Colt blinked her bleary eyes open, only to see her Dad's face as he was gently shaking her awake. She instantly regretted follow her Mom's advice and going to sleep, as now she could feel the stiffness that had seeped up her back and settled into her neck from sleeping at such an awkward angle in the car.
"Wakey wakey, Kiddo." he said smiling down at her. "Come on, your a bit too old now for me to carry you inside don't you think?"
"Hmmm" she groaned trying to stretch out her kinked up neck. "You are hilarious, Pops." she said using her Dad's most hated nickname, while wearing a glint in her eye, and a smile she couldn't conceal at seeing him, that stretched from ear to ear.
She stepped out the car wrapping her arms about him as he pulled her in for a bone crushing hug. After he released her she stretched her neck from side to side hearing the little pops in the joints, that matched the ones her spine released a moment ago.
"Actually, thanks Dad, that helped" she laughed, feeling her back ease up a bit. "Where's Mom gone?" she asked.
"Inside making hot chocolate I believe" he said. "She said, and I quote 'You might have an interest in the stray I brought home with me, it's out in the jeep.' So, I came out thinking she's brought home another dang stray cat, and what do I find? A snoring monkey, if ever I saw one. That is no doubt, bound to eat three times as much food as any stray cat would of." he shrugged teasing.
"For that comment on my snoring alone Dad, I will make sure it's your ice cream I eat first. Salted caramel here I come." Colt laughed, enjoying the free spirited banter she shared with her Dad.
"Now Colt, a father's love for his only daughter is pretty epic Princess, but even I have my limits. Keep you hands off Missy" he stated wiggling a finger at her as he grabbed the luggage out of the trunk. But when he closed it Colt was already in the doorway to the house, heading for the freezer. "Colt Breagha Merrier, don't you even think about it." he yelled, and began following her inside.
He dropped the bags at the foot of the stairs and proceed through the long corridors to the kitchen. But, by the time Kalvin got to the kitchen, Colt was already sitting at the breakfast bar with the tub of salted caramel in her hands and the spoon half way to her mouth. He couldn't help it, some things were sacred, and his ice cream was one of them, these are the reasons he internally used to justify growling at his daughter.
Colt smirked and put the spoon into her mouth anyway while her eyes lit up with mischief, knowing her Dad was about to be told off.
Isla appeared from the larder cupboard arms folded, "Kalvin, please tell me you did not just growl at our daughter over your bloody ice cream."
"Now you've done it Dad" Colt teased, raising both eyebrows with a smirk.
"I. I. I love you darling?" Kalvin mostly seemed to be asking at his mate, while trying to butter her up. "Did I mention that you look more beautiful than ever?"
Colt burst out laughing at her Dad, while Isla simply rolled her eyes and swatted away his advances towards her for a hug. "Oh no you don't. This is serious. If she wants to eat the entire state out of salted caramel everything, then she bloody can right now do you hear me?" she waged her pointer finger at him, scowling.
Colt froze at this statement as her Dad frowned turning his attention to her instead. "Why? What exactly is going on Princess?"
"Thanks, Mom" she muttered sarcastically, and stuffed a massive spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.
"Don't you take that tone with me..." her Mom paused, laughing as Colt's face suddenly scrunched up in pain.
"I believe my dear mate, that would be karma giving our I'll mannered daughter brain freeze." her Dad laughed along.
"Well it serves her right," Isla smirked, shaking her head at Colt.
Colt sighed in relief as the pain finally passed and she felt like she could breath again. "That was so not pleasant." she whined.
"I'll bet it wasn't" her Dad laughed rustling her hair. "Next time, don't steal my ice cream and it wont be an issue will it?"
"But, I got a spoon out for you and Mom too." she said, trying to justify her actions and sliding the silverware across the bar.
This made Kalvin's face soften as he looked at his daughter. While Isla looked on in contentment at her daughter's interaction with her mate.
Kalvin picked up the spoon and scraped some of the softer more melted part of the dessert from around the edge of the tub. "Now, this is the best bit" he sighed in happiness as the ice cream further melted on his tongue.
Isla chose to interrupt them both here seeing the wonderful distraction stunt Colt had managed to pull on her Dad and rolling her eyes. "Yes, well as sweet as this father-daughter moment is, Colt I believe you have something to tell your father?" she challenged.
"Gee, thanks Mom." she muttered hating how much she sounded like a sullen teenager again. She was sure it took longer than this for her revert back to her snarky sixteen year old self when she last visited, though she couldn't quite remember when that was.
"Well?" Kalvin asked impatiently.
After a pause where Colt had remained motionless, Isla tried encouraging her by saying, "He will find out eventually, and he cannot help you unless you tell him the whole story."
