Chapter 6: Trained
"I've hunted my whole life. As soon as we were old enough to tie knots, Mother taught us how to set traps. We're omegas, so bringing down big game is a bit beyond our wolf forms, but we're proficient with a wide range of weapons."
Samandriel continued sharpening his impressive collection of knives, glancing up every now and then to see how Kevin was doing with Balthazar's education. The older omega furrowed his brow as he tried to knap out a good arrowhead, placing his better attempts on the rock beside him as he kicked the bad ones into a pile at his feet. "What kind of weapons do you use up in the mountains, Balthy?"
"My siblings prefer these long daggers forged from a single piece of shining metal. It isn't steel, but it's something stronger, some sort of metal that is only mined in our mountains. Akobel uses the same weapons, but he is also proficient with bow and arrow. I've also practiced with a lance and a mace, but not in some time. Mostly we learned to fight in wolf form, since we knew that we couldn't carry much with us."
"Your wolf form is larger than normal for an omega, isn't it?" Kevin shrugged when Balthazar glanced up at him. "I heard Ruby say something about it. She also said your coat is an unusual color, like snow in the morning sun, but I figured she was exaggerating that part."
"It's iridescent white," the Celestial confirmed. "My brothers and I all have unusual colored coats. And yes, my wolf form is rather large for an omega, bigger even than most of the other non-alpha Celestials I know. In general, it seems that Celestials are taller than wolves from other lands, and we have deeper chests to accommodate the greater lung capacity that allows us to breathe in the mountains. Maybe I can teach you two about fighting as wolves if you help me hone my weapon skills."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Kevin leaned forward and checked through the pile of wood for some pieces to throw into the fire before settling back on his log and the arrows he was working on. They had decided to spend the morning outside, enjoying a fire and the bitter cold of winter as they worked on their weapons. Linda was absent, having gone into the forest with Ruby and Meg to search for winter roots and hoarded nuts to enhance their meat-heavy diet. She didn't need the guards, but Crowley wouldn't hear of her heading out into the forest on her own. The boys assumed that the Head Alpha wanted to keep an eye on his best spy as much as possible.
"What are you three doing out here without guards?"
"Making weapons," Balthazar answered insouciantly, not even bothering to look up from his poor attempt to attach one of his arrowheads to the shaft Kevin had prepared the day before. Kevin and Samandriel followed his lead, ignoring the Head Alpha as Crowley found a place at the other end of Balthazar's log and settled down. The Celestial glanced up at the dark man, tilting his head curiously. "Where are your guards, Crowley?"
"I don't need them," the alpha replied. "You don't best Abaddon and Cain without learning to take care of yourself." He cleared his throat and picked up one of Balthazar's grey arrowheads, frowning before grabbing another piece of flint and expertly knapping off a neater one. "I heard that you had a run-in with a couple of Cain's pups after getting through the Celestial mountains, while in heat, nonetheless."
Balthazar snorted. "Ruby and Meg have been talking, I see."
"They tell some impressive stories, like how your coat shines in the sun. One of my guards said the same thing, and I'm a bit sad that I missed it."
The Celestial looked up from his arrow, blue eyes meeting crimson across the log. The alpha raised one eyebrow as the omega snorted and turned away, biting his lip as he tried to tie his arrowhead again.
"You're doing that all wrong."
Balthazar growled and tightened his fist around the slender wooden shaft almost hard enough to break it. "I don't need your criticism."
Kevin and Alfie exchanged a charged look at the audacity of their new omega friend growling at the Head Alpha of Spellbound. Other than their mother, they had never seen anyone talk back to him at all, and alphas really didn't like it when people growled at them.
Crowley, however, just chuckled and scooted closer. He reached out and wrapped his hand around Balthazar's fist, waiting until the omega calmed his tight grip before pulling the shaft closer and examining the slit in the top. "Here, give me your knife so we can fix this." He carved away a tiny sliver of wood and placed the knife down, cupping Balthazar's other hand with his free one and guiding the arrowhead into the enlarged slot.
"Your knapping needs a bit of work; this one is too thick on the side here, which is why it kept falling out," Crowley explained, releasing the shaft as he reached for the sinew binding and showed the omega how to wrap it correctly. "Tighter than that, Zar."
Balthazar glanced up in shock at the nickname, frowning as he repeated it in his mind. "I'm not sure I like that one."
"You'll get used to it. If I have to always look up to see your face, I'd like to have my choice of nicknames. I've got to have some power over you."
Kevin glanced at Alfie again, exchanging a look that translated into "what the hell is going on here?" as they watched the interaction in silence. They had never seen the Head Alpha so content, and all he was doing was teaching their new friend how to make an arrow. Maybe this Celestial had been sent to them for a reason.
Balthazar snorted. "Whatever makes you happy." He focused on tying off the sinew, smiling at his finished attempt as he showed it to Crowley. "What do you think?"
The alpha chuckled and placed it on the log beside Kevin, knowing that the omega would fletch it as he handed Balthazar a piece of flint. "Let's try to make a better point, shall we?" He turned and knelt in front of the omega, holding his hands and pulling one down sharply to break off a single sliver. "Now you need to shape it."
Kevin turned back to fletching arrows as the repetitive noise of flint knapping merged with the crackling of the fire and the slow slide of metal on stone as Alfie worked on his knives. Crowley offered gentle encouragement every now and then, but Balthazar's arrowheads were improving quickly and he managed to attach five to shafts without any issues.
