It was said that if an unmated Omega reached the age of five-and-twenty, he would lose all of his charm and appeal, for his mating hormones would decline in just a few months.

However erroneous that belief was, it was shared by the whole of Society and had led to an order most precise in terms of how grown children ranked in noble families. First came the Alpha, who, mated or not, was regarded as near as perfection as may be, and as such was destined to be the head of the family, or, if another sibling had presented before him, to make his fortune in the world. Then came the mated Omega, who brought descendants to the world and as such was cherished and listened to. Finally, and without any regard to their elegance of mind or personal bravery, the unmated Omega was often forgotten, if not viewed with pity and scorn. Their fate was to stay home and obey everyone else.

As such, Chuck Shurley, who had felt himself blessed to have sired three beautiful pups, had grown disappointed and weary when each of them had presented as Omegas. He was not himself a very strong or tall Alpha, but pride of his family line had led him to believe himself as godlike, and his land and mansion be as precious as the Garden of Eden itself. He had reached out to his heir, a distant nephew named Gadreel Shurley, with the hope that he would be inclined to mate his eldest Michael, a beautiful Omega, who, thanks to his commanding ways and to his utter devotion to his father, had grown back into his favor. Sadly, the union never came to be, as, though Gadreel answered favorably to Sir Shurley's wish to meet, he never visited them, nor courted Michael when the latter was in London. He had disappeared from their life and Michael had become master of the estate, growing older and bitter, more so when his brother, Balthazar, mated a very respectable Alpha, Inias Seraph, heir to an old and respected family.

Yet, Chuck's strong attachment to his first born made life easy for him under his father's protection. This was not the case for Castiel, last to come in the family and last to come into any of their hearts. This would have been insupportable if not for the friendship he had found in their neighbour Hannah, a widower who remembered Castiel's late parent fondly and made sure to guide his steps as he came of age. Hannah had made sure Castiel's coming out was celebrated in accordance to his rank and later took him to Bath when he sensed that a change of country was necessary. To him, decorum was as important as moral integrity, and he impressed these values to young Castiel with all the strength and kindness that an Omega could provide.

Castiel was serious minded and quite shy, telling his intimate affairs to Hannah only, as they would not have been heard by his own family. Obedience was his lot and if he rebelled, it was only in his mind.

Sir Shirley was quite shy himself and limited his entertainment to reading in his beautiful library, and writing books that never met any success, but his sincere desire to see his children shine in the world had led him to spending too much of his income and he was now being forced to let his estate. This was causing him a great amount of distress, the thought of a tenant sleeping in his bed or walking in his gardens a torture.

"But the library will be under lock and key, for I will not permit anyone in my abode." he said to his attorney one night, as they were discussing arrangements.

"I hear you, sir, but surely, a gentleman, will want to read."

"Not if hunting is his only pursuit" whispered Castiel, who was seated by the fire, wondering how he would manage so far from home.

"Then, he had better bring his own book and put them in the study. I shall hear no more opposition. It is already an indignity that I should let someone less worthy between these ancestral walls. What is the name of this officer?"

"Admiral Gabriel Novak. He is mated but does not have pups, so the house shall remain well kept. Also, Omega Sam Novak has remarked to me that he is connected with our country. His brother was living here, a very brave young man I used to hunt with regularly, although I do not recall his name at the moment. What was it? He used to work as a cook at the Campbell Inn..."

"I believe it is Mr Dean Winchester you are talking about."

This time, Castiel was heard, leading his father to exclaim:

"Such low connections! I do not know if I like the idea of such a common Omega in these exalted grounds."

"Omega Novak is a very fine man and may I remind you that the Admiral is a relation of yours?"

"Oh, yes, this is true. Well, then, I presume the matter is settled. Shall we name a price for the rent?"

No one in the room noticed Castiel retreat to his bedroom, where his troubled heart made his fingers tremble, and his mouth utter: "He shall come. I may see him again..." as if he had all of a sudden, been taken with a delirious fever.