Chapter 1: Family Packs

"Have you ever even been in a pack?"

The tall, dark-haired alpha, his turquoise eyes somehow conveying compassion and derision at the same time, glared at his younger brothers. The older and shorter of the pair, a blonde omega who talked back a great deal more than was considered proper for his subgender, glared at the alpha, resisting the urge to growl through his teeth. His younger brother, who actually matched the alpha in height and strength, watched the exchange silently, his azure eyes calculating and remarkably free of the omega-gold that swirled through his brother's whiskey-colored irises.

"Of course they haven't," their second oldest brother drawled from his seat against the wall, his pale blue eyes flicking lazily around the small café. It was a weekly event, for the two older boys to meet up with their father and younger siblings, but it was never a pleasant affair.

Chuck, a graying alpha with a scruffy brown beard and piercing blue eyes, reached out to grab his oldest son's arm. "Michael, it's his choice."

"Packs aren't for omegas, and they never have been," the dark-haired man replied. "Packs are for alphas and betas; omegas are there only as bitches, fuck toys, and mates. And since we all know that Gabriel will never take a dick up his ass, no Head Alpha would let him in."

The omega, smallest of his family but still an inch taller than his sire, snapped his teeth, golden eyes darkening with an ire that omegas rarely showed. He was dressed in dark jeans with worn knees, a dark green shirt, and a heavy leather jacket, clothes that omegas rarely wore. Even his dark boots were heavy and alpha, the teenager doing everything in his power to resist the call of his instincts and society's expectations. "You don't know anything about me Michael." He used the name as an insult, almost spitting the syllables across the table, and the blonde second child had to reach out and stop his oldest brother from leaping across the small space and attacking in response.

"Michael," Lucifer hissed, the younger alpha's eyes flashing in warning as his hand clamped down tighter and forcibly returned Michael to his seat. "Fight with your words, not your teeth."

Michael snorted at that, glancing over at his father before reaching for his forgotten glass of water. Chuck had tried to teach his two alpha sons to be gentle, to be in control at all times, and not to give into their instincts. He had always wanted to be seen as a peaceful, calm alpha, though his wrath could bring lesser men to their knees. He only let that side of him show when one of his seven pups were in danger, and Michael had no doubt that the smaller man could take him out if he needed to. In this family, Chuck was in charge.

"This pack is different," Gabriel pointed out, finally speaking as the scent of angry alpha faded from the large booth. "It's run by a junior at the high school, and it has a counterpart run by his cousin at the university. They promise safety, protection, mentoring in schoolwork, and access to the family's resources for the duration of your schooling. I heard about it from one of the betas I befriended."

The huge family had just moved from Illinois to Kansas, and the teenage pups were having a hard time fitting into a new school, a much larger one than the one they had left. Michael and Lucifer had both transferred to the University of Kansas, three of their younger siblings in Lawrence High School, and the two youngest at Lawrence West Middle School. It was a tough transition, especially for the three teenagers, since the high school they came from had fewer than two hundred students and this one had almost two thousand. Was it any wonder, then, that Gabe had gone looking for a pack?

"How do you join this pack?"

Gabriel turned to look at his father, smiling up at the waitress as she came to refill their drinks. "Uh, she said that you have to apply. They interview the ones they are interested in, then they assign you a 'pack mother' or 'pack father' if you are chosen, and that person is your personal mentor until you graduate into mentoring others. It's a really fluid dynamic."

"Do you really feel like you need the protection of a pack at school? Back in Illinois, you always thought your brothers were enough."

The raven-haired teen, his blue eyes darkening, reached out to take his father's hand. "It was enough, in a school with two hundred people that combined middle and high school students into one building. Michael and Lucifer were always a couple of rooms away, or just on the other side of the yard during recess, and no one would dare mess with us."

"We had to keep a lot of knotheaded young alphas away from Gabriel and Castiel," Michael admitted. He always used his brothers' full names in public, a kind of verbal claiming that satisfied his alpha urges. He had never failed in his duty to protect his younger siblings, never having to be told to watch out for them, no matter how much he and Gabe fought.

"And it got harder last year when Michael started college," Lucifer admitted, his alpha pride almost preventing him from acknowledging his own hardships in protecting his brothers. He reached out and rested his hand on Michael's arm, smiling gently at the older alpha. "This school is ten times the size of the one we came from, Mike. There's got to be seven, eight hundred alphas and who knows how many dominant betas. You know the teachers try, but the easiest way for an omega to get through the day without being molested is to have some sort of protection. In big cities like this, they need more."

