Chapter 4: Healed

Benny climbed the stone stairs on the side of the tall watchtower, nodding at the two alphas keeping guard as he climbed past them onto the roof. He had done it so many times over the past few years that no one paid him any mind anymore. Once they knew that the dependable beta was on the roof, the guards below often relaxed, trusting him to watch the skies for them through the cold, clear winter night.

Benny had dressed for it this time, at least. His heavy pants and vest were lined with rabbit fur, his dark red shirt woven from a soft but warm wool, and his boots heavy leather with fur lining. He was from a land that was much, much warmer, and Benny really hated Wilderness winters. Still, he loved his pack and he would suffer this discomfort for them.

He looked up from his perch as a dark shadow crossed the stars, the near-silent flapping of wings catching his attention as a large blue wolf landed on the roof next to him. Gadreel tucked his wings away, his tongue lolling out of his mouth in amusement. Benny smiled at the omega, patting the space beside him on the roof as an invitation for Gadreel to join him. The wolf nodded and slipped out of the bag tied around his waist, shifting back into human form and pulling on the warm clothes he had brought with him.

"Fancy meeting you here."

Benny snorted. "I thought that Cas wanted you to protect that particular secret."

Gadreel shrugged. "No one can see me at night. It's helps that they are not looking." He sat down as close as he could to Benny without touching the beta, his golden eyes staring at the stars overhead. "The stars are dimmer here, muted. You should see the night sky from my homeland, high in the mountains."

Benny reached out and placed a hand on Gadreel's leg at the wistful homesickness he could hear in the young omega's voice. "My home, the place I was born, was far south and west of here. We lived on the water, in swampland that was never silent and never cold. I grew up on a boat, fishing and swimming every day of my life. But I gave all of that up to come here, to pledge fealty to the son of the great John Winchester. I can never go back; this is my home now. This is your home now, too."

"I know," Gadreel whispered. "I don't want to hate my brother, but Michael forced us to run away from the home we loved. Cas will never say anything about it, but he will miss climbing in the mountains and swimming in glacial lakes. We're mountain wolves, that's why we're so tall. We have greater lung capacity than you lowland wolves so we can breathe at altitudes that would kill you. The air here is hot, muggy, and too heavy. I am eternally grateful for the rescue and your pack's kind offer of a new home, but I can never forget the one I lost."

Benny scooted closer to the omega, all of his own practiced inhibitions flying out the window at this new depth of comraderie with the young Celestial. He wrapped his arm around Gadreel's back and pulled him closer, laying them both down on the hard roof and staring up into the sky. "One day I'll take you to the bayou and teach you to drive a boat, and you can take me to your mountains and teach me to climb."

"I would like that," Gadreel whispered, turning his head and nuzzling Benny's chin.

The beta groaned and turned his head, kissing Gadreel gently on the forehead and closing his eyes. "Gad, I'm twice your age."

"I don't care. Besides, betas live longer than alphas since they don't get into so many pointless dominance fights."

Benny chuckled and tightened his arm around Gadreel's waist. "True that, cher. That's the best part of running with Dean Winchester; he fights enough for the both of us. But do you really want to be with a beta?"

Gadreel turned onto his side and leaned up on his arm, golden eyes staring into Benny's light blue. It took him a long time to answer, as if he had read something in the beta's soul that needed answering first. "Tell me why you left your home."

Benny sighed and closed his eyes. "Stop reading my mind."

"I'm reading your voice, Benny. Something about your past is preventing you from wanting to court me. It's why I haven't asked you, even though I could see that you want me to. Tell me, Benny, please."

"Alright, I suppose I owe you that much. Where should I begin?" He paused for a moment, trying to decide the best place to start his story. "In my lands, alphas and omegas were less common than they are here. I mean, your family has eight children and only one is a beta. In my family, we had eight children and only one was an alpha. My oldest brother was well-suited to taking over the family business, and I was only too happy to follow him. We were fishermen, and our specialty was shrimp. I learned to cook, and I was good at it. One of my customers, a young alpha woman named Andrea, came to eat at the restaurant more and more often until she asked permission to court me."

"Did you like her?"

"Yeah, cher, I did. I fell in love with her, and I was tempted to accept her offer. But I wanted pups of my own and we wouldn't have been able to have them. Andrea didn't want them at all. She told me that was one reason she was so interested in beta males, because we can't give birth. I just . . . we had a huge fight about it and she changed, becoming cruel and demanding. I rejected her but my family got involved to try to force me to accept her suit. Eventually, I just had to leave." There was a lot he wasn't saying, but Gadreel was grateful for anything Benny was willing to give.

It took a while for the beta to continue. "I packed a small bag of essential supplies and just started walking, going as far as my wolf could manage every day and moving steadily north and east. I actually passed through the edge of Wilderness lands and came upon a skirmish near the Celestial border. Michael, Lucifer, and Raphael were leading a small pack against John, his mate Mary, Asa, and John's two alpha pups. They were so young then, babies really, but full of that damned alpha pride. It wasn't a fair fight, so I jumped in and helped even the odds. That was the fight where Mary saved Asa's life, actually, and earned his undying loyalty. I killed a few of the wolves that followed Michael, from Zachariah's pack if I remember correctly, and protected Dean and Sam from the aftermath."

"John asked you to join his pack?"

Benny chuckled. "No, Dean did. The pup was barely past his first rut and he asked me to run as his second. He didn't even have a band back then, but Bobby Singer and his old beta Rufus Turner were willing to run with him while he was training to take over as head alpha one day. I was his second until Sam finally had his rut and was allowed to leave home, then we adopted Jo into our band a couple of years ago when Bobby and Rufus finally retired."

