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The celestial halls of Heaven stretched endlessly before them, filled with a golden light that shimmered through the pearly clouds.
For most angels, Heaven was a place of peace, but for Dean, it often felt like a battlefield. As an Omega, Dean should have been celebrated for his uniqueness—his defiance of the typical submissive, delicate Omega traits. Instead, the other angels ridiculed him for looking too much like an Alpha, for being too powerful, too strong, and yet still tethered to his Omega nature.
Dean carried his wings high and proud, broad and dark with flecks of golden light, reflecting the strength he possessed. But today, he walked with his head bowed, avoiding the stares and whispers of the other angels as he made his way through the halls of Heaven. Their cruel laughter echoed in his mind.
"He doesn’t even look like an Omega."
"Castiel is wasting his time with him.”
“He’ll never be enough for him.”
“He should have never been born an Omega.”
"What does Castiel see in him? He could have any Omega in Heaven."
"He doesn’t deserve an Archangel. It’s a disgrace."
Their words cut deep, piercing the armor Dean wore around his heart. No matter how strong he appeared on the outside, it was exhausting—constantly being reminded that he was seen as lesser, unworthy of someone like Castiel, the mighty Archangel Alpha who had chosen him as his mate.
But in all of Heaven’s vast expanse, there was one place Dean felt safe: in Castiel’s arms.
Dean’s heart raced as he neared the chamber they shared. The moment the doors closed behind him, he exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Castiel stood near the window, his wings slightly unfurled, the edges catching the soft glow of Heaven’s light. He turned as soon as Dean entered, his sharp blue eyes softening with concern.
“Dean, my love?” Castiel crossed the room in two strides, his large hands gently cupping Dean’s face. “You look exhausted. Has something happened?”
Dean tried to force a smile, but it faltered. “Nothing I can’t handle,” he mumbled, his voice betraying him.
Cas narrowed his eyes, his fingers trailing down to Dean’s hands, holding them tight. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”
Dean’s shoulders slumped, the weight of the day pressing down on him. He leaned into Castiel’s touch, letting out a shaky breath. “They won’t stop, Cas. The whispers. The looks. They say I don’t deserve you.”
Castiel’s expression hardened, a rare but terrifying sight. His wings flared slightly, and his presence filled the room with protective fury. “They are wrong,” he growled, his voice deep with anger. “You are perfect, sweetheart. You are more than deserving of me—of everything.”
Dean shook his head, tears threatening to spill over. “I don’t feel like it. I don’t know why you picked me when you could have any Omega in Heaven.”
Cas’s heart ached seeing his Omega, his strong, beautiful Dean, crumbling under the weight of cruel words. He pulled Dean closer, wrapping his wings around them both, creating a cocoon of warmth and safety.
“I chose you because you are everything I need." Cas whispered, his lips brushing against Dean’s temple. “You’re strong, courageous, and no one sees me the way you do. You make me whole, Dean. I don’t want anyone else.”
Dean buried his face in Cas’s chest, breathing in the familiar scent of his Alpha. “I love you, Cas."
“I love you too, my little angel." Castiel said firmly, pressing a kiss to the top of Dean’s head.
The night of the attack changed everything.
Dean had been on a routine mission to patrol the outskirts of Heaven’s borders. Castiel had insisted on going with him, but Dean, ever stubborn, had assured him he could handle it. “You know I’m not a fragile Omega, Cas.” Dean had teased, flashing that cocky grin that made Cas’s heart race.
But something had gone wrong.
Cas felt it the moment Dean crossed into a darker part of Heaven. A tug in their bond, a warning. Without hesitation, he spread his wings and flew, faster than he’d ever flown before, his heart pounding in his chest.
When he arrived, his worst fears were realized.
Dean was surrounded by a group of angels—ones Cas knew all too well. They were strong, powerful, and they were torturing his Omega. Dean was on his knees, his wings bloody and torn, his face bruised, his breaths ragged as they jeered at him, mocking him.
“You think you’re good enough for an Archangel?” Hannah, a vengeful angel, spat, landing a vicious kick to Dean’s side. Dean grunted in pain but didn’t cry out, his jaw clenched in defiance.
“Pathetic Omega,” Inias, another angel, snarled. “You should’ve stayed in the shadows where you belong.”
Rage, hot and consuming, surged through Castiel’s veins. His wings unfurled, casting a dark shadow over the attackers, and when he spoke, his voice was laced with divine fury.
“Enough!”
The angels froze, their eyes wide with fear as they turned to see Castiel, his grace burning around him, a fearsome display of Archangel power. They scattered like frightened birds, fleeing into the skies, but Castiel paid them no mind. His only concern was Dean.
