Chapter 3: Alphas

Gabe followed Rowena into his private meeting room, currently devoid of any alphas, groaning as he settled on his nesting couch. It was mostly a daybed with tons of pillows saturated with his scent, designed for his alphas to curl up with him whenever they wanted. Gabe leaned back and sighed, suddenly realizing how much pain he had been in after standing for so long in the throne room. "I would not recommend taking an audience a couple of days after birth."

"I did counsel against this action," Rowena scoffed, grabbing Sam's hand and pushing him onto the nesting couch. "Cuddle with the beautiful moose for a while and I'll have someone bring up your lunch." She sized up Sam, raising one eyebrow at the young alpha. "I'll have them send enough for three."

Sam moved to argue the point, but the redhead was gone. "I truly am sorry that we interrupted your recovery, Gabriel. We really were just looking for food."

"You might as well call me Gabe; you'll be balls-deep in my ass as soon as I recover enough to offer you a courtship."

Sam grinned and laid down behind Gabe, resting one arm across his waist and setting down where he could scent the queen. "Gardenias and cherry blossoms? That's an interesting scent."

"Ha, thanks. My dam was gardenias, too, with a different secondary scent. It tends to be easier to take over a hive, even one you're born into, if the queen scent is similar. And don't worry about the audience today; Cas told me that it was important, and it was. You and your brother need a home, and I am perfectly happy to give you one."

"It's going to be hard to integrate Dean, no matter what Rowena says."

"We'll figure it out."

It took three days for the rest of the hive to realize that the invaders had been invited to stay. Michael and Benny found out first when Gabe asked for no visitors for a week after his birth, an unusually long time period. Sam had spent three days in Gabe's rooms, absorbing the queen's scent and losing whatever vestiges of Dean's scent that he might have been carrying. Rowena had been very clear that Sam and Dean could not be in the same room until both had been mostly integrated into the hive, as the young alpha would instinctively try to take his brother's scent instead of Gabe's. Neither one was happy about it, but Dean told his brother, relayed through the Head Healer, that this was their only chance at a normal life and the Novak Hive had welcomed them completely without any reservations. The least they could do was to obey the healer.

Cas opened the door to his suite and smiled at the visitor, offering a one-armed hug to one of his best friends in the hive. "Benny, I didn't think you would be first."

"When you hear the rumors I hear, you head on down at your first opportunity. Gadreel knew that you would let me in."

"Remind me to kill my half-brother when I get a chance." Cas looked over his shoulder at his guest, Dean having finally taken enough showers to clear his blockers. His gentle pre-queen omega scent wasn't as strong as it would be when he finally mated, but Cas's rooms already smelled like apple blossoms with an undercurrent of warm vanilla. Benny would know instantly what was going on. "Dean?"

"They're going to know eventually," Dean pointed out, muting the television that had kept his attention for most of the day while Cas had dealt with hive business.

Cas stepped to one side and admitted Benny, the bearded Cajun removing his hat as he entered. Dean stood tall and waited patiently, not offering his wrist for scenting since he didn't think it would be necessary. Benny, an alpha and one of Gabe's mates, sniffed the room, pale blue eyes widening as he realized what was going on. "Haven't seen a virgin queen since Gabe ascended."

"You were his first mate?"

Benny shook his head. "Second. Kali and I were offered at the same time, and he accepted her first and me second." When an omega was ready to ascend to queen, they were offered alphas from their own birth hive, allied hives, and nearby hives with too many guard alphas. The new queen would accept one or two for their first mating, later taking on more as they became more comfortable with their new position.

"What was it like, the first mating?"

Benny chuckled, relaxing and accepting the presence of the omega in his hive. "Hectic. I mean, most omegas have some sexual experiences to learn their preferences before they mate, and we generally only offer alphas who are old enough to . . . pleasure them." Cas snorted at that; he was no virgin, and many of the betas in the hive had gladly assisted him during his ruts, but his reputation was nothing compared to Benny's before he permanently partnered with Gadreel. It was something about the blue eyes and southern drawl, he supposed. "Gabe had been through three or four heats before he ascended, two attended by betas, but the boy was insatiable. Kali and I together could barely keep up, never mind that we were doing everything we could to absorb his scent so the hive would accept us when we emerged. Thankfully, he had a good first clutch and took his throne without issue."

