fromfryingpantofire | Now I'm strong and I won't kneel/Except to thank who's watching over me

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castiel,
rp

Now I'm strong and I won't kneel/Except to thank who's watching over me

It had been a very long day so far. For Sam, that day mostly meant waiting, fidgeting with the present in his hands.

More than a few of the others had watched him as they waited, wondering what he was doing here and, more than once, Sam had found himself wondering the same. The Novaks were a family with a lot of wealth and a lot of connections, political and otherwise. He'd done his research. The family was full of Alphas and Betas, insinuated into massive companies and running more than a few of their own. They were old money and old power and most of those who had come to court were the same.

Not Sam. Certainly, the Winchesters were an old family, but they weren't wealthy by a long shot. They were involved in law enforcement, which wasn't exactly a rich occupation to begin with. Sam was going to law school, but his interest wasn't in making money but in helping people and putting away those who abused their positions and their power. But, long ago, John Winchester had made a promise to the Novak family because Mary Campbell had mated him rather than Michael Novak. That one of his children would be offered as a mate to the Novaks should there be a compatible one. It had been a sop, meant to quiet tensions between the families but nobody had thought much of it. Dean had been a Beta and Sam had been an Alpha and that seemed that.

Until the Novaks threw an Omega. Not unheard of, but rare. And, suddenly, Sam seemed to be the one Winchester with a chance, small enough though it might be.

He started when he heard his name called, pulling himself to his full height with the present clutched in his hands. He followed Zachariah Novak trying to ignore the feeling of unworthiness. He was an Alpha from a good line. There was no reason, other than money, to think he didn't have a chance here.

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"My brother's a Beta and used to dealing with Omegas who may be having difficulties. He'll make certain Castiel gets back to his room safely." Sam shifts his stance slightly, the protective instincts that Castiel's whine had brought up in him manifesting. "He's only doing what's in Castiel's best interests."

Since it seemed like Sam and Dean were the only ones in the house that had his best interests in mind.

"Oh, I'm sure."

The other alphas and their plus ones are slowly coming closer, drawn by the heated argument clearly unfolding. Zachariah is trying to gain back ground. Samandriel exchanges a worried glance with his sister, who hurries outside to help Dean with Castiel. Neither of them misses the fact that Zachariah doesn't bother checking on Castiel or asking how he is.

"Except I think you're trying to enforce your best interests, Mr Winchester. Leave the premises, at once."

"Not until my brother comes back." Sam doesn't cross his arms, but it's a near enough thing. "Out of curiosity, Mr. Novak. Did you realize how close Castiel had to be to starting his heat?"

There's no way for Zachariah to come out of the question looking good. Either he didn't realize, which means that Castiel's heats may not be regular. Something that could be difficult when it comes to the contract. Or he did know and purposefully put him into a room of posturing Alphas, where he could have gone into heat at any time. Something that could have caused a massive fight had it actually happened in the room and not slightly sequestered.

The other alphas murmur among themselves, intrigued by the situations. The scent of an omega in heat clinging to Sam is enough to get them on edge - it's unthinkable what could have happened in here, fuelled by posturing alpha scent and omega in heat scent. Zachariah looks pissed, but maintains his cool.

"I will not engage in a discussion with a man who was alone with my vulnerable nephew. You will wait in the entrance hall, where the security personnel will show you and your brother out. Good day, Mr Winchester."

And then, as if on cue, somewhere far away Castiel screams in pain, the sound of agony echoing down the hallways of the elaborate mansion, and the air is suddenly thick with alpha scents - anger, protectiveness, even arousal in a few worrisome cases. And it's becoming obvious that whatever preparations Zachariah has made to marry off his nephew - he took none to ensure his nephews comfort and wellbeing.

There's a reason why Sam is so good at his job. It's not just the fact that he's a big guy, so he makes the Omegas that they find feel safer. It's also the fact that he long ago learned how to turn his scent to what he needs in that moment. It's not something that a lot of Alphas can do, after all, but it comes in handy with Omegas who have been in traumatic situations.

There's nothing that Sam can do to help Castiel in that moment. Nothing, at least, that wouldn't require him in the same room with Castiel, which is something he's trying to avoid. It's almost unconscious, the way that his own scent changes from simply protective to both protective and warning, something that makes the big Alpha seem even bigger than he already is.

