“Feels like it’s been forever since we were able to do this.”

Dean nodded slowly, feeling lazy as they sprawled on the couch together. It was one of those summer days that was warm, but not warm enough to justify keeping the AC on. The happy compromise involved them laying out on the couch with nothing on. It was the first day they’d had some downtime where neither of them had a long list of things to do or without someone else hanging around.

“I feel very lazy right now,” Dean admitted, bathing in the warmth of the room and Mikael’s body. They would eventually have to get up before they stuck to one another, but Dean was too comfortable to even consider moving before then.

“You’re just saying that because your legs don’t wanna work right.”

Dean chuckled. “True. That’s very modest of you, by the way.”

“Babe, no one moans the way you moan if they don’t end up having trouble walking afterward. You make me feel like a sex god or something.”

Dean ran a hand up one of Mikael’s calves. “Maybe you are or were in another life.”

“Glad I can satisfy.”

They both knew it was far more than just being satisfied. As Mikael had said, Dean wasn’t much for holding himself back vocally. It wasn’t that he was putting on a show, or simply doing it to make Mikael feel better. The sex between them was, hands down, the best Dean had ever had. There was no way he was going to restrain the noises if he didn’t have good reason to. Really, he was more surprised he even had the strength to do that much when Mikael was inside of him.

“Is this going to be one of those days where we do nothing but nap, cuddle, and fuck?” Dean asked, prodding Mikael’s side with a toe.

“I mean, we haven’t had one of those in a while. Would that be so bad?”

Dean laughed. “Aren’t couples supposed to experience a drop in their sex drive after a year, or something? By the end of the season, we’ll have been together for a year, and we’re still having sex like it’s the first month.”

“Is this the part where I tell you that werewolves have a high sex drive?”

“I think you mentioned that before, but I’m not a werewolf.”

“Animal magnetism?”

“Oh my god.”

“Fine, maybe you’re just a horndog.”

Dean yanked out the pillow he was resting on and threw it at Mikael. “Ass.”

Mikael caught the pillow with a laugh. “I’m not wrong, am I?”

“Don’t hear you complaining.”

“Oh, far from it.”

Dean stuck his tongue out, not caring that it was childish. If he were honest, it really could be any of the above. He had been attracted to the few people he had dated before, and the people he had slept with. His attraction to all his previous partners paled in comparison to how he felt about Mikael. It didn’t matter how many times they had sex. As soon as Mikael touched him, it always felt like the first time. The only difference was that the touch wasn’t exciting because it was new, but because it was well-known, exhilarating in its familiarity. There was a security in being held, grabbed, kissed, and even manhandled by Mikael that he had known nowhere else.

“You’re doing that thinking thing again.”

Dean jerked, yanked from his happy thoughts. “Thinking about this amazing guy I’ve got in my life. Kinda makes me starry-eyed sometimes.”

“Aren’t we feeling soft-hearted today?”

It was said with a grin, and Dean poked him with his toe one more time for extra emphasis. He wouldn’t say that he was necessarily sleeping any better. The nightmares were still going to happen. He knew that, and there wasn’t much he could do about it except wait it out. But after the night before, he had managed to sleep peacefully. Mikael had stayed curled around him throughout the rest of the night, with Dean waking up next to him in the morning.

The front door crashed open, banging against the wall as someone barreled into the hallway with a shout. Dean rolled off the couch with a startled yelp, trying to get out of sight of whatever had just forced its way into his home. Mikael however, had stood up, muscles bunching as he prepared himself for a fight. A strong whiff of Mikael’s scent hit Dean, and he realized that Mikael was getting ready to go full-on wolf.

“Dante?”

Mikael’s annoyed question hung in the air as Dean pushed himself up off of the floor. Sure enough, the grumpy looking werewolf stood in the doorway to the living room. Dean didn’t know who was more startled, them or Dante. The expert tracker was looking stunned as his eyes flashed between the two of them.

“Holy shit,” Dante barked. “Why the fuck aren’t you wearing any clothes?”

Dean scoffed. “You help yourself through the front door of our house and demand to know why we aren’t wearing any clothes?”

Dante sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose. “Oh shit, tell me I didn’t interrupt you guys in the middle of screwing or something. It reeks of sex and lube in here.”

Sighing, Dean began searching for their clothing. “We were between rounds, but thanks for asking.”

Dante gave Mikael a pained expression, “Mikael, man. Pants?”

Dean tossed them to Mikael, who didn’t move except to catch the pants. Dante was doing his best to maintain eye contact with Mikael. Dean had thought werewolves weren’t all that shy about nudity, but it seemed that wasn’t a universal mindset. Dante looked about as uncomfortable as it got as he tried to avoid looking too far below their shoulders.

Dante turned away. “Seriously, is this what you guys do all day? Sit around without clothes on and hump like bunnies?”

“We were enjoying having no one over and a day completely to ourselves,” Dean griped as he yanked his underwear and shorts on.

“Right up until a certain pack member decided to almost break down our door,” Mikael added, still not having put any clothing on, or even bothering to cover himself in the slightest. Dean suspected he was doing it on purpose to embarrass Dante even more. That, or it was some weird werewolf dominance thing. He hadn’t seen much of that from his mate before, but anything was possible. And it was the first time someone had so completely interrupted them in the midst of an intimate and vulnerable moment.