"I never have," Dean murmured. "Outside of my heats I knew it would be safe enough, but my dad warned me that I could sweat off my blockers and my partner would know the truth. We always made sure to be deep in the woods when I went into heat, whenever the suppression medicine failed or Dad couldn't get his hands on it. Cas tells me that I can't have an unmanaged heat in the hive, and I'm kind of nervous about what my first experience will be like."

"Are you going to mate? I've never heard of a hive with two queens, but the rumor I heard from Donna by way of Rowena indicates that you'll still have to be mated even if you are going to be second to Gabe."

"Cas says the same thing. I don't know if I have to mate my first time, but I hope not. I ran out of suppressants a month ago and my next heat could happen any day."

"Those suppressants aren't safe, Dean," Cas pointed out, clearly reinforcing a point he had already made with his new charge. "There are plenty of safe and effective birth control methods we can offer you, but preventing heat is frowned upon by every hive I know. It was done in the past to young omegas before their first heat in an attempt to keep them 'pure' for their alphas and give them a higher trade value, but it fell out of favor when the negative side effects became apparent. How you even found someone who knows how to make suppressant is beyond me."

"There are hives down South who still use it sparingly when the hive is large and already has more than one heir," Benny pointed out. "Many of the queens there don't trust hormonal birth control so they suppress their heats to avoid the problem altogether. Even they don't take it more than once or twice every five years or so."

"I've taken it longer. Cas said that it could cause infertility issues and irregular heats for the rest of my life, but Rowena thinks I will be fine. She's doing some blood tests. It doesn't matter to me one way or another; I don't care if I birth children, as long as I can help raise the ones that Gabe keeps churning out."

Benny glanced over his shoulder at Cas, his fellow alpha shrugging. Gabe hadn't invited Dean to stay based on a functioning uterus, but he would have to take a mate whether his heats resulted in eggs or not. "Well, if you're planning to borrow an alpha for your next heat, you'll have to meet some of them before that happens. Does Rowena have a plan for that?"

"She is making a lotion for me to rub into my skin daily. I didn't ask what's in it."

Cas, who knew exactly which of his brother's bodily secretions had been included in the lotion, shuddered. "I would advise against that line of questioning. Sam is able to bond in a normal way, and his scent has already started to pick up Gabe's undertones. It is much easier to bind an alpha to the hive through sexual intercourse, but Gabe's still not ready for that."

Benny nodded. "Gabe has bonded alphas before without sex, so he can complete that process without issue. Dean here is the bigger concern."

"Rowena thinks she can do it."

"Fast enough? Brother, I may be the first one here but I am not the only one who suspects that we are harboring a virgin queen."

Dean chuckled and returned to his seat. "You can just call me an omega, Benny, and not a virgin queen. It's not as dramatic, I suppose."

"Who else is sniffing around?" Cas returned to his seat next to Dean, reaching up with his right hand to rub the back of Dean's neck, an almost absent-minded gesture that Benny definitely did not miss. He settled in the chair across from the pair and rubbed the scruff on his chin.

"Malachi a little bit, Akobel is curious but bonded with Lily so he wouldn't bother to come, Anna is too nosy for her own good though Jody told her to stay away, Garth is oblivious, Lucifer and Michael are acting like they don't care but they sent me anyway, and Bobby and Rufus are 'too damn old to be worrying about that queen nonsense', as they put it."

"Bobby?" Dean perked up at the name, his scent brighter.

"Yeah, he's an older alpha from another hive. He was a rogue for a while, but he knew some people in Kevin's hive and they recommended him to Gabe. He was bonded as a guard; he was certainly old enough to offer himself as a mate but he had been mated years before and wasn't interested in the painful procedure of dropping the bond to his dead queen. He later brought in an old friend of his, Rufus, and Gabe accepted him, too."