"You don't actually give a shit, do you? I'm sure we all knew that Castiel was a commodity to you, but I don't think any of us quite realized just how much you don't actually care." Sam looked Zachariah right in the eyes, voice gone low and cool. "I will not move until my brother has returned. Because somebody here has to be on Castiel's side. So until I am assured that he is safe and able to ride out his heat without interference from outside influences? I will. Not. Move."

It was bad enough that Castiel would likely have to ride out his heat with no help at all, because he didn't think Zachariah made any provisions other than having Alphas in the house. But he raises his head, looking over the other Alphas there, making it perfectly clear that he would fight any of them to keep Castiel safe.

For a moment, a certain kind of stillness hangs in the room, broken only by the distant screams and sobs echoing through the mansion. Finally, some of the alphas move. Samandriel and Meg flank Sam, and a few others at least cross their arms and glare at Zachariah. While they don't condemn the head of the Novak pack the way Sam, Meg and Samandriel are, they most certainly take offense at the poor treatment of their potential future spouse.

Zachariah snorts. "Well. Look who's feeling strong right now," he mutters, gaze showing exactly what he currently thinks of Sam Winchester. But there's nothing he can do, and he knows it.

It takes the better part of a very, very uncomfortable hour for Dean and Muriel to return. Cas is still very obviously in pain and distress, but the note of panic has left his voice. It's not long after they come that a dull noise of doors being shut cuts off Castiel's noises - much to Zachariah's visible relief.

Dean and Muriel reek of Omega, of slick, and yet Dean marches straight towards Zachariah.

"Nothing. Fucking, nothing in that room. No pills, no toys, he didn't even know how to make it a little less painful for himself. There is no reason or excuse to let the kid suffer like that, you doucheface, and if you think for just a second that I'll let you - SAM, let go of me, I'm gonna fucking..."

People always assume that Sam's the enforcer in the family. That because he's tall and muscular, because he's an Alpha in full control of himself, that he's the one to be careful of.

They're wrong, almost to a man. While Sam can certainly be dangerous and not above throwing a few punches of his own, he's the nice one. Nobody ever expects Dean to be the one to come after them with the fury of a thousand suns.

It has its uses. Today, though, Sam reins him in, pulling his brother back. "Is Castiel safe?" he asks, glancing to Meg and Samandriel. An unlikely trio, to be certain, and he's not entirely certain why Meg has sided with him, but it's just as well. They'd made a good enough front to keep any of the Alphas with the worrisome arousal at bay, at least. "I know you want to take it out of his hide and there's part of me that would love to allow that, but right now, is he safe?"

"Safe..."

Dean wants to wipe the floor with Zachariah, can still feel the blood rushing in his ears because seriously, screw the bastard.

"That son of a bitch didn't even put a lock on the kid's door. Probably wanted one of you guys to sneak off and stuff Castiel with a knot, enforce a match, reduce the dowry. You're sick, man. Just letting him suffer alone."

Muriel places a hand on Dean's arm and looks at Sam. "As safe as he can be, here. We need to get the alphas out, though. You can smell him on us, this won't be going smoothly for much longer if we stay."

Sam's still breathing through his mouth, though even that's starting to get overwhelming. Especially with Dean and Muriel so close. And Muriel may be an Omega, but the scent he WANTS is laid over top of hers and it nearly hurts.

He lets out a breath and nods to Muriel. "Dean, take Muriel back to her home, then go home yourself and shower. I'll either get a lift with somebody else here or call a cab." He couldn't be in the same car with Dean when he smelled so much like Castiel and Samandriel, while he'd probably be okay, probably shouldn't share a car with his sister smelling so much like Omega-in-heat. "I think we can safely say that this party is over for tonight, anyway, since the guest of honor is otherwise occupied." He leveled a look at Zachariah. "I'd suggest keeping all Alphas out of the house for the next day or so. You wouldn't want any accidents, would you?"

Of course he would, but it was polite. And Sam was doing his damnedest to stay polite.

Of course, the truth is that Zachariah would have very much liked for an accident to happen. Crowley would have been his first choice for that, but now that he's been called out by those meddling Winchesters, he has to preserve Castiel's virginity - anything else would now just ruin his pack's reputation.

They foiled his plans to avoid having Castiel make a choice, when he knows very well that the pup is hardly capable of making proper choices.

