Gabriel felt light-headed when he finally pulled out of Sam's memories, and he didn't know whether it was because of the telepathy itself, coming back to himself after dealing with Sam's all-consuming rage, or just because he'd finally realized just how close to dying he'd come.

He shook his head to clear it, and then he looked up at Sam, who was looking down at him with a slightly worried expression on his face.

"That was pretty intense," Gabriel said, trying to break the silence that had descended. Sam snorted.

"Intense is putting it mildly," he said. Then his voice softened and got quiet. "I was so terrified that I'd be too late."

He looked so sad and lost that Gabriel couldn't help but reach out a hand and use it to cup Sam's face. Sam leaned into his touch, and Gabriel smiled.

"You weren't, though," he said. "I'm still here because of you."

"And I'm still here because you are, too," Sam said, and Gabriel frowned in confusion. Sam must have seen it - or felt it through the Bond - because he explained. "I couldn't live in a world without you in it. If you had died, I would have followed not long after."

"What?" Gabriel cried. "Why?"

"Would you want to live in a world without me in it?" Sam asked. Gabriel didn't even have to think about it before answering.

"Of course not," he said.

"Then why would you assume that I would?" Sam asked. Gabriel didn't have a good answer for that, so he looked at his arm and started fiddling with the tape keeping his IV in place. "It's a part of the Bond, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Gabriel asked.

"When we complete the Blood Rites," Sam said, "our lives will be connected. If you die, I will, too, and vice versa."

"Blood Rites?"

"It's a ceremony. It solidifies the Bond between mates and ensures that no one else will mate with either of them. Even if a Grey has met his or her mate, they can still do the Rites with another wolf. Once they do the Rites with their true mate, though, nothing will be able to break the Bond."

Gabriel was silent as he thought about all that he'd just been told. It was very hard to believe that he was not only a werewolf, but the soulmate of one, as well, but apparently it was true. His marks and the fact that he and Sam could communicate telepathically was proof of that.

In the crack between the door and the floor, he could see the outline of four pairs of feet. If he strained his ears, he could just make out the sounds of John talking. He caught the words 'Blood Rites', and realized that he and Dean must have been explaining to Chuck and Castiel what Sam had just explained to him.

"Gabriel?" Sam said, voice tinged with worry.

"I can't believe I'm a fucking werewolf," Gabriel said. He finally released the tape he was picking at and leaned back into Sam. "What even is my life. Wait, does this mean I can turn into a wolf?"

"Your wolf is dormant still," Sam said. "So, no. But you should still heal fast. Not as fast as a full Grey, but definitely faster than a human." He stood up from the bed, and Gabriel's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist before he could even take one step.

"Are you leaving?" Gabriel asked, voice desperate. Sam's gaze softened and he pulled Gabriel to his feet, and then into his chest for a hug. His arms wrapped around Gabriel's waist tightly, and Gabriel didn't hesitate to return the affection.

"I have to go," Sam explained. "But I'll come back tomorrow before school, and in the afternoon, if you want me to."

"Why wouldn't I want you to?"

Sam pulled back just enough to look Gabriel in the eye, and the latter could see something akin to relief in his eyes.

"So you do want me?" Sam asked. "You do want to be my mate?"

"Of course I do!" Gabriel said. Just the thought of not being with Sam, of rejecting him, or being rejected made his heart constrict painfully and tears prickle at the backs of his eyes.

"Good," Sam said. "Because I don't think I could have handled it if you didn't."

He leaned down and buried his face Gabriel's hair, and then he…

"Did you just sniff me?" Gabriel asked, wrinkling his nose. Sam had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Um, yeah. But I can't help it. You smell amazing."

"Wait, in the memory you showed me, you said that a Grey's scent will change when they meet their mate?" Gabriel asked. Sam nodded. "What do I smell like?"

"You used to smell like strawberries and mint," Sam said. "But now you smell like chocolate, too." He cocked his head curiously. "Do I smell like anything to you?"

Gabriel's cheeks heated up with embarrassment, and he looked at the ground instead of at Sam.

"Old books, lemons, and something... musty. Like dust," he admitted. Sam wrinkled his nose.

"Dust?" he repeated. Then he shrugged. "Whatever. I have to go. I still do have school tomorrow, you know."

Gabriel groaned. He'd forgotten about school. He'd have so much work to catch up on when he finally got discharged from the hospital.

Sam laughed and promised to be back the next day, and then Gabriel was alone in his room. Not even ten seconds later, Chuck and Castiel burst into the room and headed straight towards him.

"Are you okay?" Castiel asked. Gabriel nodded.

"I can't believe you're a werewolf," Chuck said, and Gabriel glanced at him worriedly.

"Does that… bother you?" he asked.

"Of course not," Chuck assured him. "I know you'd never hurt anyone, so we should have no problems. It's just ironic, that's all."

Gabriel sighed in relief.

