The Rogue King's Wolfless Queen

Chapter 3: The Bleeding King

Elena’s lungs burned. Her bare feet were bleeding from jagged rocks and sharp twigs, but she kept running. The Forbidden Forest was pitch black, the massive trees blotting out the moonlight. Every shadow looked like a monster waiting to jump her.

Suddenly, she tripped over a thick tree root and went flying, slamming hard into the dirt.

"Ow... damn it," she muttered, clutching her scraped elbow.

She lay there for a second, trying to catch her breath. The silence of the forest was deafening. But then, a sound cut through the dark.

A deep, agonizing groan.

Elena froze. It sounded close. A heavy, wet thud followed, like a massive body hitting the ground. Then came a low, menacing growl that literally made the dirt beneath her vibrate.

Normally, a wolfless omega would run the other way. But Elena’s medical instincts, drilled into her by her mother, instantly took over. That groan wasn’t a predator hunting—it was a beast dying.

She crawled through the thick bushes, parting the leaves to peer into a small, moonlit clearing.

Her breath caught in her throat.

A wolf lay there. But it wasn't a normal wolf. It was massive—twice the size of Killian’s Alpha form. Its fur was pitch black, swallowing the light, but it was covered in deep, horrific slashes. Black, smoking blood was oozing from its chest.

"Silver poison," Elena whispered, her eyes widening.

The giant wolf’s head snapped toward her. Even on the brink of death, its glowing amber eyes were terrifyingly sharp. It let out a weak snarl, baring massive, blood-stained fangs, warning her to stay back.

Elena didn't run. Instead, she stood up and walked out of the bushes, keeping her hands visible. "Hey. Easy. I’m not going to hurt you."

The wolf watched her, its heavy breathing rattling its ribs. With a bright flash of light, the massive beast shifted.

Elena blinked as the wolf disappeared, replaced by a man. He was huge, with broad shoulders, a sharp jawline covered in dark stubble, and long black hair. Even lying in the dirt, covered in blood and sweat, he looked like a god. He was wearing nothing but shredded black trousers.

"Get... out of here, girl," the man rasped, his voice rough like sandpaper. He clutched his bleeding chest, his veins turning a sickly, glowing silver. "Before I rip you apart."

"You can barely lift your head, big guy," Elena said, crossing her arms as she stepped closer. "If I leave, you’ll be dead in ten minutes. That’s pure silver poison in your tracks."

The man glared at her, his amber eyes flashing. "I am Alpha Caleb. The Rogue King. Hunters tried to ambush me... I don't need help from a pathetic little she-wolf."

"Well, lucky for you, I’m not a she-wolf. I’m wolfless," Elena said, kneeling right next to him in the dirt.

Caleb flinched as she reached out, but he was too weak to stop her. Elena ignored his deadly glare and focused entirely on his wounds. Her mind instantly went into doctor-mode.

"The silver is entering your bloodstream. If it hits your heart, you're done," she said, her voice completely steady now. She looked around the clearing, her sharp eyes spotting a patch of thick, bumpy weeds near the base of a tree. Moon-grass.

She rushed over, ripped the weeds out by the roots, and ran back. She pulled a sharp, flat stone from the dirt and used it to crush the leaves into a thick, gooey paste.

"This is going to burn like a b***h," Elena warned.

"Just do it," Caleb growled, clenching his jaw.

Elena slammed the crushed herbs directly into his open chest wound.

Caleb threw his head back, a loud, raw roar echoing through the night. He grabbed Elena’s wrist, his grip like a vice. Elena gasped at the pressure, feeling the raw, terrifying power of a true Alpha. But she didn't pull away.

"Hold still!" she snapped, using her other hand to press down harder on the wound. "The herbs are neutralizing the poison. If you pass out now, you won't wake up!"

Caleb stared at her through a haze of pain. His amber eyes locked onto her purple ones. He saw no fear in her. Only pure, stubborn determination. Slowly, his grip on her wrist loosened.

The smoking, black blood began to clear, turning into a healthy dark red. The silver veins on his chest started to fade. His breathing finally slowed down.

Caleb lay back against the dirt, covered in sweat, looking at Elena like she was an alien. "What kind of wolfless omega knows how to cure silver poison?"

Elena wiped the sweat from her own forehead, leaving a smudge of dirt on her cheek. "The kind that just saved your life, Alpha Caleb."

Caleb let out a low, rough chuckle, though he winced from the pain. "Fair point. Who are you? Where is your pack?"

"I don't have a pack," Elena said bitterly, looking back toward the direction of the BloodMoon territory. "My mate rejected me tonight because I can't shift. I'm banished."

Caleb’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous heat flaring in them. "Your mate rejected you? Is he blind?" He slowly sat up, his wounds already starting to stitch themselves together thanks to her treatment. He stood to his full, towering height, making Elena look tiny next to him.

He looked down at her, a strange, possessive smirk playing on his lips.

"Well, his loss is my gain," Caleb said, extending a massive, scarred hand toward her. "The BloodMoon wolves are idiots. Come with me to the Rogue Pack, Elena. We value people who actually have a brain. Be my personal healer, and I'll make sure nobody ever puts you on your knees again."

Elena looked at his hand, then up into his intense amber eyes. For the first time in her life, someone saw her worth, not for a wolf form she didn't have, but for who she actually was.

She took his hand. "Deal."