He rushed to his mate’s side, kneeling beside him and gathering him into his arms. “Dean,” he breathed, his voice breaking as he took in the extent of Dean’s injuries. “I’m so sorry.”
Dean’s head lolled against Cas’s chest, his breaths shallow. “Cas… I’m sorry… I should’ve… let you come with me…”
“Shh, angel." Cas hushed him, his fingers brushing through Dean’s bloodied hair. “Don’t speak. I’ve got you now, Dean. I’m here.”
He pressed his forehead to Dean’s, his wings wrapping around them protectively. “I’m going to heal you,” Cas whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “But first, I need you to stay with me, my love."
Dean managed a weak smile, his hand trembling as it found Cas’s. “I’m not going anywhere, Cas. You’re stuck with me.”
Cas’s heart clenched, and he pressed a kiss to Dean’s forehead, his grace pouring into his Omega, mending the broken bones, the torn wings. He worked swiftly, but gently, his hands moving over Dean’s body, healing the wounds left by those who dared to harm him.
When it was over, Dean’s breathing evened out, his body slowly relaxing in Cas’s arms. But the emotional scars were still there—Cas could feel them in the tremor of Dean’s hands, the tension in his body. He lifted Dean into his arms and flew them back to their chambers, not caring if anyone saw. His only focus was Dean.
For days after the attack, Cas refused to leave Dean’s side. He became more protective than ever, his possessive Alpha instincts roaring to the surface. He would wrap his wings around Dean whenever they were together, creating a barrier between his Omega and the world.
Dean, though grateful for Cas’s protection, began to feel the weight of his own helplessness. He hated being seen as weak, as someone who needed constant care. But whenever he looked into Cas’s eyes, saw the worry and fear etched into his features, he couldn’t bring himself to push him away.
“Cas, I’m fine,” Dean would say, though his voice would falter as he caught sight of the way Cas’s hands shook whenever he touched him. “You don’t have to… do this all the time.”
“I do,” Cas replied one night, his voice low as they lay in bed, tangled together beneath the sheets. “I almost lost you, Dean. I can’t—” His voice cracked, and he pulled Dean closer, his wings wrapping around them like a shield. “I can’t go through that again.”
Dean sighed, his hand coming up to rest on Cas’s chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath his palm. “I’m not going anywhere, Cas,” he whispered. “I told you, you’re stuck with me.”
Cas’s eyes softened, and he pressed a kiss to Dean’s temple. “I know. I just… I need to protect you.”
“You do protect me,” Dean said, turning his head to capture Cas’s lips in a gentle kiss. “You always have.”
But the torment lingered in Dean’s mind. No matter how much Cas reassured him, how many times he whispered words of love and praise, there was a part of Dean that couldn’t shake the feeling of inadequacy. He was an Omega, but he didn’t fit the mold. He didn’t look like one, didn’t act like one, and it made him feel like he didn’t belong anywhere—not even at Cas’s side.
It was late one evening, after another long day spent in the safety of their chambers, that Dean finally broke down. Cas had been holding him close, whispering soothing words into his ear, but nothing seemed to ease the tension that had been building in Dean's chest for weeks.
"I don’t fit, Cas," Dean whispered, his voice cracking as the tears he had been holding back for so long finally spilled over. "I’m supposed to be your Omega, but I don’t look like one. I don’t act like one. Hell, sometimes I think I don’t even feel like one. I just… I don’t know who I am anymore."
Castiel’s heart shattered at the sound of Dean’s sobs. His strong, proud Dean was breaking before his eyes, and he felt powerless to stop it. Guilt, thick and suffocating, settled in Cas’s chest as he wrapped his wings more tightly around Dean, as if he could shield him from the pain with his own body.
“You are my Omega,” Castiel whispered fiercely, his voice trembling with emotion. “You are mine, and I love you for everything that you are. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, Dean. You belong to me, and I will always want you, exactly as you are.”
Dean trembled in his arms, his face buried in Castiel’s chest as his tears soaked through Cas’s shirt. “But they don’t see that,” Dean whispered. “They don’t see me. They just see someone who isn’t good enough.”
Cas pressed his lips to Dean’s forehead, his breath shaky as he fought to hold back his own tears. “Then they are fools, Dean. They do not know you like I do. They do not see your heart, your strength, your courage. You are so much more than what they say. And I will never let anyone hurt you again. I swear it.”
Dean looked up at Cas, his green eyes filled with doubt and pain. “How can you be so sure?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Cas cupped Dean’s face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears that still clung to Dean’s cheeks. “Because I see you, my love." he whispered, his voice soft but filled with conviction. “I see every part of you, and I love all of it. You are my mate, my Omega, and no one will ever take that from us.”
