"What do you mean your nephew, Mom?" Colt asked her Mother.
"I mean he is your father's sister Alana"s son." her Mom smiled.
"You're related." Elijah said stepping back and allowing Marcus to move away from the wall.
Colt smiled deviously at her Mom's revelation and how the circumstances would give her a small way to bring the prideful alpha down a peg.
"Mr. Lupus, I suggest you apologise to my cousin before I have you thrown out of the resort for breaking the terms of your contract to stay." She said firmly.
Her Mom's eyes lit with a feline pride as she realized what her daughter was doing.
"Apologise? You can't be serious I am his Alpha, and he is my gamma. I will not." Elijah said, disgusted at the suggestion and holding firm to the traditional view of a pack hierarchy.
"Then, will have to ask you to remove yourself from the property immediately. I'm sure your pack subordinates will gather your belongings for you
since you will never be allowed to step foot over our border again. Now, are you going to leave willingly or shall I have Davis and Mick escort you out?" Colt responded with a smile, every bit the obvious cat playing with her prey.
At this point Elijah seen the two large bear shifters enter the lobby. They were over seven foot tall and he knew he couldn't take them both. He looked at his mate as she watched expectantly to see what he would do. His Alpha instinct was warring inwardly with him. It told him that those lower than he shouldn't be apologised to, but then he might lose his chance with his mate. Evidently she didn't like this type of prideful behaviour, and wasn't her opinion on him important too? He scrubbed his hand down his face and literally gulped down his pride before looking at her and smiling. As he did he found himself realising her game, and determined to turn it in his favour in some way.
"And this is why you are made perfectly for me mate." he smiled pouring as much obvious admiration into his voice as possible. "You can curb my brutish behaviour when I get carried away." He turned to Marcus, "Sorry Marcus, I thought you were about to imply you and she had had some sort of fling, I should have let you explain and I definitely shouldn't have over reacted." He held out his hand for Marcus to shake which he gladly did, albeit slightly confused at his Alpha's declaration.
"No worries Eli, I would be the same with Marissa." he responded, covering his befuddlement.
Colt rolled her eyes at Elijah's obvious and over the top apology. He of course used it to lay another claim on her meaning she had to fight to suppress her urge to shiver. However, she did signal Davis and Mick to stand down then said "Right well, now this unpleasantness is dealt with I think it's time we all head into class. Please come through everyone." she asked.
At her invitation Elijah suddenly noticed the lobby had filled with other guests for the class. Momentarily he was taken aback by the volume, expecting only four or five people he was shocked to see around twenty. He stepped to head through and lined up along the wall with everyone else, silently manoeuvring himself to get what he thought would be the closest spot to Colt.
Colt could hear her mother gushing over her cousin and inviting him over for dinner later to find out all about his mate and what he had been doing with his life, since she was cooking afterall.l, having lost the bet about Elijah turning up early. Colt thought it would have been cute, if it weren't for the fact she was inviting the enemy across the ttenches and into her home.
When everyone was inside she closed the door and turned to the class appraising everyone quickly and she realised other than herself, he mother and the two wolves, everyone here was either human or a lower part of the food chain prey type shifter, like Dylan who was a Dove shifter, or Meryl who was a Sheep shifter, and she could smell their fear from the two new apex predators in the room. This wouldn't do at all, she would have to fix it fast.
"Right class before we get started I just need a quick word with the Alpha and his Gamma here. Mom would you please start the warm up and I will be back in a moment. Mr. Lupus, Marcus will you follow me please."
Her Mom nodded as she stepped to the front stretching, and the two males followed her outside to the lobby.
Colt sighed, she knew instinctively that this was going to cost her, but for the sake of her class she had to continue. She turned to them both and said "You two need to leave."
Elijah smirked, "But this is an open class and we would really like to participate."
Colt's ire was getting the better of her, "This is a self defense class for those who need it, Mr
Lupus I do not believe you or my cousin fall into that category in the slightest. I cannot teach the others who do need it with you there."
"First off, call me Elijah please." he responded, he hated her formal way of addressing him it was too impersonal and no doubt why she kept doing it. "Secondly, I am curious as to why you can't teach with me there, do I distract you kitten?" he asked stepping closer into her space.
His spicy scent infiltrated her nostrils and she was loathed to discover just how addictive she found it. Damn bond she thought. She raised her eyebrow and responded angrily, "Oh, get over yourself Mr Lupus. This isnt about me it's about them. They will not be able to focus because they are terrified of you." she sneered.
"Elijah," he all but growled at her with his correction.
Marcus at this point had stepped back to give them some space but his eyes were lit with joy watching this play out and trying not to laugh as he left the building. He figured he would deal with his Alpha's annoyance at his departure later, worst case scenario he might have to set his Auntie on him in his defence, once he had bought himself and Zachary some popcorn to watch of course.
Elijah continued fighting for his rights to be in the class not noticing Marcus had abandoned him. "I do not see why their fear is my problem Colt. Now shall we return?" he asked.
"No. You, argh, just come this way" she said, leading him a small storage cupboard in the spa where the clientele records were kept. Picking up a folder from a cabinet, she handed it to Elijah, "Meryl is a sheep shifter who was dating a Dog shifter. He regularly beat her black and blue till she got the courage to shift and head butt him. He was knocked out. Long story short she escaped him and he was locked up but her self esteem plummeted, she has worked in my kitchen as a chef for a year now, and attending the classes for about the same amount of time. Yet you walk through the door and I can feel the fear pouring off her. That bastard is up for release in four months time. Her need is greater than yours by far, Mr Lupus."
Elijah stared dumbfounded as looked at the pictures of the small woman covered in bruises along with several hospital admission records.
"There are more just like her, but Meryl's case is public record and she doesn't object to it being talked about. I can't show you the others because it would breach confidentiality. These people didn't grow up in a pack. They do not have some one to fall back on, and they certainly weren't raised knowing how to fight. So this, which you scorn, is important for them. It is why it is important to me and why you have to leave." she pleaded to him her emotions laying her soul somewhat bare.
Elijah managed to tear his eyes away from the file and look at her. He was planning to extort a date from her but he found while looking at the tears in her eyes he couldn't. She was passionate about this. About helping these people. It meant something to her, or rather they meant something to her. She did know it yet, but she was destined to be a Luna, his Luna. Her care and compassion rolled off of her in waves.
"Alright, I will go." he said, handing her back the file and heading to the door of the storage room.
"Thank you, Elijah." she said. His name slipping out before she could catch herself.
Even she liked how it felt on her lips. He paused and turned to her, feeling rooted to the spot.
"I'm not heartless you know." he begged her to see. To know him, to let him know her.
"I know." She said standing across the room feeling suddenly quite small in the presence of the alpha towering in the doorway before her.
"I..." he started but drifted off. "You have a class to get back to I suppose." he said instead already mourning her absence.
"That I do." she said matter of fact, trying to cover up how truly vulnerable she felt. "Excuse me," she went to brush past him struggling to maintain her composure but in the small door frame she brushed against him and they both froze.
Her side was flush against his front, and the heat of his skin penetrated through her to the core. Elijah inhaled deeply. Her scent invaded his senses and his hand reached out to stroke her cheek.
Colt found that despite herself she was leaning into him, and craving his touch and the comfort she found there. So when he asked if he could see her later she didn't have enough of her senses about her to say no. She agreed. Then felt him gently kiss the top of her head before he left. She was stood for a full minute before she registered what had happened.
.