"That's a pretty big change in your life, just because you wanted pups."

Benny turned to Gadreel and smirked. "Is that your way of telling me that I rambled on, cher?"

Gadreel shook his head. "No, it was a very subtle way of asking about Wilderness pack's view on omega mating. In Celestial, there aren't that many of us, and most are female. Four omegas, all of them male, born to the Head Alpha was quite the sign. Omegas are encouraged to mate alphas, to give them the best chance to breed more of the same, but it's obviously impossible to strictly enforce the rule."

"Wilderness pack doesn't have that rule. They actually have laws that prohibit any influence on an omega's inherent right to choose. I told John my desires, and he said that he would never stand in my way if an omega chose me, though I have only courted beta females so far. Until we saved you, I've never met an omega that I would have said 'yes' to."

"Then why do you hesitate? Why have you been so reluctant to let me ask you? Is it because beta males are significantly less fertile than their alpha counterparts?"

"Yeah, pretty much. We don't rut when you go into heat. I want pups, but I'll be lucky if I could ever father even one. How could I do that to an omega, prevent them from having the litters of pups their bodies demand of them?"

Gadreel shrugged. "When I'm in heat, that is all I desire. I want to be bred and pupped. But I'm only like that a couple of weeks a year, and I don't really want to have a dozen pups underfoot the rest of the time. Besides, choosing a mate isn't about who can father my offspring. It's about who can hold my heart. If you were an alpha, would you have hesitated for a moment?"

"No. I'd probably be as hung up on you right now as Dean is on Cas."

Gadreel grinned and snuggled closer to the big beta, tucking his head under Benny's chin. "Then I think you should obey your own law and stop standing in the way of my choice. I want you to court me, Benny."

The beta chuckled and ran his fingers across the arm resting on his chest. "This really what you want, cher?" Gadreel nodded, inhaling the bigger man's scent. "I'm going to insist on a long courtship, to make sure that what you feel for me has nothing to do with us saving you and your brothers. And we'll have to go before John at some point and get his permission, also, since I was not born into his pack."

"That's fine," the Celestial murmured, his breathing having slowed significantly in the last few minutes. Benny smiled as the omega drifted off to sleep, clearly feeling safe in the beta's arms. Benny turned his head back to the sky, watching the stars twinkle overhead and silently thanking Dean for sending Gadreel to speak with him.

"Do you think he knows it was you?"

"We've been best friends for ten years; of course he knows." Dean stared up at the watchtower where Benny liked to watch the stars, glad that Gadreel had flown up there to join him.

Castiel sat at the edge of the lake and stared into the star-sprinkled reflection, trying to decide if the water would be as cold as the lakes he swam in back home. The snow that fell five days earlier had melted, but the clouds to the east would certainly bring more by the end of the week. "I should get back soon, make sure Gabriel is sleeping comfortably."

Dean settled down beside Cas, grateful for the warm clothes that Garth had provided for him. "You know, Sam is taking really good care of him. Gabriel has even gained some weight and he doesn't look so listless all the time."

"I know. He can walk without help now. He's going to want to shift soon."

"Sam will prevent it. We only need to hold out for two or three more days until Tasha returns. I'm sure Rowena will agree to help."

Cas tilted his head, wishing he could see Dean's eyes in the gloom. "You told Sam not to get his hopes up about Rowena. You told him to have a Plan B."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, because I needed him to do everything in his power to prove me wrong. We're very competitive, and Sammy is going to want to be right about this. He wants to play the hero, heal Gabriel, and I need him to do that. So I told him what he expected to hear from me, that there wasn't much hope, because it would strengthen his resolve."

"Wow. How did you know it would work?"

Dean snorted. "What don't I know about that kid?" He paused for a moment, staring out across the lake as he let the memories of his childhood wash over him. "Dad was gone a lot when we were little. This war has consumed him, ever since his dad died trying to make peace with the former leader of the Spellbound pack, Abaddon. Mom was trained as a warrior from the day she could first shift, and she always went with him on his campaigns. I was left to raise myself, Sammy, and little Adam alone, with just some nursemaids and servants to keep us company."

"Your story is similar to mine," Cas murmured. "My brothers and I have never had anyone else. Anna tried to look out for us once or twice but she is so much older and had responsibilities to Michael and to the pack. Our mother didn't ever seem to want to raise us, though she did try to protect us from the voices in the council who feared us." He twisted his hands in his lap, looking up as Dean wrapped his hands around them, calming that nervous motion. "Dean, someone had to lead them, to protect them. I always kind of knew that I was cut out to be that . . . general."

Cas growled and stood up, stalking away from his alpha companion before pausing just on the edge of the lake. He sensed Dean move to stand behind him, but the Wilderness wolf knew better than to speak, to interrupt Cas's train of thought. Clearly their conversation had dug into an old wound, and the Celestial needed to get it off his chest.

"I'm tired, Dean," Cas whispered brokenly, tears in his cobalt eyes. "I have been fighting with Michael, Raphael, and their rules for so long that I don't know how to do anything else. I have been biting and clawing my way to freedom for me and for my brothers for so long that I don't know what else to do!" He grabbed the hem of his shirt, having left his vest inside, and tore it off, throwing it on the ground and turning to face Dean, unable to see him through the tears. "I'm as broken and scarred as an alpha; who would want an omega who looks like this?"

"I do," Dean whispered, reaching out and pulling Cas into a bruising hug. He sank to the ground with the sobbing omega in his arms, nuzzling him and purring words of comfort in Cas's ear. "Who told you that omegas can't fight, can't have scars?"

