Chapter 2: Sanctuary

Dean led Sam and Castiel back to the fire, staying in human form and watching the young omega as much as he could. The younger man was clearly not used to walking barefoot as a human, but he never complained or moved to change back. He was in the middle of telling the brothers the story of his first successful hunt as they entered the clearing, every face turning toward them as they appeared. Gadreel and Balthazar rose to their feet, Gabriel struggling to do the same before Jo put a warning hand on his shoulder. Benny stepped forward and offered a welcoming smile, crossing his wrists in front of his chest and offering Castiel the same alpha bow the raven-haired man had just exchanged with Dean.

"Thank you, Benny, for your welcome," Castiel murmured. "And I wanted to thank you all for taking care of my brothers in our time of need."

Dean clapped him on the shoulder and gently led him to the fire, keeping a light contact for as long as he could. Sam exchanged a knowing glance with Benny as they all settled around the fire again, Castiel sitting between Dean and Balthazar, leaving Sam free to sit between Jo and Gabriel, Gadreel and Benny taking spots with their respective packs. "Hey, Cas; Jo and Benny have already organized watches, but if you or your brothers want to join in the rotation, you'd certainly be welcome."

Gabriel looked over at Cas, raising one eyebrow at the familiar way Dean had addressed him. No one outside of his own three brothers had ever called the wolf anything but Castiel, and yet this alpha who had known him for less than a day had been afforded that privilege. Cas offered his brother a tiny smirk before turning back to the fire. "I could join you."

"No you can't," Benny snapped at the omega, glaring at his shocked alpha. "Brother, the boy is skin and bones. He's far worse off than his brothers, and I won't let him waste any of his energy guarding the camp. The four of us will be fine, and he will get some sleep, which I doubt he's had much of over the last week."

Castiel leaned forward, an angry tension in his shoulders as he opened his mouth to argue the point. Balthazar's hand on his arm silenced his retort, Gabriel leaning forward as best as he could to grab Cas's leg. "He's right, Cassie," the oldest of the omegas murmured. "You got us out of the mountains, now we all need to put our trust in these guys to get us to safety. Neither one of us are in any condition to fight. Just curl up with me tonight and try to regain your strength, okay, baby brother?"

The raven-haired man smiled and dropped his eyes. "I hate it when you call me that."

Gadreel cleared his throat and sat up taller. "I will be happy to stand guard with you tonight, in place of Sam. I'm not in as bad a shape as my brothers, and I can still fight. I think he should stay here in case Gabriel pulls his stitches in the night or needs anything else to help with his recovery." Sam glanced at Dean across the fire and nodded, accepting the suggestion, both of them understanding what Gadreel left unspoken. Wounded omegas were often calmed by the scent of a trusted alpha even more than the presence of their own omega siblings, and it was clear that Gabriel had already begun to bond with the younger Winchester.

Jo nodded, accepting the decision. "Okay, Benny is taking first watch, then Gadreel, then Dean, then me. We're pretty far from the Spellbound border, but there are still skirmishes in the area."

Benny nodded and walked away from the fire, shifting into his black wolf form as he vanished into the trees. He would do a quick patrol before settling in for watch, giving the others time to get settled in for the night. Jo shifted back into form and curled up next to the fire, nose covered by her blonde tail as she slipped into an easy sleep. She had been running with the brothers and Benny for a couple of years, but she still always slept alone, not willing to let the restlessness of the other wolves keep her up all night.

Gadreel and Balthazar shifted back to their wolf forms, already feeling the chilly bite of the winter night. Gabriel sighed and pulled his blanket tighter around his gaunt form, shifting his injured leg into a more comfortable position as he tried to decide where to lay down. Sam slipped back into his clothes and sat down beside the blonde, pulling him into his arms as he leaned up against Dean's mahogany fur. The big alpha rumbled as he curled around his brother and the injured omega, looking up as Castiel returned to his wolf form and settled down on the other side. He rested his head on his paws, grumbling softly as Dean shifted slightly and pushed his head under the omega's chin. Sam chuckled at how adorable they looked, starting as he felt Gabriel curl up tighter in his arms and nuzzle him under the chin. "Goodnight, Sam."

"Goodnight, Gabe."

Gabriel jerked awake in the middle of the night, whining in terror before the comforting scent of a summer meadow washed over him. He stared into the embers of the campfire for a long time before he registered the strong arms wrapped loosely around his waist and the chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm beneath him. He looked behind Sam and noticed that his twin brother had replaced Dean, the blue in Gadreel's fur barely discernable in the dim firelight. A soft whine from his youngest brother caught Gabriel's attention, and he smiled as he reached out to run his fingers through Castiel's fur. "I'm okay," he whispered, watching as those blue eyes slowly opened, focusing on the blonde. "A little nightmare, that's all."

"Just don't pull your stitches. I don't think I could watch Sam sew you up again."