“Mikael. Look I’m sorry man, but I wasn’t thinking. I came here to tell you, Lucille is awake.”

Dean jerked upright, spinning to face Dante. “Are you serious?”

Mikael was instantly fighting to get his pants on. “When?”

Dante peaked over his shoulder, seeing that they were decent now, he turned to face them. “Last night. They wanted to make sure she was alright before they sent word out. But she’s awake, talking and everything.”

“How is she?” Dean asked as he wrestled his shirt on.

“Weak, but she was a little stronger before I left than she was last night. She even took a nap and woke up a few hours later. But they’re wanting you guys to come back.”

Mikael was already forcing his shoes on. “Of course I’m coming back.”

Dean hesitated, looking out the front window toward the driveway. If this had been winter or even the beginning of spring, he would have been out the door before Mikael. Now though, with the farm in full swing and needing a lot of care, he hesitated.

“Dean?”

Dean turned to Mikael with a grimace. “I’m going to have to call the Williams’. Maybe even call one of the locals to come and help them.”

Dante snorted. “Seriously, you’re worried about that? Just come back with us.”

Dean frowned. “Last I checked, I’m helping provide food to the pack with this farm, Dante. And I’m not going to leave the animals to fend for themselves. I don’t mind having Mr. Williams take care of the animals, but I’d really prefer to have someone here to help him with the fields. I know he did it before, but there’s more out there than last year.”

“I understand Dean. You don’t have to explain,” Mikael assured him.

“Okay, but you need to go. You two can get there on four legs faster than if you drove anyway. I’ll drive the truck out and meet you guys there once I get something set up.”

Mikael nodded, glancing down at the rest of his clothes. “Guess I should throw these in a bag instead, then.”

Dante jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at a small bag on his back. “Just throw them in with mine. Come on, she’s asking about you.”

Dean hesitated, not knowing if this was the right time. “Does she…remember anything?”

Dante shrugged. “I don’t know if they asked her. I wasn’t around when they did.”

He didn’t have anything to say to that, growing quiet as the two werewolves talked quietly. Mikael looked up after a moment, frowning at Dean. Mikael motioned Dante out with the promise that he would follow. Once they heard him close the door and thump down the steps of the porch, Mikael moved closer to him.

“What’s wrong?” Mikael asked.

“Nothing that can’t wait,” Dean replied, thinking of the messenger tube they had found on Lucille. It was safely stowed away back at the Grove, under Matalina’s safe keeping. Dean hadn’t wanted that thing anywhere near where he lived after what had happened in the mountain. He remembered all too clearly how Damian had spoken of what should have been a pack of six tubes. Dean couldn’t be certain that they were even the same tubes. But if he was right, and they were the same thing, it meant that Damian had only had four, the fifth had somehow ended up with Lucille.

Where was the sixth?

“You sure?”

Dean could see Mikael was concerned, but he also wanted to already be halfway across the fields and into the woods. Dean hadn’t had siblings of his own, but he could understand the feeling. If it was Mikael that had just woken up after over half a year of being in a coma, Dean wouldn’t have stood around this long to wait to see him. It was only Mikael’s need to make sure Dean was okay that was keeping him here.

“Go. Shouldn’t take me long to head out,” Dean told him, leaning up to kiss him quickly and pat his butt.

Mikael returned the kiss before turning and hurrying out of the house. Dean watched them through the front window. He caught the last few seconds of their transition into their wolf forms. The last traces of Mikael’s human skin disappeared behind a patch of fur as he shook himself off. The beautiful predator that was his mate pawed at the ground, eyeing the dark wolf that was Dante. And just like that, they were gone, speeding off toward the forest’s edge.

He watched the tree line for a moment, chewing his bottom lip. Before he could sink too deeply into his thoughts, he pushed away from the window to find his phone. Service might be non-existent within the Grove, but at least he had it while at home. He found the phone in between the cushions of the couch and dug it out to dial the Williams’ and explain the situation.

“Again?” Mr. Williams asked quietly.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Williams. I know you’re busy with your own things, and there’s more to do here than there was last year. I was kind of hoping you knew some local kids who might need the work, and could come out here and help.”

“I ain’t that old, Dean.”

Dean sighed, having expected this. “I didn’t say that. But I think your wife would kill us both if you were over here all day long, slaving away on my farm.”

“Ah,” Mr. Williams grunted. “You might be right about that one. I know a couple of boys from down the way who could use the work.”

“Alright, I’ll leave plenty of money in my grandfather’s chest for you to pay them with.”

“How long this time?”

Dean hesitated. “Uh, should only be a few days. It’s a family thing going on, and I want to be there with Mikael.”

“Uh huh, you’ve said ‘only a few days’ before Dean,” Mr. Williams chuckled. “I know what that means. I just hope you don’t come back a couple of weeks later, looking worse than you do now.”

“Mr. Williams, please.”

“I said I’d do it, and I’ll do it.”

“I’ll leave the key to the chest on the kitchen table for you. Feel free to take some and buy yourself something nice.”

Mr. Williams snorted before ending the call, leaving Dean to set his phone down with a worried frown. He was only going out to see Lucille and make sure she was okay. It was simply a matter of visiting the people who were essentially his in-laws. Everything had calmed down since Damian had died, there wasn’t a threat hovering over the Grove anymore.

So why did he feel like this was only the eye of the storm?