"Everyone," Cas whispered, his fingers digging into the lapels of Dean's vest. "We were all supposed to be gentle, delicate, and beautiful enough to attract a mate. That's all Michael ever expected of us. But Balthy, Gad, and I were too tall, too big, and he hated us for that. Only Gabe ever lived up to his image of a good omega. I thought . . . I hoped that if I was damaged enough Uriel wouldn't want me."

Dean rocked the raven-haired man until his breathing evened out, rubbing his back soothingly and running gentle fingers through his hair. "Cas, we don't treat our omegas like that. We don't starve them, we don't force them to mate against their will, and we certainly don't keep them from training as warriors if that's what they want to do. My mother may have more scars than you, to be honest, and she's one of the sweetest women you'll ever meet. Many of our omegas fight, and some of our alphas don't. You can do whatever you want, Cas."

"I want to be able to fight when I need to, but . . . I don't want to have to be in charge anymore."

"Then you don't have to be," Dean whispered. "I've taken you and your brothers into my pack; that means that it's my responsibility to see that you are protected and happy. As soon as my father accepts you into Wilderness pack, you won't have to worry about your older brothers hurting you ever again. You have my word on that."

Cas nodded against Dean's shoulder, taking a deep breath before sitting back. "Thank you, Dean, for everything. I never believed anyone could be so kind and expect nothing from us."

"I don't expect anything from you, Cas, you know that, right? I readily admit that I care for you and I want to court you, but if you decide that's not what you want, I'd never force you. I will, however, do everything in my power to keep Uriel and his misbegotten pack mates from getting their hands on you. You and your brothers don't owe us anything."

"Thank you, Dean. You don't know what that means to us."

"We should reach the city before noon," Ruby began, tearing into the fish that Balthazar had cooked for lunch. Thankfully they had been able to follow the river most of the way, feasting on the fish that the Celestial was able to find despite the lateness of the season. Ruby was both grateful for the fresh food and impressed by his skill. Somehow, despite her reservations about being assigned to escort this omega to the Spellbound capital, Ruby had begun to like the wolf. Even Meg had come around, glad for the balance that he brought to their tiny band.

"Sounds good."

"Crowley will be there to meet us," Meg pointed out. "He knows better than to snub his mother when she returns from a mission. The scouts will have told him by then that we bring a white omega and not two reds, so he will be furious. Just try to stay behind me and let Ruby explain everything. He wouldn't hurt you, but I don't want to risk his temper."

Balthazar rolled his eyes and picked the last of the meat from his fish. "Perfect. Another alpha pissy at me for something I have no control over."

Meg shrugged before burying the fire and repacking the supplies. The Spellbounds kept a series of well-stocked permanent campsites and outposts along the Wilderness border, but they had to carry their own supplies for the two-day trip back to the city. "I'm sorry you got roped into this trip, but none of us have ever had a choice but to obey Rowena. I met her as a pup, just once, and I knew that I had to join her pack. My father hates her, so I had to choose between my family and this crazy, insanely old, redheaded witch. I don't think I made the wrong choice."

"How old is she?"

"No one knows. But she was old when Abaddon took over the pack, and some of us believe that she was around before the war started."

"No one in my pack has ever talked about the time before the war. Even the tiny packs along our northern and western borders have never mentioned it. The war just is."

"Wouldn't it be nice if it wasn't?" Meg chuckled as Ruby rolled her eyes. "What? Not all of us are bloodthirsty savages. I would like to see an end to the fighting." Balthazar had found that he liked to listed to the young beta talk. Her slow, deliberate speech pattern and almost-accent were nearly as soothing as Benny's drawl had been.

"Don't hope for it in your lifetime," Ruby replied acridly. Her voice was stronger and sharper at all times, her words more precise, but the quasi-musical quality to her speech pattern was similar to Meg's. He wondered if all Spellbound wolves spoke so oddly. "John, Michael, and Crowley are committed to this war and hate each other more than three wolves have a right to. Crowley's father is rumored to have been a Celestial wolf from one of the splinter packs who was killed by his own pack for impregnating a Spellbound. John's father Henry tried to sue for peace sixty or so years ago and was killed by Cain and Abaddon. Crowley led a raid into Spellbound territory and slaughtered a hundred of their wolves, including a female that Michael was fond of, stealing a young pup and bringing him back here. There is so much bad blood recently between the three Head Alphas that no peace can ever be had."

"Maybe their heirs can see a better way," Balthazar countered. "Michael is not popular back home; he's just powerful. Anna and Lucifer rarely agree with his ways and could easily turn toward peace with the right provocation. Dean risked his life and his pack mates' lives in order to save four Celestial wolves from a Spellbound ambush. I haven't known him that long, but I can tell you that this war is not the future he has planned for his people. And maybe Rowena sent me here to convince Crowley of the same thing."

"You would lead a full-scale rebellion to overthrow Michael and John on the slim hope that their replacements might want an end to this war? Gotta say, Omega, you don't lack for gumption."

Ruby chuckled and took the pack from Meg so she could shift. "The best part is where you plan to sway Crowley to your pacifist mindset. He'd never go along with it, even if the leadership of the other two packs changed."

Balthazar thought back to the prophecy that he and his brothers would destroy all of the packs, and he shivered as a touch of premonition skittered down his spine. "I would do anything to stop this war, Ruby. The alternative is too terrible to be imagined."

The alpha stared at him as he shifted back into his wolf form, his blue eyes distant. "Maybe you can change some minds, Balthazar. We'll have to see."