Gabriel shuddered, looking up as Balthazar slowly crawled over and curled up beside Gadreel, leaning forward far enough to rest his head beside his oldest brother. "Allow me to cast my vote with Cas." Gadreel grumbled in agreement, shifting his position slightly to give Balthazar more room to stretch out.

Gabriel tilted his head and rested his hand on Cas's shoulder, pushing slightly to get his brother's attention. "Cassie, what made you change forms with the brothers? I never got a chance to ask you earlier, but I think we all want to know."

"I, uh, decided that I could trust them." Gadreel growled, and Cas chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You want the full story. I heard them talking about our past, about Michael intending to mate me off to Uriel, and Dean was furious. Like actually, genuinely angry on my behalf, and I knew that we could trust them. No one has ever cared about us before, except Anna on some rare occasions, and yet these strangers really do. So I, uh, told them. About us."

Gabriel stiffened in Sam's arms, watching Gadreel and Balthazar reacting the same way. "You told them? Cas, how could you?!"

"I had to!" Cas raised his head and glared at his brother, blue eyes sparking in the dim light. "I told them the real reason we ran, I told them about how Michael has starved us, and I told them about the prophecy. They have accepted us into their band and promised us protection, and they deserve to know the challenges associated with that."

"Brother, it is not a good idea. Our own brother would kill us if he knew about our secret. He may know already, but hopefully Anna kept it to herself."

"Anna did, Gad, trust me. She might have been willing to go along with selling us off to Michael's favorite alphas, but she wouldn't sign our death sentence like that. Anyway, Dean just said that he hoped we liked him enough not to destroy his pack."

Balthazar chuckled, flicking his blue eyes up to Cas. "And I imagine that you do like him enough, am I right?"

"Hush, Balthy. I don't have the time to like anyone right now. And even we don't know what the prophecy means."

"You changed forms for him. He knows what an act of trust that was."

Cas sent his brothers the mental equivalent of a soft smile, resting his head back on his paws. "He called me beautiful. In five years of Michael parading alphas before us, none of them have ever commented on my physical appearance, just my submissiveness or my ability to breed pups. It felt good."

Gabriel chuckled and leaned back into Sam's arms, readjusting his blanket and closing his eyes. "Never thought you'd fall so easily, Cassie."

"Never thought I'd find someone worth falling for."

Castiel woke slowly, the scent of baked fish teasing his nose. He whined and opened his eyes to find that it was morning, rising to his feet and stretching muscles held too long in one position. Instinctively, he looked around for his brothers, spotting Gadreel and Balthazar sitting to one side in human form, cleaning fish and conversing with Benny, while Gabriel was sitting near the tree eating one of the fish that had already been cooked, nodding emphatically at Jo as Sam checked his bandages.

Seeing that all of his brothers were safe, Cas shifted to human form and headed for the supplies piled near the tree, taking a few gulps from the nearest water skin before returning to the fire. Dean checked one of the fish roasting over the flames, lifting it free as the omega reached him. "Morning, sunshine," he greeted, smiling at Cas's blush.

"Morning, Dean."

"Hungry? Balthazar is a better fisher wolf than I would have guessed."

"I can see that." Cas's stomach growled at the smell of the fish, not giving him any option but to accept his breakfast. Finding a reasonably comfortable spot by the fire, he dug into the meal, calling on every ounce of his self-control to eat at a normal speed.

"Sleep well?"

Cas nodded, pausing to pick a few small bones out of the fish. "Yes, surprisingly. Gabe had a nightmare and we all spoke for a bit, but I fell asleep pretty easily after that." He finished his meal as he watched Dean propping two more fish over the fire, unable to pull his eyes away from that flaky white flesh.

"Still hungry?"

"I am, but aren't you going to eat something?"

"Had some fruit earlier; I'm good." Dean handed a second fish over to the omega, frowning when the raven-haired man hesitated. The alpha reached out and rested one callused palm on Cas's cheek, forcing the gaunt man to look up at him. "Hey, Cas, you have to let me take care of you. I know that you're worried about us, but my band can go without food a lot longer than you and your brothers. We have a long run ahead of us, and you really need your strength. Just eat up and don't you fret about me. I'll be okay."

Cas nodded and accepted the fish, gratefully digging in. He could sense his brothers watching his interaction with Dean curiously, but he ignored them and continued to eat. The omegas each managed three fish, packing away as much as they could after Dean's warning that they might not stop until dark. They cleaned up the camp and shifted forms, Sam climbing up onto Dean's back with Gabriel while the others moved into their pack position. Cas made one change in the positioning of his pack mates, taking the position to Dean's right while Gadreel took the rear guard in front of Benny. Sam smiled at the new pattern, glancing at the blonde in his arms and nodding toward the black wolf. Gabe nodded, confirming his suspicions, wrapping his free arm tightly around Sam's neck as the pack took off.

They ran through the day and into the night, only stopping for quick water breaks before taking off again. Sam wouldn't let them slow down, a deep fear building inside him the closer they got to the eastern compound. He could sense that there was something wrong with the omega in his arms, some weakening of the grip around his neck or a slight dullness in those gold eyes, but when he looked harder everything seemed fine. A couple of hours after night fell, Sam finally nudged Dean's side with his knee, asking him to call for a break. They had covered a lot of ground and should be able to make it to the splinter pack before sunset the next day.

