hard as stone

Ori sat at the small circular table with the detective, in the back of the little cafe that had just been raided. The young girl was still shaken up, her whole body trembling and her gaze fixed permanently on the coffee she held tightly between her hands. She had arrived at the cute coffee shop believing she'd be meeting a boy closer around her age, that would even be attending her new school. Instead, Ori had been met with a balding man, with thick glasses who appeared to be in early forties. Luckily enough, the predator had been being tracked online for weeks and when he had set up a meeting, law enforcement had been all over it. And now Ori was sat in front of a tired looking detective, feeling as if she was getting a dad talk, rather than being questioned. It wouldn't surprise her if the alpha across the table believed it was some part her own fault.

Detective Marshall was a muscular man. He sat in the chair across the table from her, looking three times her size. The black long sleeve he wore flexed around his muscles, appearing that even with the slightest movement the fabric would rip. Even the bulletproof vest he wore seemed to be stretching across his broad chest. Dark curls were pushed away from his face, which was still twisted in anger. His lips were peeled back over his sharp teeth in a sneer, and Ori wondered who she was more scared of: the detective or the predator?

"I.. I was just trying to meet other people my age. I just moved here." Ori pulled her hands away from the warm paper cup and rather hid them under the table. She even tugged her sleeves down over her fingers and sat them under her thighs, anything to stop them from shaking. She could understand his frustrations, even if it did seem a bit much for a stranger. It brought tears to her eyes wondering what might've happened to her, had they not been tracking him. "I-I'm never going to meet someone off the internet again, ever, I promise." She glanced across the small cafe, out through the windows at the red and blue flashing lights that were dancing across the walls and tables. Ori watched them until they disappeared out of the parking lot. Thunderstorms were rolling in, hiding the sun and casting a dark shadow over the day. It oddly felt appropriate.

Turning her head back towards Marshall, she forced her eyes to look up into his. His scent was bitter from his anger, Ori couldn't dissect anything it was made up of and it was overwhelming enough she almost wanted to choke. All she could do was scent the air, hoping her citrusy, floral scent would help to relax him enough. It was all she was willing to give, otherwise she was trying to fight off the instinct to comfort him. "Can I g-go home now?"

Marshall was always on edge whenever they managed to track down a predator because as far as he was concerned, they were lower than the dirt on his shoe. He wouldn't have minded one bit if they were executed because once you committed a crime like that, there was no redeeming yourself as far as he was concerned. But what he hadn't been expecting was the swell of emotion that he felt when he stepped into the coffee shop and first smelled Ori's scent. He'd paused for a brief moment before refocusing on the job at hand because he needed to focus. Dealing with the man was top priority as far as he concerned but he was still on edge the entire time that he drove the man downtown.

He hadn't even realized that something was bothering him, that he was more on edge than normal. A capture always had everyone on the team on edge so it wasn't abnormal to be tense, at least until the suspect was captured. Except even after Marshall had put the man in his cell, he could feel the familiar edge of anxiety. Marshall ground his teeth together as he made his way toward the interrogation room with Ori, the would-be victim of the predator.

Lifting his hand, Marshall had to bite back a groan as he rubbed his face. He was exhausted and he wanted nothing more than to go home. It wasn't something that he advertised to anyone but he had a single blanket that he would nest with. It was nothing compared to what an omega would prepare but the blanket was something that he could find comfort in. Work as a detective could be daunting, even on the best of days. Marshall inhaled and his brows pulled together slightly when he caught another breath of her scent. There was something familiar to him that he couldn't quite place.

Marshall pushed his sleeves up his arms before he leaned forward, studying Ori for a moment. "You have to be vigilant when you speak to people online. They can be dangerous, as you had to learn first hand," he said with a sigh. He frowned as he tilted his head to the side. "You have a way home or do you need an escort?" He asked, his voice dropping a bit. "As soon as he's processed, I can go home. If you need, I can give you a ride home. It shouldn't be more than an hour, we're not too busy right now."

Ori looked down at her hands, accepting a ride from the detective in front of her certainly wasn't at the top of her list of things she wanted to do, but... If he was willing to just drop her off, without alerting her mother, that sounded a lot better than having to call her up and tell her the trouble she almost found herself in. If she could keep all of this from her mom, that'd be great. She knew she'd never hear the end of it. Her mother was already more protective than most, if she found out that she'd almost been kidnapped... Ori would never be allowed to leave the house again.