"I think . . . I think Bobby might have been from my old hive. Two of my mother's mates saved me and Sam as hatchlings, our sire John and his best friend Bobby, but Bobby left when I was ten and we never saw him again."

"We'll see if we can get you time to meet Bobby safely," Cas promised. "He doesn't talk about his past very much, but we know that he's from far away." He looked across the table at Benny, tilting his head curiously. "You only listed the guards."

"Ha, don't ask about the mates. Kali is on the warpath trying to figure out why she isn't allowed to see Gabe, Zar is sequestered with the betas and hatchlings pouting, Ruby went on patrol, and Ishim and Ketch have started leaning on Michael to lift the restriction, though they haven't been willing to go directly to Rowena yet."

"Are we going to have any issues?"
Benny shook his head. "Not with the alphas. Michael has a good hold on the guards and none of the mates would ever cross Gabe, no matter how uncomfortable they are with change. The betas are another matter, as you know."
"Why would betas be an issue?"

"They don't have that instinctive need to obey their queen that alphas have," Cas replied. "Most betas stay with the hive they were born into unless they have a very valuable specialty or are trained in a field that a specific hive needs badly. We asked Charlie to come here, for example, since she is an expert at computer systems and has designed some really impressive things for us including our power generation and storage systems, the program that manages breeding of the herds for best yield, the program that calculates our crop rotation schedule, and the security system we use inside the hive proper. Her home hive was saturated with, as she says, 'computer nerds', so she wanted a new start in a hive where she could be useful."

"There are a few betas we can introduce you to while you are acclimating, but you shouldn't meet the rest until you're mated and officially part of the hive." Benny glanced over at Cas, narrowing his eyes slightly. "What's the official title?"

"Junior Queen. Gabe would be the Senior Queen."

"Hmm, okay. Well, Dean, if it matters to you, I'm perfectly happy to bow to a second queen as cute as you."

Dean blushed at that and ducked his head, leaning into Cas's casual caress. Maybe being caught by this hive was the best thing that could have happened to him.

Gabe leaned back on his couch and nodded at Rowena where she waited patiently by the door. He had chosen to take this audience in his private council room instead of his quarters, though Sam waited on the other side of the rear door for his signal. The young alpha, who now carried as much of Gabe's queen scent as he could without sex, hadn't wanted to wait in the bedroom but he didn't have a choice.

Rowena opened the door and moved aside, smiling as six agitated alphas stormed into their queen's private council chamber. Kali entered first, as Gabe knew she would, striding across the carpeted floor in that regal, furious way that only she could manage. She growled softly as she settled onto the wide couch behind Gabe, tucking her legs behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. Her alpha instincts encouraged her to reacquaint herself with the queen after being separated for almost two weeks. Benny climbed up beside Kali, tucking himself against Gabe's other side and nuzzling him for a moment before slinging an arm across the queen's shoulders. Kali leaned her shoulder against his hand, welcoming her fellow alpha.

Ishim and Ketch were not as demonstrative as the first two mates, though each of them did nuzzle Gabe before settling on the edges of the large couch in front of the trio. Ruby, always standoffish with her queen, took a moment for a long hug, not releasing Gabe until he kissed her cheek and purred. Balthazar was last, curling up in front of Gabe and resting his head in the queen's lap, significantly more insecure than normal. "I'm sorry for being gone so long," Gabe whispered, running his fingers through Balthazar's short blond hair.

"We've never been prevented from seeing you after a birthing," Kali growled, still furious even in the face of Gabe's gentle purring.

"It was necessary."

"What went wrong? Did you lose all of the eggs? I thought we would have heard something."

"No, Ketch, I didn't lose the eggs. We had one bad one, but the other four were healthy."

"That's your fourth bad egg in three clutches," Ishim murmured. "It's not a good statistic."