Nobody interrupted Michael when he was on a rampage. He paced from one end of his throne room to the other, alternating between growling and throwing things across the chamber. His three siblings stood in a half-circle in front of him, all of the court advisors and council members shrunk up against the walls. The head alphas of the three splinter packs stood behind the siblings and watched Michael stalk the hall, one of them sharing his anger, one utterly indifferent, and one silently cheering inside.

"How could you lose them?"

"Because they have four legs and know how to run," Anna snapped. "Maybe if you hadn't spent the last five years abusing them, they wouldn't have run away!"

Michael whirled on his only sister, growling as he grabbed the collar of her shirt and jerked her forward. She snarled back and slammed her arms into his, breaking his hold before taking a step back. "I never abused them! Everything I did was to help them, turn them into good omegas who could have mates and a future."

"Mates you chose," Lucifer drawled, his unconcerned blue eyes rising to meet Michael's as he ran a hand through his blonde hair. "They didn't want the alphas you picked for them."

"They would have been content with their lives if they had just accepted their fates," Zachariah shot back, the rotund old alpha furious at the loss of the omega his pack was promised. He was the oldest of the pack alphas, grey and balding, and he was hardly intimidating in either form. No one had any idea why Uriel, Ishim, or Bartholomew hadn't challenged him for the pack yet, though the loss of the omegas might push them over the edge.

Anna snorted, flipping her dark red hair over her shoulder. "We've offered your pack a dozen omegas, Zachariah, and none of them have been willing to put up with your bullshit. Castiel was certainly not going to be the first."

The grey alpha growled and turned to face Anna, stepping back in shock as she slapped him. "Don't you ever think that you are worthy enough to raise your voice to me, one of Chuck's alpha pups," she hissed. "I've been meaning to find a pack of my own, and I am not above taking yours."

"That's enough," Raphael growled, his dark eyes flicking between his sister and the old alpha. Where all of his siblings were pale-skinned with light-colored eyes, Raphael's skin was a more olive shade, and his eyes and hair were a dark, earthy brown. Lucifer often teased him, said that he had cooked too long in their mother's womb. As the only non-alpha of Chuck's four oldest pups, he had learned to be ruthless at a young age if he hoped to have any respect in the family. "Anna, you may not know where our brothers went, but certainly you know where they were."

The slender woman shrugged and walked away, catching Akobel's eye as she passed. The tall, broad-shouldered blonde alpha was one of the gentlest souls she had ever met, and he had helped to raise the four omegas as much as he could since their parents left. Anna knew that they had spent the days before their last heat in Akobel's palace, but the blonde alpha would never tell his leader anything. Akobel and his mate Lily did not approve of Michael's iron-fisted control of the widespread Celestial packs, and training the four brothers to fight had been their own private little rebellion.

"They should have been here, in the palace," Michael replied, not bothering to wait for Anna to speak. His sister grinned, knowing that her tall, raven-haired brother was not as wily as Raphael and didn't realize that the beta was trying to finger her as a traitor. It never worked, but he kept trying. One day, she promised herself in the depths of her soul, she was going to kill that beta.

"They have hidden from you during their last couple of heats," Lucifer pointed out. "Maybe they're just still hiding."

"It's been a month," Michael snarled back. "They can't have survived in the mountains alone for this long, without supplies or winter clothes."

"Then there are only two choices," Malachi interjected, the brunet alpha of the Eastern pack stepping forward to catch Michael's attention. "Either they starved to death in the mountains, or they fled into Spellbound or Wilderness lands."

All eyes turned to the unassuming man, surprised that he had bothered to speak up at all. He only attended council meetings out of a sense of duty, but he really had never cared about pack politics, and had only politely accepted the offer of two of Michael's omega brothers for his sons as a courtesy.

Lucifer shrugged. "It seems likely that they made it out of the mountains. If they headed east, they could have reached Spellbound lands in a week, and I think that Wilderness lands are about the same distance to the south. That's assuming that they left on the first day of their heat, which is the last day that Anna claims to have seen them."

"It's the last day I saw them," Anna correctly, olive eyes flashing at her older brother. Lucifer wisely nodded and conceded the point, unwilling to lose the fragile truce that the pair of them had built up over the years to survive Michael's tyranny and Raphael's duplicitousness.

Michael nodded. "Fine, that makes sense. We'll just have to send out scouting parties. I'm sure that each pack will offer up members for the expedition."

"Gladly," Zachariah replied, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Sure, why not," Malachi agreed.

"Not in the middle of winter we won't." Akobel's voice was soft but powerful; he was a man no one crossed lightly. He had ruled the south for decades, and he never tolerated any of Michael's posturing. "The snow is already six feet deep on the peaks, and those hidden valleys are worse. Winter is harsh in the mountains—which you would know if you ever bothered to leave your cushy little palace—and no scouts will find anything in snow so deep. You'll have to wait for spring thaw."

"That's months away," Michael growled. "Can you get scouts out to the other two packs?"

Akobel frowned and ran his fingers through his long, blonde hair. "I don't know. Not now, but maybe sooner than I can send expeditions into the mountains. I can send Hannah to Wilderness pack; she's had dealings with them in the past and they'll let her through the border. I don't have any wolves who can go to Spellbound."

Malachi sighed and took a mental inventory of his pack. "I only have one who has ever been across the border, and that was fifty years ago. I don't know if Crowley will still let him pass."

Zachariah snorted. "If it's fucking Metatron, no loss if he doesn't."

Anna exchanged a charged glance with Lucifer, and the blonde alpha smirked and nodded. An instant later, the lithe redhead jumped forward onto her hands and slammed her feet into the old alpha's face, knocking him back across the marble floor until he skidded to a stop against one of the decorative pillars near the full-length windows. "Metatron was one of my father's greatest advisors. He wrote two of the longest-lasting truces in the last hundred years, and you will not disrespect him like that!"

