unspoken secrets.

Stephen almost looked dumbfounded when Sadie brought up moving in with him. That certainly hadn't been something they discussed and while he would never tell his omega no, he wished he would've had a heads up. Instead of looking like a deer caught in headlights. Her mother didn't seem to excited about the idea, and Stephen almost wondered if he hadn't been there, if her mother would've allowed it. The look on her face was a mix of shock and anger, and Stephen was sure he was the only reason her mother didn't explode on Sadie. Her underage baby telling her she was moving out?

Still, Stephen knew her mother didn't have any room to stand anymore. He had claimed Sadie and by the laws, she was free to leave her family for him now. Regardless of her age. That bond mark gave her a lot more freedom, from everyone except him, of course.

"Wanna explain what you just did back there?" Stephen asked the second they stepped out of the hospital. He couldn't even wait until they were in the privacy of his truck. "I don't think we talked about that," he growled under his breath. He was mostly just angry that she had made the decision without speaking to him first about it. That, and now how was he supposed to hide his ...hobbies from her?

Unlocking his truck, he motioned for Sadie to hurry and get in as he rounded to his side. Slamming the door after him, he put the key in the ignition and glanced towards Sadie. This was as much of a shock to him as it was her mother, but if she'd be living with him, surely that was a good thing. She was willing to work on and continue their relationship, no more running from him or fighting him. Right? "Well," he sighed, leaving the hospital behind, "I guess we'll go to your house and get some of your things."

@ castle.

Chewing on the inside of her lip, Sadie couldn't bring herself to answer Stephen's initial question. She knew that she couldn't tell him the truth - that she wanted as much space between her mother and Stephen as possible. She needed to come up with a different reason and she was panicking to even think about it as she climbed into Stephen's truck. She was quiet until Stephen started pulling away from the hospital. "I just.. I thought you'd.. be happy with that. And I know it'll be better because then I won't have to listen to her rules, right? So we can see each other every day," she offered, wringing her hands together in her lap.

Sadie gave as big of a smile as she could, looking up to Stephen. She was sure her nervousness was clear but she hoped he didn't think too much about it. She had only been to his apartment the one time so she had no idea what living with him might mean. Sadie had never lived with an alpha so would she even be able to care for him properly? Her stomach twisted into knots as a different fear washed over her. What if she wasn't a good enough omega and Stephen was mad at her?

Stephen had already proved that he wasn't afraid of hurting her and he had threatened her mother. She just knew that she didn't want to upset him. But she had a feeling gif she told him that, it would only serve to upset him as well. Sadie exhaled slowly, chewing on the inside of her lip.

"I... don't know about bringing all of my clothes because I have a whole dresser of clothes. Is there.. enough room?" Sadie tested, her brows pulling together as she glanced toward him. "Or should I only bring a few outfits?"

Stephen decided to just let it rest. He knew she had to be hiding her real intent from him. There was no way she wanted to come and live with him. If that was the case, they wouldn't be in the situation they were in now. If she wanted to make him happy so badly, what he did to her the other night wouldn't have bothered her. Despite knowing all of that, he decided to live ignorantly. Maybe she was just coming around, realizing that now that she had an alpha in her life, things would change and she'd have to submit.

He hoped there wouldn't be anymore trouble out of her.

Keeping his eyes on the road, Stephen felt a headache beginning to throb in the back of his head. He had never thought about having Sadie live with him, or any omega for that matter. He enjoyed getting to come and go as he pleased, especially on the weekends when he went downtown, and he knew he could still do all of that... But... He didn't want Sadie to know anything about his nightlife hobbies. He didn't want to hear any questions. "Why were you out so late?" "Is that women's perfume on your collar?" "Is that blood?"

Turning onto her street, Stephen shrugged his shoulders. He was pulled from his thoughts by Sadie's question. "I don't care, you can bring as much as you want." His apartment was pretty spacious and he was sure if he needed to he could find room for her things. "I have a pretty big closet," he laughed, glancing over to her before he pulled into her driveway. "Let's make this fast, okay?"

@ castle.