The peaceful tableau was broken by the thunder of paws, three wolves galloping up to the small campsite with heavy bags tied to their waists. Ruby, by far the largest of the females, had been coerced into carrying the heaviest bags, Meg behind her and Linda in the rear. Even in wolf form, the indomitable beta was tiny, smaller than most omegas, colored in midnight black with tiny white spots covering her body and a heavy bag slung across her back. She slipped out of it and shifted back, frowning at the Head Alpha kneeling in front of her new charge.
"Crowley, can I help you?"
"Linda, how was your search? Productive, I trust?" The diminutive woman crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Crowley, Ruby and Meg shifting back and standing halfway between their alpha and the beta. "Well, I stumbled upon your boys here and it seems that young Zar's knapping technique needed some improvement."
Linda, Ruby, and Meg all glanced at Balthazar sharply, all of them mouthing the new nickname, but the omega just shrugged and shook his head. "He gave me some useful hints."
"I'm not sure I approve of him hanging out with the three of you," Linda commented, gesturing for her sons to clean up their weapons and put out the fire.
Balthazar shrugged, trying to decide what kind of history the beta and Head Alpha had. "He isn't so bad, when he's not being an asshole."
Linda waited until all of the bags were packed before gathering her sons to her side and taking a couple of small packs out of the pile at her feet, gesturing for them to divide the rest up. "Still, it is inappropriate for an alpha to spend unsupervised time alone with unmated omegas, especially this time of the year."
"I'm not some common alpha," Crowley replied waspishly. "You, of all people, know that I am too old for such childish nonsense."
Linda glared at the alpha for a long time, Ruby and Meg shifting uncomfortably until the older beta finally relaxed. "Very well, I accept that your intentions are pure. Well, as pure as you can be, anyway. I still don't like you."
"Fair enough. Few people do." He waved his hand toward the castle and bowed his head slightly. "Are we ready to head back?"
Linda smiled and nodded, swinging one bag over her shoulder as the other wolves divided the remaining sacks and began the short trek back to the castle. The kitchen staff were grateful for the addition to the winter diet, eagerly sorting through the supplies to being the planning process for supper. Ruby and Meg vanished into the castle, Linda and Crowley heading off to his throne room while the three omegas returned to their chambers.
Kevin retreated to his room with an ancient tome of Spellbound magic. He couldn't actual do the spells, but he did enjoy learning about them and practicing the practical and healing side of magic. Alfie and Balthazar cuddled up on the long couches in the living room of the suite, the younger omega showing his new friend how to make the leather clothes that were favored during the long, harsh Spellbound winter.
"Why does your mother dislike Crowley so much?"
Alfie dropped his gaze to his lap, focusing on stitching a particularly difficult part of the pants. "She knew him, long ago, before she was mated and before he took over the pack. Back then, Abaddon ruled with Cain by her side, and his unbearably cruel children were known to abuse unmated omegas and submissive betas in the pack. Abaddon wouldn't lift a finger to stop it, so a number of the wolves in the pack went to Rowena for help. She had long before sworn that she and the other witches under her care would never get involved in pack politics, but her son was willing to stand up to our cruel leader. He had never taken an interest in his place in the pack before that day, so it was really no surprise that the first time Crowley went up against Abaddon, he lost pretty badly."
"Really? I never heard that version of the story."
Alfie grinned. "Yeah, he only tells the version where he won. Mother was irate at Crowley when he refused to fight again. A few months later, one of her close friends was . . . she was an unmated omega and she refused Asmodeus's advances."
Balthazar felt a shock of terror grip his soul, and he knew that it showed in his eyes. "He . . . he poisoned her, didn't he?" Gabriel's bleeding form filled his mind.
"Yeah, he did. It did something horrible to her and she took her own life not long after. Mother attacked Crowley, accused him of cowardice, and ran away from the pack. Not long after that, Crowley challenged Abaddon a second time and defeated her, forcing her to help him chase Cain and his children to the northern reaches of Spellbound lands. She's been loyal to him ever since, but Mother has never really forgiven Crowley for not saving her friend. What you saw today was probably the most civil they've been in decades."
Balthazar sat with Alfie for a while longer, leaving as soon as the younger omega headed to his room for a quick afternoon nap. He wandered the castle for a while, finding himself standing in the garden outside Crowley's private study, having slipped in through a side entrance off the main garden path. He stripped out of his clothes and piled them on the bench near the building, shifting into his white wolf form and stretching his legs out in front of him. The snow was not very deep in the garden, but he found enough to roll around in, jumping from one small drift to another as he reveled in his freedom. He ached to spread his wings, but he knew that it was a secret he had to hold onto, so he contented himself with running around like a crazed pup.
Balthazar froze as the wind brought him the scent of hot peppers and smoke, a spicy and oddly entrancing smell. He looked up toward the castle to see a tall, sturdy black wolf staring down at him, red stripes on his legs and a smile in his crimson eyes. "How long have you been watching me, Crowley?"
"Long enough to see the beautiful color of your coat," the alpha chuckled. He took a few steps closer to the younger wolf, his fur shifting to reveal a dark gray undercoat that added a strange charcoal feeling to his fur. It matched his scent, which evoked the image of a fire burned down to coals. "It really is as impressive as the girls claimed."
"You're bigger than I thought you would be," Balthazar returned, dropping his chest to the ground and raising his hips in a play bow. "All things considered."
Crowley bark-laughed at that, leaping forward and landing on the omega who was nearly his height, bowling him over and nipping at his legs. Balthazar leapt free and spun around to attack back, wrapping his front paws around Crowley's shoulders and sinking his teeth into his neck. He kept his grip light and playful, grinning in the alpha's mind as they broke apart again. The next round of attacks gave Crowley the upper hand, though Balthazar managed a quick swipe at his belly before slipping free. They closed with each other a few more times, the bulky alpha struggling to gain an advantage over his wiry wrestling partner, eventually both of them falling to the ground in exhausted defeat.
