Abandoned by My Mate, Saved by the Rogue Alpha King

The moment Eleanor saw the news, she felt like all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. She clutched her chest, confused about why she suddenly felt so uneasy.

Ethan. That name rang a bell, but she couldn't quite place it. Honestly, she didn't have much of an impression of those wolves she barely ever talked to. But she definitely knew about the Ashclaw Pack-powerful and mysterious, way beyond what the Stormfang Pack could match.

Carl had mentioned Ethan before, with that usual jealous tone. "Such a young Alpha, and I've heard he's never even taken a mate."

He and Carl were around the same age, yet somehow Ethan got all the fear and respect Carl dreamed of.

She hadn't expected him to be killed. Were Alphas this vulnerable too?

Eleanor was just about to click on the article for more details when her phone suddenly froze for a few seconds. She gave it a quick shake and waited for the screen to go back to normal-only to find the article had vanished, like it had never been there.

She tried searching for keywords, but found nothing. No posts, no chatter. It was like the news was just something she imagined. A chill ran down her spine, and for a second, she felt genuinely scared.

"Maybe I just imagined it," she muttered, trying to calm herself down. "I've probably been too tired lately and misheard the name."

She didn't even know the alpha from the Ashclaw Pack, so there was no reason to care this much. Still, dying that young... it did leave her with this weird sense of sadness.

Eleanor dropped her phone with a sigh. After resting for a bit, she headed back to class.

Once class was over, Poppy and Phoebe sneaked off, looking way too suspicious.

"Hurry! Let's throw it on that bitch's bed-this time she's gonna freak out!"

"Wait, you do it. Katherine's calling me."

Poppy shot out the order like she was the boss, then stepped aside to answer the call. Her whole vibe changed in a second-super sweet and all smiles. "Hey Katherine, what's up?"

"Got that Eleanor problem taken care of yet?" Katherine asked lazily, like she didn't really care but wanted an update anyway.

"Don't worry, we're on it. Even if she doesn't get kicked out today, I'll make sure she suffers. Phoebe filmed the whole thing-I'll send it to you. She looked like a soaked mutt, it was hilarious!"

"Good job. Keep it up."

"We also got a few snakes," Poppy said smugly. "We'll toss them in her bed-she's gonna scream like hell tonight."

"Perfect. Just mess with her as much as you can," came Katherine's icy, venomous voice over the phone. "Even if she dies, I'll take care of it. Once I'm back and Carl and I are officially mates, I'll bring you both something nice."

"Thanks, Katherine! You're literally the best," Poppy replied cheerfully.

After hanging up, she could barely wait to see Eleanor's face when everything went down.

But Eleanor had left campus earlier and was already heading back to her apartment. The nearest bus only went so far-she had to walk the rest of the way alone.

She hugged her backpack tightly as she got off, nerves creeping in.

The area wasn't exactly friendly, barely anyone lived nearby, and there were barely any working streetlights.

'Ugh, great,' Eleanor thought nervously. 'Guess I was too focused on saving money to think about how sketchy this place gets at night.'

Her face turned a little pale as she picked up her pace, practically sprinting until she reached the top floor of her building.

But even the hallway lights were out. She muttered in frustration, "I should've asked for a discount or something..."

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her keys, then grabbed her phone to use the faint glow as a flashlight, the weak light bouncing against the worn floor tiles.

"What the heck?" She jumped back, startled. "Ahh!"

Eleanor let out a sharp scream, stumbling backward in panic.

Lying on the ground was a blood-covered werewolf, barely breathing, and she had just stepped on him. She was shaking all over, every instinct screaming at her to run.

Just as she lifted her foot, the werewolf suddenly grabbed her leg. Eleanor screamed again, her voice cracking as tears welled up in her eyes. "Help! Someone-please! Help me!"

Her voice echoed through the dim hallway, but no one answered.

Frantic, she fumbled for her phone, ready to call for help, but her mind went completely blank-she couldn't even remember the emergency number.

