Chapter 46: Forty-six.

Calum slowly lowered Colt's legs back down onto the floor of the shower, the spray from the over head spout was drenching them both in deliciously hot water; hot water that was fogging up the bathroom so much, he had to squint to see her properly. He smiled at the sight, her chest was heaving heavily, as she gulped in air like she'd been drowning while she came down from her high. Calum couldn't help but smirk at her condition, feeling very pleased with himself for having caused it.

"Now, Love, I hope you feel thoroughly....scrubbed?" He offered with his characteristic smirk, partnered with a look of pride in his eyes.

Colt's head, which had been tipped back against the tile wall behind her, came forward at his rhetorical question. Her wet black hair was clinging to her skin, as her mouth spread into a mischievous grin. She couldn't help it, she just had to challenge her mate back. The prideful look in his eye was too tempting, his excitement palpable under her skin, and she bit her bottom lip, feigning thought on his question, before answering.

"Well... though I must say, it did take you long enough to get that particularly hard to reach spot, that really needed.... scrubbing," she mimicked his word choice, her eyes glimmering with delight, as she smiled wickedly. "But, I suppose, yes, it was an adequate enough session."

"Adequate? Fucking adequate?" Calum choked out appalled. He was then caging her in with both of his arms in a flash, "You're going to regret saying that, Woman," he threatened playfully.

Colt squeaked in delight as Calum dropped to his knees, his intent clear as he approached her with an agonisingly slow pace, Colt could already feel herself beginning to tremble with anticipation; when there was a sudden banging on the door. With lightening reflexes, Calum was back on his feet, his hands back on either side of Colt's head and his broad shoulders shielding her from all view, as if there was about to be some kind of attack on them, here in the shower, of her home, where there were several other skilled and potentially dangerous shifters residing. Still none the less, he found himself completely pressed against her, ready to sacrifice his own body to protect her.

Instead of an attack though, Isla called through the door, "If you two are quite finished now, can you join us downstairs? We, your parents would like to see you're still in one piece please, Colt."

Colt struggled to stifle her laughter at Calum's fight or flight response mechanism; while Calum's head simply flopped onto her shoulder in defeat, where he took out his frustration by nipping her skin gently between his teeth.

"Be right out, Mom," she called to Isla's retreating footsteps.

She patted Calum's shoulder in commiserations, while his hands trailed down to her waist and squeezed for just a second. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she turned off the hot water and slipped from his grasp to grab a towel. Wrapping it around her body, she handed another to Calum with a smile.

He took it from her without a word, and walked out the room, muttering under his breath, "Going to end up with quite the adequate complex about my apparent inadequacies, now."

He only made Colt laugh more, as she spanked his ass when he passed, an obvious challenge dancing in her eyes when he turned to look at her.

"Oh, Love, you just wait," he smirked, loving the sight of her happy and bright.

"I'm rather looking forward to you showing me all your... inadequacies, Casanova. Every. Last. One." She mouthed out slowly, as Calum looked torn between ripping the towel from her body, or weeping at the fact that her parents were waiting downstairs.

Once they were dried off and dressed, which took much longer than necessary, since the pair couldn't keep their hands from one another. Calum was delighting in unhooking Colt's bra every time she turned around, or taking clothes out of her hands and throwing them away to the other side of the room; on the pretence that he either preferred her as she was, or the item was too sexy and he just couldn't resist her.

Both their hands didn't stop wandering over each other the whole time, not needing to find any excuses to touch one another. They were making up for lost time, and if Colt was honest she would much rather lock the door with her mate and her on the inside, and not get dressed for at least a month.

Eventually though, Colt and Calum made it downstairs, almost too consumed in their own bliss to remember everything that had happened the night before. They were giggling, while rubbing against one another the whole way, each one playfully nipping at the other's neck with their teeth, as they found any reason to be in the other's embrace every few steps.

