The Winter Moon's Wolf Part 22

Dean arched an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting her to start the second she walked in the door again, but what she began to say couldn't have surprised him more.

"We've decided that it's not fair to make you uproot and leave. You have a wonderful man in your life, and he has a wonderful family."

Dean rested on a shoulder against the chair to study them. His parents held hands and they nodded in mutual agreement. This was definitely not the direction of conversation he would have expected from his folks. Cade had paused in the kitchen, not interrupting, just listening.

"We've decided since your father's retired there's no reason we can't move here. We want to be close to you, all of you." She looked toward Cade, including him.

Dean questioned his father with a blunt stare. Why? Why?

"We started talking about it last night after you left," he confirmed. "We've missed having you close by, but after Daniel died we all kind of walled ourselves off." He grimaced. "It wasn't healthy and neither of us likes the distance. We miss you."

Dean twisted and found Cade, raising a hand to draw him into the conversation.

"I think that's a great idea. If it's feasible for you, I know the rest will be happy to call you family."

Dean's chest shuddered at Cade's unquestionable welcome. "Thank you," he mouthed for Cade.

Cade surprised him by leaning close and touching lips to forehead. Dean had no idea what had changed, but clearly something something had with Cade. had with Cade.

"Good," Ann said. "It'll take a while, sell the house, stuff, but hopefully by summer? Does that sound like a good time to come?" She questioned both with an expectant gaze.

Cade smiled. "Should be. Silo is a good town."

"Do you mind if we stay for the police?" Trent asked.

Dean shook his head. He wrote on the pad then handed it over. Better to only have to do this once. Better to only have to do this once. He didn't doubt they were all going to have the same basic questions, anyway. He didn't doubt they were all going to have the same basic questions, anyway.

"Have you eaten? It's soup but I have plenty."

"We'd be happy to stay," Ann replied.

Dean grinned, hiding it. Cade was making buckets of points with his mother now.

Within the hour, Sheriff Archer and the case detective investigating the attacks on Dean arrived. They all sat around Cade's kitchen table as one by one Dean answered questions, placing the previous night into context of time with his evening.

"Can we keep this as your written statement?" the detective asked, holding Dean's pages when he was finished.

Dean nodded. He signed his name at the bottom and dated it.

"I'll make sure a copy gets into the Ca.s.san files," the detective said, placing them with his other papers.

"Did you ever find out what happened to the power?" Cade asked.

"The main breaker outside had been turned off," Kelly informed them.

"Who was it?" his father asked.

"Wasn't there something tying them to Daniel?" Cade added. Dean was also wondering about that.

The detective flipped through notes. "The man behind all of this is Richie Spencer. His uncle, Jacob Tolleson was the man who shot Daniel. He died in prison two months ago of a heart attack."

"So it's all been for revenge? Payback?" Ann asked, appalled.

"It does look that way right now," he concurred. "He's still being questioned about the attacks on Dean and the fire. His personal vehicle matches the tire imprints taken from the day of the roof collapse, fingerprints from the first break-in prove that was him as well, and he has no alibi for the night of the fire. Last night added attempted murder. We think he's going to plead mentally unstable, but we're already prepared for that with the motivation behind the fire following his uncle's pa.s.sing, and then then ramping that up to physical harm. He's in jail, and not going anywhere." ramping that up to physical harm. He's in jail, and not going anywhere."

"So it's just a matter of making sure it's all neat to prosecute?" Cade said.

"Mostly," the detective asked. He stood and offered a hand across the table. "Thank you very much for taking the time. I know it's got to be tiring after last night."

Dean motioned, I'm okay. I'm okay.

"I guess it's too soon to think of being Frankenstein for Halloween," Kelly said, teasingly.

Dean's groan was rough. He s.n.a.t.c.hed the pad and scribbled. Good thing I think you're a friend. Good thing I think you're a friend.

Kelly read it and laughed. "I try to be." He handed it back. "I'll be checking back in a few days."

"And I have your phone numbers if I think of anything else," the detective offered. Dean walked them both to the door. He waited until they were both in their respective cars, then shut the door.

"I'm proud of you, babe," Cade whispered from behind him. Strong arms encircled his waist and pulled him into a solid chest.

He tried to turn around but was held fast. "After your parents leave, then we'll talk, okay?" Cade said right beside his ear.

