Chapter 7: Chosen

"So, Fergus tells me that you boys never had a decent sex education."

Dean froze with his tea halfway to his mouth, wide green eyes meeting Rowena's tranquil purple across the table. His entire expanded pack was gathered in Tasha's study at Rowena's behest, the witch sitting at the head of the long table on elegant cushions with the other wolves paired up along both sides. Her apprentice had gathered all of them as soon as Tasha left with Max to practice some spells immediately after breakfast, though Charlie hadn't mentioned the reason for the impromptu meeting.

"Yes, that is correct," Cas replied, unperturbed as he carefully placed his own cup down and leaned into Dean's side. "I'm guessing Balthazar spoke with your son?"

"Indeed. I have taught many a young pup about the 'birds and the bees', as they call it now, and I would be happy to assist you with your education. Since Tasha is working with Max today, I guessed that you would not be practicing flying this morning and would be available."

"Uh, yeah, we are."

"Perfect! Alright, I'll go over the basics, most of which I'm sure you know, and then you will be free to ask me all of your questions. I do want to ensure that we have a solid foundation for this discussion, so please politely refrain from speaking until I open the floor." The wolves nodded, Charlie reaching across the table and passing Jo one of the sweet pastries the servants had brought with the tea. The blonde blushed but took it gratefully, turning to face Rowena as the witch began to speak.

"As you know, all wolves are born as either alpha, beta, or omega. In general, most alphas are male and most omegas are female, but mating is not terribly different no matter the gender. Alphas and omegas have incredibly strong mating instincts when in season, and even betas have been known to respond fervently to an omega's heat or an alpha's rut. Because of this, all of you were encouraged to have as many safe, casual sexual encounters as you wished, in order to gain some control over your instincts. From what I've heard and overheard, none of you have been celibate." The seven wolves nodded, and Rowena smiled. "Good. Then you know that mating is not about having sex. That's actually just the last and smallest part of the entire experience. Mating is about creating an intense, deeply satisfying bond with a person that you love. As such, the entire bond is formed between your more human selves during the courtship phase of the relationship, and the wolf is not involved until the very last day."

Dean glanced over at his brother, raising one eyebrow and seeing his confusion mirrored in Sam's hazel eyes. This was not what they had been taught.

"I can see that I have already deviated from your previous education. This is the reason that the casual partners you had in the past did not create any problems for you. The bond forms because you both will it, but the mating happens because the wolf must be satisfied. It is possible for an unmated person to create a bond with a mated one, but the wolves would never allow you to be together. This is why the laws protecting omegas were created six hundred years ago, because it was too easy for alphas to force an unwanted mating that would prevent the omega from ever having a loving bond with someone else. Chuck had to execute forty or fifty alphas before the rest of them figured out that he meant business. I only ever met one of the omegas back then who was stuck in a forced mating, and he begged me to take his life."

Dean and Sam pulled their omegas closer, silently promising to never let something like that happen to the Celestials. Benny and Gadreel exchanged a glance, some silent communication passing between them, Rowena waiting patiently for everyone to turn back to her before she continued her education.

"I can see that all of you understand the importance of this. Controlling your wolf is the only way to create a healthy bond. Once you have started the courtship, there are things you cannot do together until you are ready for the mating itself. Also—and everyone seems to understand this without being told—alphas and omegas can't be together when one of them is in season. In Spellbound pack, we sequester our omegas in their own wings of the palace, and the alphas like to go off into the woods alone. Alphas won't tolerate each other when they are in rut."

Rowena reached out for her tea as she finished, gesturing to Charlie to take up the lesson. The younger witch leaned forward eagerly, nodding toward Benny. "I know you're not an alpha, but there are some things betas still have to worry about. Since you're with an omega, I'll just stick to that dynamic. When Gad goes into heat, you'll go into something we call a pseudo-rut. A bonded beta instinctively wants to please his omega, just like an alpha would, and the only thing an omega wants while in heat is to be bred. If you aren't trying for pups, the best plan would be to stay far away from him during that time of the year."

Rowena placed her empty cup back on the table, opening her arms wide as she smiled at the gathered wolves. "Alright, Fergus said that you had some questions. Let me hear them."

"How far can we go?" Cas spoke quickly, his blunt words catching Dean off-guard. The alpha had planned to be a little more circumspect, but clearly that wasn't going to happen.

Rowena stared at the Celestial for a moment, her gaze flicking to Dean as her eyes glowed. Charlie glanced up at her mentor with concern, a question in her eyes, but the other witch spoke a moment later. "There are some intimate activities that will not trigger a partial mating bond. Touching is fine, kissing, and almost anything that involves your mouth or tongue."

Dean cleared his throat, struggling to contain his discomfort. He didn't like discussing sex, but he knew that Cas really wanted these answers. "Uh, almost anything?"

"No biting," Rowena clarified. "No love nips or hickeys or biting lips. If you do anything that has the potential to break the skin and release blood, you won't have a hope in hell of containing your wolf. He would think it's a mating bite and respond accordingly." She smiled at the alpha, soothing the sting of her words. "The ironic thing is, if you two had jumped each other when you first met, you could have had all the sex you wanted in every position that I could think of, and you would never have risked a mating. Now, however, your bond is too strong. You could mate today if not for your pack's rule about getting the Head Alpha's permission to bring in a mate from another pack."