"The family was enough back home," Michael argued, most of the red having faded from his eyes at last. Gabriel also backed down, Castiel's hand on his arm reminding him that they were all having trouble adjusting to this new city. The raven-haired teen had noticed an uptick of lewd and inappropriate remarks made just within his earshot, and a number of alphas and betas would "accidentally" brush up against him throughout the day. Castiel hadn't even presented yet; how much harder was it on Gabriel, who had already had two heats and was a full-grown and fertile omega? He had never really realized how much Lucifer and Michael's presence had protected them from all that back in Illinois.

"Back home Dad knew everyone's parents," Balthazar pointed out, the lanky blonde beta leaning forward between Chuck and Michael. He was a year younger than Lucifer, the only beta pup and the natural peacemaker of the family. The two youngest, omegas Anna and Samandriel, were silently watching, nibbling on their food and trying to stay out of the argument. They were too young to be bothered by anyone at school, but one day they would face the same problems that Cas and Gabe had to deal with. "Back home, if a young alpha or dominant beta stepped out of line, Dad would go to their house and chew their parents out. Here . . . there's too many people here, Mike. Luci's right; they just need a little more."

"We aren't betraying you, Mike," Cas interjected. "We know that you would protect us, if you could, but we're going to be in High School for a while. We aren't leaving this pack, but we do want to have a substitute one while we're away from home."

"You'll come home smelling like other alphas," Michael growled. That was the crux of the problem, of course. He wanted his younger brothers to smell like his pack forever. It was normal for a young alpha without a pack of his own to desire that, to want to keep his family pack from changing, but his brothers were growing up and he hated it.

Cas reached out with one arm, holding it under Michael's nose. As soon as the alpha sniffed, his eyes flashed red, the hint of a growl vibrating in his throat. "We already do, Mike. At least let us handle this on our terms."

"They shouldn't be touching you." The implied especially you floated in the air between them, but neither omega would acknowledge it. Sexual harassment of an unpresented omega was one of the few things that could get a minor alpha tried as an adult. In the past, when things were a bit more barbaric and omegas had fewer rights, they were often sold off to their future mates before they had presented, in order to assure the alpha or beta that their new mate had never known another partner. Now, that was completely forbidden.

"Well, they are. Not enough to be obvious, and nothing we can report to teachers, but enough that we catch their scent. It's bothering me, sometimes keeping me from concentrating in class, and I haven't even had my first heat yet. How do you think Gabe feels?"

Michael finally turned back to Gabriel, Chuck's fourth son, and sighed at the determination in those whiskey-gold eyes. There was something about Gabe's natural eye color that drove alphas wild, reminded them of the brighter omega gold color they would turn if he was in heat. He couldn't help his eye color, of course, and sometimes wore colored contacts when the family traveled to strange cities, but they must be bringing him a lot of unwanted attention. "Gabe, do you really feel like you and Cas need to join this pack?" He was using their nicknames now, finally letting go of his suffocating alpha instincts.

"I do, Mike."

"Well, I guess if it's okay with Father it's okay with me and Luci."

"Thanks, Mike."

"I'm kinda surprised Mike caved."

Gabriel shrugged, heading into the imposing building with a brother on either side. Chuck usually dropped them off before taking Anna and Samandriel to their middle school, but Mike had offered to drive them today since he didn't have classes until nine. The ride had not been as awkward as the boys had feared. "He felt like we were rejecting him, telling him that he was a bad alpha and we wanted a new one. You know how alphas can get."

"He'll be better once he has his own pack," Balthazar pointed out. "Non-dominant alphas tend to be a little more unstable, needing validation of their strength and power constantly."

"Do you think the alphas in this pack you want us to join will be like that?"

Gabriel shrugged, ducking to the side as a tight cluster of alpha jocks rushed past them. They all wore their letterman jackets with the school's colorful logo on the upper left side, their last names embroidered on the back. They had only been at the school for a couple of weeks, so Cas didn't recognize any of them, but one of the stragglers managed to "accidentally" stumble into him as he rushed to catch up with his friends. Cas growled, but it was too late; the alpha's slimy scent was all over his arm. He would wash it off as soon as he could, but he knew that he would suffer with that metallic, acrid smell all day. "Great."

"What's wrong?"

Cas showed his arm to Gabe, as if the older omega could physically see the stain of alpha there. "One of them tagged me. I'm going to smell like this all day."

"Growl at them when they get close," Balthazar offered, nodding and waving at someone in the car loop as they reached the doors. He had not wasted a moment once they reached the new school, making friends with everyone he could and making sure that the popular kids invited him to all of their parties. He was a natural social butterfly and had already made a name for himself among the various cliques that ran the school. Balthazar would never have a problem with being harassed, especially since he was a male beta, and Cas knew that a number of betas and omegas of both genders had offered to date the blonde.

"Growl at them?"

"Yeah. Alphas never expect omegas to growl. It'll make them stumble, so that if they do still run into you after that, you know it was deliberate. Worse, they know that you know, so you can report it to a teacher. It should stop some of the worst offenders."