They were in love and enjoying for the first time, that they were free to love one another. Their joy was overwhelming them, that is until Colt spotted the dark circles under her Mom's eyes upon entering the kitchen. Instantly she left Calum's side and wrapped her arms about her Mom, her focus completely shifted.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Isla squeezed her daughter tight, like a she was some kind of lifeline, "Sweetie, you don't owe me an apology. I'm just relieved you're alright."

Colt pulled away from her Mom, and sheepishly turned to her Dad, "But, I do owe you one," she said swallowing hard. "I was out of line, Dad. I shouldn't have spoke to you like I did, I'm sorry. I was lost in my own rage and shock, and, and I shouldn't have been. I'm really sorry, Dad."

"Oh, Princess, come here," her Dad spoke, pulling his daughter into his embrace, "I understand. Last night was a lot. A lot for anyone, nevermind a newly shifting, You, who was on an adrenaline high from being threatened and attacked. It isn't your fault," He sighed pulling her close, "I saw the cattle prods, Colt, and the graspers. Not only did you save yourself against really hard odds; but you avenged your Mom by ending that demon. I'm proud of you, and I'm just so grateful your alright." Kalvin spoke to Colt as if she were the only person in the room, reluctantly at last letting her move back towards a stoic Calum.

"What happened to... to Arthur's body?" Colt asked hesitantly, as her Mom handed her and Calum a cup of tea each.

"After Calum left, and Angus woke up.." Kalvin began, as Lewis and Felix groggily entered the kitchen, following the scents of tea and coffee in the morning.

Felix smirked towards Calum, uncaring about interrupting Kalvin, "Yeah, you should have hit the asshole harder, maybe he would have done the world a favour and joined his Uncle."

"When did you hit Angus?" Colt asked confused, before smiling warmly at her brother, the sound of his howl from last night still echoed in her mind.

"Kitten, thats why I love you," Felix began, smirking at Calum's hiss, "You asked when and not why," he laughed, "And settle down there Lover Boy, I only love this one like a sister... Nowadays anyway."

Felix shrunk slightly as Kalvin's growl sounded in the small kitchen, "Watch it, Lion."

"Sorry," Felix offered, but not without rolling his eyes and throwing Isla a sly wink, making her laugh as she elbowed Kalvin in the ribs, for being ridiculous.

Felix was always brave around Isla, he knew as long as he didn't cross any major lines, Isla wouldn't allow Kalvin to snap his neck. She was too fond of him.

"Anyway," Calum interrupted Felix's mischief making, "It was when I arrived last night, before your Mum sent me to find you. Angus and I have a lot of bad blood between us. It never takes much for me to tear into that weasel's backside, he always deserves a doin' " He shrugged, like it was nothing, "Though if I knew about the prods and the graspers your father just mentioned, I would have went for the kill." He grumbled, disappointed at missing the chance.

"What's 'Adoin'?" Lewis asked, making Isla smirk.

"I battered him?" Calum offered up by way of an explanation.

*"Battered?"* Lewis replied, "I pretty sure you weren't intending on deep frying him. Though, if you were that wouldn't surprise me in the slightest, you Scots seem to deep fry everything; but I did like the chocolate bar, done that way, especially with the hot caramel." The youngest Merrier mused, much to Calum's amusement.

"It means I beat him up," he said, shaking his head, "To give someone a doin', is to beat them up. Okay? And for the record, deep fried Mars bars are revolting, the cheese burgers are even worse."

"No! Cheeseburgers, deep fried?" Lewis asked horrified, as Calum nodded.

"Anyway," Kalvin spoke, trying to somwhow regain control of the conversation, "When he woke up and his face healed enough to talk. Which took two hours, for the record. It's amazing you didn't actually kill him, with the damage that was done to his skull," Kalvin commented, "He made some calls. As far as the Bruce clan are concerned Colt did them a favour, turns out he has been assaulting women for over thirty years in their group," He wrapped his arms about Isla, "Sorry, Beautiful, that was insensitive, I shouldn't have blurted it out like that."