Dean groaned and shook his head, looking up and grinning at his boyfriend. "I wanted to jump you right there, Cas, when you first shifted. Now I kinda wish I had."

Castiel smiled and dropped his gaze to their entwined fingers. "I wish you would have. I found you very attractive."

"Gods, you should have heard what he was thinking when you walked into camp that first night," Gabriel groaned, leaning back against Sam's chest. "I'm pretty sure one of those fantasies would be illegal back home."

"Gabe! Shush!"

Gadreel chuckled and leaned forward to support his twin. "I was pretty impressed. I didn't know my baby brother had such a dirty mind."

Cas glared at Gadreel, freezing as Gabriel took up the story again. "I especially like the one where he mounted you and—" Whatever else he was going to say was muffled by Cas's hand over his mouth, the younger omega glaring down at his brother with a very alpha commanding glare, one eyebrow raised. Dean was surprised at how fast his boyfriend had moved, and he was curious how that sentence was going to end.

"Uh, Cas, you do realize that I'm the alpha, right? I mount you, not the other way around."

"Not until your mating night, you don't," Rowena interjected. "Dean, no mounting and certainly no knotting. That is the one thing that will bring on an incomplete mating."

Dean nodded. "That's the only thing? I can't bite him and I can't mount him, but everything else is pretty much fair game?"

"Yes. I'm sure you can wait a few more weeks for your father's approval, then all of you had better get mated as soon as possible. I've never seen so many strong bonds in one room before, and I'm sure no one wants to have to deal with this level of sexual frustration for a moment longer than they have to."

"You are not wrong," Dean replied, reaching out to take Cas's hand and pull him out of the room. "Guys, we have weapons practice in two hours, so I'll see all of you by the lake."

As soon as their brothers were gone, Sam turned to Gabriel and kissed him. "I love it when you make Dean uncomfortable. If you want to do that forever, I'm game."

"Deal," Gabriel purred, wrapping his arms around Sam's neck as the alpha slipped his arm under the omega's legs and stood up. Even though he was perfectly capable of walking, Gabe loved it when the much taller man carried him around in his arms or let him ride on his back. Gadreel rolled his eyes at his twin's antics before getting to his feet, reaching down to help Benny up.

"Rowena, before we leave, I do have another question. I wanted to wait until Dean and Sam left before broaching the subject."

"What is it, Benny?"

"Charlie talked about how I might respond when Gad goes into heat, but I wanted to know what are my chances of getting Gad pregnant? You know, if we did want pups."

Rowena stared at the beta for a moment, turning to her apprentice in shock as the green-eyes witch answered the question. "Twins."

"What?"

Charlie shook her head, trying to clear up the strange buzzing in her mind. "I don't know. It just came into my head. When I look at the two of you, I see twins, a boy and a girl."

Benny felt his breath catch at the words, Gadreel's hand slowly falling to rest on his belly just above his hips. "Twins? You see twins in our future?"

"She sees a possible future," Rowena interjected, reaching out to rest a hand on her protégé's shoulder. "But, yes, you should be perfectly capable of having children together. You may have a few more unsuccessful heats than an alpha/omega pair would, but clearly Charlie sees pups in your future. You don't have anything to worry about."

Benny thanked the witches and pulled Gadreel out of the room, Jo squeezing Charlie's hand before following the two men. Rowena turned to Charlie as soon as they were alone, staring deep into her apprentice's green eyes.

"It looks like you had a premonition. I can see the flecks in your eyes that I get when I touch that connection with my prophet."

"What does it mean? I didn't do anything, but when I looked at Benny and Gadreel I saw those two pups. Is that normal?"

Rowena sighed and leaned back against the wall, glancing at her empty cup and wishing for something stronger. "You know, I had felt some weakening of my bond with my prophet. I thought that it was because of how long she had been gone; after all, no speaker had lived for so long after the death of the prophet. But now I can see that I am losing my link for a completely different an unexpected reason."

Charlie sucked in her breath as she realized the only possible explanation. "Another prophet is rising. And you . . . you can't bond again. It's a one-time deal. So another witch has to be the speaker for the new prophet."

"And it looks like you have been chosen."

Charlie shot to her feet, pacing across the silent room three time before reaching for her tea and downing it in one gulp. She circled the room again, reaching the window and staring out across the snow-choked landscape, letting that silent whiteness calm her mind. "Why would the new prophet pick me?"

"Because you are right for the job. I know why my prophet chose me; because I was going to live to see this day, to see her prophecy about the omegas come to pass. Now you will have to carry us into the new kingdom."

"But I'm not a naturally-born witch! I don't have your innate powers and I can barely do any spells on my own. How can I be a speaker?"

"I have no idea. There is an entire coven back home of older, more experienced, and generally more powerful witches who could be speaker, but none of us have any control over who is chosen. When you see the prophet, when you touch him or her for the first time, you will have your answers in that bond. And, when that happens, I will lose the last of the connection I have to mine."

Charlie turned around to face her mentor, hands clenched together in front of her chest. "You never saw this?"

"No. A speaker can never see her own future or the fate of her prophet. I also cannot see the face of your new prophet, nor can I tell you if you have met before. All I can tell you is that the child must have Celestial blood. We haven't had a prophet since before the packs split, but the prophets were all messengers, and the speakers were all witches. There was also a third member of the group, a legacy who would guard the pair against any who would do them harm. I'm not sure if that is possible now, since Wilderness alphas are not allowed on Spellbound lands, but I'm sure you will find your own balance."

