that they hadn't followed. But they couldn't cross into Gabriel's territory. Not yet, at least.
Wrenching her attention away from them, she stumbled to the cabin. As she got to the door, she wondered how she was supposed to get in. It was never locked; there was no need for it. But she was still getting used to her new body. With the last of her strength, she pulled herself up and slammed her paws onto the handle, while leaning her body on the door. The door opened; a stroke of luck!
Her legs wobbled and before she knew it, she was falling onto the floor and stars danced behind her eyes.
"Kitty?" Something blurry frantically waved in her vision. "Kitty, are you with me? Oh crap, Gabriel's going–,"
"Raphael?" Her eyebrows joined, as the world became sharper.
"Oh, thank the goddess that you're back." A cold, slightly damp hand slapped against her forehead. "I thought that you'd gone with the fairies."
"What?" Kitty frowned. Her headache was gone, and she was content with what she remembered. She knew this cabin – it was where she'd spent some of her childhood. It was also the cabin she'd wanted Nathan to escort Jessica to. But there wasn't even a hint of her scent. She shook her head. "Never mind, look, I need–,"
"What were you doing here anyway?" He cut her off. She rose an eyebrow.
"I ran away?" Was the only explanation she was willing to give at that moment. Her mind was still reeling from the past day (or however long she'd been locked in the basement). How was she supposed to explain everything to Raphael, when she couldn't even get it straight in her own head. Some of her own memories weren't even adding up, and felt as if they'd been mixed up.
"Yeah but I found you lying unconscious. And you were in wolf-form when I found you." His arms crossed, his lips curling downwards. "Why didn't you have some sort of clothing with you? I mean surely–,"
"I ran away." Stick with the half-truth, "It's not like I had time to pack."
"But–,"
"Raphael," she cringed slightly when she realised how harsh his name had come out, "look, I... things aren't great at home." She blew out air, hoping that her next words would come to her. They didn't. Instead, tension and awkwardness lingered in the air. Eventually, she forced some words out of her mouth. "One of my oldest friends is... he's being caged. And I need him out."
"Caged?"
"I don't have time to explain." She attempted to push Raphael out of the way. It almost worked, but he batted her arms away.
"So," he started laughing humorlessly, "I find you unconscious – and I can see you're battered – you've run away and you're saying your friend is caged up, but you expect me to just let you leave?"
"Yes?"
"Alright then." Raphael stood up, wrenching Kitty up with him. She swayed slightly, the world turning dizzy, but it slowed. She stayed upright. Feet firmly planted on the floor. "How are you going to get your friend out?"
"I, uh, I..." She stuttered, sounds spluttering out. "I haven't thought that far ahead." She looked away.
"Okay. So how did you get those marks on your arms?" She didn't move an inch. Still staring at the wooden floor, as if she was being told off. It was a petty move but she didn't know what else to do. What did Raphael expect her to say? "No? Well if you can't even answer the most simplest of questions then–,"
"You can't keep me here like a hostage." She sighed, and rubbed her forehead. Kitty knew she was on borrowed time. It was only a matter of hours – or days – until her father got sick of waiting. He'd send the runners after her. With Caleb whispering in his ears, she knew she didn't have time to dally about.
"I'm not going to." A smile appeared on Raphael's face. "I'm taking you to the pack house."
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If she was really being honest, wearing nothing but an oversized hoodie wasn't one of her most embarrassing moments. It featured in the top ten list, but it wasn't standing at number one. She didn't even want to think about that moment that was holding first place. Her feet thumped repeatedly on the floor, and her teeth bit into her nails. The nervousness and butterflies invading her body was for another reason entirely.
"Would you stop it?" Raphael slapped her bare skin. She cried out at the harshness. The stinging left after a couple moments. Luckily, it wasn't the other leg. Small blisters marred her skin. Brandon hadn't been kidding about the paste that coated the bars. Her left side was red and raw, from throwing herself at the bars. It wasn't her smartest move, but still. She didn't regret trying.