Sam slipped off of Dean's back, smiling at Gabriel's running list of complaints about being carried like a baby and treated like he was going to break at any minute. Cas shifted back to human form and helped pull the supplies off Gadreel's waist, shaking his head at his oldest brother's antics. Sam leaned down and settled the blonde at the base of a nearby tree, frowning as the omega hissed in pain. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. My leg hurts all of a sudden." Gabe winced as his left foot touched the ground, fighting the urge to pull back and cause himself even more pain. "It kind of burns, you know?"

"Hmm, that shouldn't be happening. Everything looked alright this morning. Let me get your pants off and I'll check it out."

Gabe grinned as Balthazar groaned, the younger wolf working on the hole for the fire. "Never thought you'd ask to get in my pants, Samshine."

"That's not my name," the taller man corrected, popping the buttons holding the wool pants up and sliding them down Gabe's legs. As soon as they were past his knees, Sam froze, staring at the omega's left leg and slowly clenching his fist in fury. "Son of a bitch."

"What? What's wrong?" Gabriel tried to lean forward to see his leg, but Cas appeared beside him and pushed him back down, growling an order.

Sam waved Dean over, gently touching two fingers to the bandages on the inside of Gabe's leg, just barely able to discern a green tinge through the white fabric. He sighed raggedly, running one hand over his face as he sat back and looked up at his brother. "The wound is poisoned."

"What?!" Gabriel tried to lean forward again, but Cas pushed him back harder, Balthazar joining him to keep their brother still while Gadreel joined Sam to look over the wound.

"Dean, I don't have anything to treat this. You know Asmodeus; he likes to coat his claws with rare Spellbound poisons when he goes to war, and I don't have any antidotes here. Tasha might, but I have no idea how long it will take to spread."

"Why didn't you see this before?"

"I'm sorry, Gabriel, I should have. I know how that bastard fights. But this wasn't war, and you aren't alphas. I thought, as an omega, the most he would want would be to take you for his mate, so why would he poison you?"

"Sam?" Gabriel whined, struggling against his brothers' hold to meet the alpha's eyes.

Sam took a deep breath to calm himself, reaching out to cup Gabriel's cheek in his hand. "Tasha used to be a member of Spellbound Pack; she'll recognize this poison and know how to treat it. We just have to get to her, as soon as possible."

Dean shook his head. "Sam, we've been running all day. I'm beat, the boys are beat, and our pack is in no condition to run through the night."

"I am."

"What?"

"Dean, I've been riding all day, just zoning out and keeping Gabe comfortable. I'm not tired, and I think I could make the compound by dawn if I run all night."

"And who is going to hold him on your back? Dude, the rest of us are bone-dead tired." Dean reached out to loosen the bandages around Gabriel's waist, Sam helping to remove the rest of the dressing so they could get a better look at the wound. Balthazar went white as a sheet and turned away, burying his face in Gadreel's shoulder as Castiel took over the task of holding Gabriel down and blocking any view of his leg.

Jo took a spot near Gabriel's leg as soon as Gadreel moved his distraught brother away to the fire and out of the way of the healing. "That looks bad, Dean," Jo murmured to the brothers, setting out the medical kit where Sam could reach it. The wounds, which had been pink and healthy-looking that morning, were now green, swollen, and leaking pus. The veins snaking across his upper leg were tinted green, the color reaching down to his knee and winding up above his waist. Sam leaned down and sniffed, his face twisting at that rotten apple scent that was now so obvious with the bandages gone.

"Dammit, I smelled this. I knew something was off with Gabe's scent all day, but I would never have suspected poison."

"You have been on edge all day," Jo replied, gingerly touching near the poisoned skin, moving closer systematically until Gabe groaned and tried to pull away. "It's spreading rapidly."

Sam whined low in his throat, his own scent spiking with fear. He had seen the victims of Spellbound poisons, especially the ones that Asmodeus used, and he was terrified that he was going to lose the blonde omega. Cas's scent darkened with fear in response, bright blue eyes meeting Dean's emerald green in supplication. "I can't lose my brother," he whispered.

Dean nodded. "Okay, we'll take care of him. I promised that we would get all of you to safety, and that is what we will do. But who can hold Gabriel on Sam's back?"

"I could do it," Gadreel offered, still comforting his younger brother by the fire.

"Have you ever ridden another wolf before?" The omega shook his head, golden eyes pinched with worry. "You can't be the one to do it, Gadreel. I know you love your brother and want to help, but you can't ride and you won't be able to hear Sam give you directions and support in human form. When he's on my back, I talk to him constantly so that he can be prepared for whatever we are heading into. Without that assistance, you'll fall off."