"Would you care?" Ori forced herself to accept his offer, deciding the awkward ride would be worth it. She almost felt bad for asking. Marshall looked like he was most likely coming off of the end of a very, very long and grueling shift and was wanting nothing more than to be home. Keeping him away from that almost seemed like a crime, and Ori even thought to walk, but she remembered the raging thunderstorm outside. The detective barely nodded his head as he stood up from the interrogation table. Ori hurried to her feet and followed him out of the holding room, and went to wait in the lobby for him to finish up.

A little longer than an hour had passed before one of the heavy metal doors leading back into the station was shoved open. Ori was exhausted, having been here for hours since they brought her in, she was almost asleep. Her head shot up and she looked towards the back of the lobby, relieved to see Marshall. She'd be home soon.

It wasn't long before she was situated in the passenger seat of his truck, feeling more and more uncomfortable the longer they were alone together. She wasn't sure why she felt so nervous around him, but her heart was beating fast in her chest and her hands were clammy. Ori tried to focus her attention out of the window, after giving him her address, admiring the gray, hazy sky as rain still beat down.

@ castle.

Marshall only shrugged his shoulders when Ori asked if he would care. He didn't one way or another because he had already offered. He wouldn't have done it if he had minded in the first place. "Not at all. If I'm offering, then I'll do it. So long as you don't mind hanging around until I can leave," he added with a half-hearted shrug. He was on his feet a few moments later. Marshall gave Ori a stiff nod before he left the room, trying to ignore the pull he felt toward her. He couldn't place why he wanted to be close to Ori, why he felt such a need to make sure she was safe but he did.

Just as he had said, an hour later Marshall was dragging his feet out of the back of the police station. He spotted Ori almost immediately and he turned to make his way toward her. "C'mon," he muttered as he passed her, reaching up to rub the sleep from his face as he led the way toward his truck. Marshall paused after pulling her door open, shoving it closed before he headed around to the driver's seat.

Marshall had to bite back a sigh when Ori gave him her address. Clear across to the other side of the city from where he lived, it wouldn't be for nearly another forty minutes until he managed to get home. Depending on how he hit the traffic lights there and back. Marshall bit back a sigh as he glanced toward her, raising an eyebrow after a moment.

"I have tomorrow off, do you mind if we head to my place and I'll bring you all the way home tomorrow? I live just up the street and I have a spare room so you'll have all the privacy you need," Marshall added with a yawn as he twisted around to back out of the parking spot. Turning back in his seat, Marshall headed for the street.

The whole time Ori had been waiting on Marshall in the police station, she had been having a bad feeling about the whole situation. A little voice in her head was telling her she should just call a cab or walk home, anything to get out of there sooner, but she had just chalked it up to her nerves. That, or how she was aware her offender was sitting in in there somewhere in a holding cell. Marshall came off pretty intimidating, but there had been nothing concrete to give her reason to be fearful of him. So she had stayed and waited and now she wished she had listened to her instinct.

It almost wasn't even a shock when Marshall mentioned her just staying with him. The way he proposed the idea made it seem so nonchalant, but it still made her stomach turn. She had just barely escaped being the next missing kid photo on the back of a milk carton and now a new strange man was trying to take her home. It was hard for her to just relax and remind herself he was a police officer, she could trust him... Something just didn't feel right. How far was she willing to go to keep this whole a thing a secret?

"I-I don't know, I don't wanna be intruding and I don't feel very well, r-really just wanna go home... I can call a-", Ori tried every excuse but as she looked back up at Marshall, the look on his face didn't seem entertained in the slightest. "O-ok." Ori mumbled, pulling her phone out of her pocket and bringing up the text conversation with her mom. She sent her a quick text to let her know she was fine and decided to stay the night with the "friends" she had gone to meet.

@ castle.

Marshall raised his hand, waving off Ori's initial concern as if it was nothing. To him, it was nothing. There was some sort of pull he felt toward Ori but he brushed it off quite easily. Ori was just another would-be victim that he had saved, someone who could have ended up in a much worse situation than she currently found herself in. He just felt relieved that he had been able to help her. That was all this was, right? Marshall decided that had to be the only reason he wanted to continue to make sure she got home safely. What sort of detective would he be if he tried to shove her out of his truck simply because he didn't want to make sure she got home safely?

"S'okay. You won't be intruding. Just had a long day at work and I don't want to drive all the way back home after dropping you off. But I'll get you some of my comfy clothes so you can rest comfortably tonight. You're free to eat or watch television or whatever you want, okay? There's no tv in your guest room but the living room is free reign," he added with a halfhearted shrug. He gave her an easy smile as he glanced toward her. "It really is no problem at all. I promise, okay?" He offered in a low voice, t urning onto his street.

