Forsaken by the Alpha, Bound by the Rogue

Morning After

I woke up sore in places I didn’t even know could hurt.

The furs beneath me were warm and smelled like Rafe — wild pine, smoke, and something darker that made my stomach tighten. My neck throbbed where he’d bitten me. Between my legs felt swollen and sticky. When I shifted even a little, I could still feel the ghost of his knot stretching me open.

For a second I just lay there, staring at the canvas roof of the tent, trying to make sense of everything that had happened.

Last night I’d been rejected by one Alpha in front of his entire pack.

A few hours later I’d been claimed — hard — by his brother.

And the worst part? I hadn’t exactly fought him off.

I turned my head. Rafe was still asleep beside me, one heavy arm thrown across my waist like he was afraid I’d disappear. Even unconscious he looked dangerous. The scar through his eyebrow, the stubble on his jaw, the way his muscles stayed tense even in sleep. He was beautiful in a brutal, ruined kind of way.

I hated how much I wanted to touch him.

Carefully, I tried to slip out from under his arm. The second I moved, his eyes snapped open — silver and sharp, instantly alert.

“Going somewhere?” His voice was rough with sleep, but there was steel underneath.

“I… need some air.”

His grip tightened for a moment, then loosened. He rolled onto his back, watching me with lazy hunger as I sat up. The cloak he’d thrown over me last night slid down, baring my breasts. I quickly pulled it back up, cheeks burning.

Rafe smirked. “No point hiding now, little mate. I’ve already seen every inch of you. Tasted most of them too.”

“Stop calling me that,” I muttered.

“Why? You are my mate.” He reached out and traced the fresh bite mark on my neck with his thumb. The touch sent a spark straight down my spine. “This says so. My scent all over you says so. The way you came on my knot twice last night says so.”

I slapped his hand away, even though my body clearly remembered every second. “It was a mistake.”

“Was it?” He sat up slowly, muscles rippling. Gods, he was huge. “Because you were begging me by the end. Screaming my name loud enough for half the neutral territory to hear.”

My face went hot. I looked away, suddenly very interested in the pile of furs.

Rafe sighed and ran a hand through his messy black hair. “Look… I’m not going to pretend last night was gentle. You were hurting. I was angry. But I’m not sorry.” His voice dropped. “And neither are you.”

He was right. I hated that he was right.

I stood up on shaky legs, wrapping the cloak tighter around myself. “I need to wash. I still smell like him.”

Something dark flashed in Rafe’s eyes. He got up too, completely naked and completely unashamed. “Good. I want every trace of my brother gone.”

He led me out of the tent. The rogue camp was already awake — wolves moving around, sharpening blades, talking in low voices. A few of them nodded respectfully at Rafe. More than a few stared at me with open curiosity. I kept my head down as he walked me to a small stream that cut through the ravine.

The water was freezing. I hissed when I stepped in, but I forced myself to wash quickly, scrubbing at my skin like I could erase the last two years. Rafe stood on the bank watching me, arms crossed. He didn’t even pretend not to look.

When I was done, he handed me a clean black tunic that smelled like him. It reached mid-thigh on me.

“Better?” he asked.

“A little.”

He stepped close, tilting my chin up. “You’re allowed to be angry, Elara. You’re allowed to hate me for a while. But you’re not allowed to run. Not from me.”

“I’m not your prisoner.”

“No,” he said softly. “You’re my mate. There’s a difference.”

For a moment we just stared at each other. Then he kissed me — slower this time. Almost careful. His tongue traced my bottom lip until I opened for him. I hated how easily I melted into it.

When he pulled back, his eyes were glowing again.

“Come on. You need food. Then we talk.”

Back in the main part of camp, someone had cooked rabbit and wild herbs over the fire. Rafe sat me down on a log and handed me a plate. I ate like I hadn’t eaten in days — which wasn’t far from the truth. Stress had killed my appetite for weeks.

While I ate, Rafe told me bits and pieces about the rogue pack. How he’d built it from wolves Kael had thrown away. How they survived by raiding supply lines and staying one step ahead of the bigger packs. He spoke quietly, but there was pride in his voice.

I listened, watching the way the morning light caught the scars on his arms.

“Why did Kael really exile you?” I asked finally.

Rafe’s expression hardened. “Because I was going to be Alpha. Our father was dying. I was the oldest, the strongest. Kael couldn’t stand it. So he poisoned the old man and made sure everyone thought I did it.”

He said it so calmly it sent chills down my spine.

“And you’ve been out here ever since?”

“Building something real.” He looked at me then, really looked. “Something that doesn’t throw away good wolves just because they’re not useful anymore.”

I swallowed the last bite of food. “And where do I fit into that?”

Rafe set his plate down and pulled me onto his lap right there in front of everyone. I stiffened, but he just wrapped his arms around me.

“You’re the piece I didn’t know I was missing,” he said against my hair. “I was planning to use you against him. Still am, if I’m honest. But now…” His hand slid under the tunic, resting possessively on my bare thigh. “Now I want to keep you more than I want revenge.”

My heart did something stupid in my chest.

I turned in his arms so I could see his face. “This is crazy. I barely know you.”

“You know enough.” He leaned in and kissed the mark on my neck, making me shiver. “You know I’ll protect you. You know I’ll kill for you. And you know I’ll f**k you until you forget every bad thing he ever did to you.”

Heat pooled low in my belly again. I hated how easily he could do that to me.

“Rafe…”

“Say my name like that again and I’ll take you right here on this log.”

I laughed despite everything. A real, surprised laugh. It felt strange after so long.

One of the rogue wolves — a woman with short red hair and a scarred cheek — walked past and grinned. “Looks like the Alpha finally found something worth keeping.”

Rafe just smiled against my shoulder.

Later, when the sun was higher, he took me back to the tent. This time he was slower. He laid me down on the furs and took his time exploring every inch of me with his mouth and hands. He licked the mark he’d left on my neck, then moved lower, spreading my thighs and tasting me until I was shaking and begging.

When he finally slid inside me, it was deep and steady. No rush this time. Just long, rolling thrusts that made me feel every thick inch of him.

“Look at me,” he whispered.

Our eyes locked as he moved. The silver in his gaze seemed brighter, almost glowing.

“You’re mine, Elara,” he said again and again, like a vow. “Not because of revenge. Not because of my brother. Because something in you calls to something in me.”

I came with his name on my lips, clenching around him. He followed right after, knot swelling and locking us together as he spilled deep inside me once more.

Afterward, as we lay tangled together waiting for his knot to go down, I traced one of the many scars on his chest.

“I’m still scared,” I admitted quietly.

“I know.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “But you don’t have to be scared alone anymore.”

Outside the tent, the rogue wolves howled in the distance — a wild, free sound that somehow felt like home.

For the first time since Kael had thrown me away, I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, I’d found something better in the ruins.

Something dangerous.

Something real.