"So we won't be staying in the city when we return home. We'll have to go find this prophet."

Rowena nodded. "Most certainly. I haven't been to Celestial lands in five hundred years; it should be quite the adventure."

Charlie grinned and nodded, ready for anything. Her face fell as she remembered something from the meeting, some wording that Rowena used that had bothered her at the time. Now that they were alone, she could bring it up. "Rowena, you lied to them."

"I didn't."

"You told Dean that he couldn't mount Cas, but you heard what Gabe said—"

"I didn't lie," Rowena repeated, cutting the younger omega off. "I did leave out a few things, yes, but I had to. I saw so many paths in front of me when Cas asked how far they could go, so many possible futures, so I had to point them toward the best possible ones. If I had told them anything else, then we would be looking at Path Number Two from the prophecy."

Charlie shuddered as she caught the barest glimpse of the prophecy, clouded and dark but almost right in front of her. "You know they're going to . . ."

"I do."

"And don't the consequences from that sound exactly like Number Two?"

"Similar, but with a happier ending. Like I said when I explained the prophecy to these pups, paths number two and three are nearly identical much of the time. I saw the options, and I had to choose in that moment where to point those boys. When you bond with your prophet, if you see a better way, please take it. Your visions will be clearer than mine. But, for now, I am still the speaker and they have been told all they need to know."

Charlie bowed her head, accepting the finality in her mentor's words, but she couldn't stop reaching for that future with her mind. As she and Rowena left the study, Charlie tried to push away the image of Dean, huddled on the cold floor of a cell with a metal collar around his neck, screaming Cas's name until he lost his voice.

"So, are you going to tell me about these fantasies?"

"Not if I can help it," Cas murmured, picking at the edge of his robe uncomfortably.

"Why not? I'm not going to be upset, Cas."

The omega shook his head and walked to the window of their shared room, staring out across the snowy landscape. When he had lived in the mountains, looking out across that frozen, silent world had always helped calm his mind. "My fantasies were perfectly fine when I was younger, when I was sleeping with betas and omegas, but they wouldn't be appropriate for an omega in a relationship with an alpha."

Dean stepped up behind Cas and slipped his arms around the omega's waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. He waited until he felt the raven-haired man relax somewhat before speaking. "You know, I wasn't the one on top when I met with that rogue alpha."

Cas turned his head, blue eyes widening in shock as they met amused green. "Dean?"

"With the betas I always was, because they wanted it that way. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it immensely, but it is nice, once in a while, to let someone else be in charge."

"You would let me do that?" Cas's voice was soft, an almost breathless whisper against Dean's cheek as the omega rested his hands on the arms around his waist.

"Would it make you happy?"

"Yeah. Not all the time, but once in a while."

Dean nodded, resting his chin against Cas's. "I'm okay with that, sweetheart. Just not when you're in heat; my wolf wouldn't tolerate it."

Cas chuckled and leaned back against Dean's chest. "Obviously."

"You know, we make quite the pair. My dad would tan my hide if he knew that I let that alpha mount me, and I'm sure your oldest brother wouldn't take to kindly to finding out you're not his idea of a perfect little omega."

"Yeah, we fit together pretty well. I can't wait to find out how well."

Dean's arms tightened at Cas's words, the mood in the room suddenly shifting as the alpha's cinnamon-apple scent spiked. Dean grasped the edges of Cas's robe and slipped it off his shoulders, tossing it on a nearby chair before pulling the omega back into his arms. Cas was only wearing a loose shirt and pants, not even bothering with his wolf fur undergarments until they were ready to go outside. Dean slipped his hand under Cas's loose shirt and ran his fingers across suddenly taut skin, grinning as the omega moaned.

"Dean, this is a bad idea."

"This is a great idea," Dean whispered, nuzzling Cas's ear as his hand slipped lower, loosening the tie on the omega's pants and letting them fall to the floor.

"Dean! Someone could see." Cas reached for his pants, a blush staining his cheeks, but Dean held him in place.

"Shh, there's no one outside right now. Besides, I wouldn't care if they did. You're going to be mine one day, and I want everyone to know it."

Cas chuckled, eyes dropping as Dean's fingers ghosted across his growing erection. He dug his fingers into Dean's arms, fighting against the urge to push into the touch or thrust his hips. He couldn't resist the second time, his hips snapping forward as Dean wrapped his fingers loosely around him. "D-Dean . . ."

"Is this okay, Cas? I won't do anything you don't want, but I've wanted to touch you since we met. This falls within the range of safe things I can do to pleasure my omega."

"Your omega," Cas echoed, his mind fogging with the beginning of that euphoric sensation of being wanted and commanded, not being expected to do anything other than please his alpha. It was why many omegas craved alpha companionship; some said that reaching omega space was better than the actual sex. Cas had never experienced it before, but Dean's words were quickly pushing him over the edge. Suddenly, it seemed natural and right that he was standing half-naked in front of a window, completely exposed with his alpha's hand teasing his cock, a display of how much he belonged to this Wilderness wolf. "Yes, please, Alpha."

