Chapter 117: Thirty-nine.

It was half an hour after Calum and her father had left, and Colt was nervously pacing the house. Her anxious state wouldn't let her relax at all, and all she wanted was the reassurance that came from within Calum's arms.

She had run out of excuses to check on Felix, in his "Love Den on Wheels" as he called it. She knew that he knew, she didn't really need to check on him; it was more than apparent to everyone around that Colt was only doing so as an excuse, which allowed her to go outside, and try and catch a glimpse of the two men, whose absence had tied her guts in a knot. They were sweet to humour her really.

Her and Lewis's previous bickering only had lasted a whole ten minutes more as a distraction, before she shushed him and stormed off for her first check on Felix, and now things between them had completely settled down again. The teen was doing as teens do, complaining about the broadband speed, while simultaneously being glued to his cell, and eating the entire contents of his sister's kitchen.

Colt made the decision to try and keep busy, after calling Maeve three times, but to no avail; she stomped upstairs to Felix's room, to start stripping the bed sheets off. All off Felix's personal belongings she noticed were gone now, and the room felt rather empty. She walked into the far side of the room, bypassing the bed, and threw the window open to let in the fresh air. Then she had an idea.

Colt was still half leaning out of the window, trying to use the vantage point to spy her mate, when her Mom walked into the room.

"Oh, Colt, for goodness sake! You are being ridiculous. They will he back soon enough I'm sure. Now get in before you bloody fall and break your neck!" Isla scolded her, as Colt's toes were lifting off the ground, her balance teetering on the precipice of the window.

With a sigh she, lowered herself back into the room, and turned to her Mom, "What's taking them so long?" She asked her irritation shining through.

Isla shook her head at her daughter's anxiety, "You are being ridiculous. Now come on, help me get the sheets off the bed." Isla instructed.

Colt dutifully went to her Mom's side, knowing there was no point in arguing with her. Yet she was still distracted, what on earth was her father doing with her mate? Had he scared Calum off, altogether? No; she acknowledged openly that wouldn't be it. She knew Calum wouldn't leave her, not willingly. What if it was unwillingly though? Would her Dad stoop so low? No; he wouldn't hurt her like that. But, no matter how many questions and answers reverberated in her head, the main one was still unanswered. Where were they, and what was taking so damn long?

Colt took the old bedding downstairs and busied herself, by loading it into the washer, while her Mom put new sheets onto the bed. Then Colt found herself through in the kitchen, and restless, she began washing the dishes, till Isla joined her and watched with a smirk.

"You need to relax, Colt. Would you like to shift and we can go for a tour of the croft? I'd love to see it," Isla asked, "Plus, after the flight earlier, I would rather like to stretch out my paws."

"Mom, I can't leave. I... I... I..." Colt was getting jittery with worry, her hands shaking under the soapy water.

"Alright, it's no longer a request, Sweetheart," Isla commanded, "Come on, we are going, now. The byre should work fine to change, I'm sure there's a dry spot somewhere."

Colt sighed and gave in to her Mom's cajoling, without further argument. She knew in her heart, her Mom was right. The problem wasn't so much, that she was worried what her Dad may do, it was more that after her break down this morning, she found herself yearning for her mate's strength, his warmth, and even just the way he looked at her.

Colt was in a vulnerable place, and Calum made her feel safer than anyone else ever had. She was musing it over, as she followed her Mom outside and to the byre; the way Elijah gave her a physical feeling of security with his presence, but emotionally, she always felt she had to be on her guard. Maybe it was his disease, or the way they always clashed like oil and water, but he never left her relaxed; Colt always seemed to be waiting for the other shoe to drop. She felt this was at heart, partly because she was afraid of losing the pieces of herself she knew, to become his mate. Especially, when she herself was vulnerable even then.

For Colt, her self doubt over her perceived inadequacies around her shifting ability, affected her in every way. She couldn't be Elijah's mate properly until she knew herself, and when she finally did it was too late. They had a viscous cycle of smothering, and pushing away; each ones own actions causing the other to follow up stronger. It truly was toxic.

But, with Calum, she felt like she could breathe. It was hard not being able to kiss him, really hard. But, the emotional side of their relationship was already stronger than she and Elijah had ever been. The thought almost made her giddy. She could openly admit she needed Calum, that she longed to spend her life with him, and build a life together with him. She wasn't quite sure when it happened, but Colt had come to depend on her mate, in a way in which, she never even considered allowing herself to depend on Elijah.

This was why she wasn't fighting her Mom, with everything beginning to build up, she needed to shift in a deliberate and controlled environment, before she lost it altogether. She really couldn't cope with the torment she would get from exploding into her wolf form, and hunting down her mate. She would probably embarrass herself further by gently nibbling on his face, while trying to lick his teeth out of adoration and excitement from being reunited.

In no time at all, Colt and her Mom had stripped down in the byre, and had shifted into their wildcat forms. Colt savoured the familiar sensation of her bones breaking and reforming, and the needle like pin pricks of her coat piercing her skin, it reminded her of her strength, of what she had survived; it made her remember how truly strong she was.

