Chapter 9: Pack Posturing
Dean knew that something had happened as soon as Cas emerged from the SUV in the drop-off loop. Gabriel and Balthazar were quiet as they walked by their brother's side, splitting off to meet with Crowley and Sam once they were sure that Dean was waiting for Cas. The raven-haired omega homed in on his alpha immediately, stopping just inches away with his arms crossed defensively in front of his chest and a dark, bitter despair coloring his faint scent under the blockers.
Dean wrapped his arm around Cas's shoulders and steered him toward the school, settling them both on a wooden bench in the shade and pulling the omega against his side. He could smell the salt of his tears, and his alpha reared up, determined to hurt whoever had cause his trainee so much despair. "What happened, Cas?"
"My Father . . . he doesn't approve of the scent blockers." The younger boy's voice was watery and broken as he struggled not to collapse in a sobbing mess in Dean's arms. "He told me to give them back to you because I shouldn't need chemical assistance to control my scent."
"Nonsense," Dean murmured, tucking Cas's head under his chin. "They're one of the best things ever created, especially for omegas. You shouldn't have to be responsible for the way alphas act around you, especially these damn knotheads who refuse to control themselves. Being a Lure might have its advantages when you're older and have pups, but it's damn inconvenient now. I can't believe your dad doesn't see that."
"He doesn't think I smell that strong," Cas whispered. "I think he just got used to it over the years, mostly at home where all of our scents mingle together. If he could see what people like Alastair do, maybe he wouldn't be so quick to dismiss my concerns."
"Cas, the blockers only work for twelve hours or so. Why don't I keep them in my locker and you can stop by every morning? You're going to join the track team, so you'll have practice every afternoon and you'll sweat or shower the remainder of them off. By the time you see your dad that night, you'll smell normal again."
Blue eyes turned up to him, wide with wonder as the tears gathered in them faded. "Really?"
"Sure. It makes more sense, anyway; you only need them for school." Dean felt a tremor pass through him at the words, a dark voice whispering in the back of his mind that he wasn't being truthful to himself. Cas would be better off with the blockers at all times, but if his dad wouldn't allow it, then school would have to be enough. The Pack scent helped out a lot, too.
"Thank you, Dean," Cas breathed, his scent losing all of that bitterness and vanishing under the cloud of nothingness of the blockers. Dean could still smell honeysuckle and clover when he had the other boy pressed against his side, but he knew that a few feet of distance would give Cas the invisibility he desired from High School. "I'm sorry I'm such trouble."
Dean reached down and hooked his fingers under Cas's chin, forcing the omega to meet his eyes. "Don't ever think that, Cas. You are not trouble, you're not a burden, and I don't regret for a second taking you as a trainee or having you as a friend."
Cas couldn't find an answer for that, so he settled for leaning against Dean's side and taking in his alpha's scent, knowing that he only had twenty minutes or so until his first class. He felt the tension drain from his body as he began to purr, the sound bringing a smile to Dean's face. "I don't know how to thank you for everything you've done for me."
"I joined the Pack to protect and nurture omegas above everything else. You being safe, happy and purring in my arms, is all the thanks I need."
If you asked Cas later, years later when he had grown up and sorted himself out, he would have pointed to that morning, curled against Dean's side on a hard wooden bench outside of their high school, as the moment he realized he might have the slightest crush on the Head Alpha. It was too early for him to categorize it as love, but it was certainly a turning point in his life. He was no longer lonely, no longer hiding from alphas, and no longer worried about how he was going to survive the next few years, thanks to Dean.
Gabriel had spoken with his younger brother briefly during Calculus, and it seemed that Dean had offered the other omega a solution for their father's surprisingly anti-blocker stance at breakfast. It had eased the tension in his chest somewhat, but he was still bothered by how intransigent Chuck had been that morning. He wondered if the presence of one or both of his alpha brothers would have made a difference.
Gabe shared his second and third period classes with Ruby, but the alpha's fourth period was on the west end of campus and his was on the east. She smiled and promised to see him at lunch as he headed for his locker to drop off his bookbag. Fourth period was omega studies, and all he needed for that class was the small paperback book tucked in his jacket pocket. After swinging the heavy pack into the small half-sized metal cabinet, Gabe spun the lock and stretched his back, glad to be free of that weight.