Dean paused at the word and the strange undertone in Cas's voice, but the omega seemed to be enjoying himself immensely and had asked him to continue. Using his free hand to remove Cas's shirt, Dean tossed it across the room, using one knee to carefully nudge the omega's legs apart. He obeyed instantly, whining as the sudden scent of his arousal filled the room, slick already leaking down one leg. Dean reached down and gathered some in his hand, using it as a lubricant as he returned to stroking Cas's cock.

He could that the omega was already close, and he had planned to stretch this out a bit longer, but something about Cas's sudden submissiveness concerned him. Kissing Cas just behind his ear, Dean stroked a little faster, using his free hand to hold the raven-haired man in place. The omega whined and struggled against Dean's arm, not hard enough to escape but enough for the alpha to growl sharply at him. Cas stilled instantly, his entire body trembling with the need to move, but he was determined to obey the unspoken command.

Dean pushed his own erection against Cas's bare ass, closing his eyes at the sensation of being so close to what they both desperately wanted, the thought almost enough to make him come right there. He groaned against Cas's neck, catching his breath as the omega began rubbing against him in earnest, sapping what remained of his self-control. Dean focused on stroking Cas, the omega pushing back against him in the same rhythm, both of them chasing their orgasm with breathless moans and needy growls. A moment later, all of that tension exploded, Cas coming on Dean's hand and his own chest, the alpha shuddering through his own release a moment later.

"Damn," Dean whispered, glancing down at his soaked pants. He felt Cas tremble in his arms, the omega barely able to hold himself up, though he was oddly silent. He half-carried, half-dragged the raven-haired man to the bed and helped him stretch out, grabbing a cloth next to the water basin and cleaning him off. Cas stared at Dean as the alpha changed his pants and slipped into bed beside him, pulling the omega into his arms and rubbing his back soothingly. There was a strange brightness in Cas's eyes, something Dean had only seen once or twice before, and he silently cursed himself for letting the omega fall so far.

Cas whimpered and twitched in his arms, curling as close to the alpha as possible. "Cas? Come back to me, sweetheart. I didn't realize what I was doing before, but I need you to snap out of this omega space thing. Can you do that?"

Cas mumbled something and nodded against Dean's chest. "What was that? I liked it."

"Looked like omega space to me. You got awfully compliant all of a sudden, and you were so quiet after I growled at you."

Cas tightened his arm around Dean's waist, blue eyes distant and unfocused. "I just . . . I needed to make you happy. To obey. Suddenly everything you were doing seemed right, and I wanted it more than anything."

"I'm sorry," Dean whispered. "I don't know what I did to push you over the edge . . ."

"I liked it."

Dean leaned up and forced Cas to meet his gaze, amazed at the contentment in those blue eyes. "Cas, you lost all control. I've only seen that omega space thing a couple of times, but I know what it does. How can you like being manipulated like that?"

"It's not really about being controlled," Cas murmured, trying to figure out how to explain the sensation to Dean. "I've had alphas use Voice on me before, and I've wanted to rip their throats out. I broke Michael's jaw the last time he tried it. But you didn't try to control me, so it was different. You wanted to please me, and I wanted to please you. My omega sensed that, I guess, and let me slip into that mindset where I wouldn't be embarrassed or worried, where I could just trust that you would take care of me. I'm not the kind of omega who readily submits to anyone, but I would love to do that again sometime."

Dean chuckled and leaned back against the bed, running his fingers through Cas's dark hair. "Whenever you want, Cas, but we have to be careful. Omega space is definitely a little too close to the line for my comfort, so I need to learn the signs that you've gone over. What did I do that sent you there?"

"You called me your omega," Cas whispered, shivering slightly in the winter chill of the room. Dean reached down and pulled a blanket free, covering the still-naked omega in his arms. "At that moment, all I wanted was to be yours."

"You are, Cas, truly. I don't care about any of this damn political nonsense or my father's permission or anything. You're mine and I'm yours and we will be mated before the spring is over. Honestly, I don't think I can wait much longer to claim you."

Cas chuckled. "I thought you were going to, right there. I felt you pushing against me, and I wanted you so badly . . ."

"Me, too, Cas. We won't have to wait much longer, I promise."

"Are you sure about this, Dean?"

"Yeah, it's a great idea. Rowena said that messengers routinely flew from one end of the Three Lands to the other, some of them able to make the trip without resting. That's thousands of miles, and the Spellbound border is only a few hundred miles away. We think that you could make it there and back before midnight."

Castiel glanced up at the pre-dawn sky, noting that it was mercifully free of clouds. There was no wind, and Jo hadn't sensed any bad weather in the forecast for at least the next three days. Dean was right, this was the perfect time for such an experiment. Still, the omega couldn't help but be worried.

Dean rested one hand on the small of Cas's back, offering every ounce of encouragement he could. "Look, Rowena really thinks you should try this before the weather changes again. She thinks it'll give you guys a bit more confidence in your abilities."

"Which we will need for the coming war," Castiel finished, already used to the concept. "It's not that I think you're wrong . . ."

"But you don't want to leave." Cas shook his head, his hands vanishing into the huge sleeves of his colorful robe. Dean reached out with his free hand and gently tilted the omega's head up so their eyes could meet. "Cas, that is exactly why you have to go. Part of the reason you want to be around me so much is pressure from your omega instincts, and that's not healthy. We both know that. Trust me, every fiber of my being is telling me to keep you here, to keep you safe, but I promised you and your brothers that you would be warriors by the end of winter. This is an important step toward that goal."

