Survivor

Small Steps

"You are mine, Harper, and no one will ever hurt you again."

Harper tensed at the words and his piercing gaze focused directly on her, his eyes not leaving hers. Slowly, she held out her hand and watched as he gave her back the notepad, his finger coming into brief contact with her hand and sending sparks into both wolves.

She quickly straightened, wincing slightly at the gash stretching at the movement, and pressed the pen to a new page. Gabriel watched her curiously as she doodled on the notepad, her shaky hand drawing different patterns and items. The two stayed quiet until Harper raised the notepad with the words "Help Me" written on it and Gabriel quickly met her eyes, wondering if she was in pain. Instead, Harper shoved her covers forwards revealing the large gash on her left leg. She swung them over the edge of the bed and then looked at Gabriel, who scrunched up his brows in confusion.

Harper sighed and looked down at the solid floor below her. All she wanted to do was stand, but since she didn't have the energy or the adrenaline that she possessed during her exit plan out of the clinic, she hadn't been able to hold herself upright without help.

When Gabriel still didn't move, she gently pushed herself off the bed. As soon as her bare feet hit the freezing floor, her knees gave out from under her. Swiftly, Gabriel was able to grab her before she hit the ground and met her chocolate eyes that gave him her thanks. "You're gonna have to be more specific with what you want, Harper. You can't just launch yourself off the bed and expect me to catch you." Harper looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. They both knew that the bond between mates was strong and despite what he said, he would always be there to catch her.

She averted her gaze to her feet and planted them firmly against the cold surface while Gabriel held her left, upper arm. He gave her enough space so that she would remain in a calm state while still keeping a close eye on her movements.

She went to take a step, but once again Gabriel's grip tighten on her arm and kept her from falling. "You're still weak, Harper." He said and watched as her face dropped. She slowly moved away from his grasp and gripped onto the bed, clambering back into her comfortable bed. Gabriel cleared his throat as her backside was exposed to him and when Harper got seated, she looked at him with a look of confusion.

He didn't say anything, just watched as she pulled the covers back up near her torso and leaned back against the bed. Gabriel returned to his seat and watched as she tilted her head towards where he was seated, her eyes flickering over his figure before moving her head to look up at the ceiling.

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Her screams startled the brunette nurse seated next to her and she quickly moved towards her patient. Harper's body shook as tears ran down her cheek and fell rapidly against her covers. "You're okay, Harper." She could hear the nurse's soothing words, but it did nothing to calm the panic that was flowing through her system. "Focus on me, Harper." The nurse refrained from touching Harper and instead shifted to sit on the bed before the panicked woman. "You're okay." The brunette whispered again, but the woman's condition only worsened as more nurses that had heard the commotion entered the room, sending Harper into a completely panicked state.

"Out! All of you, out!" The brunette quickly growled, swiftly moving from the bed and catching hold of the final nurse leaving. The nurse nodded as the brunette gave her instructions and then bolted from the room.

The brunette nurse turned back to see Harper's hands clenching the covers tightly and the woman's eyes firmly closed as endless tears streamed down her porcelain cheeks. She slowly moved back to the bed and sat before Harper, whispering soft and comforting word.

Harper tried to focus on the nurse's words, but her mind raced with the nightmare that had plagued her dreams. Her head began to pound at the raging thoughts that raced around her mind and Harper quickly removed her hands from the covers, moving them to cover her ears as her captors' voices filled her ears. Her fingers gripped onto her hair in a painful hold as she swallowed back a sob that threatened to escape. 

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Gabriel bolted through the front doors of the clinic and could immediately smell his mate's fear. He quickly moved down the hallway, her delicious scent becoming stronger as he grew closer to her door. Standing before it, he reluctantly knocked against the door holding him back from Harper and watched as his most trusted nurse pulled it open with a look of relief that he was there.

Gabriel looked over her shoulder to see Harper clutching her head, her fingers digging painfully into her scalp as sobs racked her fragile body.

"I can't calm her down, Gabriel," Riley said as he moved past her and she closed the door behind him.

 "What happened." He growled, his eyes darkening at the sight of his mate crying. 

"She had a nightmare," Riley explained calmly, not phased by the Alpha's darkened expression.

Gabriel slowly moved forwards and outstretched a hand towards his mate, Harper's eyes snapping open at his close movements and landing on the calloused palm of his hand. "Come on Harper, you've got to help me out here." He muttered quietly when she didn't move. "I'm not too good at these things." Harper's painful sobs slowed as she tried to control her pounding heartbeat and she slowly detangled her right hand from her hair, her watery, brown eye glancing upwards to catch Gabriel's.

His heart slowed to a painful stop as soon as he saw the pain reflected in her glassy orbs. Her chapped lips trembled slightly as she slowly moved her small hand near his large palm, tensing as pleasurable sparks were sent through her arm as her fingers lightly connected with his. Gabriel's eyes were beaming with victory as she slipped her small hand into his and clutched onto it, reveling in the sparks produced by his touch.

They stayed that way as Harper curled back up in the bed and Gabriel took up the seat beside her, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles gently as she lightly clung onto his hand. Soon light snores came from his sleeping mate and her hold loosened, Gabriel gently letting go of her hand. Riley plopped down in another chair with a sigh and rubbed her tired eyes. "Poor woman." She muttered softly and Gabriel tilted his head towards her.

"How is she holding up?" Gabriel questioned and the brunette nurse focused on Harper's sleeping figure.

"Her wounds are slowly healing, but they will leave scars. She sickly thin due to her refusing to eat and she's slightly dehydrated. She very cautious about close movements that invade her personal space and she has tried to rip the IV out seventeen times." Riley stated as Gabriel turned back to his sleeping mate.

 "And her wolf."

"Dormant. She probably hasn't shifted into it for a long period of time." Riley explained and heard a low growl escape from Gabriel.

"I'm gonna find those bastards and rip their throats out."

Riley watched him carefully. "And I'll join you when you do." Her eyes darkening as she focused Harper, angered by what the rogue pack did to her pack's future Luna.

The pack would make them pay for the harm they caused.