Benny approached the prone omega, crooning tenderly as he rested a hand on Gabriel's cheek, gentle support in his pale blue eyes. Gabriel whined softly, slowly calming as the beta rubbed his cheek. Despite his size and battle prowess, the beta had a soothing scent and presence, and even this omega who had known him less that two days slowly relaxed. He reached up and grabbed Benny's shoulder, golden eyes pale. "I'm cold," he whispered.

Sam jerked at the words, an icy shock rushing through his veins. Gabriel hadn't been cold sitting chest-deep in a glacier-fed stream in the middle of winter, but now he was shivering just a few feet from the fire. This poison was worse than he thought.

And then Benny made the decision for all of them. "Jo, help Sam get the boy's leg cleaned up and bandaged as best you can. If we have extra clothes, get him bundled up. I'll ride Sam and carry him, and we'll get to the compound before dawn." He grabbed for the pack to find his own change of clothes, knowing that he would need protection from the nighttime chill.

Jo and Sam rinsed the wound as best they could, applying the new bandages over a layer of pine pitch salve that would hopefully suck some of the poison out and maybe stop it from spreading. The shoulder wound wasn't infected, not that Sam had expected it to be, but they checked it quickly before slipping a shaking Gabe back into his pants. The tallest alpha divested himself of his clothing and helped Benny slip his larger pants over Gabe's, doing the same with his shirt and vest. Benny wrapped the trembling omega in their one blanket, swinging the medical kit and a water skin over his shoulder before nodding at Sam.

Dean grabbed Sam's arm above the elbow, waiting for his brother to grasp his arm back before leaning forward and touching foreheads. "Take care of yourself, Sammy."

"Of course." The younger brother pulled away, shifting into his brown wolf form and nodding toward Benny. The beta climbed up onto his back, Dean handing Gabriel to him as Sam rose to his feet. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure that his cargo was secure, Sam crouched down and pushed off, jumping into a run and disappearing into the trees.

Dean turned back to his now-smaller pack, watching as Jo moved to comfort the two omegas still holding each other near the fire. Castiel stared off into the trees, one part of him saying that he needed to follow Gabriel, make sure that he was okay, while the other part urged him to stay and protect his other two brothers. Recognizing that same struggle that he himself had just gone through, Dean stepped forward and pulled the raven-haired man into a tight hug.

Cas reached up and wrapped his arms around the alpha, his chin resting on Dean's shoulder as he closed his eyes and sighed. "Thank you."

"It's hard being the pack leader sometimes," Dean replied, running his hand up and down Cas's back in a soothing motion. "Sam will take care of him."

"I know."

Sam had never been so glad in his life for the training exercises his father had forced him to participate in, especially the endurance races against dozens of members of his pack. He and Dean would usually win, both of them able to run at full speed for hours with only the briefest of breaks. The weight on his back slowed him somewhat, but he refused to let his weakness be the cause of Gabriel's death. No matter what it cost him, he would save the omega.

Sam kept up a running commentary on the terrain for Benny's sake, letting him know when to expect direction changes, jumps, and speed fluctuations. With his human senses, Benny couldn't see well enough in the dark to predict the wolf's reactions, so he was grateful for every warning.

As they reached a huge field between two dark forests, Sam paused to sniff the air, looking for intruders or dangers on the open plain, his ears perking up as he caught the scent of a deer. He hadn't had anything to eat in a day and a half other than a few slightly sour winter fruit, and his stomach took that moment to remind him how hungry he was. "Benny, I've scented a deer."

"Good find this time of year, brother. Shall we go for it?"

"We shouldn't stop . . ."

"You're hungry, I'm hungry, and Gabriel is hungry. We could all use a quick bite before we head on, especially since we didn't get time for supper."

"What does he smell?" Gabriel gripped Benny tightly as the beta dismounted, watching the brown alpha move forward, nose in the wind.

"It's a deer, cher, and a welcome meal at that. He thinks he's stronger than he is, but some meat will do him good. He doesn't sense any predators or rival wolves, so I'm going to set you down against this tree where you'll be safe." Suiting actions to words, Benny helped the omega find a comfortable spot, placing the back of his hand on Gabe's forehead for a moment to check his temperature. It was up slightly from when they left camp, but not at fever level yet. "The deer is close, he says, but it will be easier to corner it with two wolves so I'm going with him. We'll be back before you know it."

Gabriel nodded and pulled his blanket tightly around his shoulders, taking the medical pack and supplies that Benny had been wearing. "Okay, I'll wait."

Benny stripped out of his clothes and shifted, following Sam out across the plain and vanishing into the tall grasses almost instantly. A few moments later, much sooner than Gabriel had been expecting, he heard a quick growl and a thump, the kill quick, clean, and surprisingly silent. The wolves dragged the deer carcass back to Gabe's tree, Sam shifting back to human and digging through the supply bag for a knife. He helped Benny remove two of the legs, skinning them both before tossing one to the red-striped black wolf and carrying the other over to Gabe's tree.

"We don't have time for a fire, so I hope you can stomach some raw meat." Sam sliced off a few decent-sized strips, grabbing some large leaves from the tree overhead to use as makeshift plates.

