Chapter Text
Castiel waits a few days, then a week, going about his normal routine. Regrettably, Dean doesn’t call or text him back.
Even more regrettably, his coven assign themselves to the case.
He’s heard more about Jim Myer’s pack this week than he has in the last decade. He wouldn’t be surprised if Hannah has been compiling a dossier of everyone within a ten foot radius of a certain Dean Winchester. It almost makes him regret giving his number to Dean in front of everyone.
Almost.
The blackout curtains on the window of his office edge gold – the sun is coming up in a cloudless sky today. It’s a Saturday, and everyone should be settling down for a day to sleep and rest in the dark, which makes the commotion downstairs all the more jarring.
Castiel frowns in the direction of the door at the noise, but doesn’t get up from his chair. It’s nothing identifiable, just the sound of the front door opening and closing, the rustle of clothes being hung up and the stamp of feet on the hardwood. Vampires, then, but friendly enough to make enough noise to alert him to their presence. He runs through the list of names in his head but comes up blank to who would be here at this hour, until a voice carries up the stairs.
“Cassie, you sly fox! I didn’t know you liked dogs!”
Castiel closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Go away.” He says it loud enough to carry, but the two are already climbing the creaky stairs.
“You wound me, Castiel! It’s light outside now - we’d fry to a bloody crisp.”
They’d planned their arrival well. He mutters a few choice curses under his breath. “Where’s Hannah?”
“She’s hiding. She’s not stupid.” Balthazar opens the door to his room and waltzes in like he owns the place, coming around the desk. Meg stays in the doorway and leans against the frame.
“Not you too, Meg.” Castiel says, despairing. She only shrugs as Balthazar sits across his lap and pats his cheek. A beat later, Castiel dumps him off.
Balthazar lets out an indignant sound as he hits the floor, but rises easily and clutches at his chest. “Meg, help me out here!”
“Looks like that lap is reserved for dogs only, Balthazar.” Meg drawls from the doorway. At Castiel’s growing scowl, she relents just a bit. “Sue us, we got curious. Been a while since you’ve shown interest in someone.” The sardonic tilt at one corner of her mouth speaks volumes.
“And you both left your positions to come back here because of it. To meddle.”
“To meet the man who caught your eye! We know how you feel about forcing you to do anything against your will.” At Castiel’s raised eyebrow, Balthazar tacks on, “And of course the Elders back in Europe won’t even notice I was gone! You know those bastards take a week to blink.”
Meg comes forward now and slides her hand over the edge of the desk, almost absentmindedly. “Yes, I’m sure they’re used to your absences by now.”
Balthazar laughs. “You, darling, are not wrong.”
“And you, Meg?”
Meg looks up at that, meets his gaze. Direct as always. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about back East.” A predatory smile spreads across her face. “I hope they misbehave in my absence; I really do.” Meg has never left the place she’d been turned. She’s kept tabs on the East Coast for him ever since Castiel had moved to the Pacific Northwest, and still acts as an enforcer to kill or deter nonhumans who misbehave.
Balthazar gives a theatrical shiver. “Anyways,” he says, sitting on the edge of the desk now, leaning forward like he’s imparting a secret, “a little birdie told us she’s been doing some interspecies talking of her own.” Dread starts to build up his spine. “Apparently, since you showed a bit of leeway to two werewolves breaking some customs at the last meeting, Speaker Myers wants to make it up to you-“
Groaning, Castiel drops his head in his hands.
“and he’s inviting you to the next full moon gathering!” Balthazar claps his hands together. “You’ll have to go to avoid slighting another Speaker, unfortunately. And great news! It’s less than a week away, so you’ll have us there!”
“That’s terrible news.” Castiel mutters.
“I’ve heard this Dean is gorgeous,” Meg says, smiling with all her teeth. “Can’t wait to meet him.”