Gabriel and Gadreel approached the pair, the smaller of the two still grumbling and wiping sleep out of his eyes. Sam trailed behind them, a half-full supply bag slung over one shoulder and a cup of one of Tasha's herbal teas in the other. The taller Winchester had grown quite addicted to the witch's impressive collection of teas during the winter, though he had always been fond of them during his previous visits. Dean guessed that the one he had chosen that morning was heavily caffeinated.

"Are we ready to get this show on the road?"

Castiel straightened, all nervousness and trepidation erased in the presence of his two older brothers. "Yes, I believe so. Are you two awake enough for this?"

"As awake as I'm going to get with no sunlight," Gabriel grumbled. "I hate these long nights."

"They're longer in the mountains," Gadreel returned, taking the bag from Sam and checking the contents. "Sam, I hope you packed enough field rations for your boyfriend."

"Damn bottomless pit," the alpha grumbled, tousling Gabe's hair affectionately when the blonde looked up at him in annoyance. "Yeah, there should be enough for all of you for three days, just in case something happens. I packed water skins, but they're empty. As long as you follow the river, you should have no problem with drinkable water. There's a pick in here so you can break through the ice."

"Looks like we have a couple of blankets, a waterproof tarp, fire-making supplies, a medical kit, and three daggers. Ooh, and a bag of that cinnamon tea I like so much."

"Yeah, should have plenty of caffeine to get you guys back tonight. I also packed a small jar of honey since I know that Gabe finds most of Tasha's teas too bitter."

The omega grinned and leaned up to kiss Sam's chin. "Okay, I love you again."

Sam chuckled and leaned down, giving Gabe a proper kiss before gently pushing him toward his brothers. "Go on, get out of here. I need to go relieve Benny on the north watchtower before dawn so the poor man can get some sleep." He glanced over at Gadreel, who had already started stripping out of his clothes and folding them neatly so Cas could tuck them into the supply bag. "Uh, Gad, do you need me to take any messages to him?"

"No thanks, Sam; we already said our goodbyes." The tall omega almost managed not to blush, but a quick jab in his side from his twin evoked an embarrassed chuckle. "Thank you, anyway."

"Of course." Sam waved goodbye as he turned and jogged back toward the city, sticking to the hard-packed path that Dean and his pack had maintained all winter. Dean took the supply bag from Cas as the omega began to strip, Gabe handing over a pile of folded clothes a moment later. Dean finished packing the bag as the three omegas shifted, stretching their legs and shaking their heads in preparation for their journey. Gadreel stepped forward to take the pack, having already told his brothers that he would carry it first.

Cas stepped forward to nuzzle Dean, his head as big as the alpha's torso. Dean smiled, rubbing behind his ears and kissing his forehead before stepping back. "Take care of yourself, Cas."

"You too, Dean."

The alpha's eyes widened in shock as a slow smile spread across his face. "Cas, I heard that. I can hear you."

Gabe snuffed something that sounded sarcastic even in wolf form, Cas turning to glare at him. "Gabe, shush." He joined his brothers, pointing toward the forest with his tail raised high. They wouldn't take flight until they were far enough from the city that the pre-dawn darkness would hide their forms. "I look forward to seeing you when we return."

"Count on it."

Balthazar stumbled toward Crowley's study, clutching desperately at the caffeinated tea Linda had brewed that morning. He nodded at the dark-haired alpha standing outside of the Head Alpha's study, too sleepy to notice the shiver of unease that the alpha's stare evoked in him. Balthazar raised his hand to knock, waiting a beat before opening the door and slipping in.

"Any reason I'm awake this early?"

Crowley chuckled and rose to meet the omega, taking his arm and leading him out to his private garden. "You said that Kevin and Alfie are going to be working with you on ranged weapons this afternoon, so I thought we could get you some long-distance flying practice this morning."

"Long distance?" Balthazar stared into his now-empty cup, silently begging his mind to catch up and process Crowley's words. He placed it on the bench near the door, hoping that he would remember to grab it on the way back inside. "I don't understand."

"A few members of Mother's coven came to town last night from a small fortress in the east. They apparently burned through the supplies in the last watch post they passed through, and I need to send someone to restock it."

"Me?"

Crowley shrugged. "We've measured your speed during your flying training; we both know you have the endurance to fly for three or four hours without stopping. By my calculations, the post is less than three hours' flight from here, so you should be able to make it there and back by lunch without any problems."

"That's pretty tight."

"It's a conservative estimate. I think you'll be back faster, and I'd hate to worry your friends. The supplies you need to take don't weigh much; I'll be sending out an expedition to restock the food in all of the watch posts as soon as spring hits, but I can't leave this one without medical supplies or magical herbs. The next wave of witches will be coming to town in a few days and I don't want to hear about my poorly stocked watch posts all spring."

Balthazar rolled his eyes, chuckling at the offended look on Crowley's face. "Do the witches really treat you so badly?"

"You have no idea. There was a time that witches ruled Spellbound pack, but my mother pulled the coven away almost two hundred years ago. Half-witches like myself or mundanes have led our people ever since. Some of my mother's cohorts prefer the old way, and they don't lose any opportunity to remind me of that fact. Also, some of them hate me for being half Celestial, but my mother's been able to keep them from lashing out. Anything I can do to keep the peace is good for the pack."

