Page 44 of Damaged Princess

I shake my head, continuing to rub Ana's back.

"No. It's a side effect of ending the suppressants so abruptly. The end of a packet has less medication in each dose. She stopped in the middle. It took her system a few days to catch up to the fact it's no longer getting the medication, but now it's compensating," I say as calmly as possible.

Anastasia looks like she feels awful, and Wolfe's anxiety isn't going to help her system calm down. I want to snap at him to get out, but that wouldn't help anything.

"Vik mentioned it earlier. He asked me to touch base with Lydia on exactly what to expect," I say, then wince.

Oh, shit.

"You knew this was coming?" Wolfe growls, advancing on me.

"I knew it was a possibility," I reply, shooting him a look that says chill the fuck out. "There was a fifty-fifty chance. Lydia, that's our nurse practitioner," I tell Anastasia. "She said to wait and see what happens. I know what to look out for. If we need her, she's only ten minutes away."

"How do we help?" Wolfe asks. "She looks like she's detoxing."

"Her system is detoxing, in a way," I reluctantly agree, still rubbing Ana's shoulder. "Suppressants are awful on an omega's health. They have a place in certain situations, but for most… I'm sorry. It's not actually my place to have an opinion."

"Fuck that," Wolfe growls. "She's shaking and burning up at the same time. If this is what they cause—"

With that Ana hisses, "Oh God, get out."

She barely manages to stand and turn around, lifting the toilet seat before she gets violently ill.

"You're okay," I murmur, rubbing her back and trying to keep her hair from falling in the way. "I've got you. Being sick is a part of life."

"Please leave," she begs.

"I'll get her a bottle of water," Wolfe says, heading for the door.

I knew it was coming. He's never been able to be around someone getting sick.

"I just bought a new toothbrush. Grab it. It's on my bathroom counter," I call after him.

Ana flushes the toilet and staggers over to the sink. She rinses her mouth and tries to hold on to the counter, but she's shaking so hard she can barely stay upright.

"It's okay," I murmur. Sliding up behind her, I help hold her up. "I'm right here. You're going to feel better soon."

I pray my words are true. Lydia said it could last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. The heat might start and she might still be sick.

Someone needs to pay for this. I don't know all the particulars, but I'm going to find out and I'm going to… I don't even know.

I want to destroy her father.

"It's not great to brush your teeth after vomiting," Wolfe says, coming back into the room. Despite his words, he still unpackages the toothbrush.

Ana wobbles. I do my best to help support her weight. She's literally burning my hands where our skin touches.

"It's already got toothpaste on it," Wolfe says.

She opens her mouth and he shoves the toothbrush in. She quickly brushes and rinses.

"We need to get you into the tub," I say. "Lydia said it would help with the body aches."

"Okay," Wolfe says, like he's pumping himself up for something. "So I'll strip down and climb in and you hand her to me?"

"Okay," I agree, but then I realize it's not my place to consent for her. "Is that okay with you?"

"I need to lie down, not take a bath," she grumbles, swatting my hand away.

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