"I know. Thankfully, Castiel had a solution." Balthazar raised his head at that, all of the alphas staring at their queen. "He asked me to take a seventh mate, a very young one."

Kali finally stopped growling, resting her forehead lightly on Gabe's shoulder as she realized how worried that fifth egg had made him. The last clutch she sired had two bad eggs, and she had been concerned then that the age of his alphas, all of them over forty, would eventually prove detrimental to the health of his offspring. "Did you reach out to the other hives?"

"I've made some discreet inquiries without any luck. However, Cas found me one in a most serendipitous turn of events."

The alphas' scents sparkled with curiosity and concern; it was sometimes difficult to integrate a new alpha into the harem, though Gabe had already done it four times. "Where is this alpha?"

"Rowena, if you would be so kind?" Rowena nodded and opened the door that led to Gabe's bedroom, smiling as Sam hesitantly slipped through. He was taller than any of the other alphas in the hive, but his youth meant he was still gangly and awkward. He hadn't quite grown into his frame and it looked like his chin might strengthen over the next few years. Balthazar actually sat up at the sight, intrigued by this lovely alpha, noting from his lack of serious facial hair that he was very young, maybe just past twenty, certainly young enough to help with Gabe's problem.

"Hi, I'm Sam."

"Well, he's certainly young enough," Benny drawled, grinning. This young man, clearly Dean's brother, approached the couch, wringing his hands nervously. The sandalwood in his scent was a natural aphrodisiac, while the leather undertones marked him as an alpha. He had already taken on Gabe's queen scent, gardenia and cherry blossoms faint but detectable, even though it was clear to the others that he had not yet partnered with their queen. "Why are you waiting?"

"I wanted your approval," Gabe murmured, squeezing Kali's arm briefly and running a hand down Balthazar's back. "I won't take a new mate if the alpha upsets any of you."

"What will happen if you don't take a new, young mate?"

Rowena stepped forward to answer Ishim's question. "Based on his last three clutches and the time between his heats, Gabriel will start having more dead eggs than live ones in less than two years. At that point, his heats will become even more infrequent until he lays fewer than three eggs a year. Once that happens, the chances of him birthing an omega would be very slim and the hive could very well die. Queens have to average five eggs per clutch and three clutches per year throughout their fertile life to replace themselves, and Gabe is hitting his peak a little late."

"You have to take Sam as a mate, then," Ruby pointed out, concern in her voice. She had sired a handful of hatchlings already, but she was more concerned with the survival of her hive than any petty jealousy over a new alpha who might reduce the number of heats she spent with the queen.

"I have to take a new mate, yes, but it doesn't have to be Sam. I want your approval."

"Do you like him, Gabe?"

"Yes, Zar, I do."

"Then Sam, come sit here with us and introduce yourself. We'll see if we like you, too."

"Okay." Sam carefully climbed onto the couch, settling in front of Gabe where Balthazar had offered him room. The alphas each leaned forward to scent him, marking him with their own unique scents in a tentative acceptance as they started to introduce themselves and ask him questions. Gabe leaned back against Benny's chest and smiled, cautiously optimistic that his mates would accept this new alpha without issue. He really liked Sam and he wanted to keep the boy, but he wouldn't do it against his mates' wishes.

Rowena sighed, closing up her small medical kit and taking a seat across from Dean, who was trying to look as small as possible on the couch. "It's not working, is it?"

"It's not not working," Rowena countered. "Your scent is changing, but very slowly."

"Why?"

"Virgins are hard to integrate into new hives except via mating. We do not know when Dean's next heat will be, but I doubt you want to wait that long. He also has not indicated if he truly wants to mate during his next heat or wait until he is more comfortable here. I believe that we must try something else to speed up the bonding process."

Dean narrowed his eyes and leaned back, suspicion darkening his scent. "How?"

"I need to create the same lotion for Gabe that I made for you. He won't take on very much of your scent since he's already queen and has many mates, but it should be just enough to let you align your pheromone balance with his. After you mate, your scent will be locked into the hive and you won't have any issues."