"Not bad," Crowley panted, even his mental voice strained. "I haven't had a good tussle like that in years. Thank you, Zar."
Balthazar rolled back onto his belly and pushed himself into a sitting position. "Any time you need to let off steam, just let me know." His blue eyes met glowing crimson, and he felt the moment that something passed between them. Shaking his head, the smaller wolf shifted back into his human form, watching Crowley warily as the alpha shifted, too.
"I will," Crowley promised, leading his guest back to the top of the garden and the two piles of discarded clothes on the benches there. "Come inside and we can talk."
"Who said I want to talk to you?" The words weren't as sharp or defensive as Balthazar had planned, and he wondered at that.
"You were in the garden outside my study, Zar. You must have wanted me to see you. Tell me what's on your mind."
Balthazar followed Crowley back into his study, unable to refute the alpha's words. Crowley rang for some tea, offering his guest a plush cushion next to his, a low table beside them. The Celestial waited for the tea to be delivered before he began to speak. "I was talking to Alfie earlier and he told me a little about your history in the pack. From what he said, and from your words earlier, I get the impression that you are older than you look."
"Gotta be honest, not the first question I was expecting."
"You thought I would ask how you're unmated as the Head Alpha of Spellbound." Crowley nodded as he sipped his tea. "The question had occurred to me, but all of my older siblings are also single, so I don't think it's that unusual."
"It is when you consider that I am well over a hundred years old."
Balthazar stared at the alpha over the rim of his cup, taking a moment to examine the smaller man before speaking. "You don't look a hundred."
"You can thank my mother for that. I'm not a witch, but apparently the ability to control my aging is one of the few powers I inherited. I have others, small ones, that are less useful."
"Like what?"
"I can hear wolves in form, as long as they are projecting toward me, no matter their pack. I'm not as strong as my mother; she can hear any wolf even if they aren't projecting at her. I can also do some small magic, like giving someone the communication tattoo, but that's about it."
Balthazar hung his head. "Must be nice, to have magic. I wish Celestials had something like that. We're so boring in comparison."
Crowley reached out and grasped Balthazar's hand in his, forcing the younger man to meet his eyes. "Are you kidding? Celestials' special power is much more impressive than mere magic. My father had wings."
The omega jumped at that, dropping his tea cup on the ground. Thankfully it was empty, though neither of them noticed it roll away. "Wings?"
"Sure, wings. He was the last Celestial to sprout them, the last messenger, but there used to be a lot more. Mother said that there were once a dozen or more at a time serving the Three Lands." He looked away from the omega, running the fingers of his free hand through his short hair. "I never met my father, but I'm told that the Celestials no longer revere their special pups. I'm told that his pack tore him apart."
"Yeah, that . . . that sounds like my people." Balthazar released Crowley's hand and stepped forward to pick up his cup, placing it neatly back on the table. He didn't return to his cushion, pacing across the room instead and wringing his hands. "Is that why you hate my pack?"
"Well, yeah, pretty much. When I took over this pack, I tried to reach out to Michael and make some sort of truce, but he rebuffed me. He told me that he would never allow a winged Celestial to live because of some prophecy that my mother had given to Metatron. He said that he would never allow his pack to be destroyed by messengers."
Balthazar hung his head and whined, tears in his blue eyes. "Yeah, that's still his stance." He paused, looking up at the Spellbound alpha as he tried to decide if he could trust this man with his secret. "Crowley, I want to show you something. I want . . . I want to trust you and I don't know why."
"You can trust me, Zar. You're my guest here, and I won't let any harm come to you."
The omega slipped out of his clothes and dropped them on the floor, turning to face Crowley as he shifted into his wolf form. Eyes never leaving the Spellbound alpha, Balthazar flexed his shoulders and released his wings, opening them as wide as he could, watching as Crowley's eyes widened in shock.
"You're a messenger."
"So are my brothers. Four omegas."
"The prophecy," Crowley breathed, holding his hand above the iridescent white fur of one wing. "You are the four destined to bring down the three packs and restore the King."
"What King? I never heard that part."
"There used to be a King who ruled over the Three Lands, but we haven't had one since the packs split. In order for another one to rise, the current leadership has to be decimated. That's where you and your brothers come in."
"So the prophecy isn't bad? We aren't . . . we aren't bad?"
Crowley shook his head and ran his fingers over the soft fur on Balthazar's wing, smiling as the omega shivered at the strange sensation the touch evoked. "No, you aren't. You're just weapons forged to end this bloody war. My mother is one, too, as are those infernal Winchester pups. There's nothing wrong with being a weapon, but I can't promise you that the prophecy isn't bad. Only my mother really knows the whole thing, since she heard it directly from her prophet." He ran his fingers through the short fur again, smiling as the omega almost purred. "Your wings are beautiful, Zar."
The wolf folded his wings and shifted back, slipping into his discarded clothes. "Michael would kill us if he knew."
"Not if there's anything I can do to stop him," Crowley replied, a dark threat in his words as he pulled Balthazar back down to sit beside him on the cushions. "I'm not afraid of the prophecy, Zar, but a lot of people will be. I think it best that you keep this secret, even from your new adopted mother and brothers."
"Yeah, no kidding."
"Can you fly?"
"A bit. We didn't get a lot of chance to practice in the mountains, since we were in heat and on the run, and I haven't even pulled my wings out since. I think I could, with enough practice."