Dean relaxed into the comforting hold and nodded.

Cade led Dean to the couch after dinner and sat first, tugging him to sit in the cradle of his legs. Ann and Trent were gone, with promises and plans already being made. They were flying back to Michigan in the morning. They knew there was nothing else they could do, and if they wanted to be here by summer, that was only a few months away.

It was going to take some adjustments to having Dean's parents around but they'd get there. There was time to make those adjustments.

First, he had to grovel to the man in his embrace.

He stroked Dean's forearm, pus.h.i.+ng the sweater sleeve he wore out of the way to reach skin.

"I know I keep saying it, but I want you to understand, I mean it, with all that I am. I'm sorry."

Dean nuzzled temple to temple. Cade knew the inability to talk left pretty much everything up to him at the moment.

"I have no excuse for not taking the impact the bond would have on you into consideration. I don't regret doing it. Never in a million years. I am regretting letting it happen the way it did." He had no excuses, and offered none. He should have had better control of his baser wants and the wolf's instincts. Losing his head in the heat of the moment was definitely no excuse.

Dean grasped a hand and dovetailed their fingers together, squeezing once.

Cade took that to mean that Dean understood. He wasn't fighting to get away, and while he was alert, he wasn't physically tense where they pressed together.

Cade tried to put his thoughts together to make coherent sense. His entire world had collapsed in a matter of hours last night. Every time he thought he was rebuilding something stronger, it turned into a house made of cards because he was still hiding from and avoiding the most intrinsic element necessary.

Himself.

He snuggled close, his lips brus.h.i.+ng over Dean's ear. "You had every right to be mad last night. I haven't been explaining things well. Jamie pointed that out."

Dean reached for the pad and wrote a line. Cade read it over his shoulder as he did.

"I accept the wolf," Cade read out loud. Cade held him close, his frame literally trembling as the import of that one statement filled him. "I can't even put it to words how grateful I am that you do. That's not something anyone can prepare for."

He let out a slow breath. Time to be honest, with the both of them.

"What you said last night..." He kissed Dean's ear when Cade started to feel him tense, his spine pus.h.i.+ng into Cade's chest. "You're right. I haven't been able to say I'm gay. I haven't wanted to. What I do know is I'm attracted to you. Now, don't be angry, but I want to explain this as fully as I can, okay?"

Dean hesitated, then nodded.

"I saw you, but didn't, that first night at the bar. That night, I was a wreck and I knew it. When I tried to walk away that was when the wolf slapped me. So I've been saying the wolf chose you, but that's not true. He didn't. I did." He locked his arms and curled around Dean to show him how wrong he'd been. He waited, only feeling Dean's patient expectation. "I chose you first as a friend. I chose to know you. I wanted you to meet my family. I knew what I was doing even if I wasn't aware then that I was also attracted to you. Then I found out you were gay and you became so much more dangerous."

Dean snickered, tilting to rest on Cade's shoulder to listen.

"Still comfortable?"

Dean nodded. The brace was bulky but it gave support Cade knew he needed.

"I want to be with you. Whatever anyone else wants to call it doesn't really matter. It's just me and you when you get to the barest bones." He took a slow breath. "What I'm saying is, I was just scared and I was being a coward to not accept that I can be in love with you." Because if he was, then that definitely meant he was in love with a man, and that was the battle he'd been waging.

But no more. It made absolutely no difference what what it was called. It was what he it was called. It was what he felt felt that mattered. He'd seen that last night at Chris'. that mattered. He'd seen that last night at Chris'.

Dean stiffened. He twisted and faced Cade as much as he could from between his thighs without spinning too far on his wounded neck.

"In love?" he rasped. "With me?"

"In love with you," Cade said. He caressed Dean's chin. "I was going to say exactly the same thing when I got here last night, if you'd have even opened the door. I was terrified you wouldn't talk to me. Last night made me realize that all the f.u.c.kups in the world won't keep me from feeling what I do for you. So gay or straight, sideways or hanging from a ceiling, I'm with you. Not because you're bonded or stuck with me, but because I love you."

Dean sighed roughly. He burrowed deeply into Cade's neck and wrapped an arm around his body to hold on as tight as he could.

"I know there are still things that need answered, that you have every right to ask." Cade ran a hand up and down his body. He'd do his best, always.

