Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
ANSEL
Cassidy isn't in bed when I wake up, and neither is Winter. Pushing myself up to sit, I see that Bellamy is glaring at his IV.
“Don’t pull it out,” I warn him. “I’ll go look for them, okay?”
Shiloh left earlier this morning, plagued by the need to go for an early run and get back to work tracking down the assholes who trafficked Bellamy and Winter.
My phone has also been waking me up since six in the morning with messages from Riley. He removed Winter’s IV yesterday, but mentioned that he’d be back today to give her another because the withdrawals would be hitting soon.
Needless to say, my sleep has been very broken. I should get used to it, because I have a feeling things may get rough.
“Please,” Bellamy says, his voice cracking.
“I bet she got up to use the restroom again,” I say, rising from the bed.
I can vaguely hear the sound of puking and wince in sympathy.
“Or she might be sick from the drug withdrawal,” I admit. Finding a wastepaper basket, I walk around the couch and place it near him. “This is just in case your stomach gives you trouble. Detox is going to be less than pleasant. Cassidy was puking yesterday.”
“Really? She wasn’t in the room for long,” Bellamy says, his eyes wide with concern. His body is covered in goosebumps as he sits up, and I pull up another blanket to cover him.
I also notice that his eyes dart around the room and his hands are shaking. He and Winter are close, and I can’t help noticing that he’s in rougher shape than his stepsister.
They’ve been running on fumes for a long time. I have a feeling the only reason they’ve gotten this far is due to their bond.
“It affects everyone differently. Cass can’t even smoke pot without feeling gross afterward,” I explain. “We took care of her last night, and we’ll do the same for you. I have a feeling Cassidy is helping your sister now.”
“Hmmm. You should sleep,” Abbott murmurs, scooting closer to wrap his arms around Bellamy without thinking.
For someone who killed several people yesterday, he’s a teddy bear at home. Bellamy’s gray eyes shoot up toward me in panic as if to ask what the hell he should do, while I shrug helplessly.
“Abbott is a cuddler,” I reply. “You’re ground zero now that I’m out of bed.”
I don’t feel even the slightest bit bad about it as I walk toward the bathroom to check on Winter and Cassidy.
I know Abbott would rather cut off his hand than hurt Bellamy. His confusion lies more in being held without any intention to take it further, and that’s a little sad to me. It’s a very different sensation from only cuddling with Cass, because she’s needed more than that from us.
Pack life is intricate, and not paying attention to one thing can have the entire dynamic imploding right in front of your eyes.
“Cass?” I ask, knocking on the door. Ugh, it’s so odd to be this polite in my own house.
I can’t walk in on our omegas. We need to work up to that kind of familiarity.
“Can you go grab one of my shirts, please?” she asks through the door. “I need an extra toothbrush too.”
“Do you need shower toiletries too?” I ask. While there are towels in this bathroom, none of us use this one to shower in.
“Please. You’re an angel,” she says.
I’m really nothing of the sort, but it still makes me smile as I hustle upstairs to get what she needs. I assume that the shirt is for Winter, so I choose a soft knee-length tunic for her. Biting my lip, I curse at the fact that I don’t have underwear for her.
Opening my phone, I order clothing for both Winter and Bellamy. If they get to the point where they prefer our clothing, that’s fine, but clean underwear is nonnegotiable. I’ll figure out if they need anything else along the way.
Hurrying back downstairs, I knock on the door as I hear the shower running.
“Thank you,” Cassidy murmurs, opening the door. The shower curtain is drawn, giving Winter privacy, and I hate that I can’t do more to make her feel better.
The clothing she was wearing before is now on the ground, reminding me of what I was doing earlier.
“I ordered both of them clothing online. Do you think we’ll need anything else?” I ask.
“No. This nausea sucks. Two omegas puking their guts out as they withdraw from opioids makes me sick just thinking about it,” she sighs. “Is Riley coming back—”
“Ugh. I think… Cass—”
Winter cuts herself off before she begins to puke again in the shower.
“It’s okay, Lovey!” Cass says. “Hold onto the wall, the water will do its job and I’ll clean up when you’re done.”
“I’m sorry,” Winter whimpers, crying.
“I’ll call Riley,” I reassure her. “I have a feeling the nausea is going to be part of this either way.”
“We shouldn’t be here,” Winter moans. “Bell and I are a mess.”
“You’re our mess,” I say, raising my voice over the running water. “Remember that feeling like shit is temporary, okay? You just need to get through the detox, Winter.”