Gabe nodded and accepted the offering, digging into his meat with gusto. Sam chuckled as he shifted back to wolf form, tearing giant chunks of meat off of his leg and practically swallowing them whole. As soon as all three were done, the wolves rubbed their bloody muzzles clean and shifted back, hoisting the buck's carcass into the branches of the tree Gabe was leaning against. "Dean and the others will come through here in a few hours," Benny explained, repacking the supplies and swinging the rope over his chest. "They'll make quick work of this, and they'll know that we made it this far safely."

"How much longer?"

"Three hours at most," Sam replied lifting Gabe's chin and examining his face. "What's wrong? Is it worse?"

The omega nodded, dropping his eyes to the ground. "It feels like my leg is on fire, but I can't move it anymore."

"Well, time we moved on, then. Don't worry, Tasha will have an antidote."

Less than two hours later, Benny felt Gabriel's arms fall away from his shoulders, the omega whining softly. "Benny, I can't . . . my head hurts and I can't . . . it's so dark. I'm so tired."

"Don't you fall asleep now, you hear? You need to stay awake until we get to Tasha."

Gabriel nodded against his chest, the movement weak and uncoordinated. "I'm trying. It's so hard. I just wish I had been stronger, that I could have defeated Asmodeus on my own."

"It's a miracle you lasted as long as you did. He is ruthless, worse than some of the Spellbound alphas we've faced. And I promise you, cher, Sam is going to tear that bastard to shreds for what he did to you."

"I want to be the one who does it," Gabriel whispered. He shivered and tried to pull himself closer to the beta, but he was losing strength by the minute and he couldn't manage to do it. "I want him to know what it feels like to be helpless."

"Ok, you'll do that. As soon as you are healed."

Gabriel nodded as his eyes drifted closed and his entire body went limp.

"Benny?"

"He's unconscious, brother, and he's burning up. I think the poison is starting to tear into him."

Sam growled and stretched his legs out farther, running faster than he ever thought he could. The splinter pack had built their compound on the edge of a small lake between two of the large forests, so as soon as Sam scented water he began to howl. He called with his wolf voice and his mind, one word over and over again. "Help!"

And, finally, as he cleared the last of the trees and caught sight of that crystal-clear lake shining in the dawn sun, he heard a response. "I can help."

Four wolves met him on the forest side of the lake, the calico-colored omega female in the lead carrying a bulky medical bag which she slipped out of as soon as she reached the brown alpha. Sam shifted back into human form and took Gabe from Benny, worried hazel eyes meeting calm, professional purple. The slender, dark-skinned omega exuded a calming jasmine-lavender scent, her entire demeanor encouraging tranquility. "What happened?"

Sam helped her settle Gabriel on the ground, unwinding his blanket and stripping him out of the two layers of clothes to reach his bandages. The green tint of the poison had reached halfway up his chest, tainted veins clawing for his heart. Sam let himself take a deep breath, appreciating Tasha's gentle unflappability as he tried to decide the most concise way to explain Gabriel's situation. "It's a Spellbound poison, one of Asmodeus's. There was no sign of infection until late yesterday morning, when I started to scent a slight rotten apple overtone, which got stronger as the day passed."

Tasha opened her medical bag, quickly pulling out a bowl and multiple packets of ingredients before removing the last of the bandages and laying two fingers beside the oozing wound. Her son, who shared her magical prowess, crouched behind her and placed one hand on Tasha's shoulder, the other hovering over Gabriel's wound. Their purple eyes glowed in the morning light as they whispered something in an ancient language known only to powerful Spellbound witches, diagnosing the wound.

When Tasha finally spoke, her soft words were cautiously optimistic. "Yes, I know this group of poisons. They can be pretty nasty, but none of them are truly deadly." Sam released a breath he hadn't known he was holding at those words, settling back on his haunches. "However, they all have some pretty bad side-effects that can be permanent if not treated quickly enough. If it only manifested a day ago, we may have caught it in time."

Her purple-eyed son, the omega Max, reached into the pile for two small blue bags, one marked with a water symbol and the other marked with fire. He handed the water one to his twin sister Alicia, an alpha who shared his dark skin but had more blue to her eyes than purple, and she nodded as she headed for the lake to get water for tea.

Asa Fox, the red-headed pack leader of this splinter group and a well-respected alpha in his own right, shifted out of his wolf form and started digging a shallow hole for the fire. Benny headed back to the trees to gather some deadwood for it, Sam holding Gabriel's right hand tightly as he watched the healers work, whispering his name in what he hoped was a comforting tone.

Max poured the powdered contents of his blue bag into the bowl his mother had pulled out of her bag earlier, reaching for a small stick as soon as the fire was started properly. He lit the end of his stick in the flames, blowing it out until an ember glowed at the end, tapping the stick on the edge of the bowl to drop charcoal into his mixture. As soon as he had enough, Max added a tiny amount of water to the bowl of powdered herbs and charcoal, handing it to his mother.

