Chapter Text
The light from the hall spills into the dark nursery. Castiel sits in a rocking chair watching his daughter sleep. Her sweet little thumb curling into her tiny mouth as a soft snore surrounds the room. Claire is a constant living reminder of the life he should have had before it all fell to nothing. It’s been just over six months since Amelia passed, bringing his dear princess into the world.
Castiel’s eyes roll over to the bay windows that engulf the far wall. He can just make out the shadows of live oaks that flank the main drive up to the property. The nightly image framed by sheer pink curtains tied back with little white bows. Amelia painstakingly chose every piece in their daughter’s bedroom, from the crème carpet to the pale pink walls accenting the sleeping beauty mural which she painted herself. It took them years to conceive Claire. Unfortunately, even with hormone therapy its extremely difficult for betas to bear children, but it was the one thing that Amelia wanted in life. Every time a treatment failed, she would smile patting his hand, “Next time Castiel, I can feel it.”
Five years ago when Castiel was given the VP of research and development for his family’s medical company, he immediately dove into the science of beta fertility. Halo Health Incorporated has been a household name for decades. The company has its hand in everything and anything medically related, from their own hospitals to research facilities all over the country. However, with all that at his fingers, Castiel could not save his mate from dying.
Suddenly there is a light buzzing from his back pocket. Castiel rushes from the room, closing the door behind him before answering his phone. “Anna, it's late can I call you back tomorrow?”
“No. I’m standing at your front door; come let me in. And it's 8:30pm, that is not late for a grown man.”
Castiel hits end as he drags his feet towards the front door. He lives just outside of Savannah, Ga in a fully restored and renovated plantation house with three floors and over 4000 square feet. At the time he purchased the home, he had just mated with Amelia and they were naïve with their plans to fill the proper southern house with half a dozen pups. Instead, he threw himself into his work and she decorated every inch of the house with impeccable taste. Turning it from an old plantation home to a modern house where every room has its own color theme leading to the main foyer which is a simple black and white checkered marble floor with a matching black and white chandelier. As he descends the sprawling main staircase, Castiel checks the baby monitor attached to his white dress shirt pocket making sure it’s at full volume.
Once he opens the door for his older sister Anna, she breezes past him, headed to the large state of the art kitchen with a blue and white sky theme. “I need you to pack for five days and meet me at the airport tomorrow morning at 9am sharp.”
The exhausted father leans over the large island in the center of the kitchen. “I just spent 9 hours at the office, and now you want me to leave for a business trip. Anna, I need to spend more time with Claire. I won’t have her raised by the beta nanny like we were.”
She doesn’t respond for several minutes while she prepares a sandwich. After taking a huge bite she responds, “This has nothing to do with work and everything to do with Claire. She’s going to come with us.”
Castiel cocks his head to one side, his eyes closing to slits curious about where this is all going. “Where are we going?”
Anna finishes chewing another bite, “Texas, but more importantly an Omega Academy just outside of Dallas.”
A deep sigh escapes his mouth as his head tosses from side to side, “No Anna. I am not going. It is too soon, and who says I want an Omega.”
“First of all, Castiel, Omega’s make the best caregivers for small children. If you take a new mate, then they can help you with Claire because I agree, beta nannies are not the way to go. Second, I think an Omega would also be good for Claire’s sad father. You don’t have to court an Omega like a beta or alpha. This would be the easiest solution for everyone.”
He rubs the late evening scruff on his chin, “Even if I felt that you have a point, it’s still too soon. Amelia has only been gone a short time.”
At this, Anna stops her assault on the sandwich, turning to face Castiel. She pivots his body so he’s staring into her eyes, and her hands are resting on his shoulders squeezing slightly. “Okay, it may be on the early side, but Omega’s only show in March. If you don’t go now, Claire will have to wait a year for a proper caregiver. I can’t help the timing of it, but we both know this is necessary.”
The father in him knows that an Omega mate would be an excellent choice for Claire. Omega’s who are not claimed in an arranged marriage or alternative situation are sent to an Academy in each state after their first heat, usually around 16. There the students are trained for two years before they are shown to the general public for the purpose of finding a mate. The Omega shows are always in March, so that they can settle into their new homes before their spring heat which usually hits around April or May. It’s seen as a kind of graduation, which is why it’s not done before their fall heat.
Those who are not claimed, or who are returned within the 31 day adjustment period, are kept at the Academy for another year. Usually after their 24th birthday, if they have not been found a permanent home, they start their education as teachers for the Academy. It’s a fairly self-sufficient system that has been around for the last 200 years, before then it was a much more animalistic and barbaric process of finding a mate.
Yet, the man dealing with the loss of his own mate can’t see past the idea that this diminishes his love for Amelia. She was a beta and his mother introduced her to Castiel. In fact, his mother encouraged the courting process and was a very active participant in creating their relationship. She died a year after their wedding, with a smile on her face, because all her alpha children were properly mated. “I still love Amelia.”
Anna actually rolls her eyes at his heartfelt comment, “Castiel let’s be honest here. You loved making mother happy. She told you that Amelia was the one, and you followed her orders blindly and without question.”
There is a chill to Castiel’s voice, “There is nothing wrong with pleasing one’s mother.”
“True, except when she makes a match that’s not exactly right.”
He steps back as shock courses through his veins, “Excuse me. I was very happy with Amelia. We had a lovely life together.”
Anna shuts her eyes, biting her lower lip. “What about sex?”
The stutter in his voice is full of surprise, “I am sorry that is none of your business.”
“Really? Because Gabriel and I are pretty sure that the happiness in your life did not include mind blowing sex. Were you content? Sure, but there are certain things that an omega can give you that Amelia never could, and its time we explored those options.”
At the mention of their older brother’s name, Castiel steels his assault on the idea. Gabriel is the only one he has ever dared to share personal things with, and clearly he has chosen to share them with their beta sister. There are six children in the Novak family. Michael is the oldest and an alpha. He is the current CEO of Halo Health and is twenty years older than Castiel. The second oldest is Lucifer, also an alpha. He is a bit of a wild card, and has chosen not to work in the family company. Gabriel is next and a beta with Hannah right behind him. Hannah is the only omega in their family. She was sent off to an arranged marriage with a certain Mr. Crowley after her first heat, and lives in England. Finally, there is Anna, the other beta who took another beta mate when she was 21, leaving Castiel, the baby of the family. “What does Gabriel have to do with this?”
“He has spent the last two months scouting out all the schools in the country, and he says Texas is the one for you.”
Castiel leaves the room with Anna hot on his heels. Once he enters the once drawing room now den, the overwhelmed man flops down on the couch with Anna towering over him. “How can he even do that? Beta’s aren’t allowed on school grounds.”
Anna squints her face clearly trying to pick her words carefully, “He may have found a few people willing to help him get entrance and view the merchandise.”
“Omega’s are not property, Anna. They are just as much a person as you or me.” Castiel lays his head back on the couch trying to comprehend the amount of money and time that his beta siblings have put into this endeavor.
“Whatever, yes Omega’s are people too. Please just pack and come with me. Think of it like a little vacation to spend more time with Claire.”
Claire. No matter how much he wants to deny it, this would be best for his beautiful daughter. She deserves the chance to bond with an omega caregiver before she is old enough to know anything else. He doubts the individual will ever be anything more for him than that, but his sister does bring up an excellent point. Also, if Gabriel chose the school, he knows one thing for sure. It will be an Academy for Omega boys.