"One day I'm going to kill you," Zachariah growled, pushing himself back to his feet and wiping the blood off his chin.

"Not if I kill you first," Anna purred, joining her blonde brother near the throne and leaning up against his side. "Michael, the two envoys will have to do for now. Akobel will send Hannah to meet with John and Malachi will send Metatron to meet with Crowley. However, neither of them can go during hard winter, so we'll dispatch both of them closer to the Spring Equinox. That will be a month or so before the snow should have cleared enough to send scouts into the mountains."

Michael glanced at his sister, mildly surprised that she was suddenly being so helpful. "I don't want to wait that long."

"What are you going to do if they did make to the Spellbound or Wilderness lands? You can't mount an expedition in the middle of winter to retrieve them, and sending envoys early will only warn them that we are looking. Just wait, Michael; I'm sure they won't be expecting you to come searching for them."

The tall alpha sighed and ran his fingers through his raven hair, closing his blue eyes and letting his sister's words sink in. Anna had always been amazed that young Castiel looked so much like Michael, but the two brothers couldn't be any different. "Fine, it makes sense. Get the envoys ready and we'll send them out when the weather is better."

Zachariah sneered at Anna and Lucifer, stalking out of the throne room and heading back to the wolves who had accompanied him to Michael's palace. Malachi nodded once in acceptance of his Head Alpha's decision, leaving with a great deal less fuss, his three children Azrael, Ezekiel, and Sophia detaching themselves from the wall and following him out. Michael and Raphael left through the side door, a few of the councilors hurrying after them. Anna nodded at Lucifer as her brother headed out to the gardens, the redhead taking Akobel's arm and leading him out of the throne room.

"Do you know which way they went?" Akobel's voice was soft, his eyes flitting to each of the courtiers and servants they passed. Anyone could be a spy for Michael.

Anna nodded. "I told them to go southeast, hit the truce land at the border. I don't know where they would have gone from there, but Cain and his pack control the northern part of Spellbound lands so it's unlikely they turned east."

"Then they went to Wilderness lands."

"They had to. I don't know who else would take them in. Hannah has to warn them."

Akobel nodded as they emerged into the weak winter sunlight. His mate, the omega Lily, met him outside, generally refusing to enter the toxic atmosphere that pervaded the Celestial throne room. The gentle redhead smiled at her fiery friend, leaning up to nuzzle the alpha's chin. Anna had introduced them to each other long ago, and now they were planning on trying for their first pup when heat season came around again. Other than Lucifer and her lost omega brothers, these were probably the only allies Anna had in the Celestial pack.

"We've never let you down before," Akobel commented, stripping out of his heavy, formal court clothes and folding them tightly so they would fit into Lily's pack. His slender mate had opted for a simple dress, no shoes or jacket, and she added that to the pack quickly before lacing it up. She changed first, letting Akobel strap the supplies around her waist before he joined her in wolf form. The blonde alpha and red omega yipped a quick farewell to Anna before taking off, the Southerners hoping to get to the edge of their mountains before the sun set.

Anna felt Lucifer's hand on her shoulder, her brother's pine and mint scent soothing her. "You did the right thing, helping them run."

"I know."

Anna glanced over her shoulder at the taller alpha, making sure they were alone before she spoke again. Even so, she kept her words to a whisper. "Luci, do you remember that book Metatron wrote about the ancient prophecies?"

"Sure, yeah. We read it when we were pups, before Dad left."

"Do you remember much of it? I think Metatron took it with him when he left to join Malachi's pack, but there was a specific prophecy that always stuck with me."

The blonde nodded. "You mean the Prophecy of the Fall. Yeah, that one stuck with me, too."

"I don't remember the actual words, but it had something to do with four winged omegas taking down the three packs and shattering civilization."

"Yeah, I think it was something like that. What are you getting at?"

Anna closed her eyes, leaning close to Lucifer and tucking her nose under his chin, making sure that no one could read her lips or hear her other than her brother. "They have wings."

The blonde pulled back, shock in his pale blue eyes. "You mean . . . our brothers?"

Anna nodded. "Michael will kill them if he finds out. It happened just as they went into heat, and that's when I told them to run. No matter what happens, we can't let him bring them back."

"Anna, do you know what you're saying? You would sacrifice our entire pack, our way of life, for them?"

"We don't really know what the prophecy means, Luci. And I think we should spend the winter doing research to determine that. After all, Metatron didn't see the prophecy, he just wrote it down, so he may have gotten it wrong. Besides, we can't kill our brothers."

Lucifer dropped his head as he thought about Gabe's gentle laughter, Gad's kind smile, Balthy's rambunctious spirit, and Cas's big heart. "No," Lucifer whispered, "we can't. What do we have to do to protect them from Michael?"

Gabriel was bored.

He was tired of watching his brothers leave every morning with Dean and Benny to practice flying when he was barely allowed to walk, and that only with supervision. He was tired of the quiet in his room and the noise in his head, tired of having so many things to say and no way to do so. And, gods, but he was tired of Sam's mothering.

The blonde watched his alpha caretaker in silence, a plan brewing behind his golden eyes. He hadn't lost his feelings for Sam at all, but he wanted to be free of the restrictions that the alpha made him live under. He knew that they were for his own good, so he could heal and walk properly again, but sometimes he just wanted to be alone. Between his brothers and the four wolves who had taken them in, he never got a single moment to himself and it had been a long few weeks.