The curtain is ripped open, and I find myself moving to catch her before I even realize it as she tumbles out. I’m not sure if she’s upset about being sick, or thinks leaving is an option right now.
For the record, we aren’t keeping her against her will. The very thought of her and Bellamy out in the streets while they’re this ill or at any time, really pisses me off though.
“Winter!” Bellamy screams from across the house. Fuck.
“You’re freaking him out,” I murmur, my arms around her. Shit, I didn’t think to grab a towel.
Her hands pull at my shirt as she wails, and all I can do is hug her.
“We’re not going anywhere,” I reassure her. At least, I hope that it helps. God, I hate that she’s so fucking miserable and anxious.
“Pack means that we’re in this together,” Cass adds.
The sounds of another omega puking makes my heart clench as Bellamy begins to get sick as well. His anxiety is already high, we need to get Winter back to him.
“Cass, why don’t you help her?” I suggest. “I doubt I’m the right person for this. I’ll get you new clothing after.”
Cassidy knows I mean for her to get in fully clothed, and she nods as she helps Winter back into the shower.
As she turns her back to me, I see a brand on her buttcheek that says Property of, but I can’t make out the name before Winter shifts her weight so I can no longer see it.
Holy fuck. Who the fuck would brand something like this on her? Does Bellamy have the same one? I haven’t had a chance to talk to Abbott outside of the immediate topics about our omegas.
There hasn’t been time, but I hope Shi finds out the name of the auction they were sold from so we can murder the person who runs it.
Even better would be if we can get Bellamy and Winter to open up to us. It’s just all going to take time. Otherwise, I’ll happily raze the ground in retribution for their pain until we eventually get it right.
It takes everything inside of me to school my features, though the sudden surge of anger makes Cassidy glance at me. We can all feel different things through our bonds. Sometimes, they’re strong feelings when in close proximity, other times we can push emotion and intention toward each other.
It makes it difficult to conceal big emotions, and I expect that’s why Cassidy would leave for so many walks, to hide.
“You’re getting wet,” Winter pouts, her confusion aiding Cass as I hand her the shampoo.
“It’s just water,” she shrugs, her fingers working the shampoo into her hair.
“Let me get your hair, Cass,” I suggest, pulling off the hair tie I tend to have around my wrist for her. Reaching around Winter, I gather up Cassidy’s hair while Winter gazes at me with wide eyes.
What’s so weird about an alpha male who understands the importance of the art of messy buns and ponytails?
I can see how tangled Winter’s hair is from here, and it makes me glad that I grabbed a hair brush before I close the curtain again.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell Cass.
Shi sticks his head in to check on me and I point toward the living room. He salutes me before continuing on, making me smile during a relatively stressful time.
“Can I have the conditioner, Ansel?” Cass asks.
“Yes,” I reply, handing it to her around the curtain. “Let me know when you’re ready for the hair brush.”
“You’re the best,” she says distractedly.
My lips twitch because this is the bare minimum anyone should expect. I’d be in there with Winter if it wouldn’t make her shit herself. Cassidy can't be back to full strength after yesterday, but it’s clear she’s going to be a support person in this.
Once she and Winter are tucked back in the living room, I’ll bleach and clean everything.
“Brush… Hold that thought. Winter, you’re fine, Lovey. Let it go right into the drain.”
Winter mumbles apologies as she gets sick again, a mess that’s not her fault. The dickheads who kept her drugged and compliant are at fault.
Shit, I should have had Shiloh grab me dry clothes when I had him with me.
“Yo, Shi!” I call out, knowing he’ll hear me.
“Got you. What do you need?,” he asks, jogging back to me.
“Dry clothes for Cass, please?” I ask.
“There’s some in the dryer,” he says, already heading that direction.
Honestly, I don’t know how people do this alone. There’s four of us, and we’re still scrambling.
Twenty minutes later, Winter’s hair is detangled, Cassidy is in dry clothes, and so is Winter.
“Try to drink a little water,” I suggest, sending them off.
Pulling out cleaning supplies from under the sink, I get to work cleaning everything, knowing full well this is just the beginning of things.
My phone chirps as I begin, and I’m relieved to see it’s Riley. That’s one less call I’ll need to make later.
“Hey. The nausea has officially started over here,” I greet him, continuing to clean.
“I had this weird feeling it was,” Riley says. “I’m bringing over Zofran and the test results for you guys to have. The first screening didn’t yield anything I haven’t discussed with you already. The second screening was an STI screening and pregnancy test, as well as an overall health screening.”