"I'm sure you could. All of the messengers of old could fly, some of them from one end of the realm to the other. I can find you somewhere safe to practice."
"I would like that," Balthazar whispered. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Because you stood up to me," Crowley replied simply. "I'm a hundred years old, and it's rare that someone has the balls to defy me."
"I would think your instinct would be to destroy anyone who challenged you."
"Sure, but you're an omega. It was . . . kind of a turn on, to be honest."
Balthazar chuckled, turning away to hide his blush. "You're strange, you know that?"
"Yeah, I've been told." He watched the omega for a minute longer, smiling as he finished his tea. "You should go now, Zar, before Linda gets worried." The omega rose to leave, pausing as Crowley cleared his throat. "If you have time tomorrow after your weapons lessons with the boys, come find me and I'll see what I can do about a place for you to practice flying."
"I will, Crowley. Thank you."
As soon as he was alone, the alpha rolled his right sleeve up and touched the purple tattoo just below his elbow. As soon as it flared to life, he closed his eyes and waited for the familiar touch of his mother's mind. "Thank you, Mother, for sending him here."
"Of course," she replied, her whispered words vibrating against his skin. "He's important, Fergus, to everything. Don't mess this up."
"I won't."
Gabriel watched his brothers fly in tight circles overhead, whining softly as he concentrated on resting his wings. Barely an hour into flight practice, he had pulled a muscle in his left wing, crashing to the ground in an undignified heap of golden fur. Sam had been frantic, checking him for injuries, but thankfully his landing had been soft. However, the cramp in his wing still hadn't faded, twinges shooting up through his shoulders every now and then.
"How did they get so much better than me so fast?"
Sam, seated next to him on the log that the Wilderness wolves had been using all morning, shrugged. "It probably has to do with overextending yourself flying over the lake."
Gabriel snorted in agreement, freezing in shock as he realized that Sam had heard him. Dean and Benny had leaned forward, staring at the younger Winchester in shock, having only heard his part of the conversation. "Sam?"
"What?" The burnet glanced at the golden wolf sitting by his side, his mouth slowly opening in shock. "Ancestors, I heard you. How did I hear you?"
"I guess this bond runs deeper than we thought."
"Probably because you spent every waking moment with the boy since we met him," Benny answered at the same time, oblivious to Gabriel's words. "His mind must have bonded with yours even when he couldn't speak."
Dean chuckled and turned his gaze back to the sky, eyes tracking the black wolf who had started the dive-bombing exercises that he had suggested that morning. "Figures you'd be first."
"It's not a race, Dean," Sam growled, "you know that. New pack mates are always assimilated at different rates. You could hear Jo long before Benny or I could."
"And it took months for me to hear Sam," Benny added. "Not that your unusually close brother bond helped in that respect."
"Sam, now that you can hear me, my wing still hurts. I'm getting shooting pains. Can you try to work out the cramp?"
"Sure, Gabe." Sam turned his attention back to the golden wolf, running his hand over the upper arm of Gabriel's left wing, gently massaging the muscles there. Slowly, the wolf relaxed, letting his partner repeat the action on the other wing before he folded them tight against his back. "Is that better?"
"Yeah, but I think you're right. This is my body's punishment for flying across that lake when I was not ready. Give me a bit and I should be able to lift off again."
"Okay, but stay closer to the ground this time. You're going to give me a heart attack."
Gabriel leaned over and nuzzled Sam's neck, purring gently before trotting back into the center of the clearing where his brothers had stretched out for a rest break.
"Gabe! Is your wing feeling better?"
"Yes, with some help from my personal physician over there." The gold wolf nodded toward Sam, knowing that the tall brunet could hear every word he said. "Apparently I have that pack bond communication thing with him now."
"That's great! I figured you would be first, considering how close you and Sam got over the past few weeks." Cas stood up and stretched his wings, glancing at his oldest brother. "You should try some of the liftoff exercises that Gad put together. It should help you build up your strength. We're also planning an aerial attack pattern, one with three of us and one with four. Dean showed me one that mimics an attack that he and his pack use."
"So we would attack from the air while they attack from the ground?"
"Yeah, something like that. I told Dean that we wouldn't ever use it, since we can't really show our wings, but he said that it would be a great idea."
"It's not a terrible idea," Gabriel replied, his golden eyes clouding over as the faint tremor of a premonition passed through his frame. "How different is the four-part one from the three-part? How hard will it be for Balthy to learn it?"
Cas looked away, his wings drooping sadly. "Not hard," he whispered. "I miss him."
Gadreel leaned up against his brother's side, purring comfortingly. "We all do, Cas. I know this is harder for you, since you two have never been separated, but Tasha said he's okay. Maybe you can ask her to reach out to him when we get back."
"Yeah, I'll ask her." He pulled his wings back to his back, sending a gentle smile to his brothers before jumping into flight. Gadreel followed a moment later, Gabriel flapping his golden wings experimentally before joining his brothers. They showed him the pattern they had been working on, returning to their dive bomb practice as he worked on takeoffs and running into flight.
They practiced for a few more hours, returning to their partners by the fire when they could no longer ignore their hunger. Dean, Sam, and Benny handed out bowls of the soup they had been cooking for the past half-hour, amused that the Celestials didn't bother to dress before digging in. "You guys are making this stuff look tastier than it is."
"Exercise is good for the appetite, Dean," Cas replied around a mouthful of some unidentified meat chunks. Dean was pretty sure it was porcupine, but Bucky had been pretty vague when he handed them the cans that morning.