Sadie nodded at his answer. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something else before she closed it again, unable to find the courage to speak. All she could think about was how easily Stephen had threatened her mother's life. She only looked up from her lap when Stephen pulled into her driveway, her stomach twisting. He had promised that she would have gone back to school before her next class started but it was becoming increasingly obvious that wasn't going to happen. Sadie wanted to ask but she was afraid that it would spark an argument. Their scents would sour and her mom would come home to the house plagued with her decaying scent. Sadie couldn't do that to her mom. It would have to wait until they left.

"Yeah. I'll pack a few days worth of clothes and then we can always come back later if we want to... maybe on the weekend so we have more time?" Sadie suggested after another moment of silence. She gave a tiny, hopeful smile before she moved to climb out of the truck. Sadie headed straight for the front door which she was quick to open, leading the way right up to her bedroom. She began to pack her clothes and toiletries before she decided that was all she needed. There was more that Sadie wanted to bring but the threat of upsetting Stephen hung heavy in the back of her mind.

Sadie bit back a sigh as she smoothed down her shirt, hitting the bottom of the stairs with her bag over her shoulder. "Do you.. do you have any more classes today that you should go to?" She asked after she had climbed back into the truck, feeling herself beginning to relax. As nervous as she was, Sadie was accepting the reality of the situation. There was no escaping Stephen, she just had to make him happy and od her best at it.

Stephen hadn't stepped foot into Sadie's room, deciding if she needed help she'd ask for him. Instead, he snooped around the hall and the living area, his eyes scanning over the different photos that decorated the walls and mantle. It became rather clear to him there was no alpha in the picture, Sadie had been raised by a single mom. There wasn't one photo of a father figure anywhere. It started to make more sense to him why Sadie wasn't acting as a good omega should. Perhaps she had never been taught.

He watched her come back down the stairs, turning away from some of the crochet patterns her mom seemed to be working on that he was looking at. One bag hung over her shoulder as he suspected only clothes were shoved inside. He wouldn't force her to pack more though.

Back at the truck, he took Sadie's bag from her and put it behind his seat before climbing in. "I have a biology lab at four..." He looked at the clock on the radio, realizing he only had about two hours to get to campus. First, he'd have to make sure his omega was comfortable and taken care of at home, and then he'd be on his way. "So, you'll be alone for a couple of hours..." Stephen muttered, unsure of if he liked that idea. Curiosity would get the better of her, surely and she'd go snooping around... Sometimes he kept things from his past victims and he wondered if maybe it was time to completely get rid of those momentos.

He drove over the speeding limit by almost ten miles, trying to hurry back to his apartment. Missing one class today was already going to look pretty bad on him, but he was hopeful not much had happened during class. He wasn't about to miss a whole day of classes though. They made it home by twenty after two, and Stephen grabbed Sadie's bag and tossed it over his shoulder like the gentleman he was. "I'm sure you'll be able to find something to occupy yourself until I get back, though," he smirked, unlocking the door to his unit. His apartment had been much nicer than her home, and he wondered why her mother didn't find an alpha. They probably would've lived much nicer if she did, but now Sadie didn't have to worry about any of that. He'd take care of her.

@ castle.

Sadie couldn't decide if Stephen's answer was a good one or something horrible. On one hand, she would get time away from Stephen and she wouldn't have to worry about upsetting him or him trying to touch her. But on the other hand... Sadie knew that when Stephen returned, he was going to want to touch her again. She might not have known a whole lot about being an omega to an alpha but she knew about mating and about how alphas were always so demanding when it came to that. "I'll probably just watch tv while you're gone then," she murmured in a low voice. Sadie had no intention of snooping around, not wanting Stephen to come home early or to find something that she would rather not see.

Following Stephen up to his apartment, Sadie was increasingly nervous. He had to go to class but what if he decided not to go? Sadie had only known him for a few weeks, she thought he was pretty dedicated to his schooling but she felt like she couldn't be sure about anything at the moment. What if Stephen wanted to stay home and make up for lost time? They hadn't seen each other all weekend, Sadie had no clue what Stephen would want from her.

"I'll see you when you get home," Sadie forced the words from her lips, giving Stephen as bright of a smile as she could bare. "Have fun at your lab," she said, leaning up to kiss Stephen. She kicked her shoes off before she eyed couch in the middle of the living room.

---

The couch was exactly where Stephen would find her when he got home. Sadie was curled up under one of the blankets, immersed in the movie that she had put on nearly an hour ago.