Tasha, meanwhile, had cleaned the wounds, breaking a few stitches on each gash to allow for drainage. She took the herbal ointment from her son and liberally applied it across all of the gashes, making sure that some of it got into each wound where it could reach the blood stream. Thankfully, Gabriel was still unconscious, otherwise her ministrations would have caused him a great deal of pain. She had Sam move the unconscious omega into a sitting position and hold him so she could dribble some of Alicia's restorative tea into his mouth, pleased that he was able to swallow even while unconscious.

"Max, work your magic."

The teenager moved his hand to place it over Gabriel's heart, purple eyes glowing with an inner fire as he used his powers to speed the blonde's healing. Slowly, reluctantly, the green veins retreated from Gabe's chest, pulling back until only the skin around the wound still carried that poisonous discoloration. As soon as the blonde omega was out of immediate danger, Tasha pulled her son away and pushed him toward Alicia.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes, Sam, he should be fine in a few days with some rest. We'll put a very loose bandage on the wound for now, and I'll check it every six hours for the next two days. A couple of my healers should be here shortly with a stretcher, and we'll carry him back to the compound."

"And those side-effects?"

"We won't know until he wakes up." Tasha finished bandaging Gabriel's leg, glancing up into Sam's hazel eyes before continuing. "I won't lie; it's a bad sign that he is unconscious. You got him here quickly, and that's good, but I fear that he is not out of the woods yet." She leaned down to sniff the omega's neck where his scent was the strongest, examining the sourness in his aroma and frowning. "Sam, tell me everything about how he received this injury."

"Okay, well, he and his brothers were running away from Celestial lands. They came out of the mountains into the empty plains that border all three pack lands, and were attacked by Lilith, Asmodeus, and Dagon. Jo caught the scent of the fight from the forest and we arrived in time to help chase the three Spellbounds off. I didn't see Asmodeus give him the leg wound, but I did see him bite Gabe's shoulder and throw him on the ground. His brother jumped on Asmodeus's back and forced him to withdraw, and I cleaned and bandaged his wounds."

"Your friend is an omega. Is the brother also an omega?"

"Yeah, he has three omega brothers. They're all with Dean right now, about half a day behind us. I'm not sure if it's relevant, but they were coming out of a heat when we found them."

Tasha frowned pensively, looking up as her two assistant healers arrived from the compound. The two men carefully loaded Gabriel onto the stretcher, covering him with the blanket and tying him in place with a series of ropes to prevent him from falling off on the trip back. Sam gathered all of the discarded clothes and slipped back into his, handing the set that Gabriel had worn back to Benny to be returned to the pack. They followed Asa around the lake and into his town, Sam watching the purple-eyed healer the entire time.

She didn't speak until they reached the main road into the city, Asa stopping to speak with the guards at the gates as the healers continued to the large structure at the top of the hill. Sam and Benny nodded politely at the dozens of people they passes, most of the village already awake and all of them curious about the howls they had heard before dawn. Tasha didn't let anyone ask any questions, leading the boys and her healers up to the hospital wing of her home, waiting until Gabriel was settled into one of the beds before speaking. The ornate building was too large to be called a house, but too small to be a castle, and it was much less imposing than the Winchester Palace in the center of Wilderness lands. Asa and his family had never needed much space, and they liked to stay as close to their people as possible.

"I'm sure you've heard of the poisons that Asmodeus uses in war, especially the debilitating ones that he favors when he fights alphas, but he does have a smaller collection of what he calls 'utility' poisons."

"What are those?"

"Mostly they're for control. They aren't deadly, but they each have a specific side-effect that will be left behind when the victim finally heals. He has one that causes insanity, one that leaves the victim with dulled senses, one that sterilizes, and a series of poisons that cause some mild disabilities. He has taken four or five omegas over the past few years the last I heard, none of them by choice, and none of them were ever capable of escaping."

Sam felt that same chilling terror take hold of him that he had felt when he realized that Gabriel was truly sick. Benny placed a comforting hand on the alpha's shoulder, but it didn't do much good. "Asmodeus has a poison that leaves his victims sterile?"

"Yes, but Asmodeus mixed this poison specifically to use on omegas, so it won't sterilize him. That would defeat the point of taking them for breeders. He won't lose his leg, and I'm sure he'll be up and walking in a week or two. When Lilith and the others scented these four omegas, I'm sure Asmodeus saw his chance to steal one away, hence the poison on his claws."

Sam growled, his eyes flashing red at the thought of that beta touching Gabriel. Tasha waited until Benny calmed his alpha before continuing. "Sam, you have to stay calm for his sake."

Sam closed his green-hazel eyes and hung his head, hatred of that white wolf warring with worry for the omega he had come to care for so much. "Tasha, I need to know what to expect when he wakes up."

"I don't know, honestly. Every one of Asmodeus's omegas were poisoned for days, and they were not treated at all. It's possible that Gabriel will wake up and be fine."

But there was a larger possibility that he would not be fine. Sam heard the unspoken words, and he swallowed, slowly nodding. "Okay." He gestured for Tasha to continue.