A soft chuckle behind him caught the omega's attention, and he inwardly steeled himself for an unprovoked interaction with whatever dumbass alphas had decided to ignore his Pack scent. Eyes narrowed, Gabe turned to face three teens, their scents indicating that they were related, probably brothers. One was tall and broad with short brown hair and a scruffy beard that was struggling to come in. The second was shorter and rounder, his hairline already retreating from his forehead as faint fuzz covered his chin. The third was slender and much younger looking, his brown hair neatly coifed and his chin free of any facial hair.
The tallest alpha stepped forward, sniffing the air before raising a hand toward Gabriel's face. The omega growled, but he refused to step away or back down, having already learned that showing weakness to the alphas at this school never prevented their harassment. "Look at those eyes, Narfi. Isn't he a pretty little thing?"
The balding brother, clearly this Narfi person, nodded and crowded closer to Gabriel, reaching up and running his fingers through the omega's blonde hair. Gabe turned his head and snapped his teeth, his low growl and the sharp spiciness in his scent meant to warn the alphas away. He couldn't see or smell any of the Pack members in the half-deserted hallway, but he really hoped one would show up soon. "He's snappy, that's for sure."
The third alpha rolled his eyes and leaned against the locker on Gabe's other side, forcing him to divert some of his attention away from Narfi and the older one on his other side. "Fenrir, you have odd taste in omegas. Males are too much trouble; you should stick to females."
Fenrir grinned and moved closer to Gabriel, one arm snaking around the omega's waist as he wrapped his other hand around his neck. Gabriel froze, his growl fading into a soft, terrified whine as he struggled against his natural omega instinct to submit to the pressure of the alpha's fingers. "I like when they're feisty, Sleipnir," Fenrir replied, leaning closer and rubbing his nose against Gabriel's neck. "He must want me; look at how gold those eyes are."
An instant later, the pressure around his waist and on the back of his neck vanished, giving Gabe control of his body as Fenrir crumpled to the ground. His brothers moved away from the blond omega as a deep, primal growl filled the hallway and every other student flattened themselves against the walls. Sam stood over Fenrir, his eyes crimson in his fury as he flexed his fists and dared the other alpha to move. He was taller than the other teen, if not quite as broad, and it was clear that he was dominant in this situation.
"How dare you touch an omega under my protection?!"
Narfi growled and stepped closer to Sam, his eyes flaring red as he prepared for a fight. The other teen grinned and lunged forward, ducking Narfi's attack as he slammed his fist into the other alpha's stomach. Narfi howled in pain and fell to the ground beside his brother, Fenrir growling and jumping back into the fight.
By the time any teachers arrived, Sam had decked Fenrir again and backed Sleipnir into the gap between the end of the row of lockers and the door of a nearby classroom. Gabe hid behind the furious alpha, resting one hand on his back to assure Sam that he was fine, knowing that the tenuous contact might be the only thing preventing the alpha from going into a full-on rage.
"What's going on here?" The school's principal, an older, gray-haired beta with a neat goatee, shuffled down the hallway, glaring at the alphas through narrowed eyes. Gabriel had only met Metatron once, when he and his brothers transferred into the school, and something about the short man rubbed him the wrong way. No one at the school was really sure if Metatron was the man's first or last name, and he insisted that all of his students just address him by that name, not asking for them to preface it with Mister as they would for their teachers.
"Someone thought it would be a good idea to sexually harass a young omega who is under my protection," Sam answered, turning his still-red eyes toward the principal. A few other students, two of whom had applied for Pack membership and been offered Auxiliary status, gathered closer to the three alpha brothers, preventing them from making an easy escape. "Do tell me why you continue to allow such behavior in your halls."
Metatron sputtered and straightened his suit jacket, glancing at the three brothers before turning back to Sam. The young alpha, sensing the beta's indecision, did what his father had taught him to do in a confrontation with a more powerful figure: use his size to his advantage. Sam took a step toward Metatron, pulling himself to his full height, which was already pretty impressive at fifteen, and glared down his nose at the principal. Gabriel mentally compared himself to the old beta, figuring that he was about five inches taller, and Sam was at least half a head taller than him. The dichotomy between the alpha and beta was obvious, and Metatron could tell that he was losing any authority he might have had.