Sam sat down on the bed beside Gabriel, a pair of servants having already cleared the remains of their breakfast. The alpha smiled and wrapped his arm around Gabriel's shoulders, pulling him against his side. The blonde didn't resist; this was the part of spending time with Sam that he would never tire of. He inhaled the bigger man's scent, letting it silence the voice in his head for a moment. "What are you thinking about?"

Gabriel nodded at the window opposite them, the winter sunlight streaming through the curtains. He reluctantly extricated himself from the soft embrace, walking the few steps to the bed that was currently serving as his closet, choosing a simple but warm outfit and slipping into it. Sam nodded and grabbed a jacket to throw over his own clothes, slipping into his leather boots and handing Gabe a pair of his own. "Okay, let's go outside. Do you want to go down to the lake today? Max said you should be able to walk that far without issue." Gabriel nodded, following the tall alpha out of the hospital wing.

Gabriel and Sam were greeted by many of the inhabitants of Asa's town, having become well-known in a short amount of time. When he was surrounded by people, it didn't seem to matter that Gabriel couldn't speak to them, and Sam generally did enough talking to cover the absence. It was only when he was alone that the Celestial had to fight off his growing despair at the thought of living the rest of his life without his voice. Whenever he felt that darkness gripping at him, Gabe reminded himself that he would at least be able to speak as a wolf, as soon as Sam let him change.

They walked down to the lake in silence, Sam glancing at his companion every now and then to make sure that he wasn't in any pain. They had become so close that Sam knew what Gabriel was feeling almost before the omega registered it himself. Sometimes he loved that closeness, that bond that they had formed, and sometimes it drove him crazy. Right now he had an itch under his skin, a desire to not be bound by his broken, silent human body, and he needed to get rid of Sam for a few minutes if he planned to change into wolf form.

When they got to the lake, thankfully without incident, Gabriel walked up to the edge and broke through the thin crust of ice, cupping his hands and drinking the freezing water. He smiled, reminded of winters in his home, wondering if he could convince Sam to let him go for a swim.

"Do you want to go for a swim?"

The blonde glanced over his shoulder and nodded. Sam shrugged and waved his hands at the water. "Go for it, but just for a few minutes. I know that you don't feel the cold the same way I do, but I'd hate to jeopardize your health at this point."

Gabriel stripped out of his clothes, slipping into the bracing water and reveling at the feeling of ice against his skin. He stayed under for as long as he could, surfacing just long enough to breathe before swimming out beyond the ice and slowly rising above the gentle waves. He turned back to shore and waved at Sam, smiling as he realized that the alpha had packed a couple of blankets in his ever-present supply bag, having already piled them on top of Gabriel's abandoned clothes in preparation for the omega's return.

Gabriel felt his heart skip a beat as his golden eyes met Sam's gold-hazel halfway across the lake, and he knew that he was in love with this man. Gabriel realized that he had to find a way to say it, to tell Sam how much he meant to him. He dove back under the water and knifed toward shore, coming up in the hole he had broken in the ice earlier. Sam grinned and stood up to help him out of the water, glancing over his shoulder as Jo called his name from the direction of the city. The alpha smiled and pulled Gabriel out, wrapping him in a thick blanket before turning to answer the blonde alpha. "Hey, Jo; what's up?"

"Hey, Sam, I need to talk to you for a sec. I can't find Dean or Benny."

Sam nodded and cupped Gabriel's cheek in his hand. "I'll be right back, okay? Just stay warm."

Gabriel nodded, watching as the ridiculously tall man loped over to meet Jo, dwarfing the fiery alpha without even trying. She was gesticulating wildly, her brown eyes bright with whatever important message she had for her alpha's second. Sam nodded, his expression half-amused as he tried to take her concerns seriously, but he clearly did not fully agree with the urgency of her mission.

Gabriel dropped his blanket, drying himself quickly as he watched Sam's back. Eyes flashing gold, the omega called on his wolf and began to change.

Jo froze mid-word, Sam spinning around at the shock in her eyes. He felt his heart fall at the sight of golden fur quickly covering the omega as he grew larger and finished the shift to wolf. "Gabe, no!"

But it was too late. Sam shifted into his own wolf form an instant later, not even bothering to remove the clothes that fell at his feet in tattered strips. He didn't know what to do, but he knew that he could handle Gabriel better if he was in the same form. Sam watched in horror as the bright joy in Gabriel's eyes shattered; he could see the moment that the omega realized his mental voice was as dead as his physical one. Gabriel shook his head, pawing at his face as he backed away, not able to offer a growl of anger or a yip of sorrow in response to his discovery. He would never be able to speak again.

Worse, he could never tell Sam that he loved him.

And it was suddenly just too much. Gabriel had managed to hold himself together for weeks during his recovery, promising himself that, as much as he hated not being able to speak, at least he would be able to communicate with his brothers and pack mates when he was in wolf form. He hadn't lost his wolf, but without his voice he might as well be a dumb beast, one that couldn't even make wolf sounds. How could he ask Sam to love him, to mate him, when he could never form that deep bond that other mated pairs shared? Sam deserved better.

Gabriel spun on one paw and ran, screaming in his mind as tears soaked his fur. He heard Sam call after him, and he knew that the alpha was faster and would catch him in a few strides. Past caring about his own life or keeping the secret that had chased the four omegas away from their home, Gabriel flexed his shoulders and freed his wings. Turning sharply to the left, he leapt into flight, soaring over the lake and toward the dark smudge of the forest beyond it. He heard Sam curse behind him, turning to gallop the long way around the huge lake as the omega vanished into the trees.

Gabriel pulled his wings close to his body, not bothering to tuck them away in case he needed to fly again. He had no idea how he had made it across the lake, especially since he hadn't flown more than a few feet before, but despair and fear urged him onwards. He didn't know where he was going, flinching from every branch that whipped him and every root he tripped over, but he pushed himself faster in a desperate rush to escape.