Dean closed his eyes, a soft sob escaping his lips as he leaned into Cas’s touch. “I don’t deserve you,” he whispered.
Cas’s heart ached at the brokenness in Dean’s voice. He pulled Dean closer, pressing their foreheads together, his wings curling around them in a protective cocoon. “You deserve everything, Dean,” Cas whispered. “You deserve the world, and I will spend every moment of my life proving that to you.”
The days that followed were quiet, but there was a tension in the air that neither Cas nor Dean could shake. Castiel’s protective instincts had grown stronger since the attack, and though he tried to give Dean space, he couldn’t help the constant need to be close to him, to keep him safe.
Dean, for his part, tried to act like everything was fine. He tried to push away the memories of the attack, the cruel words that had been hurled at him. But they lingered, like poison in his veins, slowly eating away at his self-worth.
One evening, as they lay in bed together, Dean turned to Cas, his voice soft and hesitant. “Do you ever think… maybe they’re right?” he asked, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Cas frowned, turning to look at Dean, his heart clenching at the insecurity in his Omega’s voice. “What do you mean?”
Dean swallowed hard, his fingers nervously twisting in the sheets. “Maybe I don’t deserve you,” he whispered. “I mean, look at me, Cas. I’m supposed to be an Omega, but I don’t even look the part. I’m nothing like the others.”
Cas’s breath caught in his throat, and he reached out, gently pulling Dean into his arms. “Dean,” he said softly, his voice filled with emotion, “You are everything I have ever wanted. You are strong, you are beautiful, and you are mine. I don’t care what anyone else says or thinks. You are my Omega, and I will love you until the end of time.”
Dean’s eyes filled with tears, and he buried his face in Cas’s chest, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. “I don’t know if I can keep doing this, Cas,” he whispered. “I don’t know if I can keep pretending that I’m okay when I’m not.”
Cas’s heart broke at the pain in Dean’s voice. He tightened his hold on his mate, his wings wrapping around them both, shielding Dean from the world. “You don’t have to pretend, my love.” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “Not with me. You can fall apart, and I will always be here to pick up the pieces.”
Dean nodded against his chest, his sobs slowly quieting as he clung to Cas, the steady rhythm of his Alpha’s heartbeat soothing him. “I love you,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion.
Cas pressed a soft kiss to the top of Dean’s head, his own tears slipping down his cheeks as he whispered, “I love you too, Dean."
Over the next few weeks, Castiel’s protectiveness became even more pronounced. He rarely let Dean out of his sight, always watching, always ready to intervene if anything—or anyone—threatened his mate. He could feel the emotional scars left by the attack, the way they lingered beneath the surface, and it fueled his possessiveness.
The angels who had hurt Dean had been punished—severely—but it did little to ease the fury that still burned in Castiel’s chest. He had been too late to save Dean from the initial harm, and the guilt of that failure gnawed at him constantly.
Dean, sensing Cas’s inner turmoil, tried to reassure him. He reminded him, again and again, that he was healing, that he was safe now. But Cas wasn’t satisfied with that. He wouldn’t be satisfied until Dean felt completely secure, until his Omega felt truly loved and protected.
One night, after a particularly long and difficult day, Dean curled up in bed beside Cas, his head resting on his Alpha’s chest. “Cas, Alpha?” he whispered, his voice soft in the darkness.
“Yes, my love?” Cas responded, his fingers gently tracing patterns on Dean’s arm.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” Dean said, his voice filled with guilt.
Cas frowned, his hand stilling. “Dean, you have nothing to apologize for,” he said firmly. “You were the one who was hurt. I should have been there sooner.”
Dean shook his head, his fingers lightly brushing over Cas’s chest. “You’ve done so much for me, Cas. I don’t want you to think you failed.”
Cas sighed, his heart heavy with emotion. “Dean, I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I don’t care about appearances or titles or anything like that. You are my mate, my Omega. And I will protect you with everything I have.”
Dean looked up at him, his eyes filled with love and gratitude. “I know, Cas,” he whispered. “And I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Cas’s heart swelled with love, and he leaned down to press a tender kiss to Dean’s lips. “You’ll never have to find out,” he whispered against Dean’s mouth. “I’m never letting you go.”
Dean smiled, his heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks. “Good,” he whispered back. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”
They lay together in the quiet of the night, wrapped in each other’s arms, their bond stronger than ever.
Because Cas wasn’t just his Alpha—he was his home. And with Cas, Dean knew he would always be safe, always be loved.