Abandoned by My Mate, Saved by the Rogue Alpha King

Ethan had no memory. He couldn't remember who he was, not a single thing from his past.

Eleanor figured he must've hit his head or something-he talked like a clueless little kid. Totally didn't match his calm and grown-up looks.

Sure, his driver's license proved he was legally an adult-just barely younger than her-but the way he acted? Pure child.

"Come on, take a deep breath," Eleanor sighed for the hundredth time. "I'm calling the healer to take a look at you."

Ethan gave a small, slow shake of his head, looking at her like a lost puppy.

She had no idea what to do with him, so she pressed the call button next to the bed.

The healer showed up quickly. Eleanor met them halfway and gave a quick rundown while Ethan stayed on the bed, never taking his eyes off her.

He let go of her sleeve, just to grab her hand instead. His fingers closed around hers tightly, like he was terrified she'd leave if he didn't hold on.

Once the healer stepped out to get the meds, Eleanor finally turned to really look at him.

That face-no wonder every she-wolf out there would swoon. He had sharp, elegant features that gave off this naturally noble vibe, but right now, that face was filled with wide-eyed innocence.

And those green eyes? Locked onto her, like she was his whole world. He trusted her completely, no question.

Eleanor finally gave in, sighing in defeat. "Alright, I'm not going anywhere. Don't stress. Memory or no memory, I'll stick with you and help figure out where you belong."

Ethan stayed quiet, lost in thought. A few blurry images flashed through his mind-but this time, it wasn't blood and chaos. He saw a little girl standing in front of him, eyes a warm amber and full of curiosity. Her brown hair was neatly braided, nothing flashy about her, but her smile... it was beautiful.

His gaze drifted toward Eleanor, almost instinctively. They looked so much alike.

"We knew each other as kids," he said slowly. "You're my... sister."

Eleanor frowned, confused and a bit overwhelmed. She didn't know how to respond. The only handsome boy she had memories of from her childhood was Carl. Before meeting Ethan, Carl used to be the standard for 'handsome wolf' in her head.

'He's just messed up in the head,' she thought, frustrated. 'Probably mistaking me for someone he used to know. I've never seen him before in my life.'

Right then, the healer from earlier walked back in, carrying a few bottles of medication and started setting up the IV for Ethan.

Eleanor took the chance to step out with the healer, heading toward the office. She needed to figure out what was really going on with Ethan.

When Ethan saw her leaving, his eyes stuck to her back like he didn't want to let her go. It made Eleanor feel a little awkward.

"I'm not sure, Miss Reynolds," the healer said seriously, tone full of concern. "It looks like he might have some brain trauma, but there's nothing wrong physically. It could be psychological-maybe from stress or emotional shock. It's hard to say when he'll recover. My suggestion is to take him home, let him rest, and just bring him back in for checkups."

"No, we're not actually..." Eleanor started to explain.

Before she could finish, a young werewolf burst through the door, panting. "He's freaking out-asking for Miss Reynolds! Please, come quickly, Miss Reynolds. We can't control him!"

Eleanor froze for a second, then quickly followed the girl back to the room.

As soon as she reached the doorway, she saw Ethan yelling like mad in the middle of the room. "Let go of me!"

He was radiating this dangerous energy, and the healers around him clearly didn't dare take a step closer. His eyes were cold and wild, like he could snap at any second. He'd yanked the IV right out of his arm, and blood was dripping down onto the floor.

"Martin, Martin!" Eleanor called out anxiously, rushing over to grab his shoulders. Thankfully, he didn't fight her off. "I'm right here."

Seeing how anxious Ethan was made Eleanor's chest tighten painfully.

It instantly brought her back to her own rough childhood-thrown out by her parents, scared, helpless, constantly on edge. Eleanor knew all too well what being abandoned felt like. That kind of hopelessness? She'd lived it. More times than she could count.

"Where did you go?" Ethan clung to her tightly, pressing his head into her shoulder. "Don't leave me."

"I didn't leave you," Eleanor said softly, heart aching.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I promise. But can we get your IV set up first?"

Ethan went quiet for a moment, the aggressiveness slowly fading from his face.

The healers, who had been frozen in fear, finally started to move again, cautiously.

"Please don't go," Ethan said, still staring at her like she was the only thing keeping him grounded.

Eleanor let out a quiet sigh. "I... won't."

But worry nagged at her. She'd have to leave soon. Classes were in a few hours, and she'd only just returned to campus yesterday. Skipping again would definitely raise red flags.