But for now, he can only smile thinly, eyes hard, and say: "Of course not. Let me have everyone's rides prepared. My apologies to everyone in attendance for this... inconvenience."

The inconvenience called Castiel.

They're barely outside the building when Meg falls behind to walk next to Sam, eyeing him. She's very clearly not too impressed by him, but reluctantly... "You know. He's still screaming. We could circle around and have you over the walls and in that bed in an hour, tops."

Sam has absolutely no issue with taking the blame for that. And would do it a hundred times over, even if only to see that little scowl on Zachariah's face when his plans are thwarted.

It's a little easier outside, where the breeze can blow the scent of Castiel on Dean and Muriel away from him. Sam takes a few deep breaths before Meg speaks. It brings a tension back to his shoulders that was only just abating. "I'm not going to take his choices away from him like that. Zachariah's already done quite enough of that for him, don't you think?"

He didn't know what Meg's play was when it came to backing him up in there, but he didn't think she was a bad sort. "There's nothing stopping you from doing the same thing, if you wanted." Nothing stopping any of them, really. Especially not Zachariah. Not for the right one of them, in his eyes. Which Sam definitely isn't.

"Oh, I'd gladly knot Clarence. He's sweet. Maybe a little too sweet for me. He'd wax poetry at me, I can't deal with that."

The truth is that Meg, upon meeting Castiel, had found herself not quite as unwilling to consider the match as she'd thought at first. Of course she's here on behalf of her family first and foremost, but... well, she's always considered herself something of a rebel. And Castiel would have done nicely, to be hers. But you'd have to be blind not to see that there's a much better match here for him.

Just one out of the whole bunch who's strong enough to handle the boy, without crushing that little spark of spirit that's so obvious in him.

Oh, she'd love to tumble with him. But she's not the alpha he'd really want, Meg's smart enough to know that. He'd be a good little omega for her, but she's still not the choice he'd make if he could. So why bother?

"Choice... you're a fool if you don't think Zachariah Novak won't be in there and try to get the boy to sign any contract whatsoever while still howling with pain. And we all know what choice the kid would make if he wasn't being pressured by his pack."

So maybe she's a romantic at heart and doesn't want to get in the way of two lovebirds. She'd still fuck Clarence if he spread his legs for her.

"I'd leave Dean there if I thought for a moment that Zachariah wouldn't make things even harder for Castiel if I did." Sam knows he can't stay there because his strength of will would break eventually and he'd knot Castiel. Maybe even give him the bonding bite, which would be difficult for them both.

He sighs, rubbing his face. "It's not that I don't want to. Every instinct I have is telling me to get in there and deal with his pain, make him mine. And...I don't know. Maybe I would be his choice, but until he can actually say it, I can't take that chance."

"Suit yourself, Prince Charming. Just don't be surprised if a week from now, the news are all over his upcoming wedding with Crowley."

If Winchester wants to be an idiot about it, he's welcome to it. Meg doesn't have too big a stake in this - she won't antagonize the Novaks openly, not yet anyway, but hey, no skin off her back. If poor Castiel sells himself off to the highest bidder for the sake of his pack, she'll find a way to sneak into his bed after all. Give him one hurrah before he's turned into a brood mother.

She's a good person like that, yeah.

Samandriel waits by his car for Sam. The driver already has the motor running, and the shorter Alpha gives a stiff, slightly nervous smile. He's unsettled by what happened inside, but glad to give Sam a ride - in the last hour, they've stopped being rivals for Castiel's affections, and allies in trying to help an omega in need. It's a rush to Samandriel, whose family is rich but unwilling to participate in the cut throat politics so many wealthy packs get into.

"Muriel and Dean are already on their way. Allow me to give you a ride? I'd have preferred to send my sister in our car, but your brother insisted... I know she's in good hands, of course. He's practically an alpha. Of... of the good, proper sort, I mean."

Like Sam, only without the knot. Protective, passionate, strong, but not brutal, not possessive in the feral sense.

"I think you may underestimate Castiel," is all he had to say to Meg at the end. Then he moved away to where Samadriel stood.