"I wasn't planning on coming back."
"My brother is your mate, is he not?" Raphael asked, looking severely unimpressed.
"Like I said to you two days ago–,"
"Two days?" Raphael let out a small chuckle. "It's been a week since you left."
A week.
She'd lost a week to the dungeons.
How had she even survived? She remembered Brandon once telling her that a person couldn't survive for three days without water!
"Kitty?" Raphael nudged her shoulder. She jumped in fright.
"Sorry. Just thinking." A small, fake smile planted itself on her lips. "Gabriel isn't going to help me, you know?"
"Why wouldn't he? He's got a soft spot for you."
Kitty let out a small sigh, and didn't respond. Instead, she picked at the elastic cuffing on the hoodie sleeve. She forced her feet to still. Her nerves were wrapping around themselves, tightening in her stomach. Admittedly, she hadn't looked at herself and had no idea how she looked. Raphael's occasional glances made her worried. She knew she didn't have any burns (or at least half-healed ones) on her face... but she still had (faded) bruises covering her body. Not as many, but there were still some lingering. They looked ugly.
"Are you sure there's nothing else you want to tell me?" Kitty slowly looked up to Raphael. He looked comfy sat in his chair. Unfortunately, Kitty wasn't. Her body was still aching. It had lessened from when she first woke but there were still sharp pangs every so often. Shifting and slightly moving positions didn't help her either. Her eyelids drooped slightly, and she could feel her body starting to grow heavy. She hadn't been awake for that long!
"I'm sure." It would come out when Gabriel came in, wondering why she'd returned. Part of her felt bad from keeping information from Raphael but she didn't know if she had the courage to explain it twice. Kitty wasn't even looking forward to explaining it anyway. She knew they'd have lots of questions, and she also knew she wouldn't have any answers.
Just as it seemed that Raphael was about to ask her something else, the door opened. Gabriel walked in – not sparing a glance at Kitty – with Micah in tow. There were a couple of other wolves. All the scents hit Kitty at once and her eyes widened. The only reason that Gabriel's and Micah's stood out was because she was familiar with them anyway. Micah double-took Kitty. It wasn't a good sign.
"Raphael, Kitty," once Gabriel had seated himself, he'd acknowledged the two of them, "what can I do to help the pair of you?"
Kitty didn't speak, and neither did Raphael. In fact, Kitty's eyes went straight to the table. Her improved eyesight noticed the thin, deep groves that marked the table. It wasn't as shiny as it first appeared.
"Apparently," Raphael broke the awkward silence, "one of Kitty's friends is... locked up."
"Is this true?" Gabriel asked, Kitty assumed he'd be looking at her. She just meekly nodded before abruptly stopping. Being meek is what got her trapped in the basement. Not standing up for herself is why Brandon was exiled, and then sentenced for death by The Culling.
She had a chance to turn everything around. To save Brandon. To save the pack from the beginnings of a mad alpha.
It was time for a change.
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pretty much updated within a week! i'm quite proud with that! (and my spacebar isn't working properly either). i am aware that there's probably going to be some questions about why kitty *suddenly* shifted but hopefully (if it goes as i think it will) some questions are going to be answered in the next chapter - i can't promise though. they WILL be answered though (i didn't do a buttload of research for nothing!)
i'm not sure how many chapters are left buuuuut, we are coming closer to the end (i can't believe it!) thank you all so much for the comments and the votes. honestly, they really help me when i'm writing knowing that i'm doing something good! (plus it does give me motivation!)
so yes, i hope you all enjoyed this chapter! hopefully, the next chapter will be updated in a week? so the 7th or 8th?
(also since it's like 1.30AM here, i'm going to leave the read-through and editing for the morning! so if there are any spelling mistakes/grammatical errors/bits missing PLEASE feel free to point them out!)