Harper 5
816 Words
Harper POV
I woke to the sound of steady breathing beside me. I could feel that only about an hour had passed since Dr. Graham had started the IV. My body felt marginally stronger, the worst of the soul anchor exhaustion lifted.
I turned my head and saw him. Alpha Darius, something about his name felt familiar, but couldn't remember where I'd heard it before.
He sat in the chair beside my bed, fast asleep. His clothes were still torn, hands wounded and bloodstained from the forest attack. The sight of him like that, injured and exhausted did something strange to my chest.
Maybe I was just I feel sorry for him.
But I had to get away from here. Moving carefully, I eased the IV needle from and pressed my hand firmly over the puncture to stop the bleeding. I stood slowly on trembling legs, relieved when they managed to support my weight.
I looked over my shoulder twice, making sure he remained unconscious before I pushed open the door which led me to the empty corridor. I moved silently on my bare feet, following the path I'd memorized during my earlier escort. Left, then right, then straight to the exit.
The exit door unlocked. I stepped outside and rain immediately hit my face. Heavy rain. The storm had returned, turning everything into sheets of water and darkness.
Perfect. The rain would mask my scent.
I ran into the forest, my body protested every step, but desperation drove me forward. I stumbled over roots, scraped my arms on thorns, but kept running.
Behind me, I could hear a howl. It echoed through the trees and made my wolf whimper in recognition.
Darius had woken up and he was hunting me.
I pushed harder, lungs burning as I crashed through the underbrush. The howl came again, closer this time.
My foot caught on something and I went down hard, skinning my palms on rough bark. As I struggled to stand, I heard footsteps moving through the rain—slow, deliberate, hunting.
"Harper."
I pressed myself against a massive oak tree, trying to quiet my breathing. Maybe if I stayed still, he would pass by.
The footsteps stopped. Then I heard him moving closer, branches snapping under his weight.
A hand appeared on the bark beside my head.
I spun around. He had me trapped between the tree and his body. Rain washed blood from reopened wounds across his chest, but he didn't seem to care.
"Stop running," he said, bracing his other hand against the tree.
"Let me go."
"I can't!" Rain dripped from his hair onto my face as he stared down at me.
"You're still bleeding," I whispered, seeing the blood seeping from the claw marks on his throat.
"So are you," he said, noting my torn IV site.
"You should have treated your wounds instead of watching me sleep." I said as I stared at him.
"Don't get the wrong idea, Harper. I just don't want to lose my investment in you."
The blunt statement hit harder than any comfort would have. But I saw something else beneath his cold words. His eyes kept drifting to my bleeding arm, and I caught what looked like genuine concern.
The longer I stared into his eyes, the more my wolf stirred restlessly. Not with fear this time. With something like....like recognition. Something was changing. Something that went beyond the soul anchor bond humming in my chest.
NO.
The mate bond.
"No," I breathed, understanding flooding through me.
His jaw tightened slightly. "You sense it."
Not a question. I caught the flicker of something in his expression. Like he was fighting this as much as I was.
"I don't want this," I whispered.
"Neither do I," he said quietly, and for a moment his mask slipped. "But here we are."
"Both of us are trapped in this situation and I know very well you have no other choice."
"What do you mean?" I blurted out, confused.
Darius pulled out his phone, showing me a video that made my heart stop.
My mother. Tied to a chair, face bruised and swollen, looking directly at the camera with defiant eyes despite her obvious fear.
"They took her an hour ago," he said, his voice carefully controlled. "Your father's gambling debts had multiple creditors. Some feel cheated that I paid cash instead of delivering you directly."
My legs nearly gave out. There had been others who wanted me as payment.
"Their Alpha's curse is too advanced. The anchoring process will kill you. And your mother knows too much."
The logic was brutal but clear. They'd kill us both.
"You can save her?"
"I can end this. But only if you stop running from me."
I stared at my mother's face on the screen. Even tied up and beaten, she held her chin high.
There was no real choice here.
- Writer