It was only a few minutes before he pulled into his apartment parking lot. Marshall climbed out of his truck before pausing at the front to wait for Ori. He led her inside, letting silence wash over them. He shoved open the door before stepping out of the way. Marshall motioned her inside before following her in.

Marshall didn't bother to say anything as he toed off his shoes before heading into his room to grab a pair of his sweats and an old tshirt to hold them out to Ori when he returned to stand in front of her. "Here you go. The bathroom is the last door on the right, down the hall," he muttered, glancing toward the kitchen as his face scrunched. "Are you hungry? I can toss something small together."

Ori slowly sat back against the seat, realizing there wasn't going to be any changing Marshall's mind. A typical alpha, his way was clearly the only way. Though she wondered why he had even offered if it was such an inconvenience to him. Did he do this often? Take home potential victims? Ori wanted so badly to continue protesting, to demand he just let her out, but she didn't want to cause herself anymore trouble than she already had. And she was sure she could trust him...

The idea of wrapping up in his clothes was enough to excite her inner omega, but she remained pretty quiet for the rest of the ride. His apartment was only minutes from the police station, and as Ori slid out of his truck, she started to feel more and more anxious. Following him to his apartment just seemed wrong, and when she was inside and the door shut behind her, she felt trapped. She stood like a statue in the middle of his living room after taking her shoes off, watching as he disappeared down the hall. There wasn't much, a black leather couch and a little coffee table and a tv. There were no pictures anywhere, and it all seemed pretty empty.

Ori pulled her attention back to Marshall when he returned and took the clothes he offered her. "N-No, I'm fine, thanks though." He had already admitted to being exhausted, and she didn't want to be here, let alone did she want to make him stay up longer and cook for her. She disappeared down the hall to the bathroom, and locked the door behind her. Dropping the clothes down on the counter, she realized how badly her hands were shaking. Stripping her clothes off, she picked up his sweats and pulled them on and then his shirt, instantly feeling drowned in his scent. It gave her cold chills, but she couldn't deny it felt nice. Folding up her old clothes, she came back out into the living room, feeling butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. She felt so uncomfortable.

"Thanks for the clothes..." She chewed on her bottom lip as she dropped her old ones down on the couch.

@ castle.

Marshall lifted his nose into the air, his face scrunching a bit as he inhaled again. He couldn't decide why Ori's scent was so familiar but it was certainly having an effect on him. He cleared his throat as he made his way into the kitchen. As tired as he was, he knew that he wouldn't rest well unless he had eaten something. Marshall starting looking in the fridge and cabinets before settling on making chicken tacos. It would be fast and Ori could have some if she wanted. Already in the middle of slicing the chicken, Marshall glanced up when Ori reappeared. He gave her an easy smile as he nodded. "S'not comfortable sleeping in something like that, I don't imagine. It's fine," he added as he turned back to the task at hand.

"There's tomatoes, avocado, and cheese if you want them on top... if you want any," Marshall said, without turning around to look at her as he tossed the chicken into the pan. Washing his hands and grabbing both a fresh knife and cutting board, Marshall went to work slicing the avocado and tomato before reaching out for the cheese grater. "Do you want any or are you just going to head right to bed?" He called over his shoulder as she slid the shells into the oven to warm them through.

"Your room is beside the bathroom. Let me know if you need any extra blankets or pillows. Okay?" Marshall was doing his best to remain a good host because he couldn't remember the last time that he'd had an omega in his apartment. This wasn't a romantic situation by any means but still, Marshall was doing his best to let Ori be comfortable here.

Ori stepped into the kitchen, with her arms loosely crossed over her chest. She couldn't get over the weird feeling of being in his clothes, being wrapped up in his scent. "Yeah, I'll have some." She chewed on the inside of her lip, leaning against the counter. It still seemed so odd to her that he'd rather have a stranger in his house overnight, rather than just take them home. Her stomach was twisting itself into knots as she watched him slice the avocados.

Even after the tacos we're ready and Ori had made her plate, she still found herself tiptoeing around Marshall. She didn't know if it was because she was afraid of him, or worried something was wrong, but she couldn't relax. After eating, she washed her plate and put it away, retreating back to the couch where she curled up in the corner of it. Marshall had put some thriller movie on while they ate and Ori was pretending to still be interested in it. Any reason to stay here after he went to bed. Even if he was offering her a guest room, Ori just felt weird about it and she didn't expect to get any sleep tonight anyway. If she couldn't sleep, she'd rather lie here and stare at the television, than lay in a strange bed and stare at a strange ceiling.