Sam actually enjoyed the soup. In the main city, they didn't can soup for the winter. That was a specialty of Asa's pack, a skill that they had learned from Garth and his family when they took them in. Most winters, Sam had to get used to frozen fish and dried meat, but the stuff in the soup was much more succulent. "Dude, they hunt some weird game out here."
"Yeah, Sammy, I was just thinking that. I'm pretty sure this is porcupine, but I've never been able to kill one in form."
"Most of the guys here shift to hunt. I know that Asa and Alicia are pretty good with weapons."
Dean shrugged. "We'll just hunt whatever we can, hopefully larger prey."
Cas leaned his head against Dean's shoulder, his empty bowl on the ground. "That sounds great. I could really go for some fresh venison."
Sam groaned and dropped his head into his hands as Dean puffed his chest out. "Thanks a lot, Cas. He is not going to hunt anything but deer all winter now. Even you'll be sick of it come spring."
"Good," Cas purred, nuzzling Dean under the chin. "We don't have nearly as many deer where I'm from, but I really like it."
Benny sighed and glanced down at Gadreel, who had taken a seat on the ground between his legs, happily finishing his meal. "Any special requests from you, Gad?"
"Nope, I like pretty much everything."
Gabriel leaned forward excitedly, having already finished two helpings of soup. Somehow, the smallest of the three Celestials could pack away the most food, and Sam had learned to prepare an extra helping for the blonde. He glanced up at Sam, a request in his eyes, but the tall alpha just placed a finger over his lips and shook his head. "No. You don't get requests."
"But Samoose—"
"No! I don't trust you to keep it reasonable."
Gabriel pouted until Sam relented and tucked the blonde against his side, kissing his forehead. Cas and Gad exchanged an amused glance before reaching out to clean up the meal, but Dean kept staring at his brother with wide, excited green eyes. "Samoose?"
"Damn," Sam whispered, resting his chin on the top of Gabriel's head. "I told you not to say it in front of him. Now I'll never hear the end of it."
"Sorry, Samshine. I won't use that one anymore."
"Wait, you're okay with his weird nickname fetish now?"
Sam shrugged. "It makes him happy."
"God you guys are too sweet." Dean buried the fire and returned all of the supplies to the pack, fishing out a set of clothes for each omega and gesturing for them to dress. "I remember the Samshine one from before, but where did Samoose come from?"
"Rowena called him that when he chased after me in the forest. I kinda like it."
"Speaking of Rowena," Benny interrupted, not willing to follow that conversation any further, "should I call Jo and see if they are ready to head back?"
"Yeah, go ahead and do that." Benny slipped out of his clothes and shifted forms, raising his nose to the sky and howling into the forest. He didn't have the deepest voice of the three, but it carried further than Dean's or Sam's, so he was usually chosen for long-distance communication. He tilted his head to the side, black ears perked forward as he tracked the response, nodding north before shifting back. "They'll meet us at the edge of the trees just north of here in twenty minutes."
"Alright, let's get going."
The six men headed out of the forest, all of them electing to stay in their human forms. The snow wasn't that deep in the forest, though they knew they would have more to fight through on the open plain. They walked in pairs, Dean and Cas in the front with Benny and Gadreel taking the rear guard position, with enough space between them that each couple could talk privately. Dean pulled Cas against his side, taking his hand and twining their fingers as the raven-haired man smiled. "You don't really have to hunt deer all winter for me, Dean."
"Yeah, I know, but I'm pretty good at it. Part of the courtship thing is showing that I can provide for you, and you like venison."
"You're sweet." Cas was silent for a few minutes, but Dean could see that something was on his mind. He stayed quiet, knowing that the omega would speak when he was ready. "Dean, you're not upset that Sam and Gabe got their bond first, are you?"
"No, of course not. After everything your brother went through, and after everything mine did to keep him sane, they deserve it."
"But you want to be second."
Dean chuckled. "It wouldn't suck. I could hear Jo about a week before Sam or Benny. I always wanted to have a big pack, so you four joining up is pretty awesome."
"I've never had a pack before," Cas mused softly. "My brothers and I only ever had each other. Omegas are encouraged to learn to take care of the home and pups, so running wild through the mountains wasn't proper."
"Well, Wilderness omegas are encouraged to find a pack to run with for a few years before they mate and settle down. Sometimes they enjoy the pack so much that they run forever. One of the splinter packs from the southwest has three omegas, and they've told my dad that they'll never live in the city. Even if they mate, they'll just raise their pups in the wild. I kinda wanted to run with their band when I was younger, but they don't let males join. The pack has existed for three generations, and even males that mate into the pack have to live in the city or one of their larger hunting camps."
"We have a legend of a pack like that, a huge one that existed five or six hundred years ago. They were called the Valkyries, and they served our Head Alpha but didn't really obey him. Now that I know more about my people's history, it's highly likely that most or all of them were messengers and they served the king."
Dean nodded approvingly at that. "You need to tell Jody about that. She'd like the idea of the Valkyries, might even consider renaming her pack."
"Did Jo ever run with them?"
"No. Jody offered her a place, but she's a beta, and Jo really wanted to follow a strong alpha. There aren't many female alphas in my pack—Jo is the only one among the nobles—and she has some identity issues trying to find her place. She's gotten a lot better over the years."
"I guess female alphas are more common in Celestial packs. There are two noble alpha females in Akobel's pack, and two in the main pack. Although, one of them is Aunt Amara and no one has seen her in decades, maybe centuries if Rowena's recount is accurate. My sister, Anna, has had her share of dominance fights with my older brothers and the male alphas of the smaller packs, especially since Father left."