"I, uh, had no idea this was going on, of course," Metatron grumbled, glaring at the big alpha still unconscious on the floor, his balding brother groaning his way back to awareness. "These three have been in trouble from time to time, but I'm sure they weren't harassing your friend."
"Of course we weren't," Sleipnir replied suavely, still tucked in the corner between the locker bank and the door. "My brother was just introducing himself, and the omega gave him that come-hither look. Look at how bright his eyes are!"
"His eyes are gold normally," Sam snarled, puffing out his chest as he whirled on the lean alpha, his entire posture threatening violence. "It doesn't mean he's interested in your sleazy brother."
"Fenrir invaded my space and grabbed me against my will," Gabriel added, already certain that this aging beta was going to be useless in punishing handsy alphas.
"Well, of course I'll talk with them, but that's no excuse for knocking them out!"
"I have the right as an alpha in an established and respected pack to protect my members from any and all external threats as I see fit," Sam snapped back. "He and his brothers trapped Gabe against the lockers, touched him against his will, and Fenrir, unrelated and of a different pack, grabbed the back of my omega's neck."
Metatron stilled at that, biting his lower lip as he stared at the young omega. Pressure on the back of an omega's neck would put them into a forced submissive state, normally only used during mating. It was against the law for an unrelated, non-packmate to grab an omega's neck without the omega's explicit and enthusiastic consent, and even someone who turned a blind eye to knotheaded alphas as often as Metatron did couldn't ignore that specific violation. "Are you sure he grabbed Mr. Novak's neck? That's a very serious charge, Mr. Winchester."
"It was a very serious assault," Sam retorted, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Gabe was still there. Some alpha instinct he didn't quite understand yet insisted that he confirm the safety of his charge. It was the first time in his life he had protected an omega and not his younger alpha brother, and he wasn't entirely sure how to deal with the emotions. "Either you deal with it, or my pack will. We have the right." And that was a threat Metatron couldn't ignore.
The principal shooed the gathered students away and grabbed Narfi's arm, forcing the dizzy alpha to his feet and glaring at Sleipnir. "Take your brother to my office while I deal with Fenrir. We're going to talk about your inappropriate actions here today."
Sam backed away from the principal, Gabriel still glued to his side. "Everyone here is going to need a hall pass. We're twenty minutes late to class already," Gabe called out to Metatron.
The gray-haired beta nodded distractedly and pulled out his phone, sending out a message on the teachers' messaging app. "You can all tell your teachers that you were caught up in the . . . unfortunate situation in the west hall and they will excuse your tardiness."
Sam nodded and turned to Gabe, the red slowly fading from his eyes as he let the omega's soft gardenia and cherry blossom scent calm him. "Are you really okay?"
"He barely touched me, Sam," Gabe soothed, running his hand up and down the alpha's arm. "I'm alright, I promise."
"I've never done that before," Sam admitted, resting his forehead on Gabe's shoulder. "I'm not the Winchester brother known for getting in fights, but my dad and Dean made sure I knew how. I just . . . when I saw Fenrir touching you like that . . ."
Gabe placed a hand on Sam's chest and forced him back a half step, just far enough that his golden eyes could meet red-flecked green hazel. He ran his hand down Sam's arm until he reached the wrist, pulling the alpha's hand up to the back of his neck and resting it there. Sam's eyes widened as his fingers twitched uncertainly against the back of Gabe's neck, his mind flying back to the memory of Fenrir grabbing the omega in the same way.
"Uh, Gabe, are you sure?"
"It'll make both of us feel better," the omega whispered. He sighed and relaxed as Sam's grip tightened, endorphins flooding his body at the pressure as he offered a soft purr. When used correctly, the grip was able to calm and reassure the omega, strengthening the bond with his alpha and more dominant pack mates. Gabe leaned closer to the alpha, purring harder as Sam wrapped an arm around his waist and rested his chin on top of the omega's head.
"I promised to take care of you, Gabe," Sam whispered as the omega's purr calmed his alpha. With the pressure on his neck, Gabe couldn't answer, but he let his scent radiate trust, and that was all the answer Sam needed.