They had left their clothes folded up under a patch of roof that didn't leak on the old stone building, before their change, and with one more stretch and a shake of their fur, Colt and her Mom stalked outside one after the other into the long grasses in the fields in front of the house.

Isla flexed her paws and extended her claws into the Scottish earth with a contented sigh. It felt good to be in her natural environment, then she darted off through the field, jumping over the fences with grace and poise like it was nothing, and straight into the wooded area at the foot of the hill, all thought of exploring the croft forgotten in the excitement of being home.

Colt followed behind her Mom, mimicking her movements till they were both deep within the wooded area that lined the croft, heading inland and ascending up onto the hill. They both flexed the muscles of their front legs, while clawing out at the trees, before climbing their way up them. It felt wonderful to stretch out in her fur, with her Mom, and Colt was awarded with a real sense of connection to the world around her. Impulsively, she went up and butted her head against Isla's catching her off guard and soliciting a small hiss as she briefly swayed on the thick branch, to which Colt simply rolled her eyes and did the same again, smirking inwardly when her Mom caved and let out a small purr, licking the top of Colt's head in affection.

Before they returned home, they ventured into the higher grounds to complete their bonding ritual with a hunt. Normally wildcats would be lone hunters, but their experience of living in a pack, gave them the ability to work together. Like this, they managed to take down four white mountain hares between them. The animals didn't really stand a chance, still dressed as they were, in their winter camouflage, with the astounding lack of snow on the ground. In the end Colt had to shift to her wolf form with a laugh, just to manage to carry them all home in one trip.

When they did arrive back at the house, Colt found the land rover was gone, and internally her stomach plummeted. Her heart sank and she found herself dragging her feet slowly back to the house, as her Mom repeatedly butted her head against her legs in an effort to make her pick up the pace. But, Colt was on the verge of heart break, she couldn't believe that Calum had just left, and without saying so much as a goodbye. Why he didn't wait for her and explain what went wrong; or tell her how she could fix it; were just some of the questions in her head.

Feeling wobbly on her feet, Colt only realised her mistake, when she got closer to the house and discovered a certain motorbike, parked up behind the caravan. Logic then shone through that, Calum had merely returned Alasdair's land rover, and Colt felt herself heat with shame at how quickly she had spiralled. Her pace quickened again, when the door opened and her mate stood there, in a button down shirt, and smart jeans, smelling fresh and clean; damn she really wanted to nibble his face.

He smirked at the clear sight of her appraisal, as Isla dropped a hare at his feet expectantly, and headed to the byre. His eyebrows rose further when Colt dropped the other three on top of it, her head raised with pride and her tail giving a slight wag, before she swaggered off around to the byre after her Mom.

Calum dutifully took the four animals inside towards the kitchen, raising them higher with a grin to show Kalvin as he passed.

"I think they thought of alternative arrangements for dinner as well, since the ganet here," he nodded at Lewis, "has emptied the kitchen." Calum stated with a chuckle.

Kalvin proudly laughed along with the sight, "They do make a good team when they set their sights on something," he concluded with a smile.

Calum made it into the kitchen and started rummaging noisily through the cupboards and drawers, determined to put his skill to work and save his mate a job. Once he found what he was looking for he set about butchering the animals. After removing the head and feet, he placed an incision from the hare's throat and down his chest, then he inserted his finger in between the skin and muscle of the creature pulling out to create an air pocket and allow his knife access to slice down the inside of the leg; repeating the same action to the opposite fore leg. Once this was done he was able to peel back the first bit of hide, to create some leverage for his next movement. Calum stood on the flap of skin, and pulled the rest of the hare upwards in once smooth squelchimg movement, removing the carcass from it's fluffy outer shell.

Calum was well practiced, as he himself enjoyed hunting mountain hares, even if with the new legislation, it meant it was only legal for shifters in animal form to do so, under the grounds of natural animal instincts, being pertinent to their overall wellbeing. The law was full of so many little loopholes for shifter on shifter behaviour, sometimes it was hard to keep track.

Thankfully though, this was one thing he didn't need to think twice about, muscle memory and a practiced hand leading his movements with ease. There were two discarded skins on the floor at his feet, while the innards had been dumped into the sink, the cold tap running to wash away the blood as he worked, on the third hare.

What he hadn't planned for, was halfway through the third animal, for Colt to enter her kitchen with a shriek so loud it caused him to slice into his own hand, instead of the cavity he needed to split and pull out the organs.

"Shit! Woman, why in the devil are you screaming at me?" He turned with an annoyed concern, dropping the knife with a clatter, to run his hand under the tap.

"What the hell have you done to my kitchen?!" Colt demanded, completely horrified at the sight in front of her.

"I'm sorting out your kill! I presumed bringing it home means it's not to be wasted," Calum stated as if it were obvious.

Colt surveyed the room, her wooden floors were stained with blood, especially where the skins were sitting on the floor; and the bright creamy coloured walls had sprays of blood and gore behind the sink, from the splashback of the organs being dumped in there with the tap running. In Colt's head it looked like Sweeney Todd'swork room, and she was absolutely livid.