She looked up from the couch when Marshall stood and mumbled something about watch TV as long as you want and just yell if you need anything. Ori curled up more, bringing her knees to her chest as she tried to relax more against the cushions. "'kay, night." She whispered, watching him as he disappeared down the hall. The moment she heard his bedroom door open, she reached forward and grabbed the remote and began channel surfing.

Hours passed and that's all she did. Sometime after 3, it started to become harder and harder to keep her eyelids open. They felt so heavy. The remote fell from her hand, to the floor and she rested her head against the arm of the couch, blankly staring at the old rerun of a game show.

@ castle.

Marshall was trying to stay up as late as he could manage because he didn't want to leave Ori alone. It wasn't that he didn't trust her in his apartment but that he just wanted to make sure she was as taken care of as he could. She clearly hadn't been claimed, the bond mark on her neck was naked. He hadn't gone looking for it but his shirt was so big on her that it showed off her bare neck. He relaxed into his couch, his eyes fluttering shut as his head dropped forward. He repeated the process until he simply couldn't any more. Marshall groaned as he pushed to his feet. "Watch whatever you want. If you need anything, just yell," he muttered before he turned toward his bedroom. He was more than ready to sleep, capturing Ori's would-be predator had taken a lot out of him. The shift had stretched for the better part of the day, as they usually did.

Having fallen asleep almost before he could even hit the pillow, Marshall only started to come to because he could still hear the television running. He frowned as he lifted his head, checking the time on his phone. It was nearly four in the morning and Ori was still up? Tossing the blanket off of him, Marshall grumbled as he stood before heading back out to the living room.

"O-" her name fell silent when he realized that Ori was sleeping on the couch. He was quiet as he picked up the remote to turn off the television before setting the remote on the coffee table. Marshall couldn't help but frown as he moved toward her, his arms sliding beneath her shoulder and knees before he lifted her up. Marshall carried her into the guest room where he was careful to set her back down. He turned to leave before the sudden realization hit him that he didn't want to leave her. What if she needed something while he was sleeping?

Marshall sighed as he laid down beside her, careful not to reach out and touch her - he didn't want to alarm her too much if she awoke and realized he was beside her. It wasn't wrong for him to want to be there to comfort her, was it? Marshall didn't think so.

Ori barely stirred in his arms, having not even been asleep for an hour. She was out, her head tilting into his chest as he carried her back to the guest room. The mattress underneath of her and the cool sheets were enough to barely grab her attention. She groaned, rolling over on her side and reaching for the blankets. She was completely asleep again before she felt his weight on the other side of the bed.

Ori was already startled when she woke up in a different setting. There was no recollection of her getting up in the middle of the night, or Marshall coming in and getting her. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and quickly sat up, the comforter falling down off her chest into her lap. Before she could think about where she was, she looked over to the side and saw Marshall sleeping on his back. It didn't register to her that he was outside of the blanket, or even that he was inches away from her. He had slept in the bed with her? Squeezing her eyes shut, she desperately tried to remember anything, but she couldn't. What if he had done something to her?

He was still fast asleep, but not for much longer as Ori tossed the blankets off of her and onto him before rocketing out of the bed. If he had no bad intentions, how could he have thought that was a good idea? She was a young girl he didn't know and he was a grown man..."M-Marshall, I need to go home. Right now." Ori tried to demand it, tried to make her voice sound strong and unmoving. She still stumbled over her words and fear and confusion was written all over her face.

@ castle.

Marshall started to come to when Ori was freaking out, a frown forming on his lips at what she said. She had to go home? Right now? His brows pulled together as he forced his eyes open. Wordlessly, Marshall gifted his hand to rub his cheek before fixing her with an odd look. "You're panicked," he pointed out in a low voice as he moved to sit up. He stretched his arms above his head before his attention returned back to her. "Relax. I just brought you in here because when I woke up, you were sleeping on the couch. Even I know that couch isn't the most comfortable to sleep on and I didn't want you to wake up sore," he explained as he moved off of the bed before he could even finish talking. It was clear how upset she was and it was putting him on edge. A distressed omega would always cause a reaction out of an alpha.