"So, heard about that dust-up during Fourth," Dean commented, leaning back against the picnic table, the picture of indifference. His eyes, though, were hard in direct contradiction to his casual pose. "A couple of the kids in my class were late."
Sam nodded sharply, glaring at the orange in his hands as he carefully peeled it. "I'm sure you remember those weird brothers from Sweden? The ones who are all somehow in the same grade because one failed sixth grade and one skipped forward?"
"Yeah, the ones named after Norse demigods. Fenrir, Narfi, and . . . Sleipnir?"
"Fenrir thought it would be a good idea to grab Gabe." Sam pointed to the back of his neck briefly before returning to his orange.
Dean's eyes widened as he glanced over at the omega, currently sitting next to Ruby with his nose buried in his Social Studies book, probably going over their homework. "Scruffing an omega can get you in a lot of trouble. Did the principal do anything?"
"Yeah, after a lot of prompting," Sam scoffed. "Dude is Grade-A useless. You would think that he would be more sensitive to omega problems as a beta, but I get the feeling that he always wanted to be an alpha and resents everyone for his own biology."
"Do you ever get the feeling that some of the problems we have here with knotheaded alphas stems from the lack of a clear administrative stance on harassment and bullying? Maybe Metatron is the author of our problems."
"Yeah, maybe," Sam allowed. "It would be hard to prove, though. Anyway, he took the three away, presumably to administer some sort of punishment. I'm going to tell Dad about it tonight and see if there is any way he can put some pressure on the Board."
Dean grinned and punched his brother's shoulder, snatching the second orange from Sam's lunch box. "Look at you, going all alpha over your trainee. I'm proud of you, Sammy."
"It's Sam," the younger teen corrected absently. "I didn't like doing it, Dean. It isn't my goal in life to get into fights with asshole alphas."
"I doubt you'll have to go through that again. The whole school is talking about how handily you flattened those three alphas in defense of your pack mate." Maggie joined the pair at their table, a phone in her hand as she scrolled through messages. "We have two dozen more applications for Auxiliary membership in the last half-hour alone. All of them cite your, and I'm quoting here, impressive heroism in protecting Gabriel. These new ones are all alphas, all asking to learn about the rules of being in a pack, rules that Sam here may have quoted this morning. It seems that a certain percentage of the student body do not understand pack politics."
"I guess it's up to Sammy here to teach them, then," Dean chuckled, leaning forward to clap his brother's shoulder. "He'll be a great instructor."
"It's Sam, and I don't think I really did anything. The rule about scruffing an omega . . . I'm sure everyone already knows that."
"Apparently not. Dean, I'm thinking of summoning the full Council tomorrow after school to discuss these new applicants. Will you be there?"
Dean ran his hand through his hair, watching as Castiel joined Gabriel's table and Balthazar left his seat by Crowley's side to speak with his brothers. "Things aren't altogether right here at Lawrence High," the alpha mused. "We protect our pack members well enough, but we know that there are omegas and submissive betas who are still harassed behind the scenes, who still suffer where we can't see. What if . . . what if these two strange omegas, one with unusually golden eyes and one with a scent too strong to be ignored . . ."
Sam looked up when Dean trailed off, glancing at the Novak brothers sitting a couple of tables away. "You think it's fate that brought them here to expose the dark underbelly of the school?"
"It sounds ridiculous when you say it like that," Dean admitted, eating one of the orange wedges he had finally freed from the thick citrus skin. "It's a dumb thought, I guess."
"You're not wrong, though," Maggie replied softly. "Them being here . . . it's already started to stir up a number of formerly unseen problems. Alastair, the Nordic brothers . . . they're just the tip of the iceberg. We knew Fenrir and Narfi had bothered omegas before, but we've never caught them, and most of the football players have always been asses to non-alphas. We've known it, but we didn't ever see any instances of abuse that we could react to."
"Now we've had two in as many weeks," Dean mused. "I think we need to wait a few more days before we have that meeting, Mags. Let's see how many requests we get and we can vet them and the people we didn't accept for full membership at the same time. Friday, maybe."
"I'll arrange it." Maggie glanced back down at her phone and grinned, tapping on something before turning the screen toward Sam. "They got a great shot of you hovering over Fenrir and Narfi. I sometimes forget how tall you are."