He smiles tiredly at the other Alpha. "Dean has more knot than a lot of Alphas I could name. But he's a good man." Not physically, of course, but Dean could go toe-to-toe with any Alpha and not back down. "Thank you for the offer. I'd have been happy to get a taxi, but...thank you." He nods to Samadriel. "Dean will make sure to put her right into the hands of your head of staff at home." Because it was the best way to make sure the girl stayed safe.

He climbs into the car, leaning against the other door with a sigh. "Well. That was an...interesting evening." His anger's left him drained for now. Which is probably good, because it keeps him from worrying too much just yet. He'll have enough of that over the next few days.

"Interesting is one way to put it."

Samandriel instructs the driver to go straight back to his pack's residence. Dean will drop Muriel off there, and Sam can join his brother again. By then, Samandriel hopes both Dean and Muriel will not have Castiel's heat-fuelled scent clinging to them anymore. He's a very mellow kind of alpha, but even he feels riled up by the scent.

"I hope he gets the chance to choose on his own. I know it's... unusual, but. Our kinds of families don't usually operate like that, but just... I... I wish more packs would think like yours, Sam Winchester."

Sam turns, watching the other Alpha. Neither one of them are anything close to the stereotypes, but he thinks that's okay. The stereotype isn't helping anybody, after all. "There are a lot of packs that think like mine," he replies softly. "But that's because we're not as concerned about bloodlines or money. Not every match is going to be a love match, though a lot of them are these days. But as long as you give a shit about all of the children, Alpha, Beta or Omega? It's a good start."

Which is the problem they're seeing with the Novaks. Zachariah obviously doesn't care about Castiel beyond what sort of funds or alliance he can secure for the family. It pisses Sam off like little else can.

Samandriel would love to meet someone, a beta or an omega, some day, have children, and care for them. He knows he doesn't have much to offer yet - he can provide financially, but he's not exactly a model alpha. Maybe... maybe he needs to look outside of the circles his kind of family usually marries into. Maybe he should be more open minded, too.

Maybe his parents won't be disappointed, but proud as long as he's happy and settles down with a good family.

"You've certainly opened my eyes tonight, Sam. Thank you for that. I hope Muriel will meet an alpha like you some day."

Sadly, simple biology limits her options. Alphas can be with omegas and betas... even alphas, though that is usually not a very good idea in terms of tempers. Omegas however need a knot, and the most loving beta willing to work with toys can't keep up with the physical demand of a heat. More often than not, those relationships break apart under the strain of biological demands. Betas are better equipped to handle ruts than heats. And Muriel deserves to be in the best of hands some day.

In fact, if Dean had a knot, Samandriel might have felt inspired to arrange the match. Hell, if Sam didn't seem as invested in Castiel and vice versa, he might even try to set them up. It's a shame no every alpha is as good as Sam - but it's good to hear that Sam is not the exception to the rule anymore.

And at least Samandriel's family, stiff as it might be, is not cold and distant or downright cruel as the Novak pack apparently is.

"I wish you the best of luck, Sam. I'm sure if Castiel is able to choose outside of his uncle's influence... the two of you would make a very good match."

"I hope she can find a good Alpha, too. She deserves a good match." He'd liked her the moment he met her, though not in that way.

He blinks, turning back to Samandriel. "As long as he makes a choice of his own volition, that will be good enough." As interested as he is in Castiel, he doesn't imagine for a moment that he'll be Castiel's choice. "He's a lot stronger than people have been giving him credit for."

Of course, the fact that Castiel didn't actually go into heat until they were near each other hasn't really hit him yet. He'd been around Alphas all night but it wasn't until he was with Sam that things hit. It could have been coincidence, but there might be more to it.

Samandriel lets it rest at this point, although he can't help the small smile that tugs at his lips. Sam Winchester... is much better than he gives himself credit for. Samandriel hopes that whatever happens a week from then on, will be good for Sam.

A week later, Dean is the one who brings in the mail. He doesn't have to - the pack is large enough for someone of a lower rank to do menial tasks like that. Except they don't run their pack like that, and if he's the one walking past the mail box but for some reason doesn't take the mail inside, Ellen will kick his ass, and with good reason.

They're a team, not a hierarchy, at least not in their regular day to day.

When he sees a letter with the Novak family crest friggin' imprinted on it, he stops in the hallways, just inside the door, and purses his lips for a moment.