Dean chewed on his bottom lip and glanced at Cas, already sure that he wasn't going to like the options. "Ok, if I agree to this lotion idea, how do you make it?"

"Some herbs, a couple of essential oils to enhance your scent, and your actual . . . scent."

"Where do you get my scent from?"

Cas chuckled and leaned back against the couch. "For omegas, she uses slick."

"What?! Hell no! Are you saying that's what's in the lotion I've been using for two weeks?"

"Look, boy, there are only three bodily fluids that carry enough scent to merge an outsider into a new hive: slick, semen, and urine. If you want me to invite Gabriel in here to piss on you, just give me the word!"

Dean backed down, slowly tucking himself against Cas's side in an attempt to hide from the beta's fury. "It's still gross," he murmured, his tone and his scent contrite.

"It's not the most pleasant of ingredients, I'll grant you that, but an omega's semen doesn't carry enough scent and it always comes out a bit bitter. Slick has a sweet undertone, so it is easier for you to absorb. Urine is far too salty, it would destroy the base of the lotion. Gabriel has offered up his slick for almost a dozen new entries into the hive that didn't want to join by fornication, and I know this will work for you. I just need some of your slick."

Dean sighed and frowned, slowly scooting forward and resting his arms on his knees. "Ok, what do I need to do?"

"Lean over and drop your pants."

"I already hate this," Dean murmured, moving to stand.

Cas reached out and placed a hand on Dean's shoulder, the omega freezing with his hands on his belt buckle. He still had a limited wardrobe, so the pants were clean but threadbare and not suitable to be worn outside. "Dean, do you want me to leave? I'd understand if my presence would make you uncomfortable."

"No, I, uh, I'd like you stay here. I feel comfortable with you."

"Alright. Rowena, do you have a robe or something he can wear while you do your collection? I know that his wardrobe doesn't include anything like that."

Rowena nodded and reached into her medical bag, pulling out a small cloth bag holding a pale blue robe. Castiel knew from experience that the material was not very thick, but it would afford his new guest a measure of privacy. Dean slipped out of his flannel and undershirt, carefully placing them on the couch before slipping the robe over his head. It tied at the shoulders, which would allow a healer to access a patient's chest, and it only fell to Dean's knees, which would give the healer access to his lower body. Cas had seen a version that tied in the back, but he found that most unpleasant to wear.

Dean dropped his pants as soon as he had the robe on, his cheeks burning as he removed his underwear. They were pink and lacy, clearly designed for male omegas if the small pocket in the front was any indication, though they were a little faded. Clearly Dean cared more about having nice underwear than pants, though he couldn't possibly have kept a large collection of them. Cas made a mental note to stop by a lingerie store in town the next chance he got. "Those must look nice on you," Cas commented, smiling as the omega blushed again. "Is that the only color you like, or do you have other ones?"

"Uh, I have a few. I like these a lot, but they're wearing out. The elastic is getting loose."

"One of the pros of being a queen is better wardrobe options."

Dean smiled, flinching away from Rowena as she reached for his shoulder. Smiling, the petite healer raised her hands in apology, waiting until Dean relaxed before moving forward again and guided him into position. "Lean over the couch, young one. You're a virgin?"

Dean nodded, turning away and placing his hands on the back of the couch, legs against the seat and feet spread slightly to allow Rowena access. Cas, standing by his side, reached out and began to caress the back of Dean's neck, knowing that his touch calmed the omega. Rowena raised the bottom of Dean's robe and touched his hole with her gloved hand, applying some pressure with one lubed finger and frowning. "Dean, you have to stop clenching and relax. I'll never be able to get a speculum inserted."

"I'm not looking forward to having anything inserted," Dean growled. Rowena frowned; she wasn't used to omegas reacting poorly to a rectal examination or fluid collection. She glanced at Cas and nodded toward Dean, silently asking for his help.

