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Winter came early, forcing Dean into his wolf form in October. His brother had changed for the first time two weeks ago, his younger wolf reacting to the cold quicker. Dean’s dad shuffled him out of the door as soon as the signs of him changing were obvious and let him ride it out in the shed that sat at the edge of their garden backing onto the woods.
Dean’s back cracked ominously and his vision shifted from colour to greyscale back to colour until it settled somewhere in between. He crumbled to the concrete floor as he heard his own bones reform, letting out yelps of pain that turn into howls as his body finally relented and finished its change.
He stood for a moment, on four paws, his sandy coloured fur ruffling lightly at the breeze coming through the door. Once the initial dizziness passed he made a break for it, dashing into the woods.
The first thing he did as soon as his paws hit the crunching, dead bracken was call out for his brother. He knew he kept close to the house, he had seen him lurking at the edge of the woods in the evenings.
There was a bark and Sam came bounding up to him, bashing him in the side and throwing Dean off his course. Dean stopped and nuzzled his brother in the side affectionately, making him yelp before sending him on his back and standing over him.
“You can’t beat me, Sam.”Dean teased over their link, placing a paw on his little brother’s chest and bending down to bite at the scruff of his neck.
“Shut… shut…” Sam tried. It sounded distant though, not strong like Dean’s link to Sam was. Dean let go before nudging him to try again. He hadn’t had the chance to learn how to properly communicate yet.
“Go on, try again.” Just push it towards me. Dean explained. Sam rolled over and stood on four feet again before planting his butt on the floor.
“Hello? Can you hear me now?” Sam said.
“That’s it, Sammy!” Dean cheered and hopped from his feet a little before walking off.
“Hey! Where are you going?” Sam asked, trotting up behind him and nipping at his ear to get him to stop again.
“To find the other wolves, idiot.” Dean told him simply, shaking off his brother and heading in the direction he knew they’d be in. Sam followed obediently, a little skip in his step. Sure he’d been in his form for nearly two weeks, but for a pup like him everything was exciting. There was still a chance that he’d change back to his human form if they got a spout of warm weather but they’d sort that out when it happened.
After a long while they got to a clearing and stopped, Dean heading over to a puddle of water and lapping some up; the fact that it tasted like dirt didn’t bother him. Dean looked up as Sam approached and saw the pup turn his nose up at the water. “That’s gross, Dean,” he commented. Dean just rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, well, we have to drink. You should too, just ‘cause we left a dog bowl of water and food out for you doesn’t mean to get the luxury life anymore, kid. I’m gonna teach you how to find water and hunt. And then I’m gonna challenge Castiel. That’s my plan this winter.” Dean said happily, sitting back on his haunches, head held high.
Sam’s tongue stopped inches from the water and he looked up, stepping forward into the puddle itself. “Are you out of your damn mind!?” Sam snapped.
“Get your feet out the drinking water, bitch. And no, I’m sound of mind, thank you very much.” He retorted, looking at the water in disgust, now it was gross.
“Dean, you can’t!”
“I sure can.” Dean snorted. He didn’t know what was up with his brother. Okay, perhaps Castiel was already an established Alpha, but Dean wanted that and had been training himself during the summer to be stronger, quicker and better. He just hoped it translated into his wolf form.
Sam whimpered but Dean just walked on, out of the general Winchester territory and towards the no man’s land between them and the Novak’s territory.
*
The Haven was the stretch of land between territories that no one occupied and allowed them to all get along with each other. As they approached, Dean could hear the sounds of pups yelping and play fighting and could see some of the wolves his own age sat around the edge watching their brothers and sisters. The older wolves wouldn’t be here until November or December.
Dean could see Castiel, though. The dark wolf sat under a big looming tree, one of the younger pups pouncing around him, trying to get the stoic wolf to join in their games. He wasn’t having any of it, though and pawed them off to his older – and more playful – brother Gabriel. He was only two years older than Dean and Dean guessed that the cold snap that morning got him to shift.
The brown -furred, golden-eyed wolf spotted them and leaped towards them. Sam stood shyly behind Dean as he greeted the other wolf, pressing against his side before launching on top of him. They rolled around for a while, the pups surrounding them and joining in. Sam joined in too, taking a bite at Dean’s ear and shoulder.
“It’s good to see you, Gabriel,” Dean said and pulled out of the play fighting to simply lie on the ground.
“Yeah, I shifted early this year, sometime early this morning. I didn’t even realise until father manhandled me out the house. I was expecting it to be later this year.” Gabriel explained. Dean huffed in response and moved himself to a spot on the floor where the sun was creating a patch of warmth on the ground. He lay back down in it and rolled over so his stomach was warming.
It was only then that he realised that he was supposed to be posturing towards Castiel, showing off his potential Alpha status, not submitting to the sun. Dean grunted and rolled back over and rested – shoulders high as he watched over the younger wolves quietly.
Gabriel sat himself down next to him, close enough to touch. It was friendly and comforting. Sam just lingered around. The fifteen-year-old wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do: join in with the other pups or hang around with his older brother.
“Sam, go play. I know you want to,” Dean instructed without turning his head to look at him. Sam snuffed and walked over gingerly towards the other pups that were around his age.
Dean thought for a moment before deciding that he should tell Gabriel about his plans for the winter. “I’m gonna challenge your brother.” He said pointedly.