"Do I have to?" Colt asked, beseeching her Mom with her eyes.
"Yes." came the firm reply from both of her parents.
"But, it's getting late look." she motioned to the clock on the wall reading ten at night.
"Then you better start talking princess." her Dad said.
"Fine." she sighed, and on her second deep breath out she all but whispered, "I met my mate, yesterday."
Colt's eyes stayed glued to the ice cream dripping off her spoon as her Mom slid a glass of whisky in front of her Dad.
Kalvin froze for a moment, he knew Colt would find her mate eventually, but that eternal hope that he wouldn't lose his baby girl to another man had only been bolstered by the fact that now Colt was twenty four, two years past the age where the majority of shifters had found their mates by. So, the eternal father's hope that maybe, just maybe it wouldn't happen had shattered in front of him. So, he downed the drink in front of him in one swig. Though he raised an eye brow when Isla instantly refilled it, and returned it to him.
He looked at her puzzled and she said, "Just wait, there's more yet."
"Oh?" asked, raising an eyebrow, wondering how it could be worse.
"Really, Kalvin 'oh'?" Isla stated frustrated, "She tells you she found her mate yesterday, and turns up here today? When has she ever taken a break from work? Nevermind the fact that she is here, alone!" she ranted exasperated at her mate's slow uptake of the situation.
"What's happened?" Kalvin asked, he was worried now, having had the obvious dots joined for him. "Where is he?"
"Wrong questions Kal," Isla said softening at her husband. "Try who, not what or where dear."
"Colt, who is your mate?" Kalvin asked his daughter tentatively.
Colt who had remained silently eating the ice cream during this exchanged looked up at her Father and swallowed deeply. She opened her mouth to speak then closed it again frowning.
"Princess, tell me who he is." Kalvin asked her again.
She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and looked at her Dad. "Elijah Lupus." she murmured.
"No." Kalvin spoke. "No. No." he shook his head. "It can't be." he muttered horrified.
"Drink up dear." Isla said, putting his whisky in his hand. "He isn't so bad in person, a bit of a moron, but there's worse out there." she babbled, trying to reassure him.
Colt felt helpless and tried to change the subject. "We did meet Marcus though." She said hopefully.
"Alana's boy?" her Dad mumbled, only half paying attention as his mind spiralled. "That's nice. Is he well?"
"Yeah, he is Elijah's third apparently." Colt said.
"Of course he is." Kalvin said rubbing his face, at a loss of what to say further.
Isla stepped in instead, saying, "Sweetie, it's late. Why don't you head up to bed and get some sleep?" Taking the ice cream and spoon away from Colt to return to the freezer and giving her her hot chocolate that she had made.
Colt sighed, knowing she was being dismissed, but grateful for the escape all the same. "Thanks Mom." she said. "Good night Dad. Night Mom."
"Good night sweetie." Isla replied giving Colt a quick hug.
"Good night Princess." Kalvin said pulling his daughter in for another tight squeeze.
-----
About ten minutes after Colt had headed upstairs to her old room. Her Mom and Dad had moved through the the lounge and where they sat curled up together on the couch. Despite the comfort they still took from one another readily, Kalvin could sense something else was brewing on Isla's mind.
"So, what else do I need to know, Darling." he asked while absentmindedly twirling her hair through his fingers.
"Oh, Kalvin. I don't know where to begin." she said her voice quivering as if she were on the verge of tears.
"Shhhh." he soothed. "Talk to me beautiful, you know I can't take it when you cry."
"Well, she is in pain, Kalvin." she said feeling her soulmate tense beneath her. " And, I don't mean because of him. I just think his arrival has forced her to face it. She said she doesn't know who she is. As a shifter who can't shift, and I can't believe we missed it! I failed as her as her Mother Kal, because, I don't know how to help her." Isla sobbed breaking down in her mate's arms.
Kalvin held his wife tight in his embrace, till her sobs ceased. He pulled her back so he could look onto her eyes, eyes that had always reminded him of the Caledonian pine forest he claimed her in, all swirls of browns and greens. "Isla, you could never fail as a mother my love. You would lay down your life for each one of our children ten times over. You aren't a psychic though, and you can't expect to fix what you don't know about. Don't beat yourself up." He kissed her deeply and continued "I will talk to Colt tomorrow. I have a couple of free hours now I'm not collecting you in the morning." he smiled. "Which is a wonderful suprise by the way. You. Home. Early." Each word at the end was punctuated by a kiss as he stood up his mate in his arms and carried her to bed without objection.
"I love you Kal," Isla said, her head snuggled against this shoulders.
"I love you too Isla." he responded.