Cas moved to stand behind Dean, moving his caresses from the boy's neck to his upper back and then lower back. Dean stiffened as the alpha moved, slowly relaxing as Cas stroked his back, softly humming in an approximation of a purr. Rowena nodded approvingly as the muscles in Dean's legs slowly relaxed, his head falling forward as he released his white-knuckled grip on the back of the couch. Cas glanced down, watching as Dean's asshole fluttered and relaxed, the faintest scent of omega arousal filling the room. It was the first time Cas had detected that scent from his new roommate.

Rowena tucked herself carefully against Cas's side, testing Dean's resistance with a gloved finger. When he relaxed, she pushed in, checking his prostate for abnormalities and trying to gauge if he would be able to accept the speculum. "My lovely angel, would you be so kind as to choose a position underneath our young omega and hold him from that end? I believe that I will get a better result."

Cas nodded and sat on the couch, helping Dean move so he was leaning over the alpha, hands on his shoulders, noses almost touching. Cas watched, fascinated, as Dean's pupils dilated, nearly blacking out the emerald, his breathing rapid and shallow. Cas reached up and pulled Dean's face closer to his neck, helping the omega breathe in his honeysuckle and clover scent. It was a lot sweeter than a normal alpha's, but there was no mistaking his secondary gender. Dean took a deep breath and whined, hands tightening on Cas's shoulders as he started to hump the air. He barely noticed as Rowena pressed the tip of the speculum against his ass, bearing down against the pressure and furiously purring as he buried his nose in Cas's neck. The alpha reached up and grabbed his hips, holding him in place as Rowena collected her sample.

Dean keened at the light pressure on his prostate, trying to thrust back against the intrusion and only failing as Cas tightened his grip. Cas could tell that the young man was hard, possibly fully aroused for the first time in his life outside of heat, and as the heady aroma of horny omega filled his room, he couldn't claim to be unaffected. Rowena was a consummate professional, used to dealing with all subgenders in various stages of sexual arousal, so she didn't react at all to the apple blossom and vanilla aroma, the faintest of gardenia undertones barely detectable, but Cas had to use all of his self-control to ignore the heavy erection fighting to free itself from his jeans, releasing his tension in a deep growl against the omega's neck.

Dean went frantic at that, hands wandering over Cas's chest as he pulled back far enough to catch the alpha in a kiss. Cas's deep, fiercely dominant growls just got louder as he matched Dean's enthusiasm, claiming the omega's mouth as his own scent darkened with alpha musk, his interest in the rogue evident. Rowena did look up at that; she knew that Cas had taken partners before, mostly during his ruts, but he had never smelled like that. It was . . . possessive. He wanted this virgin queen.

Thankfully, Cas's actions had encouraged Dean to produce plenty of slick, and it only took a few moments for Rowena to collect enough for her uses. She closed the speculum and slowly removed it, avoiding any sudden jolts against the boy's sensitive prostate. She placed the dirty instruments in a special water-proof bag so she could clean them in the healer chambers later, carefully marking her sample cup and tucking it away. Taking a sealed wipe from her bag, Rowena used it to clean up Dean's ass, taint, and the back of his balls where his slick had leaked. Omegas had much smaller testicles than alphas or betas, so any physical examination after his presentation would have revealed his subgender. Rowena could only assume that he had been cared for by a family friend or not seen at all, so she made a note to schedule him for a more comprehensive physical as soon as possible. His bloodwork had been clean for a myriad of common diseases, but she doubted he had been given all of the standard immunizations and it was unlikely he had ever had a pap smear. He certainly needed that, especially as long as he had been taking heat suppressants.

Rowena pulled Dean's robe down to cover his ass, tapping the side of Cas's wrist to let him know that she was done. The alpha immediately wrapped one arm around Dean's waist and pulled him into his lap, never breaking the kiss as he held the boy tightly against his chest. Slowly, as he realized that Rowena was done, Dean pulled back, panting as he looked up at the healer. His eyes were bright gold, almost glowing in the light, and the healer smiled. "I know that you have never been sexually active, but have you ever even been this aroused around another person before?"

Dean shook his head. "Never. I've had some very casual relationships, but I've never thought about sex with them."