Gabriel turned to him, eyes wide. “Are you out of your damn mind!?” He scoffed.
“What is it with everyone? My brother said the same thing.”
Gabriel sighed. “Perhaps it’s to do with the fact it’s Cassie. He’d have your neck before you even blink. You remember he actually killed Zachariah when he challenged him. He may be my younger brother, but he’s pretty reckless.”
Dean whined. He could do this. He didn’t need Gabriel for a pep talk. He just needed to go and do it. The sooner the better before he chickened out. Then he could teach Sam and some of the other pups to hunt after his win. He wasn’t going to kill Castiel. No, when Dean had first changed he’d helped him along and they’d been good friends.
Dean stood abruptly, shaking leaves and dirt from his fur before stalking towards the dark furred Alpha.
“Hello, Dean.” Castiel greeted, looking up at Dean with his blue eyes. Dean ignored his friendliness and a low growl emitted from his chest. Cas cocked his head and stood up when Dean raised his hackles. “Are you challenging me?” Cas growls, there’s uncertainty in his voice though and it almost throws Dean off.
Dean barks and steps towards Cas. This was going to be a fight.
Cas is quicker than Dean expected. Though Dean should have been expecting nothing but from him. Dean bit at Cas’ cheek when he got the chance and Cas growled back, clawing at his chest. It hurt, but Dean didn’t let it distract him as he tried to knock the other wolf over.
He wasn’t paying attention to the other wolves and pups that surround them as they fight. Biting and clawing at each other. There was a newly formed gash on Dean’s flank and Cas had a bleeding bite mark on his shoulder.
Neither of them wanted to back down, not yet. The fight got more intense and bloodier as they roll around. Gabriel desperately wanted to dive in, split them up before someone got killed, but instead he made sure that Dean’s little brother stayed well away.
Dean yelped as Castiel snapped hard at his neck and Dean found himself on the floor, pain blooming from the side of his neck. He whimpered and lay still on his back, paws up and belly showing. Granted, it was unexpected, but there was something about the black wolf looming over him, even though they were the same size. The intense, overly human blue eyes stared down at him and silent messages were sent between them: submit, I don’t want to hurt you, I’m sorry, Dean.
He didn’t want to submit. He came here to be Alpha. Not to submit to one, but looking at those eyes, seeing Castiel’s posture, it was all he wanted to do.
Semi-reluctantly, Dean bared his neck to the Alpha and Castiel nosed as his neck for a moment before nipping it gently, accepting his submission. He bit Dean’s muzzle too, another show of dominance and for a moment Dean thought he couldn’t breathe, but he could, he just needed to relax.
“You’re an idiot, Dean.” Castiel huffed eventually, shoving at Dean’s side with his head. Dean whimpered as the other wolf jostled a bite mark, but stifled it quickly.
“‘m sorry, Cas.” Dean told him and bent down in front of him. When Cas ignored him, he sidled up to him and rested his neck atop Cas’. “C’mon, Cas.”
“Dean, don’t. Please. What will our fathers think?” He said, backing away.
Cas realised now that maybe Dean wasn’t going after dominance, even if Dean thought he was. Perhaps he’d been going for submission to him all along and he’d just ignored it. Cas blinked slowly.
Dean’s fur looked a muted blond with his wolf vision, but he knew that as a human it was golden blond and that his eyes were bright green. He knew that he loved him. Knew that since the first year they were both wolves together and Cas spent his second year being a wolf teaching Dean how to hunt. He remembered watching as Dean came back with his first rabbit, grinning with blood around his mouth.
“I don’t care, Cas.” Dean sat in front of him, waiting for something from the Alpha.
“Will you submit to me willingly? I don’t want your dad thinking I forced you into this.” Cas wondered, standing up and resting his head over Dean’s shoulder and licking at the fur. It tickled him.
“Of course.” Dean replied, he turned around and licked at Cas’ mouth.
Cas shook him off, snuffing. “Why did you even challenge me? Why didn’t you just talk to me?”
“I thought I wanted to be Alpha…” Dean said quietly. He was glad that these links were private, the last thing he wanted was his secrets spilled to everyone. Cas laughed, it was an odd sound to come from Cas, but it made Dean happy and he rolled over once more, showing his belly to Cas and baring his neck invitingly. “Come on, Cas!”
“You’re bossy, Dean!” Cas jeered playfully, bouncing on his front paws near Dean’s head. He stopped teasing eventually and made a prominent display of Alpha towards Dean, wrapping his jaw around Dean’s muzzle before letting go and resuming the playful nature that had been buried deep since he became the Alpha. Dean grinned and launched himself at Cas, topping them both over.
They played for hours, letting the pups and younger wolves join in and had all the fun they could have without the older wolves watching over them. Dean began teaching Sam how to hunt, which was successful if you counted catching a moth as a meal.
For the rest of the winter, Dean was side by side with Cas, barely leaving each other. Cas’ father arrived in November and questioned the status between them as he’d sensed a difference. They didn’t seem to mind and let the two young wolves have their thing between them.
It didn’t stop though. Summer arrived and they changed back into their human forms one by one, Dean just a week ahead of Cas. He waited for him every day, by the Novak’s shed.
It was different kissing in human form. Wolves didn’t really kiss, just licked and nipped at each other. Both their hands were wrapped firmly within each other’s grips as they kissed, desperation turning into passion and gentleness.