Stephen arrived back home a little after 8. The class ran over it's alotted time by about forty minutes and then some of his friends had wanted to go and get a drink. He couldn't buzz them off and he figured Sadie was enjoying herself or at least was content. If something was wrong, she would've called.

Pushing the front door open, he dropped his keys off on the table and placed the lock back on the door. The living area was pretty dim, save for the light blaring off of the television. The rest of the apartment was completely shrouded in darkness, he couldn't see down the hall or into the kitchen. Only the couch where Sadie was curled up was visible. Scrunching his face up, he looked over towards the dark kitchen and was almost shocked. Had she moved once from that couch?

Taking a few more feet into the apartment, Stephen raised his arms by his sides and cleared his throat to catch her attention. "Good movie?" Stephen asked, but it was layered with so much sarcasm he was sure she knew better than to actually answer. "omega, why is there no dinner? Or at least, why aren't you cooking yet?" If Sadie was going to invite herself to live with him, the least she could do is pick up and make sure he had a warm dinner. Like a good omega should, just like his mother had done, and still does, for his father. "Have you been lying there this whole time?"

@ castle.

Sadie had expected Stephen would be home a little after six but six pm came and went and Stephen still hadn't returned. She had gotten up once to relieve herself and grab a drink of water from the kitchen before settling back down on the couch. Sadie was surprised by just how relieved she was when Stephen stepped through the door. She pushed herself up to a sitting position, a small smile on her face. It fell in the next moment, a sense of dread replacing it when she realized that Stephen was upset.

"I.. well, yes. But I-" Sadie frowned, realizing that she probably wasn't going to be able to stay anything to justify what she had done. She cleared her throat, shrinking back onto the couch. Sadie hated the idea of disappointing Stephen, she couldn't deny that. He was her alpha, disappointing him went against everything she had ever known. "I didn't know when you'd be home and I don't really know what you like," Sadie tried to reason with Stephen.

She stood and was quick to make her way toward him, trying to remember what little she knew about pleasing alphas. Sadie cleared her throat before trying to force her scent to calm, hoping she could help Stephen to relax. "I can start something now. What do you want me to make?" She asked, hoping like hell she could salvage their evening.

Stephen fixed his gaze on her, narrowing his eyes as she pushed herself up from the couch and sauntered over to him. Her moves were slow, no doubt she was thinking everything over twice in her head, scared to upset him. But she had already managed that. At this point, it was more of whether she'd piss him off more or help calm him down. Her scent lingered around him and it kept him from completely blowing up. For the moment.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "I'd rather come home to my omega cooking something I don't like, than not cooking at all." Stephen tried reminding himself that she had grown up with an alpha. She had been raised by an omega, but clearly one that didn't care to teach her the fundamentals. It made him sick to his stomach, thinking omegas out there were being raised completely clueless. He was trying to cut her some slack, knowing that if he could just teach her, everything could run smoothly. If she'd listen. But how long till his patience would run thin?

"There's things omegas are supposed to do for their alphas." He spoke low, bringing his gaze back to hers. "You're the homemaker, omega. I provide. It's that simple." Raising his arm, he wrapped it around her shoulder and pulled her into his side as he led her into the kitchen. "You cook, clean, please me. And I make sure you've got a roof over your head and that you're taken care of."

Moving away from her, he flicked one some more of the lights and leaned against the counter. "If you're not taking care of me, I'm not taking care of you." He watched her stand timid and scared in the middle of his kitchen. Again, he sighed and ran his hands over his face. "Dinner. Now, omega!"

@ castle.

Sadie had been doing her best at pleasing Stephen all week. He had blown up on her after she didn't have dinner ready that first night and every night after that, Sadie had started making dinner at six o'clock sharp. Earlier if she was making something that would take a bit more time. She had tried to reason with Stephen to let her go back to school but it hadn't mattered no matter how hard she tried to reason with him. he didn't care one way or another about what she wanted because if she couldn't even properly take care of him, why would she deserve to do something else? Sadie had given up trying to reason with him by the third day of living with him because Stephen had snapped on her.