Yeah, he remembers that catastrophe well, remembers holding a shaking, feverish omega in his arms and helping him get his fingers inside of himself properly to easy some of the pain of his first heat, and fighting the terrible anger that came with the realization that no one had bothered to teach the boy about what it means to be an omega. How to handle his own body, at least once he presented. Getting Castiel's slick all over his own hand hadn't had anything to do with sex - Dean isn't the greatest guy, he thinks, but he knows he's better than feeling aroused like some sicko at fingering an omega totally out of it with pain and hormones. He'd felt for the kid. Muriel cried when they realized his room didn't even have a lock, and Dean can't even say he blamed her, sweet girl that she is. Bit too sweet for Sammy, but at least not tied to a family with quite that big a bag of issues.

When he sees that family crest, Dean remembers the broken whisper of his brother's name that had kept falling from Castiel's lips as they helped ease his growing pain.

He never mentioned it to Sam, not on the drive home, not since. He knows Sam wouldn't admit it, but Dean thinks his brother has a soft spot for this omega in particular - no use getting his hopes up. The omega might be sweet on Sammy, too, but that doesn't mean that doucheface of an uncle he has won't disrespect the omega's choice. No point telling Sam the omega genuinely wants his knot and his everything, if it may still never come to pass, because those rich packs are just dicks on legs. Yes, even the females.

So when he sees the letter addressed to their head of pack, Dean scoffs, tries to remember that good things rarely happen, and calls out: "Hey, Sammy. Look what just came in the mail, I think the Novaks are gonna sue after all."

Well, he did accidentally knock over that ugly angel statuette. Accidentally.

Technically, Sam is the head of the pack by virtue of being the oldest Alpha in the Winchester family. Bobby is the oldest Alpha, but he's not technically part of the Winchester line.

In most packs, it would mean Sam would have his own office, where he would make the decisions that concern the pack.

Instead, Sam comes out of the kitchen, drying his hands. The dishes still need to be done, after all. "Fantastic. I told you to leave that angel statuette alone." Ugly as it was, it had probably been worth a hell of a lot of money. "Go ahead and open it, then."

"Good for you, then," Dean mocks. There is probably no other pack out there where the leading alpha is mocked and picked on like this.

Or where the leading alpha and his second in command are getting the mail and doing the dishes.

They got a pretty sweet deal going here. Dean would feel weird if they had manservants and shit like that. How does it help anyone if the pack leaders can't do anything without having their butts licked and wiped for them?

"As you wish. Think you can weasel us out of having to pay, like... a million bucks or something?"

And then he goes quiet in the middle of his next joke about the Novaks squeezing them dry. Just falls utterly silent before he calls for his brother: "Sammy! Come here right now."

There's no jest left in his voice.

"I'll do my best if we have to. But, you know, still not a lawyer."

Sam turns back to the kitchen, dropping the hand towel to the side when he hears his brother go silent, then calling for him. He finishes the full circle and crosses the room to his brother's side in only a few steps, long legs eating up the distance easily. "What? What's wrong?"

For once, Dean's face is serious as he reads off the cover letter, holding it in one hand, and the large stack of papers forming a contract in the other.

"Dear Mr Winchester. I hereby inform you that your courtship of House Novak's only unmated omega, Castiel James Novak, has been received positively. Attached you find the standard contract required to obtain a mate from our well-bred ranks for you to peruse. I expect it signed and delivered to my desk within 5 business days, otherwise we will have no choice but to consider your interest in a mating to have ceased. Along with the contract, you'll find the legal documents assuring the omega's purity and an unofficial overview of previous medical records, the full version of which you'll receive as per the contract when the marriage is documented on paper and consumed as per the agreements in sections 3 to 12. We will transfer the omega to your possession after receipt of the signed contract. Sincerely, Zachariah A. Novak."

Dean looks up from the paper, just looks into Sam's eyes for a moment, then raises an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to hug you and congratulate you for getting hitched, or buying a new car, to be honest. Shit, Sam. He chose you."

And then he beams.

"I KNEW it."

Sam blinks, then snatches the cover letter out of Dean's hand, reading it over for himself. "I've read more personal writs," he mutters, looking it over another time before he finally looks up at Dean. "Wait. Wait, what do you mean, you knew it?"

All while snagging the contract out of Dean's hands because, seriously, he was going to read the damned thing before he signed anything. He'd learned that much even before law school. That and never sign anything in blood.

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