The next week passed by almost in a blur. He spent his days having telepathic conversations with Sam, exploring the Bond more. In the afternoons, Sam would come visit him in the hospital and they'd end up talking or just sitting silently, enjoying each other's company, until the nurses kicked him out.

Castiel and Chuck also visited everyday. Well, Castiel visited. Chuck was there almost all the time, and saying that he visited would imply that he ever left. He'd called Becky and made sure that she wouldn't assign him on any more hunts for a while, and it wasn't like he worked aside from writing a bestselling series of novels.

Gabriel's IV came out on Tuesday, and he was discharged on Friday. He was back up to a healthy weight, and the bite marks on his shoulder and arm had healed enough that the stitches had already dissolved. It baffled the doctors, how quickly he healed, but Chuck spouted some bullshit about good genes and how he'd always healed fast, and they dropped it.

He made it back home around eleven on Friday night, and the first thing he did was go upstairs to his bathroom and take a shower, since he hadn't been able to at all during the past few days. While he was waiting for the water to warm up, he looked into the mirror and studied his markings.

Sam had told him that the markings on his back matched Gabriel's, and as Gabriel traced the outline of his marks with his eyes, he could almost picture what Sam's would look like.

Well, I should hope not. It would kinda ruin the surprise if you knew what they looked like before I actually showed you.

Gabriel smiled, and turned away from the mirror. Sam was a near constant presence in his mind now, and he'd gotten infinitely more comfortable with the Bond between them. It was almost second nature for him to answer in his mind.

The suspense is killing me, Sammy, he said, and he heard Sam chuckle in his mind. The sound never failed to bring a smile to his face, and the effect wasn't diminished by the fact that he hadn't heard it out loud.

How are you doing?

I'm fine. What about you?

Same old, Sam said, and Gabriel could picture him shrugging. The water finally warmed up enough for Gabriel to step under the spray, and he tried not to look down at himself too much as he scrubbed himself with soap. He knew that, eventually, his and Sam's relationship would get physical, but he still wanted to maintain whatever illusion of privacy he still had.

If I'm making you uncomfortable, I can wait until you're done, Sam said.

You're not, Gabriel assured him. Just… keep your mind's eye not on me, okay?

I can do that.

They didn't say anything for a few moments after that, though Gabriel could still feel Sam's presence in his mind. The silence wasn't awkward, and Gabriel broke it not because he felt he had to, but because he was actually curious about something.

Sam, he said.

Hmm?

Do you remember when, a few days ago, Dean said that the markings were indicative of a wolf's place in the pack's hierarchy? What did he mean?

Well, Sam said, the pack is structured kind of like a pack in the wild. With Greys, there is the Alpha, who leads the pack. Then comes the Beta, who is second in command to the Alpha, and the other wolves are organized into order based on dominance after that. In a pack, there are usually dominants and submissives. My pack is pretty small, so we only have dominant males.

No dominant females? Gabriel asked. He squirted a glob of shampoo into his hand and started lathering his hair up.

Females can be mated to a dominant, but they're on a whole other scale when it comes to dominance. They don't carry the same amount of power that a dominant male has.

Gotcha.

So, like I was saying, the marks let other males know where in the pack you stand. If the markings are on the right side of the body, that means you're a dominant. If they come onto the front of your body, you have the potential to be an Alpha.

Mine come onto my chest. Do yours, as well?

Yeah. Dean and I both have the potential to be Alphas, which will become a problem when the time comes for one of us to take over the pack. But that's at least a few centuries in the future. I don't think Dad will kick the bucket anytime soon.

How long do Greys usually live for? Gabriel wondered.

Four or five centuries, usually, Sam said, and Gabriel's eyes widened.

When we complete the Blood Rites and our lives become synched or whatever, does that mean that you'll only live as long as I do?

It means that you will inherit my longevity, and if I live a natural life of a few hundred years, then so will you.

Gabriel finished rinsing the last suds from his hair and shut off the water.

Oh. That's cool. He didn't know how, but he could tell that Sam yawned just then, and then he felt his mate's exhaustion through the Bond. You should go to sleep.

But I wanna talk to you, Sam whined. Gabriel chuckled and stepped out of the shower, then started drying himself off with his towel.

I'll be here until you fall asleep, he promised. And we'll see each other tomorrow.

Fine, Sam agreed reluctantly. Gabriel finished drying his hair and wrapped the towel around his waist for the short walk to his room. He paused at Chuck's door and listened for any signs of life, but the deep breathing and the fact that the lights were turned off let him know that his father had already fallen asleep.

He continued on to his room and pulled on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, then slipped into his bed.

Goodnight, Sam, he said. Sam didn't reply, and Gabriel felt through the Bond that he was already asleep. He must have been exhausted. Gabriel didn't feel all that tired yet, so he gently started prodding around in Sam's mind, watching his dreams. They went by too fast for him to make much sense of them, but he saw that he seemed to be the most prominent theme, along with a sense of happiness from Sam whenever the moose saw his face.

