BK 2 - Chapter 48 - First Session
Thatcher left his spot where he was watching Caterina when he saw her mate taking her into the house. He wasn't a fool. He knew those lions most likely caught his scent, but they didn't know why he was there. He wanted to see the young woman for himself.
Now that the lions had felt his presence, it would likely make getting his hands on her more challenging. Thatcher thought about the younger lion he had seen there. It was obvious he was one of Trey's brothers. He wondered why this sibling decided to follow his older brother.
Thatcher circled back around and stayed high in the trees. He was going to follow them home and see if he could pick up anything useful. Soon after, he found a spot where he could watch without being detected; he saw the trio get into the black truck and leave.
He followed them to a large gated house not far away and had no issue getting over the fence to hide in the trees. Thatcher watched as another young woman left the large house and met up with the others at the smaller pool house. Trey's brother ran over to her and gave her a long kiss, and Thatcher raised his eyebrows. Apparently, the young lion had a mate as well. He wondered if this woman was also human, which would explain why they were staying away from the rest of the family.
Thatcher left as the two couples went into the house. He was formulating a plan. If he kidnapped the younger brother's mate, maybe he could get him to hand over Caterina to save his mate. He laughed as he sped through the streets so fast no one could see him.
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Kitty sat with Valerie in a comfortable office. She was extremely nervous about opening up old wounds that had been closed for a long time. She understood that she needed to do this to move forward and begin healing from her past.
"So, how do you want me to start? I've never done anything like this before." Kitty ran her hand over the arm of the brown leather sofa where she was sitting.
"There's no right or wrong way. You can talk about whatever you want." Valerie smiled at her from the chair across from her, and Kitty felt some of her nervousness fade.
"I guess I'll start from the beginning. I don't remember my adoptive parents, but I remember some of the early foster homes I lived in. There was an older woman whose name I don't know. She was nice and was always baking things for us. She made me feel wanted. I wasn't there for long, but I still remember the smell of freshly baked cookies." Kitty smiled at the memory of her first foster home.
Valerie watched her expression and didn't say anything. She knew Kitty was starting with a good memory to counter the bad ones. She had seen this many times with her patients. It was the calm before the storm.
"When I left that house, I was sent to another one with many foster kids. I was too naive at the time to feel any fear. However, that didn't last long. I soon realized that we had to fight for food at the new house. If we were even a few minutes late to the table, we didn't get to eat, and sometimes we would get hit. That was the first time I remember someone hitting me. I had been drawing a picture for the foster mom, and I wanted to finish it before I went to dinner, so I was a couple of minutes late. When I went to the dining room, I handed the picture proudly to her. She took it, ripped it up, threw it on the floor, and then slapped me. She said that I didn't deserve to eat. She had me clean up the torn picture off the floor and then sent me to bed. I remember crying myself to sleep, not understanding what had happened. I thought I was doing something nice for her. All I wanted was her approval. Over the following weeks, I tried to make her like me multiple times, but it always ended up with me getting hit or food withheld. I eventually stopped trying and began to keep to myself. That was the first time I realized that not everyone was good."
Kitty had tears running down her face. Her heart ached thinking about going from a nice family to the first abusive one. All she had ever wanted was to feel like she belonged somewhere. That first bad house was the first in a long line of many, but it was the one that set a precedent for the following ones. From that point on, she was cautious about what she did or said at any house she was sent to.
She talked about some of the other houses she remembered from those first couple of years. There were a couple that was decent and others that were terrible. She cried through most of it, reliving those feelings of being passed from one house to another because no one wanted her.
"I think that's good for today. We will do this in slow steps to avoid overwhelming you with too many emotions at once. Before you leave, I want you to tell me what drives you now. What makes you happy and want to feel better?" Valerie smiled as her face softened, and she smiled slightly.
"My love for Aiden. I want to give him my whole heart and not have that fear of abandonment or being unwanted that still haunts me. I know he loves me and will never leave me, but I can't help having that doubt in the back of my head. Even though he has already marked me, asked me to marry him, and shows me every day how much he cares, the ghosts of the past are still there telling me it's going to all come crashing down."
"That's understandable, and it will get better. You've had years of abuse, neglect, and feelings of being unloved. That's not all going to go away because Aiden loves you. I'm going to do everything I can to help you get to the point where those feelings are not driving your life."
Kitty looked at the clock and realized she had been talking with Valerie for close to three hours. She stood up, feeling ashamed she had taken so much of her time.
"Thank you for this. I feel raw right now, but I know it's necessary. I'm sorry I took up so much of your time." Kitty walked over and hugged her.
"I'm glad I can help you. Why don't we meet daily for right now? If you're up for it, you can come here every morning after breakfast." Valerie didn't want her to change her mind. That was something patients often did. After the first session, they began regretting talking about their past because it was too painful, and she never saw them again.
"Thank you. I will be here after breakfast tomorrow." Kitty gave her another hug and then headed back to the pool house. She was lost in her thoughts when she saw Trey's truck pulling in. Aiden, Cat, and Trey got out, and Kitty ran over to them, wrapping her arms around Aiden as he kissed her. It had been an emotional day for her, and she knew it would get worse before it got better. She was willing to do whatever was necessary to make sure everything worked out with her and Aiden.
"How'd it go?" He asked her when she pulled back. He could see her tear-stained face, and her eyes looked sad, but despite that, she was smiling.
"It went well. She's going to meet with me every morning. How was the group home? I wasn't expecting you to return so quickly." Kitty hugged him as they walked into the house. She noticed they all looked a little weary.
"While we were at the house, a vampire was watching Cat. We all need to be careful because we don't know what he wants." Kitty looked toward Cat, who was rubbing her belly and talking to Trey quietly.
"Why would a vampire be watching Cat?" She asked Aiden with concern
"We're not sure. It could be curiosity, or if he somehow found out about her being a caladrius, it could have something to do with that. Trey is not going to let her go anywhere without him from now on. I can't blame him, and I don't want you going anywhere alone either until we know this vampire's intent." Kitty chuckled, and Aiden looked at her in confusion, not understanding what she found so funny.
"Why are you laughing?" He asked her.
"Never in my life did I picture myself talking to a werelion about a vampire." Kitty bit her tongue so she wouldn't burst out laughing until she saw the smile spread across Aiden's face.
"You're right. It sounds like something from a book or a movie. Are you sure you alright?" He was still worried about the way she had woken up this morning.
"I'm better now. I may have some nightmares. If that happens, I need you to hold me until I calm down." Aiden hugged her and kissed her forehead.
"That's a promise I can keep." They went upstairs, leaving Cat and Trey alone.
Trey looked at his phone and smiled. He just received a text message from Jordan, the guard at the prison. All was looking good for the prison escape in a few days. Atlas growled softly. He was looking forward to paying Caleb back for the condition he had left Cat a few months ago. They were going to finally get their revenge on the man who almost took their mate from them.