"Not in the newly renovated kitchen! Do you know how expensive that floor was? Or how long I waited to get the right wood milled! Fucking hell, Calum! Animals get butchered outside, damn it! Outside!" She retorted, loudly, while dramatically pointing her arms at the scene of the crime.

"You dropped them at my feet, Colt! What was I supposed to think? It was at the door of the house!" Calum threw back still rinsing his cut hand in the sink as it began to heal.

"I was showing off my kill, you moron!" Colt fired back, "I had missed you, I wanted you to be proud of me! I wasn't asking you to use them to reinact that scene from Alien in my kitchen! Or Carrie for that matter!"

She lunged forward, scooping up the skins and throwing them in the sink, while turning off the tap, growling under her breath the entire time.

"My hands fine, thanks for asking, Love," Calum retorted sarcastically, "And you seem to be doing a grand job of recreating that Carrie scene all by yourself!"

Colt stared at him hard, completely speechless, while her look chilled him to the bone; Before she eventually spoke through gritted teeth, "Well, as you are a shifter, and there isn't a missing digit on my counter, I would presume so. Although maybe I just cant see it, under all this fucking gore!"

She stormed out of the kitchen leaving a dumbfounded Calum, before returning with a large bucket.

"Move. Please," she gritted out, picking out the guts and skins from the sink and throwing them into the bucket, with an annoyed sigh, and then taking them outside, she returned and silently began to fill the sink up with hot soapy water. "You need to change," she said, without looking up at him.

"What?" Calum asked, unsure of the break in her silent treatment, for some reason he expected it to last longer.

"We have dinner reservations at seven-thirty, Calum. It's after five now, and you look like Jack the Ripper." She clarified.

Calum looked down his front and realised with a grimace she was right, just at the same point Isla came into the kitchen with a gasp, that made him shrink back further.

"Bloody hell! No wonder there was a cat fight in here," She stated, "We thought we'd leave you to it, but if that's more than hare blood on your shirt, Mr. Macgregor, maybe we should have intervened sooner?" She asked with a slight smirk.

Calum sighed scratching his head, "No, Colt's claws stayed sheathed, just," he rolled his eyes, earning a growl from his mate as she began trying to clean the blood splatters off her walls, "But, her tongue seems to be just as sharp," he added, winking at Isla.

"Calum, I will help Colt clean up. You go and get showered upstairs, you can borrow some clothes from Kal, okay?" Isla reasoned, with a smile.

"Thanks," he grunted in acceptance, before turning to his mate with a sly smirk, she was reaching up to clean, and so, he crowded into her space from behind; Colt stilled as he put both his hands on her waist and leaned to her ear, stretching over her outstretched body as he did so. "Your kills were very impressive, Love," he offered, giving her a slow kiss on the cheek, before heading towards the living area.

Colt's anger simmered to irritation at his words, and the chorus of laughs she heard from her father and brother when they saw Calum, had her shaking her head with a slight grin. But, when she looked at her Mom, Colt couldn't help but reveal her crestfallen face.

"My kitchen is ruined, Mom," she sighed, I spent weeks choosing the floors, then staining it once they eventually arrived. There are no streaks, no drips, no blotches, except the new, big, ugly, permanent, red one," she whined, flapping her arms in the direction of the blood stained floor, "And, to make it worse, I can't even be mad at him, because he was trying to help."

Isla pursed her lips to stifle her grin, before gently asking Colt, "Are you sure that's why you can't be mad at him, Sweetie?"

Colt glared at her Mom momentarily, "Well, no, I also can't be mad at him, because he is perfect for me in every way," she huffed out annoyed, "He is so handsome, and so loving, he smells amazing, and he is just, everything," Colt ranted, frustrated at her mixed emotions.

"And so, he ruined your kitchen?" Isla asked, her smile breaking through.

Colt's own smile began to blossom, "He ruined my kitchen," she laughed, shaking her head at the dismal state of the room, with a sigh.

"Let's get this mess cleaned up," Isla stated, having fully deflated Colt's annoyance now. "Kalvin," she called out.

"Yeah, Beauti.... Holy shit! No wonder you were screaming." Kalvin stated, as he popped his head through the doorway, "We can repaint it, Princess, it will be fine."

"Uh-huh," Colt laughed out, at her Dad's 'let's fix it' expression.

"Kal, can you and Lewis, take the carcasses outside and finish sorting them out, please. Then Calum needs to borrow a new shirt, either you or Felix can sort that out, right?" Isla asked, taking control of the situation.

"Of course." Kalvin nodded dutifully, collecting the remaining hares "Come on, Lewis, work to do," they heard him order as he passed through the living room.

"Let's get this cleaned up then," Isla began, reaching for a cloth, "I will get the walls, you get the floor cleaned. We will get it sanded back and restained before you know it."

"Thanks Mom."

Author's Note: Eeek, this took longer to edit than expected. Sorry for the delay, and I hope you enjoyed it, I also hope you weren't eating while you read it...😉🤣