"Because your father warned you not to, or because you weren't interested? I only ask because you are fully aroused, your eyes are bright gold, and all you've done is kiss Castiel here. If you had been this interested in a partner before, they would have known what you are."

Dean swallowed and nodded, pulling his legs onto the couch and curling against Cas's chest. The alpha didn't stop him, eyes still ringed with red as he stroked the omega's back. "I've seen it in the mirror during my heats. I think . . . I think maybe part of it was my dad's warning, but I've never been interested in betas and even the few alphas we met didn't turn me on like this. Is there something wrong with me?"

"No, not at all. Some omegas can be sexually aroused by a variety of partners as soon as they meet and scent them, but some have to form a strong emotional bond first. I believe that you are like that. I think that you never had sex because you were never this interested in any of your available partners. You reacted poorly to my attempt at an exam, so I would guess that you did not have access to appropriate toys during your heats. Have you ever stimulated yourself?"

Dean looked away, embarrassed, but Cas reached up and ran a comforting hand through his dark blond hair. "She's a healer, Dean; she only wants to help you. Be honest, okay?"

Dean nodded as he palmed his erection through the medical robe, willing it to fade. "I've never used any toys, but I did use a finger once or twice when my heat was really bad. Usually just jacking off was enough."

"Your next heat is going to be really hard on you if you haven't ever tried toys. Our alphas are much bigger than my little speculum and their knots could be very painful for you."

Dean shrunk back against Cas, feeling the size of the alpha's semi-hard erection under his ass and wondering how something like that was going to fit in him. "What am I going to do?"

Rowena took off her gloves and headed over to the bathroom to wash her hands, humming softly in thought. "Normally I would suggest that you get frisky with the betas since they are smaller and slimmer but will give you some idea of what you're in for. In your case, since you seem to be demisexual, I doubt you would be able to play around. You became aroused by Castiel, but I can assure you that his dick is not the first thing you want in your virgin ass, so we can look at some toys perhaps."

Dean glanced down toward Cas's lap and the heat still pressed against his ass in an almost reflexive response to the healer's words, looking up as the alpha chuckled. "Rowena attended one of my ruts when I was younger. Now I only partner male betas because most of the females here find me . . . how did you put it?"

"Uncomfortably large is the polite term," Rowena replied, packing up her medkit and her sample as she prepared to leave. "He is one of our largest alphas, and even an omega male would be hard-pressed to accommodate him. You can't wait much longer to start meeting the other guard alphas if you hope to bond with someone who can help you through your heat."

Dean looked up at Cas, fear in his green eyes. "Are you saying I can't ask Cas to help me?"

"I'm saying that young omegas rarely partner with a mate-worthy alpha until their fourth or fifth heats, and you have never partnered at all. It may not be safe for Castiel to assist you."

"Besides, the bond you have with me is just gratitude for saving you and your brother from the forest," Cas murmured. "I find your scent alluring and you are very attractive, but I don't know if I am the correct partner for you. Let me introduce you to some of the other unmated alphas and dominant betas in the hive. You don't have to mate your first heat, though you shouldn't wait too long, and I don't want you to pick me because I'm the only one you know. That isn't fair to you."

Dean swallowed and nodded, slowly relaxing against Cas's chest. The scent of their arousal was gone, but he couldn't help but wish that the alpha had gone further than kissing. What would it have felt like to have someone else's finger in his ass bringing him to orgasm, or someone else's hand wrapped around his slender omega erection? Closing his mind to such thoughts, Dean just let Cas hold him, absorbing the alpha's strength. "When?"

"Use the lotion for a few more days, then let Castiel escort you around the hive. By then, Gabe's mates should have accepted Sam so it would be safe for you to see your brother for a short time. I will give this lotion to Gabe and make a new batch for you from his altered scent in a week. I think that version will work better, then you will be integrated into the hive."

"Alright, thank you, Rowena."

"Of course, dear boy. Take care of the young queen, Castiel."

"I will."