"I do have some knowledge of what his poison did to the omegas. I heard that one of them became deathly afraid of open spaces, never able to leave the safety of her room again. One of them went blind and deaf, which even Asmodeus considered to be an extreme reaction to the poison. Another would get vertigo just from standing up, and another completely lost his ability to shift forms. The last one that I know of lost the ability to speak. His vocal cords weren't damaged, but his mind could no longer translate his thoughts into coherent words, in any form. None of them lasted long enough to even bear Asmodeus one pup."

Sam clenched his fists, furious at the thought of the white beta mutilating and abusing those omegas to the point where they would take their own lives, and equally terrified about Gabriel suffering from one of those conditions. "Tasha, what can we do?"

"I've done everything I can. Max and I are powerful witches as far as the Wilderness Pack goes, but a mental disability is beyond our skills."

Benny caught something in those words, some slight waver in the omega's tone, and he leaned forward curiously. "Something tells me that you know a witch who might have that power."

The omega slowly nodded, her purple eyes dark. "Yes, maybe, but there is no guarantee that she will help, even if she can. Rowena is unpredictable—"

"Rowena? The mother of the Head Alpha of Spellbound Pack?"

"The same, Sam. She is the strongest, most remarkable witch I know, and her protégé is shaping up to be a formidable power in her own right. You know that we have dealings with my family, and we are due to meet with a couple of wolves as soon as the river freezes over. If it becomes necessary, I am willing to send a message to her at that meeting."

Sam nodded, glancing at the blonde sleeping peacefully in the bed nearby. "If it turns out he has one of those side-effects, I'm going to ask for her help."

Benny sighed and shook his head. "Brother, you realize that she is part of the same pack that caused this injury in the first place."

"Cain's pack broke off decades ago, Benny," Sam argued. "Rowena is part of the main pack, and I have heard that they don't get along with the splinter pack very well. Maybe she'll help Gabe, omega to omega."

Tasha sighed. "Maybe. I don't know. Let me go talk to Asa, let him know that we have more visitors coming. Your band is two more, plus Gabriel's three brothers?"

"Yeah." Tasha stood and headed out of the room, glancing over her shoulder at the young alpha staring at the single occupied bed. "Why don't you stay here and keep him company until he wakes? My apprentices will be in and out, so if you need something let them know."

"Okay. Thank you, Tasha, for everything."

Sam had pulled his chair up beside Gabriel's bed hours ago, holding the omega's right hand in his and running his fingers through his blonde hair in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. Gabriel's forehead was cooler, his fever having finally broken, and Sam hoped that meant he would wake up soon. Benny had left soon after Tasha, knowing that the alpha needed to be alone, but he had come back once to check on them before vanishing again.

Six hours after they arrived, Tasha and Max returned to change Gabriel's bandages, pleased at the lack of green along the gashes. Sam accepted some water but refused food, content to sit silently by Gabriel's bedside and breathe in his scent. Two hours later, he heard his brother's howl, smiling as he raised Gabe's hand to his lips.

"Our brothers have come," he murmured. "Yours are going to be so happy that you're okay."

The blonde twitched but otherwise remained unresponsive, his breathing slow and steady. Dean and Cas entered the hospital wing twenty minutes later, both wearing clothes that had clearly been donated by Asa and his family. Cas walked over to his brother's bed and sat down opposite Sam, leaning down to breathe in Gabriel's scent and assure himself that the blonde was alright. Dean chuckled, resting one hand on Sam's shoulder.

"He's been a wreck since you left. We took off at dawn, and we ran as fast as we could, but we still took eight hours to get here. Thanks for the breakfast, by the way; we didn't take any time to hunt this morning."

"Yeah, I figured."

"Tell us about the poison, Sammy. Tasha said that it's pretty much gone, but I could tell that there was something she didn't want to tell us."

Sam glanced at the door, reaching over to touch Cas's arm and get his attention. "Where are Gadreel and Balthazar?"

"Max is getting them some clothes. I told them not to come in here."

"Good. It's best we don't scare them." He scented Cas's spike of fear, eyes widening when Dean walked around the bed and pulled up a chair, wrapping one arm around the raven-haired omega. The Celestial calmed instantly, blue eyes rising to meet Sam's hazel. "He's not going to die, he's not in any danger anymore, so you don't have to worry. However, Tasha said that she has seen this class of poison before; Asmodeus uses it to cripple omegas so he can take them home, force them to breed."

Cas straightened at that, growling as his eyes flashed, just barely containing his wolf. He shrunk down as Dean replied with a growl of his own, the alpha's voice deeper and more commanding, the taller man using his dominance to calm the younger wolf. Sam leaned forward and met Cas's eyes, smiling reassuringly. "Cas, that didn't happen, okay? You chased Asmodeus off, and we got the poison cured. Tasha said that all of the instances she heard of were of omegas who had to suffer the full effects of the poison, not ones that were cured so quickly. We aren't even sure if Gabriel will have any lasting side-effects."