Then, the werewolf spoke, his voice faint and raspy. "Help... me..."

She froze. That weak, broken voice tugged at her. Taking a shaky breath, Eleanor slowly looked down, her voice trembling. "W-Who are you?"

"Help... me," he murmured again, barely audible.

His injuries were bad-deep gashes across his body, his skin pale, barely hanging on.

For a moment, her fear eased. She focused on his face, smeared with blood, strands of hair stuck to his forehead. He looked pitiful. Too pitiful to leave behind.

Eleanor took a deep breath, then crouched down and picked up the black wallet lying nearby.

Inside were a driver's license and a few bank cards. Eleanor pulled them out and gave them a quick glance.

*****

Meanwhile, over at the Ashclaw Pack-

"Still no sign of the Alpha?" Zane asked tightly, pacing in frustration. "I can't feel his presence at all..."

Ethan had gone out alone and ended up ambushed by rogues. Ever since, there had been zero contact. When the Ashclaw wolves arrived at the scene, all they found were a few rogue bodies and blood everywhere.

The original plan was to fake Ethan's death, use the news to smoke out whoever orchestrated the attack. But his vanishing act wasn't part of that plan.

Zane had been calling around nonstop, trying to track him down, but there was nothing. Just radio silence.

He was on the verge of losing it. Only he, Ethan, and a couple of loyal Deltas knew about the plan. The rest of the Pack had no clue, and now everything was falling apart. Whispers were swirling, unrest brewing.

Former Alpha Thomas had no choice but to step back in and take charge.

Former Luna Camila was devastated-she'd almost fainted from the shock. But Zane couldn't bring himself to tell the truth, not yet.

*****

Back near the apartment, inside the local werewolf clinic.

Eleanor was dozing off in the chair beside the bed, completely unaware that the injured wolf on it had already regained consciousness.

Ethan clutched his head, wincing as he slowly sat up, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar room around him. A sharp, splitting pain throbbed through his skull like it might explode, and the wounds across his body ached with every tiny movement.

His mind was a chaotic reel of images-feral rogues, brutal attacks, everything mashed together in a blur of confusion.

Thud!

Eleanor's head hit the corner of the bed. She let out a small groan, rubbing her temple as she stirred awake.

Ethan turned his head, puzzled, and spotted that familiar, slightly flushed round face.

'Who is she?' The thought blinked through his foggy mind.

"Oh my god... You're actually awake," Eleanor said, visibly relieved, still massaging the side of her head. She looked over at Ethan's confused expression and let out a breath.

"When I brought you here, you seriously freaked me out. You were bleeding like crazy, but now you're almost healed?

"Did some rogues jump you or something? Need me to call the cops?

"Also, I checked your driver's license... says your name's Martin Hunter?"

Her tone was casual, almost too calm, as she observed Ethan from the edge of the bed with curious eyes.

He didn't look threatening at all. In fact, there was something harmless in his dazed stare. His face was way too good-looking, with an innocent edge that made her guard lower bit by bit.

His jet-black hair was tucked neatly to one side, showing off a pair of clear green eyes, deep like a forest after rain.

'He's ridiculously handsome,' Eleanor thought, blinking as she waited patiently for him to say something.

Ethan had been staring at her in silence for what felt like forever. Then all of a sudden, he reached out and grabbed her sleeve. "Miss..."

His voice was soft, kind of pleading. It made Eleanor freeze. Startled, she jumped up, trying to shake his hand off.

But Ethan held on tight, refusing to let go. "Can you take me home? Please?"

"Let... let go first," Eleanor stammered, clearly flustered. "You're holding on too tight."

"I don't remember anything. Right now, you're all I've got. Can you please... take me with you?"

That second question, full of confusion and helplessness, made something soften in her. Eleanor sighed, not sure what to do.

She knew she should walk away. But how could she just abandon him? He was hurt, vulnerable... and clearly had no one else.

"Please... just take me home." Ethan's voice was stubborn but desperate.