They reached the edge of the forest, Benny calling out to Jo as soon as he spotted her. She was waiting a little north of their position, the two redheaded witches at her side. Asa had a simple rule about omegas in his pack: they always had to be protected when they were outside of the city. Even though Rowena had enough power in her smallest finger to flatten an army of alphas, Asa had insisted that an alpha or beta accompany her on her gathering mission. Charlie had been quick to volunteer Jo, and the blonde eagerly agreed.
Cas pulled Dean back as their brothers greeted the three women, something swirling deep in his cobalt eyes. "Dean, is that how you want to raise your pups? In the wild?"
The alpha smiled sadly. "Cas, I don't get that choice. Even if I wanted it, even if my mate wanted it, I'm the heir of Wilderness pack. I'll be living in the city."
"Did you like growing up in the city?"
"Not really. My parents were gone most of the time, and the only thing I ever wanted was to be able to run with them."
Cas smiled and raised Dean's hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. "The only thing I have ever wanted in my life is freedom. I would want to give that to my pups, let them grow up wild, not locked away in the omega wing of some palace or left with nursemaids and servants. I know it's more dangerous, but I want them to be more comfortable as wolves than humans."
"Maybe we can find a way to make that happen," Dean whispered, leaning forward to kiss the omega's forehead. He took a moment to marvel again that this raven-haired man was his height, was as strong as him in human form, and could stand beside him as an equal. It was all he had ever wanted in a mate, even though he had never dared to tell his father that. That thought, and the knowledge that Cas loved the wild as much as he did, sent tingling shocks through his body. He could almost feel something inside him change, some blossoming of emotion and a sudden deep yearning he had never expected to feel. Staring into slightly-confused azure eyes, Dean knew that he wanted to wake up to them for the rest of his life.
"Cas," he breathed, almost not believing his own words, "I think I'm in love with you."
"Good," Cas replied, stepping closer to the alpha. "I would hate for this to be one-sided."
Dean let out a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob, crashing his lips into Cas's to stop the flow of emotions swirling through his body. He had wanted to be gentle, to show the omega how much he cared, but clearly Cas wasn't interested in soft or slow, either. He wrapped his arms around Dean's neck, pulling him as close as possible and tilting his head in an effort to deepen the kiss. Dean dropped one hand to Cas's lower back, pulling the raven-haired man against his chest and groaning at the contact. He pressed their bodies together, chasing that electric feeling, slipping his hand under Cas's shirt and slowly moving lower.
Dean jerked back as a hand slammed into the side of his head, breaking him out of the lust-induced haze that had taken over his mind. He spun around, his eyes flashing as he growled at whoever had dared to interrupt them, freezing as his brother growled back. "Dean! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Dean glanced over his shoulder at Cas, slowly relaxing as he realized that his brother was right. "Look, kissing is fine, but you can't go further than that. You know that, Dean."
The older Winchester hung his head and nodded, reaching back to twine his fingers with Cas's. "Yeah, sorry, I got carried away."
"Oh, Moose, don't stop them. They're adorable." Rowena, a full bag slung across her back, smiled at the pair, her eyes sparkling mischievously. Jo shook her head and placed her hand on Charlie's lower back, urging the omega forward.
Sam rolled his eyes and gathered the group together, glancing across the plain toward the castle. The trail they had made through the snow as wolves was still visible and packed down, probably passable even in human form. The alpha looked back at his brother, who nodded once in agreement, and the group moved forward together.
Dean let Sam take the lead, an oddity but not unheard of. He took the rear guard position with Cas, Benny and Gadreel in front of them with the three women in the center of the group. Cas leaned his head on Dean's shoulder while they walked, knowing that the chance to talk was one reason the alpha had agreed to stay in human form.
"What did Sam mean?"
Dean sighed and glanced down at their joined hands. "What do you know about what happens when two wolves mate?"
"I know that a bond is formed, there's biting involved, and that it's permanent."
Dean nodded. "You're mostly right, but the bond isn't formed when the two mate. It's formed during courtship, and it has to be well-established before the mating ceremony or it won't be as strong or as natural as it would otherwise be. The bond is most important with alpha/omega pairs because our natural instincts are stronger than betas'. Having sex with each other before the mating ceremony can . . . complicate things. Sam doesn't want us to have any problems."
"Dean, you've had sex before. I've had sex before. We already talked about this."
Dean nodded. "Yeah, I know, but not with anyone we intended to mate. There was no bond, just a casual hookup. Mine were all betas and one really weird night with a rogue alpha male from the northern Wilderness lands. I've never been with an omega, certainly not one I have feelings for, and I'm guessing you've never been with an alpha."
"No, just a handful of betas and an omega female. Michael didn't mind if we learned what to do to pleasure our future mates as long as we didn't get ourselves claimed or create any kind of jealousy issues with other alphas."
"Well, if I mounted you before our mating ceremony, it would create an incomplete bond, and we could suffer some pretty terrible psychological damage until we completed it."
Cas leaned closer to Dean's ear, whispering softly enough that no one else could hear. He was sure that their pack mates wouldn't intentionally eavesdrop, but they could certainly catch a word or two without trying. "How far can we go, safely?"
Dean blushed, his heart beating faster in his chest. "Uh, I don't know. As long as I don't knot you, we should be safe."
Cas chuckled and nuzzled Dean's chin. "I can work with that."
Tasha stared at Dean for a long moment, purple eyes flicking to the two huge red deer on the kitchen floor before returning to the alpha's face. "It's the middle of winter."
"Yeah."