Balthazar shrugged and walked toward the edge of the garden, running his fingers through his hair. "I can do it, sure. If you need me to."

Crowley placed his hand on Balthazar's upper back, rubbing gently. "I don't need you to. You aren't responsible for peace in my kingdom or protecting my throne. I can send someone else on foot, and they would possibly reach the post before any more witches come through."

Balthazar turned in Crowley's half-embrace, raising one hand to run his fingers through the alpha's dark beard. "What if I want to be responsible for peace in your kingdom and keeping you on that throne? I'm kind of partial to you being in charge here."

"Zar . . ."

"If I'm going to mate, it might as well be to a Head Alpha, and my brother already called dibs on Dean Winchester."

"You're a cheeky little bastard, you know that?"

Balthazar wrapped his arms loosely around Crowley's neck, moving closer as the alpha's arms tightened around his waist. "Yeah, but you like it too much to make me stop."

"Damn straight." Crowley leaned forward, tilting his head up slightly to capture the omega's lips. Balthazar groaned and pushed into the contact, surprised when the alpha stepped forward and growled slightly. Balthazar pulled away, panting, as every omega instinct in his lean body demanded that he drop to the ground and submit to this alpha, a feeling he had never experienced before in his life. Crowley could see the shift, knew the instant that the omega's wolf reared its head, so he quickly changed from a growl to a purr, cupping Balthazar's face in his hand. "Shhh, calm down, Zar. Come back to me."

Balthazar closed his shining blue eyes, taking a few steadying breaths before nodding. "I'm good. Sorry, I've never felt that before."

"You've never submitted to an alpha? Ever?"

"I don't submit. That's not my thing. But I've never really been with an alpha, other than the ones that Michael was interested in us mating. None of them evoked this reaction in me."

Crowley grinned, purposefully stepping away from Balthazar and giving the omega some space. "I'll take that as a compliment. I'll try to keep physical contact to a minimum from now on to avoid that particular issue."

"Uh, hell no. I want to feel that again, as much as I can. I've been fighting my omega instincts my whole life, and it felt nice to give in for once."

"It's dangerous, Zar. If I let you fall too far, it could break you."

Balthazar stepped closer, staring into crimson eyes he never thought he would like so much. "Then don't let me fall. I trust you, Crowley."

"This is really far past my line," the alpha whispered, wrapping one hand around the back of Balthazar's neck and pulling him closer.

"It's not much farther than kissing," Balthazar argued, his hands trembling as he placed them on Crowley's shoulders.

"Kissing is technically past my line," Crowley replied, his voice dropping lower as he rested his free hand on Balthazar's hip and squeezed. The omega went very still, his pupils dilating as azure eyes locked on Crowley's crimson, begging for that feeling again. The alpha growled as he tightened his fingers in Balthazar's unruly blonde hair, grinning at the sudden spike in the omega's rosemary-mint scent. "On your knees," he barked, privately amazed that he could still call his alpha voice when needed. It had been over a decade since he had needed it in his own court, and he had never been with an omega at all.

Balthazar whimpered as he rushed to obey, the blue in his eyes even darker than before as he stared up at the alpha towering above him. Crowley could only resist for a brief moment, dropping to his knees in front of the omega and pulling him into a bruising kiss. Some small part of his mind reminded him to be grateful that the servants were so diligent about keeping the paths in his private garden clear, otherwise he would be waist-deep in snow.

The Head Alpha never let himself lose control, but he was dangerously close to doing just that while kissing the whining omega in his arms. Balthazar had hunched his back and spread his legs, doing everything he could to be smaller than his alpha, and Crowley felt himself sit up straighter in response. He wanted nothing more than to protect this omega, to take care of him and keep him safe forever, and he knew that he had to stop. If he didn't pull away soon . . .

Crowley gasped as he broke the kiss, pulling Balthazar against his chest and resting his chin on top of his head. "What a good boy," he purred, running his fingers through blonde hair as he felt his heart rate slowly return to normal. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of kissing you, but I need you to do something else for me now." Balthazar nodded enthusiastically, wanting nothing more than to obey and please his alpha. "I really need you to come back to me, Zar. Just concentrate on breathing and shaking free from your wolf."

When Balthazar pulled away a minute later, his eyes were back to their normal light blue, the omega grinning broadly. "Wow, that was better than sex."

Crowley snorted, pushing himself to his feet before helping the omega up. "Clearly you've never been with an alpha. I'm guessing all of your partners were betas and omegas?"

"Just dominant male betas, actually. A couple of my brothers partnered with omegas, but I never really bothered. The dynamic is more complicated. If I had known about this voice thing back then, I might have risked a couple of alphas."

Crowley caught himself on the edge of a possessive growl, crimson eyes narrowing as Balthazar laughed. "Ha, ha, very funny. I really don't like the idea of you with another alpha. We may not be courting, but apparently I have a jealous streak."

"Yeah, I'm okay with that. After all, the only thing keeping me from asking you to court me is all this damn political nonsense." Balthazar stepped away from Crowley, clearing his throat as he looked into the sky. The first hint of dawn streaked the faint clouds, the pink/orange color oddly peaceful. "Before we got sidetracked, I told you that I do care about helping you keep your kingdom running smoothly. I meant that. I want to take this mission."

