EARN MY RESPECT

AUTHOR’S POV 

"Your decision is that everyone receives equal portions unless their needs or assigned duties require an adjustment?"

"Yes."

"And the warriors going on the expedition receive enough food for the journey, without being given a permanent advantage over everyone else?"

"Correct."

Kaiden turned toward Roderick.

"Then we will follow the ruling."

Roderick stiffened.

"With respect, Alpha, I believe—"

"You have made your objection clear," Kaiden interrupted. "The settlement has reached its decision. We will not waste more time arguing over it."

A flicker of surprise crossed Elena's face before she could hide it.

Kaiden had accepted her ruling without trying to override it.

She did not know whether to be relieved or suspicious.

Perhaps he had finally realized that he could not command people here.

Or perhaps he had simply decided this particular argument was not worth having.

Either way, the decision stood.

Elena returned to her notes.

"We'll prepare the expedition supplies tomorrow. Garrick, coordinate with the hunters and choose a team that can travel without weakening our perimeter. Lydia, I want the infirmary inventory updated before the end of the day. If we have to make substitutions for any medicine, I need to know what options are available."

Both acknowledged their assignments.

The meeting continued for another hour. They discussed the next round of repairs, the need to reinforce the western fence, and the possibility of establishing a small garden near the southern buildings once the weather became more predictable.

Kaiden disagreed with several details.

He believed the western fence should be reinforced before they spent time preparing the garden. Elena pointed out that the fence had already been assigned to a team that could finish the repairs without interfering with food production. When he suggested sending additional workers, Garrick explained that those workers were needed to repair the roofs before the next rainfall.

Kaiden listened.

Sometimes he challenged their reasoning. Sometimes he offered useful suggestions based on his experience. But whenever Elena made a final decision after hearing everyone's concerns, he accepted it.

It was a small change.

Still, Elena noticed.

She had known Kaiden as an Alpha who was accustomed to having the final word. Seeing him sit at a table where other people could openly disagree with him was strange.

Seeing him accept that he was not the most important voice in the room was stranger still.

When the meeting ended, Elena gathered her papers.

"We'll meet again in three days unless something urgent comes up."

The others began leaving, already discussing their assignments.

Kaiden remained seated.

Elena pretended not to notice as she organized the reports into separate piles.

"Is there something else?" she asked eventually.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Then ask."

He paused, apparently reconsidering his words.

"Why do you refuse to give the strongest warriors larger portions when they're doing dangerous work?"

Elena looked at him.

"We've already discussed that."

"I know. I'm asking because I want to understand your reasoning."

She studied his face, searching for the familiar signs of an argument. His jaw was tight, but he did not look angry.

"Do you remember what I said about contribution?" she asked.

"That everyone should contribute according to their abilities."

"Yes. A warrior who goes hunting needs enough food to sustain that work. Someone repairing the fence may need the same. Someone recovering from an injury may need additional food to regain their strength. Those are reasonable adjustments based on actual needs."

She closed the folder in front of her.

"But if I start giving people larger portions simply because they are powerful, everyone else learns that their work matters less. The people gathering water, tending the sick, caring for children, and repairing our homes are just as necessary to our survival."

Kaiden said nothing.

"An Alpha may be the strongest wolf in a pack," she continued, "but strength alone doesn't keep people alive. A leader who protects only the people capable of protecting him isn't building a pack. He's building a group of people who will abandon him the moment he becomes weak."

Something shifted in Kaiden's expression.

Elena wondered whether he was thinking about Blackthorn.

She did not ask.

Instead, she gathered the last of her papers and stood.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Then I have work to do."

She walked past him without waiting for a response.

For several seconds, Kaiden remained in his chair, staring at the empty place where she had been sitting.

Then he rose and left the meeting hall.

By late afternoon, Elena was outside the infirmary, checking a list of supplies with Lydia when a young woman approached them.

"Elena?"

Elena looked up.

The woman was one of the survivors who had arrived several days earlier. She was thin, with tired eyes and a little girl holding tightly to her hand.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if there was any way I could help in the infirmary. I used to assist a nurse before the plague."

Lydia immediately began asking about her experience.

Elena watched as the woman's nervous expression gradually relaxed. Within minutes, Lydia had found a suitable task for her: sorting bandages, cleaning the treatment area, and helping keep the medical records organized.

The woman thanked them repeatedly before leaving with instructions.

A few moments later, Garrick approached with two hunters.

"We need to change tomorrow's patrol route," he told Elena. "One of the men spotted movement near the southern ridge."

Elena set aside the supply list and listened as he explained what they had seen. She asked several questions, considered the risks, and agreed to move the patrol farther east while sending a second team to observe the ridge from a safe distance.

The hunters departed with their instructions.

From the other side of the yard, Kaiden watched her.

He had intended to return to the northern section and check on his warriors. Instead, he found himself standing near a stack of timber, observing the steady stream of people approaching Elena.

"She has been like this since we arrived," Rowan said beside him.

Kaiden glanced at his Beta.

"Like what?"

"Listening to everyone. Even when she's exhausted."

Rowan nodded toward the infirmary, where Elena was helping Lydia settle the feverish child onto a bed.

"I thought she would be angry when she saw us at the gate. After everything that happened between you, I expected her to turn us away."

"She nearly did."

"She would have been justified."

Kaiden's gaze returned to Elena.

"Yes," he said quietly. "She would have."

Rowan studied him for a moment.

"You know, Alpha, the warriors have started talking about her."

Kaiden's expression tightened.

"What are they saying?"

"That Haven is different from Blackthorn."

The words stung more than Kaiden expected.

"Different how?"

"They say the people here know what they're working for. They don't feel as though they're being ordered around simply because someone has the authority to order them. They believe the work matters."

Kaiden looked across the yard again.

No one appeared concerned about which of them had once held the higher rank.

"They still need discipline," Kaiden said.

"Of course."

"And a proper defense."

"Yes."

Rowan's expression became thoughtful.

"But perhaps those things are easier to maintain when people trust the person giving the orders."

Kaiden did not respond.

As the sun began to sink behind the mountains, Elena finally finished her work outside the infirmary.

She was exhausted. Her back ached, and the papers in her hands seemed heavier than they should have been.

She turned toward the storage building, intending to check the remaining supplies before returning to her room.

Kaiden was standing near the path.