"Oooh, let me see." Dean plucked Maggie's phone out of her hand, examining the picture of the aftermath of the fight, tapping out of the photo viewer and scrolling to the next message. He froze at the sight of Gabe in Sam's arms, the alpha's huge hand on the back of his neck as they both stood there with their eyes closed against a backdrop of dingy green lockers. "Sam . . . you've got it bad for that tempestuous blond."
Sam leaned over and smiled at the picture, his entire face softening as something gentle and happy filled his scent. "He asked me to do that, the neck thing. He said it would make both of us feel better."
"You're falling in love with him." Maggie's matter-of-fact statement was followed by a brief flare of shock in Sam's sandalwood scent, but she merely shrugged in response. "I can see it here, in this one picture, and in the way you interact with him. You have the slightest bit of a crush on our newest member."
Sam blushed and looked away, his eyes catching Gabe's for just a moment before the omega turned back to his work. "I don't know, Maggie; I just want him to enjoy his time here. I want him to trust me, but I can't ask for more than that. He's been abused by alphas for too long; I can't save him one minute and hit on him the next. What kind of hypocrite would that make me? I'm perfectly content being his mentor."
"Well, according to these pictures and applications, you're the best damn mentor we've ever had. I can't wait to see how many applications we have by Friday."
"What about soccer or lacrosse?"
Sam looked up from his notes, glancing at the powdery blue precipitate in the beaker from their experiment of the day. "What are you talking about, Gabe?"
Gabriel closed all of the jars they had used, tilting his head at the alpha. "I don't want to join football, but I thought that soccer or lacrosse might be a better idea. I've played both of them before, when I was younger, and I kinda liked them."
Sam shrugged. "There are more alphas on the lacrosse team, and I've seen them rage and beat each other with sticks until the refs could pull them apart. Soccer is more omegas and betas, and they tend to act in a slightly more civilized manner. I know it's not up to me, but I would vote for soccer." His hazel eyes twinkled mischievously as he finished the worksheet and closed his notebook. "Anyway, you'd still be playing fĂștbol, just not the American version."
Gabriel chuckled and pulled off his safety glasses, stowing them in the drawer of their shared desk and lab table. "Dork."
"You know you love it." Sam froze as he realized what he had inadvertently implied with his words, but Gabe's soft smile and sweetening scent informed him that the omega wasn't upset.
"I think I'm beginning to," Gabriel whispered, leaning close enough to nuzzle Sam under his chin. They pulled apart a moment later, knowing that the Chemistry teacher did not appreciate PDA in his classroom, but the alpha's blush let him know that his gesture was appreciated.
Castiel pushed the mashed potatoes around on his plate, only absently listening to his brothers arguing about some movie that one of them wanted to see. It was family night at the little diner in town, and everyone was avoiding talking about anything important. Balthazarr wanted to find a way to ask his dad for a car, Gabriel wanted to ask to join the soccer team, Castiel wanted to ask to stay after class every day to practice for track meets, and the older two alphas wanted to admit that they were trying to move out. Chuck, as usual, was splitting his attention between something on his phone and his pups, only vaguely hearing anything at all.
"Michael and Lucifer are moving out."
Silence fell across the table, all eyes turning to the young, unpresented pup who had made the announcement. Samandriel glared back defiantly, his eyes narrowed. "No one was going to say anything! You talk and talk but never say anything! They told us in the car when they picked us up from school today, and I'm sad but they said it's a good thing. People move out when they grow up. They said there would be more room at the house for the rest of us."
Chuck turned to his oldest boys, both alphas sitting taller and meeting his gaze. "Sons, is this true? Are you moving out?"
"We went to Kansas City this weekend to interview for jobs," Michael explained. "It's a small restaurant chain with locations in Lawrence, Kansas City, and a few other towns nearby. We did the math and we can work enough hours while going to school to afford a small apartment near campus. Next year, after we've had time to make friends, we can probably upgrade to something nicer. Either way, it's kinda time for us to become more independent."
"And what about Alfie and Anna? How will they get home from school?"
"We can still pick them up; our shifts don's start until supper rush." Lucifer tilted his head, clearly trying to decide if he should offer his next suggestion. "You know, Balth has his license; we can see about getting him a car so he can take over the transportation duties."