"I'm glad to hear that, Zar. Honestly, when I took over this pack, I was pretty sure I could do it alone, but I really appreciate all of your help over these past few days."

"Good. It's nice to be useful, and not as a potential breeder for my obnoxious brother."

"Let's go get those supplies and send you on your way."

Balthazar nodded and followed Crowley back into the castle, his shoulder blades itching as if someone was watching him. He looked over his shoulder, but he didn't see anything other than a snow-covered garden, and he didn't smell any intruders, so he shrugged off the feeling.

Patience rarely spoke up in council meetings. As the granddaughter of a powerful psychic who lived as a rogue and the daughter of a Celestial mother who had long ago abandoned her, she often struggled with her gift, brown eyes seeing past people even as she tried to hold normal conversations. Her closest friends, the three youngsters nearest her age, never minded the dark-skinned girl's distant looks, but most of the other pack females and all of the males avoided her like the plague.

Still, when she spoke, everyone listened.

"We have to leave."

Jody Mills, the Head of the small band that had split off from the main Wilderness pack three generations earlier, raised her hand for silence and tilted her head curiously at the young female. She was a beta, her dark hair cut short for simplicity, wiry and fierce enough to rule over alphas. "Why? What's going on, Patience?"

The lean omega whined and dropped her head, smiling as her three friends moved closer to offer their support. Claire Novak, whose parents had been killed by Celestials during a raid ten years earlier, had accepted Jody as her surrogate mother, even though she was growing into a strong alpha whose instincts should be telling her to resist a beta's authority. Her long, wavy blonde hair and blue eyes made her stand out in the pack of darker women, though she was one of the best hunters they had and no one ever stood up to her for long. Alex, Jody's other adopted daughter, was dark where Claire was light, her skills tending toward healing and medicine, though the omega was perfectly happy to fight when required.

The final member of the young women's group, Kaia Nieves, was a recent addition to the pack, the beta having run away from her people who lived far to the west of the Wilderness lands. Her tan skin and curly, dark brown hair were common in her land, as was her unusual connection to the land and reverence for life. Claire had taken a liking to her the instant they met, and the beta could always be found with the alpha and her friends.

With her friends nearby, Patience was able to answer her leader. "I saw a storm brewing, a terrible fight, and four omegas who need our help."

"Four omegas? Do you recognize them?"

Patience shook her head, eyes already glazing over as she returned to her vision. Unlike a true prophet, a psychic had no control over her mental flashes, sometimes seeing things that she could not understand or people that she had never met. "They are four brothers, and I think they are Celestials. They'll be in the capital city less than two weeks after the Spring Equinox."

"Celestials?" Claire was understandably skeptical, especially since her hatred of their northern enemies ran deeper than most. However, her grudge was with the alphas and betas of that pack, not the omegas, so she would help if she was asked to.

"I don't know why there are Celestials in our lands, but I get the feeling that they are running from something. Perhaps they are enemies of Michael."

Jody's second-in-command, a boisterous blonde omega named Donna, leaned forward across the council table and caught the psychic's eye. "What else, Patience? You seem upset."

"I . . . I saw something else, but it's almost like I was seeing it through someone else's eyes. Like, another psychic but not as clear."

"What?"

"I saw Dean Winchester on the floor of a cell, a collar around his neck, screaming something until he lost his voice."

"Dean?!" Jody shot to her feet, Donna by her side in an instant as the other council members murmured amongst themselves. A psychic's vision was never to be taken lightly; Patience had seen Kaia long before she reached their lands, and her warning had ensured that the young beta received a warm welcome instead of an ambush when she arrived.

"It's in the future," Patience assured her leader. "That much I know for sure. It won't happen until after they reach the city."

Kaia tilted her head curiously. "Why do they need us, though?"

"I don't know, but we must be there."

The seventh member of the Upper Council rapped on the table, waiting until she had everyone's attention before speaking. Eileen was deaf, though she could read lips amazingly well, the dark-haired woman having risen through the ranks of the council to reach the position of Weapons Master almost five years earlier. She knew that it was sometimes hard for people to understand her stilted, nasally voice, so she always signed while she spoke. Generally, one of the members of the Lower Council would sit opposite the beta and sign everything that was said during the meeting, just in case the women got too excited and forgot to keep her in the loop.

"Who is 'we'? Who has to go?"

Patience turned slightly to face Eileen, making each person's name sign as she called them out. "Me, Claire, Alex, Kaia, Jody, Donna, and you."

"That's the whole Upper Council. We never all leave at once."

"I know, Eileen, but that's what I saw."

Jody glanced at Eileen and shrugged. "If she saw that . . ." Her signs conveyed her uncertainty more than her tone, but everyone at the table could understand her reticence. Ruling a large, female-dominated pack as a beta was hard enough without leaving on long, unexplainable trips in the beginning of spring. The female members of her pack enjoyed running wild for much of the year, but once hard winter hit they retreated to their main city until late spring.

Donna grabbed Jody's arm, nodding toward Alex and Patience at the other end of the table. "That's a long journey. They'll probably go into heat before we return."

"So will you," Alex countered, tilting her head at the older woman. "We've all survived heat on the road before; this won't be too different."