"Uh, I'll try. Thanks, Balthy."

The Senior grinned at his younger brother, shouldering his bag as he turned toward his locker. "Anytime, Cassie."

"I really hate that nickname." It was too late for Balthazar to hear him, of course, since he was already neck-deep in his locker, but Gabe, who also called his brother that, chuckled.

"It's said out of love, little brother. You ready for Calculus?"

Castiel reached his own locker, sighing at the alpha scent wafting off of it. "Yeah, let me grab my book. When do we go to 'apply' for this pack of yours?"

"At lunch." Thankfully, Gabriel's locker was only a few doors down from Cas's, so he grabbed his book and notes before slamming the door and following his brother to their first class. It was the only one that they shared, Cas one of the few Sophomores in the advanced math class, though Gabe hated the entire concept of math. He had long ago decided that he was going to pick a degree in college that didn't require much math, but his brother had wanted someone to study with so he was stuck with Honors Calculus first thing in the morning.

"Okay, I'm sure we can avoid all of the alphas in the school until then."

Gabriel laughed, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. The constant harassment was starting to get to him.

Cas shifted the book bag on his shoulder uncomfortably, his small lunch bag clenched tight in one hand while the other shielded his eyes from the unrelenting sun streaming through the huge glass doors at the back of the cafeteria. He couldn't catch Gabe's soft gardenia and cherry blossom scent among so many other, more dominant aromas. All three of them had managed to get the same lunch period, mostly since the administration preferred that pack mates spend their one free period together, and luckily it was at the same time as this Pack that his brother had learned about.

"Cas!"

The omega turned at the call, grinning at Balthazar as the beta jogged over to him. "There you are. Have you seen Gabe?"

"Yeah, he's out at the picnic tables. Come on, I'll take you."

Cas pulled back, glancing quickly around for the teachers who were supposed to be observing the lunch crowd. "Balthy, Sophomores aren't allowed to eat outside." Technically, the picnic tables counted as "off campus" and only Juniors and Seniors were allowed to leave during the lunch period.

The lanky beta raised one eyebrow, wrapping a companionably arm around his taller brother's shoulders as he led him inexorably toward the doors at the back of the cafeteria that led to the student parking lot. "Cassie, live a little! Besides, do you really want to eat in here alone?"

"No," the omega whined, remembering the two alphas in his Chemistry class who stood at the lab station beside him, whispering to him the entire hour. They shared the same lunch period, and if he stayed they would surely corner him and try to scent mark him.

"Look, Gabe said that his friend in The Pack is eating outside today, so you need to come with us to meet her. You're not afraid to break one teeny tiny little rule, are you?"

Cas sighed and relented, letting his older brother lead him into the sunlight.

They found Gabriel sitting at a picnic table with a taller woman, her chestnut hair curling gently down her back as she leaned forward in an effort to keep their conversation private. She was beautiful, with clear skin and dark eyes that captivated the soul, her gentle beta scent neither too soft to catch nor too strong to threaten alphas. She looked to be quite popular, her clothes and shoes designer, as was her gold-clasped handbag and dainty backpack. Castiel wondered how she could carry her books in that, mesmerized by her manicured and painted nails tapping a sharp rhythm on the faded wood.

Gabriel looked up as his brothers approached, grinning wildly as he gestured for them to sit. His lunch, a squished sandwich and a handful of grapes, sat untouched nearby, his excitement having distracted him from mundane things like food. Balthazar settled onto the bench next to the beta woman, pulling out his own lunch box that was brimming with food he had conned off of his many friends. He preferred the term "scavenged", but Cas was grateful that he shared.

Settling down next to his omega brother, Cas carefully placed his lunch box on the table and unzipped it. It was the soft-sided kind, designed to fold up neatly into his backpack when he was done, thought it only held a copy of Gabe's sandwich and a small orange. Balthazar reached across the table and dropped a bag of salt and vinegar chips in front of him, followed by two candy bars and a can of soda. Where the hell Balthazar found a can of cold, though off-brand soda, Cas wasn't going to ask. Gabriel received a similar offering, and both tore through their lunches as quickly as they could.

Chuck was a great father, and he tried his best, but he didn't really make enough money at his job to support seven pups and send two to college. He had also never learned to cook, so any domestic chores were left to the two older omegas, neither of whom could cook anything more complicated than spaghetti and meatballs. They spent every morning making sandwiches for their siblings, sometimes managing some fruit or vegetables for the younger two, but he and Gabe always made do with what was left. They were always grateful for the food Balthazar brought them.

"Do you do that a lot, bring them food?"

Balthazar shrugged, powering through two slices of cold pizza before answering. He never brought a lunch, relying on his natural charm and wit to net him meals. "Dad's old company went through a lot of cut backs, and he started having trouble keeping enough food in the house for us to manage lunch. I figure, this is the least I can do to help, especially since most of what we have goes to our alpha brothers or the two little ones."