"Soon," Dean managed, pressed against his neck.

Cade agreed. He was confident once Dean had his voice back, they'd be sharing quite a few of these discussions between them.

They stayed like that on the couch for a while, enjoying the closeness. It was heaven. Looking at the clock below the TV a while later, he realized how late it was getting. After the last twenty-four hours, he was positive Dean was exhausted. "Want to get ready for bed?"

Dean sat up enough to look drowsily into Cade's eyes. Dean looked to already be half asleep. He was sure the medications he took at dinner were helping a lot to get him there. Leaning, Dean touched mouth to mouth. Cade didn't push for a deep kiss, letting Dean take what he wanted. When he moved away, Cade said, "And quit trying to talk. The doc said you needed time to heal the bruising to your vocal chords."

Dean rolled his eyes.

"Go get cleaned up."

"Thanks." No sound.

Cade smiled for him. He let Dean have a few minutes before heading to the bedroom himself, using the time to lock up. Dean was sitting in bed, a pad and pen on his lap when he got there.

After changing and brus.h.i.+ng his teeth, Cade slipped in beside him. Dean was already writing. He took the pad when Dean handed it over.

Is that offer to move in still open?

"Of course."

He scribbled on the next line. Is right now too soon? Is right now too soon?

Cade laughed and turned a watchful Dean toward him with a palm. "Did you really think I was going to let you go back to Ca.s.san after I just told you I love you?"

Dean's expression lightened and he rolled a shoulder.

"If you're really ready then yes, tomorrow we can bring whatever you want here."

Not what I would have planned, but yes.

"I know, babe." Cade nuzzled his temple. "Are you sore?"

A little. The st.i.tches are uncomfortable. He dug his chin into the brace, as though punctuating the awkwardness. He dug his chin into the brace, as though punctuating the awkwardness.

"I'm sure they are," Cade replied after he'd written his answer. "I'll check them in the morning to change the bandage if you want."

Dean nodded. His gaze drew inward, thoughtful and a moment later, he started to write again. Cade waited him out, giving him time to say what he wanted.

When he handed it over, Dean cupped his ear, intimating he wanted to hear Cade.

"Okay." He focused on the writing. "I was f.u.c.king furious at you. -Got that," Cade quipped in retort. Dean smacked a knee to his leg with a dull thud. Cade jerked to laugh then started reading again. "You're right. It isn't gay, or not, but saying it the way you did made me believe you had no choice to be with me, a man."

Cade lowered the pad. "I know. That is one of those big things I'm so sorry for doing to you."

Dean tapped him to keep reading.

Cade swallowed and did as asked. "The bond was another one of those. I fully understand what you meant by it. I understand how that works in nature and I've had time to think it through. My question is can I bond you?"

Cade's voice trailed away as he read that silently again. He swore his eyes were lying to him. He'd never never antic.i.p.ated this happening. "You want to?" he whispered, unable to hide the enormity of his shock. He faced the man at his side, almost unable to form thoughts or words. Was Dean saying he loved Cade in return? Cade all but trembled at the gift he was getting from the man at his side. antic.i.p.ated this happening. "You want to?" he whispered, unable to hide the enormity of his shock. He faced the man at his side, almost unable to form thoughts or words. Was Dean saying he loved Cade in return? Cade all but trembled at the gift he was getting from the man at his side.

Dean nodded, peeking through his lashes before reaching for the pad of paper. He wrote out something quickly. If I'm stuck with you, then you are stuck with me, too. If I'm stuck with you, then you are stuck with me, too.

Cade chuckled, reading his tenacity and admiring him more for it. "Good point." Cade was almost finished with what Dean had written originally. "Lastly, why are you wearing pajamas?"

Cade's laughter deepened. "Because we're in bed and we're not doing more than sleeping until the doctor says you're healed enough." He needed Dean healed to erase the images of him bleeding on his kitchen floor. Watching him overnight in the hospital bed, those moments were about all he could envision on his eyelids.

Dean grumbled, though Cade saw the playfulness in his eyes. Just to give Cade a bit of h.e.l.l.

Cade dropped the pad on the nightstand and turned out the small lamp. "Rest however you're most comfortable." He curled an arm around him to bring him down to the bed. He didn't doubt he was still going to screw things up, but he sincerely hoped he was done s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up this part of it.