Each day that she lived with him, the more afraid Sadie got. She wasn't about to ask him questions though, too afraid of how Stephen would react. Within the first few days of living with him, he had made it clear that questioning him would get her absolutely nowhere. That it would only serve to piss him off and Sadie knew that wasn't something she ever wanted to do.

And she hadn't questioned him, even as Stephen came home the first Saturday night that she had spent with him, a bloody scratch on his face and blood on his shirt. She had never felt fear like she did in that moment, wanting to ask but too afraid to say a single damn thing. She had looked at him and nearly asked but then Stephen had fixed her with a heavy glare and that was all she needed to know to keep her silence.

Until the following Monday when Sadie made her way to the police station. She knew that forcibly claiming an omega was a no-no. Omegas didn't have many rights but that was one of the few and she was sure that the police would be interested in what had happened on Saturday night.

Sadie followed a police officer to an interrogation room to give her statement, thanking him for the glass of water that he offered.

"Don't even mention it," the overly friendly officer smiled as he led Sadie to the interrogation room. He opened the door for her and allowed her in, before lingering by the doorway. "Shoot, forgot a pen," he patted his pockets and held the file tightly in his left hand. He knew there wouldn't really be any need for a pen, he wouldn't be writing down any statement today. Not from this little omega anyway. "Stay right here, I'll be right back." Closing the door to the interrogation room, the lock clicked into place and the officer hurried to his desk to call Stephen.

Stephen's phone started buzzing while he was in the middle of a lecture, but seeing as it was the local police department, he figured be ought to take it. He had only given Sadie permission to leave the apartment that day for the grocery store, but something in the pit of his stomach told him this was about her. Getting up from his seat, he grabbed his book bag and hurried out into the hallway, before answering.

"Hello?" He frowned, pulling his brow together. He listened to the officer on the other end, who all but confirmed his suspicion. Running his hand through his hair, Stephen felt his blood start to boil. "I'll be right there to pick her up." It was a nice try, on her part, he'd give her that. There was no way she could've known that his father had the whole damn city in his back pocket. Especially the law enforcement. No one in that station would listen to a word Sadie would have to say.

Speeding to the station, Stephen hopped out of his truck and slammed the door behind him before barging inside. The look on his face was all he needed to give to the officer at the desk, who quickly rose to his feet to take Stephen to the interrogation room. He couldn't wait to see the look of surprise on Sadie's face when she saw him. Looking through the glass of the door first, he fixed his gaze on Sadie and glared before jerking the door open.

"Omega, what are you doing giving these hardworking officers trouble?" He crossed his arms over his chest, unable to relax his clenched jaw. Stephen wasn't exactly sure how he'd punish Sadie for this, but oh, she would learn.

@ castle.

Sadie gave a tight-lipped smile when the officer left the room to grab a pen. She gave a nod of her head and leaned back in her seat, doing her best to relax. The lock sliding into place made her shiver but she reminded herself that she was at the police station. Nothing would happen to her. She was going to be safe here. Sipping at her water, she bit back a sigh as she waited for the officer to return. Her leg started to bounce, her anxiety only continuing to grow when the officer still hadn't returned even ten minutes later. He had only left to grab a pen, where was he? Sadie would have left the room to investigate if she had even been able to.

Hanging her head, Sadie smoothed out the material of her shirt as she waited for the officer to return. Except when the door flew open and she looked up, Sadie was frozen in her spot. She hadn't even been able to look up to him properly. Her blood ran cold as Stephen's scent met her nose and she whimpered as she pressed back into the chair. Her hand started shaking around her water and she set it down on the table so that she wouldn't spill it.

"I-I.." Sadie whined as she looked toward the door where several officers stood out of the way. They had clearly called Stephen. But they couldn't just let him take her, could they?

Sadie shuddered as her back straightened, trying to remind herself that she was safe here. She had to be safe surrounded by police. "Y-You can't be here. I'm about to make a statement." Sadie was surprised by just how strong her voice was when she spoke, lifting her gaze enough to look him in the eye. "So.. s-so you need to leave."

Stephen nodded as she spoke, clenching his teeth as he glanced upwards to the ceiling. Hearing an omega try to sound so forceful, so dominant, it was almost laughable. Her trying to tell him what to do was almost laughable. Letting his arms fall back by his sides, he looked over his shoulder at the multiple officers who had all gathered in the ball. All wanting to stick their noses in his business, but it was all harmless. They'd all listen to him.