"Where the hell did you find deer in the winter?"
Sam snorted from his position leaning against the wall. The kitchen staff were hovering nearby, eager to take care of the huge carcasses Dean had brought, but they wouldn't move until Tasha finished her conversation with the hunter. "His boyfriend has a taste for venison."
Dean shrugged and smiled, that boyish expression calming the witch. "You went out and hunted down two big deer in the dead of winter because your boyfriend has a taste for venison? How did you even find them?"
"That was all Jo. She's the best tracker I have ever met. She said that red deer come into the forests during the winter and she knew the kind of places they would bed down. Benny and Gadreel helped kill them and carry them back."
"Dean? Did you do this for me?" Dean looked over at the doorway, Cas standing just inside the cavernous room near the fireplaces, the six-foot-tall man somehow looking small and lost. Garth had given him a long, beautiful open-front robe that reached just below his knees, the material light enough that the cold-accustomed wolf wouldn't overheat indoors, and he had been wearing it constantly. It was a dark cream color with braided, beaded fringes on the bottom and open front, the entire thing covered in intricate, colorful Wilderness designs sewn in tiny beads and carefully dyed porcupine quills. The long sleeves flared out at his elbows, and he had developed a habit of hiding his hands in them when he was nervous. Just like he was doing now.
"Yeah," Dean whispered, holding out one hand. Cas scurried over to his side, tucking himself under the alpha's arm and resting his cheek against his chest. "Cas, what's wrong?" He leaned closer and sniffed the omega, the slight tang of salt overriding the scent he loved so much. "Cas, sweetheart, have you been crying?"
"Y-yeah. I miss Balthy. It just came over me earlier today."
Tasha looked at the pair and back down at the two deer, sighing as she realized what Dean had been trying to do. She cleared her throat, pulling up her left sleeve to show Cas her purple communication tattoo. "I've never tried it before, but I might be able to let you speak with your twin through me. Do you want to try?" Cas nodded eagerly, watching as Tasha took his hand and placed it on the sun-encircled pentagram. His eyes glowed with just a trace of the purple light that shone from Tasha's, the witch grunting as she struggled to bridge the connection.
"Tasha? What's up?"
"Balthy!" Cas straightened instantly, somehow keeping his voice constrained to a whisper despite his excitement. "Balthy, I miss you."
"I miss you, too, Cas. Is Dean treating you well?"
Cas blushed, ducking his head. "Yeah, of course."
"Oooh, I heard that. Cas, you dirty little pup."
"Hey! We haven't . . . Balthy. It's not like that."
"But you want it to be." Balthazar's voice was quiet for a moment, but Cas could almost hear his thoughts, buzzing under the surface of his fingers. His twin was never shy when it came to conversations about sex, and he instantly knew that what was on Cas's mind. "You've always been an open book to me, little Cassie. I can sense your desire for him, even this many hundreds of miles away."
"I, uh, asked him to court me."
"Good! That's wonderful. I'm guessing Gabe and Gad were similarly straightforward about their attractions to Dean's pack mates?"
Cas nodded, verbalizing his answer when he realized that his brother couldn't see him. "Yeah, they were. But we can't go any further until Dean's father formally accepts us into his pack." He could feel Dean's hand on the small of his back, offering comfort and support if he needed it. Tasha was able to keep her consciousness out of the call, her eyes closed as she struggled to maintain the connection without being part of it.
"Do you want to go further?" Cas could almost feel Balthazar kiss his forehead like he used to do when they were pups and Michael or Raphael had been particularly abusive. His heart ached to have his twin by his side again, but this was the closest they'd been able to get for a month.
"Yeah." He remembered back to his conversation with Dean a couple of weeks earlier, trying to push it across the link so Balthazar could see it without him having to repeat himself. He felt a flash of shock flow up his arm, quickly followed by amusement.
"You're more of a deviant than I thought. That's a dangerous line to dance along, Cas."
"I know. We haven't . . . but I want to."
"That I can see. It's been weeks since you had that conversation, and you haven't done anything else? Just kissing and some heavy petting?"
"Yeah. I just . . . I want to know . . ."
"You want to know if it's okay to go further? What did Dean say?"
"He's not sure."
Balthazar was quiet for a long time, only the soft buzzing in his mind telling Cas that his brother was still there. "I know some people I can ask. Let me see what I can find out, and I'll reach back out to you." Cas felt the ghost of a hand against his cheek, and he smiled as he leaned into the phantom caress. "Is that what's been bothering you, baby brother?"
"We're the same age, Balthy. I wish you wouldn't call me that." Dean looked over at his brother and smiled, sensing that Cas was already in a much brighter mood. "Yeah, that's what was bothering me."
"Alright, I'll see if my new friends over here have anything to add to what Dean told you. I'll call Tasha back in a few days if I find anything."
"Great. Thanks, Balthy." Cas pulled his hand away from Tasha's arm, catching the other omega when she stumbled. "Tasha?"
"I'm fine, Cas. It's just harder to bring someone into the link than I thought."
"Is there any way that I could do it on my own?"
"No, unfortunately. The link has to have a witch or a half-witch at one end. Rowena and I have researched a communication link that mundanes can use, but we haven't had much luck." Tasha took a step back, testing her balance before waving toward the gathered kitchen staff. "Looks like we're having venison tonight."
Cas looked up at Dean brightly, that hunched, nervous posture replaced by his usual confidence. "I can't believe you found deer this time of year. Can I, uh, have a piece before they cook it?"
Dean chuckled, happy to see Cas smiling again. "Of course. But take off your robe; I wouldn't want it to get bloody."