"Cars are expensive," Chuck answered almost reflexively. "I'll see what I can do on that front, however. I have a friend at work who may be of assistance."
"We have your blessing, then?"
Chuck nodded as he reached for his water. "You have my blessing to get the jobs. We'll have to figure out the car situation before you move out."
Gabriel cleared his throat. "I'm trying out for the soccer team next week. Sam seems to think that I'll get in pretty easily, but they practice basically every day after school. The Pack can get me a ride home, as long as you'll approve me going. Cas has been accepted to the track team since he's an amazing runner, and he would stay after school, too."
"Who's going to watch after the pups?"
"I can do it," Balthazar offered. "They don't get home until four, and Cas and Gabe would be home not long after five on their latest days. Other than matches and meets, everything will be pretty much the same."
"Male betas don't watch after pups," Chuck argued, glaring at his third son.
"Why? What the hell does my subgender have to do with anything?"
"You can only sire pups, not bear them."
Balthazar snorted. "As if my lack of a uterus prevents me from making a damn meal or helping Anna and Alfie with their homework!"
Michael offered a short, sharp growl as Chuck leaned forward to snap back at his son, the other pups cowering away from the alphas in terrified anticipation of a fight. Their instincts silenced them, even Balthazar leaning toward the scant protection Lucifer might offer if Chuck accepted his son's challenge. "There's nothing wrong with dominants watching pups. It's not like you've had much help over the past decade, and we're still alive and kicking. Maybe you were raised in a time when alphas and dominant betas left the pup-rearing to their submissive partners, Dad, but none of that matters now. We live in a more progressive time now, and I think it's great that Balth wants to watch his younger siblings. The kind of omegas he dates, I wouldn't wonder if he's going to be the one doing that, anyway." It was a joke about Crowley's dominance, which Mike and Luci had picked up on instantly during the very brief interactions they'd had with the omega, but the young beta smiled at the words and his brother's kind support.
Chuck leaned forward, the faintest ring of red around his irises as he offered his own growl in return. "It is the way things have always been done, Michael! Don't pretend like you never wondered if things would have been better if your mother had lived."
"Because we wanted her back, not because we needed an omega babysitter!"
Chuck snapped his teeth and lunged forward, stopped by a soft whine and a sharp tug on his arm. He glanced down at Castiel, the six-foot-tall omega cowering in his seat and staring up at his father with bright blue eyes tinted with just the faintest gold. "Please don't fight," Cas begged, the scent of terrified, unhappy omega filling the diner. This was one of those rare times when being a Lure might be advantageous; Cas's scent was too strong to ignore. Other families, even the ones who hadn't stopped eating to watch the potential scuffle between father and son, turned to face their table, alphas and betas moving to protect their omegas and pups from whatever was frightening Cas.
Chuck sighed and settled back into his chair, reaching out to rub the back of Cas's neck gently in a reassuring gesture. "Balthazar is welcome to watch Anna and Alfie if he wishes. Castiel and Gabriel are welcome to join whatever sports they wish, as long as they are able to find a ride home. If you can't . . . well, let me know ahead of time and I will see what I can arrange. Mike and Luci, I am glad that you have found gainful employment, but I would prefer if you waited until Spring to move out. Apartment prices will be lower then, and it will give me time to save up for a car for your brothers to use when you leave."
"Dad, we can afford the apartment now," Lucifer argued, freezing at the ice in his father's glare.
"Are you challenging me for control of this pack?"
Lucifer shook his head vehemently, reaching out under the table to grab Michael's hand for moral support. If they challenged Chuck and won, Mike and Luci would take over responsibility for his unpresented pups, which was something they certainly couldn't afford and were not prepared for. "N-no, Father, of course not." Cas, his instincts still demanding that he seek comfort from his pack alpha, noted dispassionately that his older brothers always used Father when they were submitting to the man, but were happy to use Dad at most other times.
"Good. I'll help you look at apartments in the Spring."
"Thank you, Father," Mike murmured, returning to his meal. Tucked up against Chuck's side, still in the throes of his awakening omega instincts, Cas grabbed for Gabe's hand and reached out with his foot under the table to touch Mike's leg. The argument had unsettled the fragile hierarchy of their pack, but no one was willing to push any further and risk breaking the bonds that kept them together. For now, the peace would hold.