Isla leaned into her mate and smiled in acknowledgement of his apology, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, Kalvin mentally kicked himself, before he continued.

"The man had been abusing his power and so many women of the clan, the human wives as much as the wildcat ones, that the clan are glad he is dead. Each couple kept it quiet, thinking they were the only one. Then, when a pregnancy occurred, he would discard the female, threatening to claim the child should the couple speak out. The police have put it down to 'shifter on shifter politics' and aren't investigating further. Angus says there will be a clan vote for the next chief, but in all honesty he doesn't know that anyone will want to fill that position. They may all go their own way. In his words, *'the clan system needs to die out, it isn't working anymore, the species is dying out worse than ever before.'* Fewer and fewer females are being born in each generation it seems."

"I never thought I'd hear something I would actually agree with that, Shit, on." Calum stated in disbelief. "But, really, all those women were hurt? Isla I am really glad you got away from him. The damage he may have done isn't worth thinking about had you married him."

Isla's discomfort finally got the better of her, and she snapped angrily at Calum, "Yes well, the only reason I escaped from Arthur Bruce, was my brother. He is the one who got me out of the country. He is the one that put my life above his happiness, because his punishment for which, was having to give up his own true mate it seems. You don't know just how twisted my mother is, Calum Macgregor, how warped she can be. He wouldn't admit it last night, but it was written all over his face, she forced his hand in retribution for going against her. So, maybe next time you feel the need to irrationally explode at someone, over something that happened before you were even born, I might add. You should stop and consider the whole picture, and not just the small fraction you are aware of!" Isla was shaking in Kalvin's arms, as her rage flowed through her. It was Calum's pity that had done it, Isla couldn't stand being pitied. It was one of the factors in why she had kept quiet so long; she hated to seem vulnerable.

"Mom!" Colt growled out, enraged at her Mom's treatment of Calum.

"No. Don't you, Mom me!" Isla spoke authoritatively, pointing her finger at Colt, "Your mate was out of line last night, and everyone knows it." Isla snapped out, "If he had stayed, here with you, and put his mate before his temper tantrum, then you would have been fine. Angus admitted they were watching the house, waiting to get you alone!"

Calum audibly swallowed his guilt, his unspoken fear about the previous night was just confirmed, and he had no words to respond.

Isla had unwittingly stabbed a knife to his chest with that one statement and it stunned him into silence, as Colt jumped to his defense again, "And maybe if you made what he did public knowledge, Arthur Bruce, would have been stopped long ago, and not only would this not have happened, but so many other women would have been saved the same fate that befell you!"

"Colt!" Kalvin barked angrily, "That's enough!" His booming voice cover Isla's sharp intake of breath. He had held his sobbing mate into the small hours of the morning, till she fell asleep last night. Her heart breaking as she beat herself up for those very reasons. She didn't need an angry Colt pushing her over the edge again.

"It's still true though, Dad," Colt spat back at him, rising to the challenge in his voice.

There was never an official pack system in their family, it was built on mutual respect and trust, but the underlying ranks were still there. Programmed into their DNA; and Colt was a Beta's daughter who mated an Alpha. As a Luna, she technically out ranked her father now, and in the heat of the moment she felt like a challenge laid down must be answered.

Colt was planning on another verbal tirade; but her brain to mouth filter malfunction was saved, when there was a sudden banging on the door. "Oh, what now!" She stated exasperated, throwing her hands in the air and marching to the door with Calum on her heels. He was worried about who was there at this time of the day, his fists already clenching in rage.

Colt swung the door open, ready to give who ever was on the other side a shot of her temper as well; but when she seen them, everything stilled, a wave of calm magically washing over her with the scent of the sea.

"Well, Girl, I'd have been here sooner, but this one insisted on joining me, and he can't hold his breath long enough for me to go the underwater way, apparently." Maeve stated, thumbing at Zachary over her shoulder. "Made me get a fecking ferry!"

*Author's Note.... Maeve! Maeve! Maeve! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. B x.