"And if he does?"

"Then we'll deal. We'll think of something. But I have no intention of abandoning him, no matter what happens, and he has all of you, too. He's going to be okay."

Cas took a deep, steadying breath and offered Sam a weak smile. "Thank you, for everything you did. Bringing him here, getting him help; I couldn't have done that."

"That's what a pack does. We help each other."

"You consider us part of your pack? Not just visitors, but members?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I do. Benny does, too, or he wouldn't have ridden all night with your brother in his arms on my back. He hates riding, and I've been told that I have a very bumpy gait, so it couldn't have been comfortable."

"Tell me about it," Dean groaned. "You're like a giant, uncoordinated puppy. I swear you still haven't even grown into your paws, and you're twenty-two years old!"

"Benny hates riding?" Cas's eyes widened as he looked down at his brother, tears in his eyes. "And yet he still volunteered? I don't know what to say."

"I do," Dean replied, glancing at his brother for approval before holding his right arm out to the Celestial. Cas slowly reached out and wrapped his fingers around Dean's arm just below his elbow, smiling as the alpha grabbed his arm back. The scent glands on their wrists weren't the strongest on their bodies, but they were strong enough to exchange pheromones and mark Cas as a member of Dean's band. "Welcome to the pack."

Sam reached out and clasped Cas's arm the same way, grinning widely. "Welcome to the pack."

Gabriel woke just before dawn, cuddled between Sam and Gadreel. They had pulled a bed up on either side of his, the alpha with his arm wrapped under Gabriel's neck and the omega with his head on his twin's chest. The blonde, careful not to disturb his sleeping companions, lifted the blanket scrunched around his waist, rolling his eyes as he realized that he was still completely naked even though Gadreel had clearly been provided with suitable clothing. He opened his mouth to protest this treatment, freezing as he realized that he couldn't speak, his voice stuck in his throat. He couldn't even whimper.

Gabriel's fear scent woke Sam first, Gadreel stirring moments later. His wild golden eyes met Sam's concerned hazel, and he struggled again against the steel bands in his throat. Panicked, he moved to rise, but both men carefully but forcefully restrained him.

"Hey, Gabe, it's okay. Calm down." The blonde shook his head, struggling against the light restraint, his fear souring his scent even more as Gadreel climbed half on top of him, forcing him to stay still. Sam's soothing voice didn't change, even as Gabriel's fear spiked. "Gabe, you're still injured, and if you pull those stitches your brother will kill you. Calm down so I can explain what's going on."

Slowly, forcing himself to control his breathing, Gabriel relaxed, looking up at Gadreel as his brother moved back. The two taller men were both sitting up, Sam slipping a hand under Gabe's back to help him into the same position. Gadreel tucked an extra pillow behind him and pulled the blanket up, making sure he was comfortable. "Brother, you need to do everything you can to stay calm," Gadreel murmured. "If you could lay there without moving while Sam sewed your wounds closed, you can do this. Okay?"

Gabriel nodded, turning to face the alpha. Sam smiled, cupping Gabe's cheek in his hand. "We were able to get the poison cured, so you don't have to worry about that. It seems like you can see and hear just fine; did you feel any vertigo when you sat up?" Gabriel shook his head once. "That's good, really good. Can you speak?" Gabriel's face fell and he slowly shook his head; he couldn't even make his lips form the letters.

Sam sighed, somehow holding onto his composure. "Well, we got the poison cured really fast, and we think that this could be a temporary side-effect. Tasha will be here just after dawn, and we'll let her look you over, okay?" Gabriel slowly nodded, fighting against the tears he could feel welling up in his eyes. He had always been the most outspoken of his brothers, always been their voice, and now he was silenced. He thought back to that fight with Asmodeus, at that dark desire in his yellow eyes, and he knew that he should have been faster, somehow. He should have avoided that attack or trained more before they ran away.

Sam's hand on his cheek tightened, the alpha forcing him to look up. "Gabe, there's nothing you could have done to prevent this. Don't beat yourself up over what happened." He glanced up at Gadreel, catching the omega's gaze. "Trust me, all of your brothers have been doing that enough today. There are much worse side-effects you could have gotten from this." Gabe offered Sam a skeptical frown. "Tasha has heard of this poison family making omegas go blind or deaf, get permanent, crippling vertigo, become severely agoraphobic, and lose the ability to shift forms." Gabe's eyes widened at the last one, and he started to reach for his wolf, to make sure that he had not suffered that one. "Don't you dare," Sam growled, his eyes flashing with his own wolf. The omega shrunk back, unable to disobey that alpha tone.

"I'm sorry, but you can't test that one yet. Your wounds have not healed. If it makes you feel better, your scent is still the same, so I don't think you lost your wolf."

Yeah, that did make him feel better. Gabriel relaxed, grabbing his Sam's arm gratefully as he turned and touched his forehead to Gadreel's, desperate for comfort from his twin. "I'm just glad you're okay, Brother," Gadreel whispered. "Everything else we will handle."