It filled Gabriel with warmth to know that Sam loved Gabriel as much as Gabriel loved him. Not that he had doubted Sam's feelings; they were soul mates, after all, literally made for each other by the Great Luna and destined for each other since birth.

He thought that the story of the Great Luna was a beautiful one, even if he didn't really believe in it. He wasn't a religious person in general, but what the Greys had wasn't really religion, per say. They believed that the Luna had created them to try and help humans, but they didn't worship her or pray to her.

Sam had described her to Castiel and the latter had drawn a picture that Sam and Dean said was as accurate as they could get considering that no one had ever seen her before. Castiel and Sam were quickly restoring the friendship that had been lost two weeks ago. It helped that Sam had been trying to protect Gabriel and had good intentions.

The glowing red numbers of his digital clocked changed and let him know that it was twelve o'clock already, and Gabriel pulled out of Sam's dreams and tried to get some sleep. He was going to meet Sam's pack for the first time tomorrow morning - or, should he say this morning? - and he wanted to be well-rested.

His alarm went off around eight the next morning, and though it was a few hours after he normally woke up for school, he was so out of it that after he got up to turn it off that he started his routine for getting ready for school. He was already heading out the door with his backpack on before he remembered what was going on, and then he stomped back into the house and up the stairs and practically threw his bag onto his bed.

What did that bag ever do to you? Sam asked, and Gabriel felt a smile creep onto his face despite his annoyance with himself. Sam never failed to have that effect on him. Are you nervous?

About what? Gabriel asked.

About meeting my family today.

Not really, Gabriel said. He went back to his closet to pick something else to wear, because what he wore to school and what he wore outside of school were vastly different. I mean, what's the worse that could happen?

You're supposed to be nervous, Sam said, sounding just a little put out. Gabriel rolled his eyes fondly and finally decided to wear a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt that said 'If you can read this, you're too close'.

Sorry to disappoint,. Anyway, I'm leaving now. See you soon.

Bye, Sam said, but Gabriel could still feel his presence in his mind. This time when he went downstairs, Chuck was in the kitchen, sipping at a cup of coffee. He lifted his mug in greeting without looking away from his laptop.

"Morning," he said.

"Morning," Gabriel replied. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Don't slur like that, Gabriel," Chuck complained. "I'm just going through a newspaper article for Becky. She wants me to see if I can find anything that could clue her in as to what's attacking people down in Miami."

"Sounds fun," Gabriel said sarcastically. "Anyways, I'm off now."

"Wait, where are you going?" Chuck asked. "Don't you want to take it easy, at least for a while?"

"I feel fine, Dad," Gabriel said. "I'm a Grey Wolf, so I heal fast. Or something. Point is, I feel fine. Besides, I'll be with Sam, and he'll make sure nothing happens."

Chuck eyed him suspiciously. "I want you to text me every hour, on the hour. And if he tries anything, use the silver knife I gave you, okay?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "They're different from the werewolves you normally hunt, remember? They don't attack humans, and silver won't hurt them any more than it would hurt a human." He grinned. "Besides, Sam and I are soulmates."

Chuck made an indignant sound and Gabriel laughed and danced out the door before he could say anything.

Did you have to do that? He already hates me enough as it is, Sam said.

He doesn't hate you, Gabriel said as he walked to his car. He hates the fact that I'm planning on spending the rest of my life with a werewolf. You can't blame him. I mean, he's been hunting things since before he adopted me. It's only natural that he's suspicious.

I can understand that, Sam said. I'm already at the restaurant. Did you make a reservation?

It's iHop, Gabriel pointed out. How busy could it be at eight thirty in the morning on a Saturday?

Pretty busy, actually. But the hostess said the wait for a table for two is only about ten minutes, so it should be ready by the time you get here.

Perfect.

It turned out that Sam was right, and their table became available just as Gabriel was walking into the restaurant. He pushed his way through the crowd of frazzled parents and their rambunctious kids, coming to a stop near the front, where Sam was standing next to a smiling brunette.

"Is this everybody?" she asked cheerfully when Gabriel joined them.

"Yup," Gabriel said.

"Great! If you'll follow me to your table…"

The waitress led them to a secluded table in the back corner of the restaurant. It was far enough from the kitchens that they wouldn't be bothered by a constant stream of waiters and waitresses, and it faced the exits, which Gabriel thought Sam's wolf would appreciate.

He was getting better at separating the two. They were the same entity, Sam and his wolf, but at the same time they could have different desires and priorities. It was usually when Sam's eyes started to glow green that Gabriel knew the wolf was in charge. That hadn't happened since that day in the hospital when Sam had first explained everything.

"So," Gabriel said with a shit-eating grin on his face. "Come here often?."

Sam groaned. "Really?" he said. "Couldn't you think of something more original to say?"

"Of course I could," Gabriel said, and left it at that.

"You're so weird," Sam said.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"Good. It was meant as one."

Gabriel smiled.