"Do.. any of you want to take Sadie's statement?" He asked them, turning to face the door to give them his full attention. A few seconds of silence went by and not one uniform stepped forward. He was only met with the looks of several quiet, nervous men and women. All of them knowing that it would only take one call to his father for them to lose their jobs. Or worse. "..what I thought.." Stephen grumbled as he turned back to fix his gaze on Sadie.

He could hear footsteps shuffling about behind him, the officers all moving quickly to evacuate the hall. Stepping towards the small table she sat at in the center of the room, he placed his hands down on the tabletop and cocked his head to the side. "This ... I didn't expect this, Sadie," he growled under his breath, wondering just how stupid she could be. "You tried. It was cute. Now let's go home." The moment Stephen would have her alone again, he would make damn certain Sadie knew better than to ever try and turn him in again. Run away, fine, he'd track her down, but to try and ruin his good name? That deserved punishment.

Grabbing her up by her arm, he forced her up from the chair and shoved her towards the hall. "I dare you to tell me no, little omega. Go."

@ castle.

Sadie had tried to desperately to be brave as Stephen turned toward the officers and not a single one stepped forward. She whimpered, shaking her head as tears pricked the corner of her eyes. She couldn't believe that no one was willing to help her. It had to be more than evident just how afraid she was and she had told them little bits about being force claimed. And yet not a single officer cared enough, most of them retreating back to previous tasks when Stephen turned back to her.

She shuddered as she shook her head, her eyes locked on the table in front of her. Sadie didn't think she would ever be as afraid as she was at this very moment. She didn't know what Stephen was going to do but she knew whatever it was would be unpleasant. Yelping as Stephen dragged her to her feet, Sadie stumbled forward. She wanted like hell to stop him but she realized that fighting him would mean nothing. She didn't think any of the officers would help her.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she walked out to the truck with Stephen, visibly shaking as she stepped up into the passenger seat. "P-Please.. I-I.." she stumbled over her words, wishing she could apologize and somehow fix this but she wasn't foolish. Saying anything to Stephen wouldn't matter with just how angry he was at the moment.

Once inside the truck, Stephen couldn't keep his anger in check any longer. His body twisted to face her and he slapped her hard across her cheek. "Shut up," he growled, his eyes looking wild as he glared at her. "You did this to yourself, Sadie. I don't want to hear one goddamn word!" How was she going to sit there and try and plead with him, act like she was so remorseful, when she had snuck out of the house without his permission and waltzed into a police station ready to just hand him right over? His omega had been ready to betray him. Though he didn't show it, or act like it often, Stephen really did care for Sadie. If he didn't, she would've just ended up another one of his victims. But after this... He didn't know if he'd ever be able to let it go.

He drove home with both hands on the steering wheel, knuckles white from how hard he gripped it. After his initial outburst, he had remained quiet, the truck completely silent. Until he parked at his apartment complex. The whole ride home he had been contemplating on what to do, how to make her understand she belonged to him.

"Get inside, omega." He demanded her, before pushing his door open. He followed her inside, closing the door softly behind them. Everything he did now was soft, gentle. He wondered if that was almost scary to her. Toeing his shoes off, he slid his jacket down his arms and tossed it over the back of the couch. "I'm guessing this is all about what happened Saturday." Sadie was soon about to realize exactly what she was dealing with. If she had been scared before, she didn't understand the nightmare she was about to wake up in. "Did the little spat of blood on my shirt scare you, omega?" Stephen kept his voice low, moving away from the door, closer to Sadie. He kept the apartment dark, the only light streaming in through the curtains over the windows. "It's funny... One minute, you want to move in, you want to be with me... And the next, you're running away. Trying to get me locked up..."

Coming up behind her, Stephen ran his fingers over her bond mark, feeling the scarring. "Its like I don't even know you," he teased, sounding heartbroken.

@ castle.

Sadie yelped, shrinking away from Stephen when he slapped her. She openly sobbed as she curled up against the passenger's door. She didn't move from that position, fear filling the pit of her stomach as she tried to quiet her sobs. She knew that she had upset Stephen, what she had done was nearly unforgivable. Sadie wasn't silly, she damn well knew that and she was terrified of what Stephen was going to do to her when they were finally alone. She didn't so much as say a word as Stephen drove home, his warning enough to make her blood run cold.