While she hooked him up to the IV again, Ethan kept holding onto her, not letting go for even a second. He practically melted into her arms, soft and obedient like a big teddy bear.

Eleanor tried to peel him off gently, but one look at his pitifully handsome face, and her hands froze. She couldn't bring herself to push him away.

"Martin, you can let go now," Eleanor said softly, trying not to sound too impatient.

Ethan looked up at her, clearly uneasy. "You're leaving me...? You don't want me anymore?"

He wouldn't budge, clutching her hand tightly like his life depended on it. The look in his clear eyes made her forget about pulling away.

'He's forgotten way too much,' she thought with a sigh. 'It's like taking care of a little kid.'

Still, she really needed to go. She blinked and said gently, "I just have some stuff to take care of, that's all."

"Oh." Ethan didn't look convinced, and he definitely didn't loosen his grip.

Eleanor realized she'd have to wait until he fell asleep. But he didn't. He just sat there all night staring at her like everything was fine. By the time the treatment was finally over, Eleanor was exhausted, and reluctantly paid for the past few days.

"I'm seriously broke..." she muttered under her breath as she pulled Ethan into a cab heading to the police station.

Just as they got in, her phone rang again. She frowned and picked up. The voice on the other end sounded smug. "Eleanor Reynolds? I represent the NOVARA Challenge. We've received your trophy. There's still five thousand in prize money that needs to be returned-make sure it's paid back by noon today, or we'll be taking legal action."

His voice was harsh, laced with heavy sarcasm and contempt.

Eleanor let out a breath, clearly unsure if she could even come up with that kind of money. She was just about to say something when-

Ethan snatched the phone right out of her hand and growled, voice low and dangerous. "Talk to her like that one more time and I swear I'll kill you!"

Eleanor froze, caught off guard by his sudden outburst. His face darkened, eyes cold.

"You thief! You think you can threaten us? All we want is the money back!" The guy on the other end exploded, clearly pissed.

The NOVARA Challenge wasn't exactly a big event, and Eleanor only got five grand for winning it. Until today, they hadn't been able to reach her, and now that they finally had, the guy wasn't even hiding how nasty he was being.

But Ethan had no clue what he was ranting about. "You don't get to bully her!"

That was all he could offer-empty threats with no real bite. The guy muttered something and promptly hung up.

Eleanor stared at the phone, something warm blooming quietly in her chest. No one had ever stepped up for her before. No one had ever tried to protect her like that. She didn't understand why she was even born into the Stormfang Pack in the first place, or what she'd supposedly done wrong.

Since she was a kid, Eleanor had always been the outsider, the one no one wanted around.

Her parents Ivy and Jack couldn't stand her. They picked on her all the time, and that was when she was just a little kid. Eleanor got stuck with all the chores-laundry, cooking, even taking care of her sister-like she was some kind of omega.

She always wore her sister's hand-me-downs and ate whatever leftovers they didn't want. Only Grandma Zoe cared about her, but Zoe was too weak to do anything about it.

Since the minute she was born, real love had been a rarity in her life. Then Ethan showed up like a beam of light cutting through the gloom inside her. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Ethan looked at her with concern, his voice soft. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, shaking her head and quickly wiping her face.

That clueless look on Ethan's face only made her worry more.

The guy remembered nothing, and his mind clearly wasn't all there-there's no way he could survive out there on his own. She had no clue where his pack was, maybe super far. If something happened, would they even make it in time? Was she really just going to drop him off at the station and walk away like nothing?

If no one showed up claiming to know him, things could get even messier. The thought made her stomach twist.

Soon, the car rolled to a stop outside the station. With nerves tying her stomach in knots, Eleanor took Ethan's hand and led him inside.

She glanced at him one last time before deciding to tell the officers everything. Then, letting go of his hand, she took a breath and started to sneak away.

"Eleanor!" Ethan reacted instantly, rushing forward to grab her arm.

Eleanor, clearly anxious, tried to calm him down. "You need to go back to your pack."

"I'm not going," he gripped her tighter. "So it's true... you just want to get rid of me."

His eyes were full of hurt as he let go and bolted, not even glancing back. Eleanor stood frozen, watching helplessly as he ran off.

"Don't run!" she shouted after him in panic. "Martin, I've got school, I really can't take care of you! I don't have money, I can't give you a proper life, Martin..."

She took a few hurried steps, but by then Ethan was already gone.

"Miss Reynolds?" A wolf from the station stepped out holding a file. "We've looked into it. Martin Hunter is an orphan with no pack. In other words, he's a rogue."

Eleanor's face crumpled. That news hit hard, and a pained groan escaped her lips.