They arrive to the full moon gathering as soon as the sun goes down under the horizon. The underside of the sky's partial cloud cover stains pink and red, and there’s a slight breeze winding through the pines that stretch overhead. When Castiel steps out of the car, he has to take an appreciative breath of air – briny and cool from blowing in from the bay. Hannah, Meg, and Balthazar get out of the car behind him as well.
There’s a large ranch style house in the middle of this clearing, with cars parked haphazardly in the grass in front of the entrance. Castiel can already hear the din of conversation, tinny music from a speaker, and the sound of a child shrieking with laughter somewhere in the woods behind the house.
A man in a denim jacket and an easygoing, if goofy, smile approaches them. “Speaker Novak, you made it! Welcome!” He shakes their hands, getting everyone to introduce themselves. “I’m Garth. Nice to meet you all. Follow me!” He starts walking back in the direction of the house, providing commentary as he goes. “Let’s see - Jim’s inside the house- I’ll take you to him first - then there’s some tables set outside with food and drinks behind the house, but, uh-“
“That’s alright, we ate before we came.” Castiel interjects, and Garth nods.
“-Cool, cool. Then, further back in the trees there’s a big bonfire going – that’s where most of the pack will be hanging out until later.” He opens the front door and motions everyone in. “Oh, we also have a trail to the beach back there, but it’s a bit steep, so watch out for that.”
The inside of the ranch house is all earth tones and rustic themed. Meg draws in a breath behind him, the smell of the home of other predators overpowering at first. Jim appears in the doorway to what looks to be the living room, and comes forward to greet them.
Castiel shakes his hand, does the second round of introductions.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to talk with you, Speaker Novak.” Jim says, wrinkles deepening at the corners of his eyes as he smiles. Myers is a relatively recent addition to the Northwest, after a brutal pack schism in Wisconsin saw the survivors fleeing to a new state. They’d had to get help from the native packs on the coast, but now they had a quaint property and permission to hunt nearby. Bringing a new line of natural born wolves to the area had helped them get preferential treatment.
Castiel inclines his head. “It has been indeed. I hope the Northwest has been treating your pack well.”
“I miss thunderstorms, but the temperate weather is good for my old bones.” Myers says. “I hear your coven has been doing well.”
“Have you?” Castiel asks.
Jim gives a quick grin that takes a decade off of his appearance. “I wanted to thank you for looking out for my charges. Friendly relations between our groups is something I’m still getting used to. Please tell me if I overstep.”
“Of course. Thank you.” Hannah stays still and unrepentant behind him. It does not escape his notice that Jim has kept quiet about the fact the two brothers are natural born werewolves, so Castiel does not mention it. The back door opens, bringing in the sound of a few voices laughing as someone walks into the house. Glasses clink together.
“Well, shall we?” Jim gestures to the back of the house.
“Yes, please.” Balthazar mumbles, finally breaking rank.
Jim leads them out of the back door, into the gathering twilight. Garth and a blonde-haired woman turn to look, their pupils reflecting yellow from the porch light.
“Garth, Bess, can you introduce them to the pack?”
“Of course, Dad.” Bess says, and leads them towards the growing noise of conversation.
Meg grabs Castiel’s wrist and drags him forward when he very obviously falls behind.
“Oh, before we get to the party,” Balthazar says, pitched low so it’s obviously only meant for their group. Bess and Garth pretend not to listen. “I brought gifts to share!”
“Balthazar-“ Castiel warns.
“Ah, ah, ah, can’t make a scene in public. Here, Meg, Hannah- please relieve me of my contraband before Castiel takes it away.” There’s the clink of what can only be metal flasks filled up with Balthazar’s favorite vampire intoxicant.
“I knew I liked you for a reason.” Meg drawls. “Don’t worry, Clarence, there’s one for you too.”
“I’m the driver.” Hannah says, to the unspoken question.
Balthazar sighs. “You two are no fun.”
“Behave yourselves.” Castiel hisses, looking back at him, and Balthazar gives a little salute.
“Loud and clear. No sexy biting without consent!” When Castiel bristles further, Balthazar tacks on, “I jest! I promise we’ll behave. Won’t we Meg?”