"We won't be on the road by mid-spring. We'll be in the capital city with hundreds of alphas who are going to get very interested in us very quickly. I don't think your one experience with a lust-crazed rutting alpha is adequate preparation for what we might face."

Claire blushed and dropped her head. "I was fifteen. Am I never going to live that down?"

"No," Jody replied, grinning at her daughter. "But Donna is right to be cautious. Three betas might not be enough to protect you guys during your heats. I'm sure John will give us rooms, but if strange things are happening in town, we need to be ready."

"I don't think we'll be in town that long," Patience murmured, trying to clear up the dark spots in her vision. "Less than two weeks, I believe."

"And then we come home?"

"Then we leave," the omega replied. "I can't guarantee we return here."

Jody, Donna, and Eileen exchanged a charged look, all of them nodding at once as they came to a decision. The four younger members of the Upper Council waited patiently for their elders to make their plans. "I guess we're going. We kinda have to. If Dean is in trouble, we have a duty to protect our next Head Alpha. It sounds like we have a few weeks before we have to leave, so we'll make sure that the town is ready to be without us for however long this takes. Kaia, Alex, and Patience will check our medical and herbal stores and replenish anything they reasonable can before the thaw. Claire and Donna will check with the farmers for any damage to their property, address any serious livestock losses, and ensure crop preparedness for the planting. Eileen and I will check defenses and weapons supplies as well as determine what we will need to take north with us. Lower Council members will take all of our meetings that they can over the next few weeks so that we are free to prepare."

Everyone nodded as they accepted their assignments, the Lower Councilwomen leaving first as Jody officially ended the meeting. As the beta led the women of her inner circle out of the room, she glanced over at Claire. "You know, I haven't been to the capital city in ten years, not since John came back from that border skirmish with the Celestials and asked me to take you in. Dean was a teenager then, just barely past his first rut, and he hadn't even grown into his paws yet. It's going to be nice to see him and Sam again."

Most wolves craved the security of a pack and the safety of a permanent home, but there were rare exceptions who chose to live among nature, traveling between an unending number of long-term hunting posts and spending most of their time as wolves. They were often called rogues by city-bound wolves, but they tended to think of themselves as wild.

The Wilderness lands were patrolled by one very tiny wild pack, the three members all choosing to live outcast from society for their own individual reasons. Their leader was a dark-skinned alpha male who had come from a land so far away that Wilderness pack didn't even have open trading lines there. His wolf form was the same warm dark brown shade as his skin, a color well-suited to the shadows of his forest home. Victor Henrikson had never felt at home in the city, choosing to leave almost two decades earlier with his dark omega companion, the beta joining them ten years later.

The second member of their pack was from the same far-off land, having arrived with the alpha decades earlier in the throes of a psychic vision. Missouri was a large woman, physically intimidating in both forms, and she could read minds with such precision that living in a city had almost made her lose her mind. The omega had been born a psychic, but she chose to study the healing arts, as well, using practices from her home land to help anyone they met or anyone her skills pulled her toward. Her own coat was coal black with gray spots, her near-black eyes often shining with a strange luminescence when she was in the throes of her visions.

The third member of the pack had been born a Wilderness wolf in the main city, but a near-death experience as a teenager had awakened an insanely strong pseudo-psychic gift that let her see many thousands of possible futures on command. People with the beta's abilities had once been called seers, and she chose that word for herself. Pamela's eyes had once been a comfortable, warm brown, but the irises had turned white when her powers were activated. Very few people could hold her gaze long, the black pinprick of her pupil belying the common misconception that she was truly blind. Her skin was pale like most Wildernesses, her long, curled brown hair falling just past her shoulders. Her wolf form was much more colorful, a beautiful brindle blue over black and white, and she was the smallest of the three despite being a beta.

The three of them were eating peacefully around a campfire at one of their more permanent camps, a large tent behind them and the snow reasonably cleared away from their seats, when Missouri groaned and dropped her head into her hands. Pamela straightened a moment later, humming to herself as she clearly reacted to the same vision that her friend had seen.

"Damn that boy," the omega groaned. "What kind of trouble has he gotten himself into this time? It's the middle of winter; he should be tucked away safely in his palace."

Victor didn't ask, waiting patiently for an explanation.

The seer turned her eerie gaze on her leader. "Dean Winchester is in danger. Not physically, but psychologically. The vision . . . it's not mine."

"Nor mine," the omega confirmed curiously. "Where did it come from?"

"A prophet. A new prophet is rising, and their witch is channeling the first of their visions."

"What do we need to do about it?"

Missouri shrugged. "A rising prophet can trigger sudden and intense visions in psychics and seers thousands of miles away, but these visions are uncoordinated and messy. From what I can tell, the danger is in the capital city, a few weeks after Spring Equinox, but I cannot be more specific than that."

"Then we'll go to the city once the thaw begins."

"No," Pamela whispered, tilting her head to the side as she sorted through her own visions. She couldn't clear up the image she received second-hand, but she could focus her gift on the many possible futures open to them. "Missouri's granddaughter will be there to assist him. We must go south and east, a days' flight from the city, and wait."

Victor tilted his head and rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. "A days' flight? Pam, we don't fly. We run. No one flies."

"That's the measurement I see; I can't explain it. It seems to equate to a three-day hard run. The camp on Coral Lake will do fine. We will arrive there two weeks after the Equinox and wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Prophecy."