"You can relax, I just didn't want you to wake up and need anything. You're in a strange apartment, of course I'm going to want to help you," Marshall explained in a low voice. He gave her an award-winning smile. "I'm a detective, you can trust me. You know that, right?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Marshall ran a hand through his hair before he shook his head. "I'll just be right across the hall if you need anything, okay? But I'm going back to sleep," he added in a low voice. He was hopeful that Ori would accept what he'd said based solely on the fact that he was an alpha and she was an omega. He retreated out of the room before Ori could respond, stepping into his own bedroom where he could rest properly.

It sent shivers down her spine when he reminded her he was a detective, that that automatically meant she should trust him. He wouldn't give her even a second to try and argue or protest, Marshall kept talking until he was out of the room. Her mouth fell open as she looked towards the open door. She could hear birds outside and she wondered what time it was, 5? Glancing back towards the bed, she felt her worry only growing. Something told her not to trust him, to run from the room immediately and just leave. The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach was screaming at her to not just lay back down. But she ignored her own instincts and crawled back into the bed. The blankets looked so inviting... He was gone now and it didn't seem like he'd done anything to her... Maybe she was just panicking...

Ori's exhaustion caught up to her, and the moment her head hit the pillow she was out again. Hours passed, the sun rose and even began to descend again before she woke. By the time she opened her eyes, it was almost 6. The apartment was so silent and at first, Ori didn't notice but the door had been left wide open when she fell back asleep and now it was completely closed. Pushing herself up in the bed, she could see the bit of daylight streaming through the curtains. Why hadn't Marshall woken her up? It seemed so late in the day, he was supposed to take her home...

Breaking through her sleepy haze, Ori patted the pockets on Marshall's sleeping pants and couldn't feel her phone. Maybe it had fallen out while she slept... She got onto her knees and searched the blankets and sheets and under the pillows, but nothing. "Where..." She swallowed, feeling panic again as her heart started pounding. Sliding out of bed, she went over to the door, finding it odd that it was now closed. Turning the knob, the door wouldn't budge. "Marshall?" She called, but she heard nothing on the other side of the door. "Marshall! Let me out!" The sudden panic was evident in her voice as she started banging on the door.

After minutes, she realized no one was there to let her out.

It wasn't long before Marshall pulled on a fresh pair of pants and a henley. He brushed his hair out before he stepped out of his bedroom. Each step that he took was slow and calculated, trying to be as quiet as he could. He smirked to himself as he realized that Ori had already managed to fall back asleep. Her breathing was even and slow, despite how panicked she had been when he left her room. He wondered if she would panic just as badly, all over again when she woke next time. She wouldn't be leaving this apartment, not until Marshall could trust her, anyway.

Marshall was silent as he made his way into the room, slipping Ori's phone from her pocket. He left her room and was careful to lock the door behind him. He tested the doorknob to make sure that it wasn't budging before he headed for the living room. Disassembling her phone, Marshall snapped the sim card in half wordlessly before he dropped it all into the garbage in the kitchen. Grabbing his truck keys from the island in the kitchen, Marshall left the apartment behind to head to the store. While he had no plans of letting Ori leave his apartment, he didn't want to make her absolutely miserable either.

Grabbing some nesting supplies that he thought Ori would take well to, Marshall decided to throw a few snacks into the cart as well. A little bit of everything because he didn't know Ori at all. He just wanted to make sure that she could be as happy as possible while she was with him. What kind of alpha would he be, if he didn't provide for her? Just the thought alone was enough to make his scent to turn sour. He would care for his omega.

Marshall drove back to his apartment, relaxed more than he probably should have. When he got home, he grabbed the bags upon bags of supplies before heading up to his apartment. Kicking the door shut behind him, Marshall paused long enough to lock the door before he listened. Either Ori wasn't awake yet or she had realized what was going on. Heading over to her room, Marshall pushed the door open after unlocking it. He was quick to step inside before he shoved the door back closed.

"Oh, good! You're awake," Marshall observed as he set the supplies down. "I've got some nesting supplies for you. I'm not really sure what you like.. but there's a bit of everything," he added softly, beginning to pull the items from their bags. "And snacks, too. Don't want you getting grumpy because you don't have snacks, do we?"

Ori sat slouched on the bed after what felt like an hour of banging on the door and crying out for him. It quickly came to her understanding that Marshall wasn't home or he was ignoring her. Just a few minutes after slouching down on the mattress, tears started forming in her eyes and she couldn't help but wonder what she did to get herself in this situation. The second she found herself being saved from one disastrous situation, she was flung right into another.