Gabriel suddenly heard a word, a word in a language he had never encountered before, ring out through the trees, the sound pushing against his mind and body, forcing him to a stop. He sat in the leaf litter, staring down a well-worn path, his wings half-spread and his eyes wild, as a tiny redheaded woman moved into his field of view. She smiled kindly, reaching out to place a hand on his golden-furred head.

"And where are you going in such a hurry?"

Gabriel didn't move, didn't blink, having no way to communicate with this woman. He didn't recognize her accent, but the power pulsing off of her slender form was palpable. Her purple eyes bore into his, and he felt his wolf retreat, his fur and wings fading and just leaving him sitting naked in the middle of the forest. "You're that wee little omega Balthazar told me about."

"Gabriel?!" Tasha appeared behind this strange woman, a taller redhead standing with her and two betas he had never met standing behind the women. "What are you doing here?"

Gabriel glared at her, shaking his head emphatically. She, of all people, knew that he had no way to answer her question. He looked up at the purple-eyed woman as she ran a soothing hand through his hair, her smile never wavering. "Time enough for questions later, Tasha. Fetch some clothes for the boy; he's had a long day and it would be safer if he stayed in this form."

Tasha glanced at the betas behind her, taking a small pile of clothes out of the supply bag and passing it to the golden-eyed omega, helping him dress before pulling him to his feet and quickly checking him for any injuries obtained in the forest. "Gabriel, were those wings I saw?"

"Of course they were," the smaller redhead answered instantly. "He and his brothers all have them. Sometimes this happens with Celestial wolves, usually omegas. We'll talk about it when we reach your city."

Dean and Cas were walking slowly back to the city, the two omegas having tired of their flying practice early. Benny had suggested an early lunch, the beta and Gadreel hanging further back to give their leaders some privacy. The four wolves froze as Sam's anguished mental cry sounded in their minds, his howl following moments later from the direction of the city.

"GABE!"

Cas and Gadreel were off in an instant, moving faster than Dean or Benny had expected, clearing the trees moments later. Cas spotted Sam galloping toward the woods, Jo struggling to catch up as she rounded the lake. The Celestial could see the broken underbrush where Gabriel had presumably entered the trees, but it was on the southeast side of the lake and they were coming from the northwest. Without pausing to consider anything other than the fierce desire not to lose his brother, Cas flexed his shoulders and freed his huge wings, suddenly grateful that Dean had convinced them to practice flying over the past few days. He leapt into the sky, soaring over the lake and landing at the edge of the forest, Sam having already vanished into the thick trees. Gadreel landed just behind him and galloped into the trees with him.

A crashing sound echoed through the forest, a huge brown wolf appearing beside Gabriel, his hazel eyes frantic. He whined softly as he shifted back into his human form, Sam enveloping Gabriel in a tight hug. "Don't do that," he whispered.

Rowena leaned over toward Tasha. "Who's the moose?"

The Wilderness witch chuckled. "That's Sam Winchester, John's second son."

"Is that Gabriel's alpha?"

"Uh, not technically. I don't really know what's going on with those two."

Gabriel pushed Sam away, glaring up at the taller man as Cas and Gadreel jumped out of the trees, both of them shifting forms but not approaching their older brother. The silent omega sneered at Sam and waved a hand at his throat, raising his eyebrows in a question.

"I didn't know, Gabe, I swear. Tasha had no idea if you could speak in wolf form or not. I wanted to keep you from changing until we had a chance to heal you." Sam held out a hand to the shorter blonde, his hazel eyes pleading. "I didn't want you to go through this."

Jo pulled up short as she reached the edge of the clearing, shifting forms but not moving closer. Dean and Benny reached the path last, moving to stand with their omegas as they tried to take a quick mental inventory of the wolves in front of them and adjusting their friend-or-foe system accordingly. They all watched in silence as Gabriel slowly reached out and took Sam's hand, melting into the alpha's embrace and nodding slowly.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Dean rarely used his Alpha Voice, preferring not to command others unless he truly had to, but he needed to know why his entire pack had run into the woods with seemingly no provocation. Sam didn't react to the Voice at all, just wrapping Gabriel tightly in his arms and nuzzling his head, but Jo and Benny flinched back a bit, the two Celestial omegas moving closer to the alphas they were bonding with for the protection that their instincts demanded they find. Tasha stood taller, having dealt with alphas for too long to be phased, but the taller of the two new redheads moved behind her, Elvis and Bucky moving closer to Tasha and trying their best not to look at the tall Winchester alpha. The smaller redheaded witch just stared up at Dean, a slow smile spreading across her face.

It only took a moment for the slender, powerful redhead to take a step forward, purple eyes sparkling with power and amusement. "My, my; they sure do grow them big here. What's your name, green-eyes?"

"Dean," the alpha answered, raising his eyebrows at the witch before him. "Uh, I don't mean to be impolite, but what is going on? I am not used to hearing my brother so upset."

"Your brother's omega found out that he can't speak in wolf form. He had a wee bit of a mental breakdown, but he's stable for now."

Realization dawned in Dean's eyes as he relaxed his stiff posture, sensing his own pack mates calming, as well. "You're Rowena."

Sam's head shot up at his brother's words, hope dawning in his hazel eyes. "Rowena? You came? Can you help him?"

Rowena smiled and stepped forward, placing a hand on Gabriel's bowed head. She closed her eyes for a moment as she used her powers to diagnose the omega, expression unreadable as she pulled her hand away. "The damage to his mind is very severe. I've seen what Asmodeus's poisons can do, and this was one of the more virulent ones. It seems like Tasha was able to stop it before it stole any of his other senses, but it easily could have left him blind or deaf, as well."