When Stephen ordered her out of the truck, Sadie all but threw herself out, running toward the front door because she knew that if she continued doing what she shouldn't, she was only going to end up in a worse position. Stepping through the front door first, Sadie wrapped her arms around herself as Stephen neared her.

His words only made her whimper as she reached up to wipe away her tears. Sadie had thought she could get help from the police and now that it was becoming evident that she couldn't, Sadie had no idea where she was supposed to turn. How could she possibly get out of this? Surely Stephen wasn't going to kill her but.. but what else would he be willing to do? He had already hurt her before so she knew that he wasn't above that.

"I-I.. I'm sorry," Sadie whispered, hanging her head. She visibly flinched when Stephen's fingers brushed against her bond mark. "I'm scared. I-I.. I don't... I j-just wanna.. I'm sorry," Sadie knew that she could be giving a million different reasons right now but all she could think was how terrified she was. Her hands shook as she tugged at her shirt, assuming what Stephen would want from her.

He stayed behind her, his other hand raising to brush up over her shoulder until both of his hands were eerily close to her throat. The urge was there, to just wrap his hands around her neck and squeeze. Squeeze until the last bit of air left her lungs and she fell lifeless from his grip. But he couldn't do that. He had been seen with her, her mother knew she lived with him. If he killed her, that kind of trouble would be a lot harder to get out of. Unlike killing random prostitutes and strippers. So what was the next best thing?

His thumbs brushed over her throat, "too bad you did such a great job getting that bloodstain out of my shirt. If you would've taken that to the police..." Stephen whistled lowly, shaking his head. "Probably couldn't have talked my way out of that..." Lowering his head to rest against hers, he inhaled sharply, enjoying the way fear turned her scent. He wondered if she was piecing it together. Dropping his hands away from her neck, he slowly laced his fingers through hers and pulled her over to the window.

His apartment had a lovely view, from the hill it sat on, you could look down over the city. Especially now, with the sun going down. "Have you been watching the news? Have they found a body hidden in the dumpster by King's bar?" The smirk that appeared on his face was sure to make her blood run cold. "Poor girls family... Wonder if she even had any... Oh well." Turning away from the window, Stephen reached up to run his fingers through her hair, knotting it around his fist. He dragged Sadie into his arms. If she wanted to fight and try and pull away from him, he'd sooner rip the hair from her head than let her go.

"Weird how I've put up with so much disobedience from you... When I've murdered little omegas for absolutely no reason at all." That part was a lie. Stephen had never murdered an omega. It was always alpha women, he had a type. He knew he could overpower an omega. Wrestling another alpha to the ground, woman or not, now that was an exciting struggle.

@ castle.

Sadie shivered as Stephen's fingers brushed against her throat. Her entire body was rigid, fear the only thing that she felt as Stephen spoke about the bloodstain on his shirt. The implications of his words made her sick to her stomach. Sadie's hands dropped from her shirt as Stephen's hands dropped from her neck. Maybe Stephen didn't want to claim her but what was he going to do? She shivered as Stephen led her over to the large bay windows.

"Y-Yeah, I-" Sadie started to speak when Stephen asked about the news. Of course, she heard about the murders. As a young omega, Sadie had to be aware of what was happening around her. But as Sadie started to piece together what Stephen was trying to tell her, it made her shudder. She started shaking her head, ready to move away from Stephen until his fingers worked through her hair. She was frozen in her spot, facing him as fear filled every ounce of her being. She was shaking and she was sure if she hadn't been held by him, that she would have collapsed. Her knees felt like they were going to buckle at any moment.

She had managed to keep herself under control, right up until Stephen mentioned murdering omegas. A sob tore from her throat as she reached up, covering her mouth as her face crumbled. Sadie continued to shake her head, her entire body quivering as she broke down in tears. "P-P-Please... n-no. I.. I-I.. w-won't.. do a-anything... e-ever again. Please!" Sadie sobbed as she reached out, gripping his shirt between her fingers. She pressed closer to him, desperate to somehow survive this. "Please, alpha," she choked out the words.