“Don’t we always?” Meg says, grinning.
Castiel shakes his head but leaves it. This is a familiar dance – one that they all know their parts to. It is both the blessing and the curse of relationships that have lasted longer than a lifetime.
Bess and Garth lead them through the trees to another clearing, a large bonfire crackling in the middle. There are quite a few people standing or sitting around the fire, broken off into smaller groups. Glimpses of the ocean can be seen from between the trees, and there’s a dirt path that disappears into the foliage, tilting down to the beach.
It only takes a few long moments for everyone around the fire to turn and face the new arrivals, conversations trailing off into expectant silence. Castiel scans the faces lit up in the light of the bonfire. Dean and Sam are absent.
There are humans here, the scent hidden under the smell of werewolf and smoke. They have nothing to fear here – wolves don’t attack their own pack. It’s even beneficial to include different species and stressors in an environment such as this to train their wolf sides into a more social, less homicidal mindset. Which is why a few vampires sharing a bonfire with a pack for a night is not beyond the pale.
Garth claps his hands together, Bess by his side. “Alright, listen up everybody! I want to introduce our guests here – this is Castiel,” Castiel gives a little aborted wave at his name, “Meg, Balthazar, and Hannah, so make sure to come over to say hi before we go furry.”
“Why’s he always gotta say it like that?” someone mumbles despairingly from across the bonfire, and the attention falls off of them as several people laugh. Conversations restart, and Bess pulls Hannah to the side.
“If you’ll excuse me-“ Balthazar says, and wanders off to another group still looking their way, intent on mingling.
Castiel looks to Meg, panicked. She pats him on the shoulder patronizingly. “Poor thing. Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you with your underdeveloped social skills. That would be a travesty.”
True to her word, Meg stays by him and draws him into a conversation explaining the intricacies of blood donations for different species. “-No, they do the same for very rare human blood types that develop an antibody to normal types as well-“ Castiel says, then gets distracted by a new sound.
From down by the beach, there’s a commotion that can be heard from up where they are. A shout, and the thud of feet running up the trail. A large man bursts into view, scrambling up the trail, laughing. It’s Sam Winchester.
He scans the area and does a double-take when he sees Castiel, immediately recognizing him. It’s only second before another shout spurs Sam into motion again, and he comes running around the bonfire towards Castiel.
Dean stumbles into view. “Get back here-“ he says, hot on Sam’s heels.
Frozen, Castiel can only stand still as Sam ducks behind him, putting a shield between him and Dean. Dean is so laser-focused on Sam, he ignores Castiel completely, trying to maneuver around him to get to Sam. He’s growling a little in his throat.
“No- Dean,” Sam is still laughing between breaths from behind Castiel, “stop- what are you doing-“
“Your freaky long legs can’t save you now, you little shit-“ Dean tries to lunge past Castiel, and this time Sam is brave enough to grab Castiel by the back of the shoulders to physically push him in Dean’s way.
“Hey, stop that-“ Dean growls, and finally turns his eyes to Castiel. There’s a long drawn out moment when Dean recognizes him and stops dead in his tracks. “Uh-“
“Oh my God, Dean.” Sam wheezes, and Dean takes a hurried step back out of Castiel’s personal space.
“My bad-“ Dean starts, “totally didn’t see you there.” His eyes flick over Castiel’s shoulder. There’s a guarded expression on Dean’s face now, one that wasn’t there before he’d realized Castiel was here. With a sinking feeling growing in his chest, Castiel nods a greeting. “Hello, Dean. Sam.”
Sam comes out from behind him to stand next to Dean, though still safely out of arm’s reach, facing Castiel. He’s smiling. “Glad you could make it! I’m excited to run with you guys tonight. It’s been a while since I’ve seen vampires in action.”
“Then you are in for a treat, my handsome friends,” Balthazar says, sidling up to Castiel’s side before Castiel can ask about that last sentence. Meg, who'd slipped away when Sam had barreled his way up to them, is right behind Balthazar.