"Please, Rowena, can you help him? I'd give anything to heal him."

The witch slowly nodded, craning her neck to meet the tall alpha's eyes. "There is a spell I know, but I've never had occasion to use it. If it works, it will cure him, but I really cannot promise anything."

Sam smiled and reached out to place a hand on Rowena's shoulder in thanks. "Even that small sliver of hope is more than we've had for weeks."

"Well, let's get back to Tasha's palace and see what we can do." Rowena waved at Tasha, asking her to take the lead as she rejoined the other redheaded omega, introducing her as Charlie, the witch's apprentice.

Cas stepped forward to join Dean, worry coloring his scent. "Where is Balthazar?"

"He's fine," Tasha assured him. "He chose to spend the winter with the main Spellbound pack in exchange for Rowena and Charlie joining us. He'll be Crowley's honored guest until the Spring Equinox."

Cas stiffened, struggling to control his flash of despair as Dean's arm slid around his waist. "I won't see him until spring?"

"Your twin is essential to the future of the three packs," Rowena assured the dark-haired omega. "All four of you are, in your own way. Trust me that he is on this path for a good reason."

Cas glanced over at Gabriel standing inside the protective circle of Sam's arms, and he slowly nodded. His twin was healthy, and his safety had been guaranteed by the mother of the Head Alpha of Spellbound, but Gabriel would die without her help. Two months without his twin was a small price to pay to save injured brother. Nodding again, Cas moved to follow the group out of the forest, all of them opting to stay in human form for Gabriel's sake.

Some of them were regretting that decision when they reached the edge of the trees and the wind picked up. Dean, Cas, Benny, Gadreel, and Jo shifted back into wolf form, Sam steeling himself against the cold so he could continue to walk beside Gabriel. He suddenly ducked his head and chuckled, reaching out to tap Jo on the shoulder. "Hey, can you go grab whatever is left of my clothes on the north edge of the lake? I think my bag of supplies is there, too." Jo nodded and took off, Gabriel looking up at the alpha with a question in his eyes. "Uh, I may have shifted without taking off my clothes when I saw that you were making the change."

Gabriel smiled and ducked his head, only just realizing how worried the tall alpha had been. He tucked himself tighter against Sam's side, watching Rowena with hope in his gold eyes. She glanced over her shoulder and winked, a promise in her purple eyes.

Charlie finished drawing the circular sigil on the floor, placing the candles perfectly and filling the metal bowl with the dozen ingredients that Rowena needed for her healing spell. Gabriel sat on the floor just inside the circle, shaking slightly as his trepidation began to grow into full-fledged panic. Sam joined him on the floor, wrapping one arm around Gabriel's shoulders and pulling him closer. "Calm down, Gabe. It's going to be fine."

They had decided to perform the healing in the hospital room that Gabriel had occupied for the past few weeks, Rowena hoping that a familiar setting filled with the omega's own scent would keep him calm. Dean, Cas, and Jo sat on one of the beds that had been pushed against the wall, Benny and Gadreel on another with Tasha and Max taking a third. Charlie sat down inside the circle near the bowl of ingredients, waiting for Rowena to join her before lighting the candles.

"So I'm going to take a peek inside your mind and examine the extent of the damage. I need to see what I can rebuilt and what I need to replace. Sam, depending on what we find, we may need to use your mind to help rebuild Gabriel's. Do you give your consent for that?"

"Yeah, of course. Whatever you need."

"It won't be pleasant," Charlie warned, lighting the herbs in the bowl and watching as smoke began to rise between them.

"I don't care. Whatever you need."

Charlie reached out to take Sam's hand, placing her other hand on Rowena's shoulder as the older witch placed her hand on Gabriel's forehead. Silence fell over the observers as both of the witches began to chant.

Gabriel felt a pressure in his head, one that grew steadily and flared up into pain, stabbing behind his eyes and moving lower. He heard himself scream in his mind, but he couldn't make a sound, only his tight grip on Sam's thigh indicating that he was in any pain at all. He felt the sting ease for a moment as Rowena's attention shifted, then the pain returned full-force.

Sam opened his eyes as he felt Gabriel try to pull away, every muscle in the omega's body trembling in agony. "Hold him still," Tasha ordered, falling to her knees at the edge of the circle but unable to enter it. Sam shifted into a kneeling position behind Gabriel, wrapping both arms around the smaller man and pushing him forward against Rowena's hand. Charlie reached out and grabbed Sam's arm again, her eyes flaring with brilliant purple light as she grabbed at something in his mind. He flinched, but whatever he felt was nothing in comparison with the pain assaulting the omega in his arms. Gabriel opened his mouth in a silent scream, struggling against the arms wrapped around him in a desperate bid to escape.

Tears filled Sam's eyes as he used all of his considerable alpha strength to keep the writhing omega still, Rowena's hand glowing with an unearthly purple light as a thunderclap sounded through the room. Gabriel slumped forward as the sound faded, Rowena returning to her side of the circle and pulling Charlie back with her. The younger witch was panting, leaning her head on her mentor's shoulder for support as she struggled to control her racing heart.

The observers were silent, barely daring to breathe as Gabriel turned around in Sam's arms, golden eyes rising to meet hopeful hazel. "Gabe?" The question was barely more than a whisper, the tall alpha just seconds from losing his composure.

Gabriel opened his mouth, working his lips for a moment before swallowing and trying again. The room released a collective sigh of desperate relief at his breathy, whispered reply.

"I love you, Sam."