Stephen frowned as he looked down at the distressed omega. He thought he'd get a kick out of her reaction, but he wasn't. Stephen was just like any other alpha. The scent a distressed omega gave off put him on high alert, regardless of if he was the one at fault. Partially why he also only went after alphas. Hurting and forcing omegas to submit, that was fun, he could do it all day. Even scaring them. But when it was all over and all he had left was the remnants of that soured sweet scent... It only left him with regret. Which is why he couldn't ever kill Sadie. He needed to feel like he could be forgiven after.

But he still knew she needed to learn a lesson. And even though she was going on and on with her pleading, he didn't buy it. Tightening his fist in her hair and laying his other hand back on her shoulder, Stephen drove Sadie to the opposite wall, until her back smacked up against it. "I thought claiming you would get that job done," he growled. A claimed omega was supposed to be loyal, was supposed to submit no matter what. That's what he had been told. "You couldn't just give yourself to me, could you? We could still be normal right now, Sadie. If you could've just done what a goddamn omega is supposed to!"

His voice got louder and louder with each word, and soon, Stephen couldn't hear her crying anymore. He was blacking out. Strong hands found their way back to her throat, and he squeezed. And squeezed. Sadie gasped for air and he could barely feel her hands clawing at his, her quiet voice begging him to let go. Her feet kicked and she squirmed and his heart felt like it would explode out of his chest from adrenaline. But he didn't show mercy. Until she fell limp.

But she wasn't dead. Stephen relaxed his hands just seconds after Sadie lost consciousness, but she hadn't taken her last breath. It was scary, almost losing control. One second longer and he would've never heard her voice again. It was only to scare her, to make her realize what he was really capable of. Her body fell against his, limp and weighted. Scooping her up in his arms, he packed her back to their bedroom and placed her down gently in the sheets. His fingers ran through her hair as he lowered down to her to place a kiss on her forehead. "Sweet dreams, omega."

@ castle.

Sadie whined as his grip tightened on her hair, tears welling in her eyes as she shook her head. her hands slid up his chest, her fingers moving to the back of his neck as she rubbed at the delicate skin. She was doing her best to calm him down because she had no doubt that Stephen would kill her if he wanted to. That there was nothing that she could do to stop him. She was just an omega, he was the alpha. sadie was nodding her head, sniffling and wiping at her cheeks with her free hand. "I-I'll submit. I'll be good, a-alpha. Please," she tried again, her air cut off as Stephen's fingers started to tighten around her neck.

She started prying at his fingers, trying to get him away from her but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get away from Stephen. She was gasping and struggling, swatting at his chest as her strength weakened. Sadie's eyes were wide as she stared at him, trying to beg him but all that came out were wheezed as she started to lose consciousness. Her face turned several shades darker as she slumped against him.

---

When Sadie started to come to, she was buried against Stephen's pillows. her body had navigated to them in her sleep, wanting to be close to her alpha's scent. She froze when the memories came rushing back to her. Her throat was sore and she knew without being in front of a mirror that there would be fingerprints wrapped around her throat. Sadie whimpered, fear filling her as she curled into a ball.

Sadie just barely looked up to figure out what time of day it was. Sometime in the evening. Ohgod. Sadie was terrified that Stephen was about to storm into the room and yell at her for not having started dinner yet. Her legs shook as she managed to stand, her arms wrapped around her body as she tiptoed toward the bedroom door. All Sadie could think about was the fact that if she didn't start dinner soon, Stephen was going to hurt her... more than he already had.

Sniffling, Sadie wiped at the tears that threatened to fall as she moved into the doorway that led to the rest of the apartment. She could tell Stephen was in the living room and if this had been normal, she would have happily gone on to make dinner but she didn't know what would or wouldn't tip Stephen off the deep end again. And she didn't want to find out either.

"A-Alpha," her words came out in a hoarse whisper, flinching as she shifted her weight from one side to another. Her entire body trembled as she stared at her feet, trying to make herself as small as she could. "D-Did you... did y-you want me.. to make.. dinner?" She whispered, afraid to speak any louder and end up interrupting Stephen. Her fingers dug into her sides, her fear spiking when she saw Stephen turned toward her out of the corner of her eye.