Her head snapped up when she heard the door open and her eyes grew wide and frantic. Pushing herself up off the bed, she was more confused at seeing everything in his hands. And the way he was speaking so nonchalantly about the whole situation ... "Nesting...?" She stayed near the bed, her thighs still pressed up against the mattress. "snacks?" Ori could guess what was happening here, but she didn't want to believe it.

"What are you talking about? Y-you're taking me home, Marshall. Right now! I'm not staying here!" Her voice was about to break, and she was trying so hard to keep the tears from spilling down her face.

@ castle.

Marshall's entire demeanour changed, his face falling as he fixed Ori with a hard glare. He shook his head, crossing his arms as his back straightened. "No, I'm not. I have gotten you all the things that you could possibly want. You can nest, you can eat whatever you'd please. I need to make sure that you don't get into a position where you're hurt. I'm just trying to take care of you, omega," his voice dipped slightly as he tilted his head to the side. He wondered if she could even begin to understand what he was offering her. Far more than he had ever offered an omega before.

"Now, are you going to relax and look at the presents that I got you? Or are you going to continue to throw a fit that isn't going to get you anywhere?" He countered with a raised brow. His arms dropped, hanging by his sides. "Because I want us to be able to enjoy our time together but if you want to ruin it..." he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

"Then by all means. Throw a fit, omega. Let me know when you're ready to act like an adult," Marshall muttered before he disappeared back through the doorway. He closed the door but didn't bother to lock it, deciding that it was an open invitation for Ori to leave her room once she had calmed down enough to.

Ori stood dumbfounded with her mouth open as she watched Marshall just leave the room. Presents? Enjoy our time together? Act like an adult? She stood and just stared at the door for a few moments, before quietly following after him. Ori half expected the door to be locked, but when it wasn't, she threw it open and stepped out into the hall. This man didn't even know her and was trying to act like he cared so much... It was weird and creepy and she couldn't help but wonder when it would turn sour. Just the thought was enough to bitter her scent.

"I-I have school on Monday!" She kept trying to get through to him, he seemed almost delusional. "My mom is going to be worried about me. Where's my phone!?" Ori didn't realize she was poking a bear. All she could think about was how crazy this guy seemed, acting like she was just supposed to be okay that he wouldn't let her leave... "You're a police officer, you're not supposed to do this!" Her feet carried her down the hall, first glancing into his bedroom and then continuing down to the living room as she followed him.

"This is kidnapping! You said you'd take me home!"

@ castle.

Marshall headed straight for the kitchen so that he could start putting away the groceries that he had brought home. He glanced up when Ori began speaking, only to let out an annoyed sigh. He brushed his hands on his pants before he twisted to face her. He looked just as unimpressed as he had when he left her in the bedroom. "Omega, you need to stop shouting. That's not going to get you anywhere, now is it?" He asked, shaking his head when she tried to continue reasoning with him. Was Ori not listening to a single word he said? That was certainly what it felt like.

"I don't know where your phone is, omega. Did you have it with you last night?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow. To him, he knew damn well where it was but he was going to play clueless. "You are home, omega. Now, if you keep shouting you're going to have to go back to your room. I'm not going to listen to you yelling. It's one of my only days off and I need the time to rest and relax. My job is stressful and if I don't rest, then I can't do my job properly. You don't want that to happen, do you?" He countered, tilting his head to the side.

"Now. I'm sure you're hungry, what do you want to eat?"

Almost everything she was saying was being ignored. Her face fell as he spoke, her skin crawling with how he held himself. He talked with a stern voice, threatening to send her back to her room and talking down at her like a father would do. It was a new feeling to her, and it made her feel nauseous. Her shoulders dropped when he insisted that she was home and he just changed the subject into his job and how he'd suffer if she didn't let him relax. She almost couldn't take him seriously, but she quickly realized that it didn't matter what she said or did. She was an omega and he was an alpha, and he'd already made up his mind.

It felt like her stomach had dropped into the pit of her stomach as she looked away from Marshall. "Not hungry," she mumbled, her voice trembling as she backed up into the hall and disappeared back into her room. Her bottom lip trembled and a sob broke in the back of her throat. She slammed the door behind her and ignored the bags on the floor as she dragged the blankets off the bed and made a little nest under the desk in the corner. She pushed the chair away and shoved the blankets and pillows underneath before crawling inside.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Ori wondered if she'd ever get out of this apartment or see her mom again. She felt so ashamed, wishing she could go back in time and never leave for that cafe in the first place. Marshall was law enforcement, he was supposed to keep her safe. Why was he doing this? She shifted around in the blankets and hid behind the pillows as she cried.

@ castle.