Cas frowned as he slipped his arms free of his new favorite piece of clothing. "It's a coat."
Sam rolled his eyes and left with Tasha, glad that his brother's boyfriend was smiling again.
Balthazar stopped outside of Crowley's office, smiling politely at the tall, dark-haired alpha guarding the room. He didn't know the man's name, only that he made the omega nervous whenever they were alone together. Balthazar knocked on the door once and waited a beat before entering, knowing that the alpha wouldn't want him to wait unless he had a guest.
"Zar, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Crowley looked up from his desk and the mountain of paperwork he was working through, dark circles under his eyes.
"Crowley, you look like hell." Balthazar settled down on the cushion beside Crowley, glad that the alpha preferred low, comfortable seating. "When was the last time you took a break?"
The dark-haired man signed and ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, I don't know. A week, maybe more. Mother used to handle a lot of the paperwork, and she usually isn't gone for more than a week or two at the time. I guess I let it get out of hand." He turned away from the papers and smiled, clapping a hand on Balthazar's back. Crowley had been finding excuses to touch the omega a lot recently, not that Balthazar minded. "So, what brings you to my study?"
"I had a conversation with my brother earlier, and he wants some more information about the specifics of alpha/omega bonding."
Crowley raised an eyebrow. "Didn't your parents teach you? My mother had a series of long, incredibly uncomfortable conversations with me when I was a pup."
Balthazar shook his head and looked away. "My parents left before my brothers and I went into heat for the first time. Michael gave us a very brief education, but most of it was to keep us in line so we could mate alphas of his choosing."
"So you need an expert? I would say that my mother is your best bet."
"Alright, I'll tell Cas to speak with her." The omega looked away, fiddling with one of the glass paperweights on Crowley's desk as the alpha watched him patiently. "Some of the things that Cas asked were pretty specific. I can't help but wonder the answer myself."
"I'm not an authority on the subject, not like my mother. It's been almost a hundred years since my first rut, and I may have forgotten a few things."
"But, the bond thing. Do you remember about that?"
"Uh, yeah. A bond has to be forged before the mating takes place, usually during a courtship period of at least one month. Longer is better, especially with alpha/omega pairs due to the need our physiologies have to mate. If the connection is forged correctly, the mating itself is not painful, but even shorter courtships can produce perfectly healthy mating bonds."
"So, what, specifically, forms good bonds? Michael just told us to spend time with our alphas and we would have a decent bond."
Crowley nodded. "Yeah, it works something like that. Mother said that spending time together is important, as is physical contact and providing for each other in whatever way our instincts demand. Who is courting your brother?"
"Dean."
"Dean Winchester? With a Celestial omega? Oh, John's going to love that."
Balthazar straightened at the alpha's words, a tingle of concern shooting down his spine. "What do you mean? Would John refuse the mating?"
Crowley shook his head. "No, that would be uncharacteristically stupid of him. I'm just saying that he won't be thrilled to have his heir shacking up with a Celestial. He hates them more than he hates me, as far as I know, but I've never heard of an alpha refusing a legitimate courtship. John accepted Tasha's request to Ava, and she's a witch. That's quite a bit more of a threat than a young Celestial omega."
Balthazar relaxed, nodding in agreement. "True."
"What? I can tell by the look on your face that you have another question."
"Well, Cas wanted to know how far they could go. You know, before accidentally creating a partial bond that would be psychologically devastating."
Crowley cleared his throat and looked away. "I definitely never asked that question. I mean, I'm not celibate by any means, but I tend to shy away from omegas and I've never courted anyone before. I've never tested that line."
"But, have you wondered where it is?"
Crowley's crimson eyes rose to meet Balthazar's blue, the alpha reaching out to rest his hand on the omega's wrist. "Not until you came here, no."
They stared at each other for a long moment, Balthazar slowly turning his hand over so he could twine fingers with the alpha. "This is crazy."
"What can I say, string bean? You've grown on me."
Balthazar chuckled and shook his head. "Let's stick to Zar, okay? I can only handle one of your nicknames at a time."
"Duly noted."
"So, Crowley, what's your line?"
The alpha shook his head, squeezing Balthazar's hand gently. "This is my line. I'm not willing to risk your sanity when I'm not allowed to ask if you'll let me court you."
"Not allowed?"
"You don't have an alpha, Zar, not officially. And, as the Head Alpha of Spellbound pack, there are rules that I have to follow. If John accepts you and your brothers into his pack, I would have to send a formal request to him and ask if you would be willing to allow a courtship. In his pack, the omega has to ask without any hint of coercion, and if you become a member of his pack we would have to play by his rules. It's all very bureaucratic."
"It sounds boring," Balthazar purred. "Does this mean I can't spend time with you anymore?"
"Is that what you want?" The blonde omega shook his head. "Then, no, you don't have to stop coming to see me. We just need to make sure we don't go any further than this."
"Okay, I can handle that." Balthazar waved his hand at the pile of unfinished paperwork on Crowley's desk. "While I'm here, maybe I can help you with this mess you seem to have gotten yourself into."
"That would be great," the alpha agreed, reaching for the first packet of papers.
"Crowley, why didn't you say anything before now?"
"Honestly? I'm a bit afraid of your temporary adopted mother."
Balthazar laughed at that, running his fingers through his hair. "You're afraid of Linda?"
"If she thought I had designs on one of her pups, she'd tear me to shreds."
"You're not wrong. Don't worry, I won't tell her anything." Balthazar took the papers from Crowley, leafing through the top few sheets. "Let me see what I can do to help you clear out this mess, okay?"