Castiel sighs. “Dean, Sam, this is Balthazar and Meg. Balthazar, Meg,” he gestures forward, “Dean and Sam.”
“Pleasure to meet you both,” Balthazar greets, shaking their hands. “So glad you got Cassie over here out of the house.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve all stretched our legs like this.” Meg adds. “There’s-“
An eerie howl goes up from somewhere in the pines, interrupting them. A few people around the bonfire add their own voices by the end, whooping.
“C’mon, everyone!” Bess calls, and most of the people around the bonfire start to head into the trees. “Make sure the rest of you stay by the fire until we get settled!”
“Oh, uh, time to go,” Sam says. “I guess I'll see you guys in a bit, then.” He throws a quick look towards Dean and walks towards the tree line.
Dean just nods, hands in his pockets, and steps away to follow Sam with only a muttered, “See ya.”
“Hm.” Meg hums, after a long moment.
They watch as Sam stops for a minute to sign something at a short brunette woman, and she nods once before he bends down to kiss her on the cheek. He disappears into the dark woods, followed closely by Dean, and the woman raises the beer bottle in her hand in acknowledgement when she notices Castiel watching them. He nods back.
She’s human, but her resting stance is familiar.
“Hunter.” Meg says from behind him, and Castiel agrees.
“Interesting.” Balthazar murmurs.
Hannah gets up from the fallen log she’d been sitting on, moves over to them. “That’s Eileen. She’s here with Sam.”
“Yes, we did see that part.” Balthazar replies sarcastically. Both he and Meg start shrugging out of their jackets and removing their shoes, and after a minute Castiel sighs and takes off his own trench coat and rolls up his sleeves.
“I hope you know I’m staying by the fire.” Hannah says, and goes over to talk to Eileen.
Balthazar and Meg toast one another, clinking the metal flasks together before taking a big swig. Balthazar coughs a little and pounds his chest. “Ugh, that’s strong.” The sharp smell of the potent herb mixture makes Castiel wrinkle his nose, and he shakes his head again when they offer.
It only takes a few more minutes before reflective yellow eyes flash in the darkness surrounding the bonfire. There are excited yips and growls as the werewolves prowl along the edge of the light from the fire with their distinctive loping gait.
Even expecting it, the sight of a whole pack surrounding them makes Castiel hyper-aware, senses sharpening in warning. That is, until the first werewolf to approach does so by coming in too fast on all fours and over-corrects, sprawling face first in the dirt.
“For God’s sake, Garth,” someone mutters from other side of the bonfire.
He’s more sinewy than the others, more humanoid than wolf-like. It’s a good sign he’s a turned were-wolf, for how uncoordinated he acts in this form. Or, it could just be him.
Other werewolves come forward, more graceful than Garth, to scent the humans around the bonfire and circle the vampires. Their fur is sleek and proportions balanced, ears perked forward – it’s a good sign that their pack is taking care of itself. Across the fire, Eileen has her hands in the scruff of one of the largest werewolves Castiel has ever seen.
Balthazar whistles low.
There’s another werewolf, a bit smaller than the giant Sam is, that Castiel notices has the same dark brown markings. He stays close to the tree line, never venturing near, and their eyes meet.
It’s Dean. Castiel can tell immediately.
A suspicion lodges in his mind when Dean looks away first, disappearing into the pines again.
There’s a deep barking cough from somewhere in the woods, and all of the werewolves swivel their ears and listen before loping back into the darkness. One white-colored female looks back at the vampires and tilts her head for a long moment before bounding away.
“I think that’s our cue, boys.” Meg says.
Balthazar and Meg go on ahead, disappearing into the darkness where the light from the bonfire doesn’t reach. Castiel follows, letting his eyes adjust as the other two run ahead. It’s much cooler away from the fire, and Castiel takes off his shoes and socks, places his bare feet onto cold earth. A chorus of howls rises from deeper in the trees.
He smiles, fangs sharp against his lips.