"Sometimes I think he forgets that we're older now," Gabriel added, taking the second can of soda and chugging it. They never got soda at home; it would have been a waste of money when the water came out of the tap at a much more reasonable price. "He'll get us that box from Taco Bell, the one with twelve tacos and burritos in it, and it's not really enough for all of us anymore. He takes two, our oldest brothers take three each, and the little ones both take two."

The slim beta tapped her fingernails on the table again, her warm brown eyes distant. Despite her rich appearance, she didn't seem like one of the "popular girls" that had ruled Cas's old school; she actually seemed like a very motherly sort. "You said you have two alpha brothers, so that only leaves two tacos for all three of you."

Balthazar shrugged, blue eyes widening gleefully as he found a small Ziploc bag filled with Oreos in his stash. Honestly, where did he find so much food? "I don't eat tacos anymore. Generally I get enough at school that a couple of pieces of fruit are enough for me. Gabe and Cas each get one taco that way."

Cas finished his meal, throwing away all of the trash before folding up his lunchbox and tucking it into his backpack. "It's plenty of food," he murmured, refusing to meet the beta's eyes. He refused to accept pity from a girl he didn't even know, especially when she was so clearly rich and they weren't. "Besides, Father has a better job here, and we even have a bigger house. I'm sure he'll . . ." He trailed off, not sure what he meant to say. Would their dad buy two Taco Bell boxes now? Would he get more of those two for $3 burgers at the fast food place near their house? Chuck didn't mean to neglect them, really he didn't, but he worked almost seventy hours a week and he barely had time to notice if they were growing out of their clothes, let alone if Cas's ribs were a little more prominent or Balthazar wasn't growing into his frame as quickly as Michael and Lucifer had done.

"He just works a lot," Gabe added, reaching over to squeeze Cas's hand under the table. "It's going to be better here, he's promised."

The beta, who still had not been introduced, rose from the table in a single, fluid motion, her every movement almost too graceful for words. For a brief, confusing moment, Cas wondered if she could teach him to move like that, but then it was gone. He doubted he could ever be so light and graceful on his feet, especially not once he grew into this broad, six-foot frame he had most certainly not inherited from his father. "Gabe, I'll call the Council."

"Thank you, Maggie."

"What's the Council?" Glad to finally have a name to match to a face, Cas watched the beta leave, her slim form meeting a well-built alpha who wasn't much taller than her. His light brown hair was tipped in blonde, clearly having been bleached in the past before he let it grow out. She whispered something in his ear, standing too close for someone who did not intend to one day be his mate, and he nodded solemnly, his bright blue eyes flicking across the picnic tables to find Gabe, Cas, and Balthazar watching him curiously.

He murmured something to the beta, who spun around to return to them, sliding back into her seat with ease. Cas never saw where the alpha headed off to, but he had been in a great hurry.

"The Council will hear your case, Gabriel." Her words were warm but formal, Maggie's gaze including Castiel. She already knew that Balthazar would not be applying for membership, but she nodded toward him anyway. "Is he coming?"

"Just for moral support," Gabriel replied. "And Dad would have a coronary if we stayed after school on our own."

"After school?" Cas felt the first stirrings of panic in his chest, his scent souring as gold leaked into his blue eyes. "Gabe, do you remember what happened the last time we stayed after school? Dad forbade us to do it again."

"Dad won't be home until seven or eight tonight," Gabe pointed out, trying to keep his scent calm so his brother wouldn't panic. "Lucifer has a late class today and Michael has to pick up the kids and feed them before taking them home. We have until five, easy."

"And the Council won't take that long," Maggie assured the boys. "We can arrange a ride home for all three of you, regardless of what is decided."

Cas whined, leaning away from his brother's soothing touch, but he knew that he really didn't have a choice. He couldn't ride that bus alone, and the only thing that made it tolerable was the presence of his older brothers. He wished they had enough money for a third car so Balthazar could drive them home, but they only had Michael's because their wealthy aunt had rewarded him for being Valedictorian of his class with the gift of an older, but well-maintained Jeep. If not for that, they would probably have to ride the bus in the mornings, too.

Balthazar recognized the moment that Cas relented, even though the raven-haired omega neither relaxed nor calmed down. "Great! Cas, my last class is closest to yours, so wait for me to come get you this afternoon. We'll meet Gabe here, okay?"

"Okay." He knew this was a bad idea, but what choice did he have?

AN: So I was supposed to be finishing the next chapter of Mulanatural or Celestial War and I accidentally wrote 12k words of a new fic (yes, chapter 2 is already done, just reviewing). I don't know where this came from, but it is my first modern ABO so it should be fun.