I TAUGHT HIM A LESSON

AUTHOR’S POV 

Elena was in the storage building when Rowan found her.

She was checking the supplies brought by the Blackthorn survivors, making notes about the quantity of food, medical materials, blankets, and fuel they had managed to transport. Much of it was damaged or insufficient, but there was more than she had expected.

If distributed carefully, the supplies might support the newcomers for several days while Haven assessed its own reserves.

Several days were not enough to solve their problems.

But it was enough to begin.

"Elena," Rowan said.

She looked up from her notebook.

"Has Lydia finished examining everyone?"

"Most of them. She is still checking the injured."

"And the vehicles?"

"Garrick's people are inspecting them now."

Elena nodded and returned to her notes.

Rowan hesitated.

"Kaiden would like to speak with you."

Her pen stopped.

Of course he would.

She had known the demand would come sooner or later. Kaiden had never been comfortable waiting for anything, particularly when he believed his title entitled him to an immediate answer.

"What does he want?"

"An audience."

Elena slowly lifted her head.

"An audience?"

Rowan sighed.

"I advised him to ask rather than demand."

"And did he listen?"

"He did, eventually."

That almost made her smile.

Almost.

She set down her pen.

"Tell him I will speak with him after I finish assessing his people and determining what resources they will require."

Rowan studied her face.

"That could take several hours."

"Then he will have several hours to wait."

"Elena, he is exhausted. His pack has lost nearly everything."

"So have many of the people who live here."

"I know."

She looked at Rowan more carefully.

Unlike Kaiden, Rowan had never been cruel to her. He had not encouraged the rejection, but neither had he openly opposed it. He had treated her with the cautious politeness expected of a Beta speaking to a low-ranking healer, and she had once been grateful for that small kindness.

She did not blame him for bringing the survivors to Haven.

She did not even blame him for trying to mediate.

But she would not let his concern for Kaiden make her forget her responsibility to everyone else.

"I am not refusing to speak with him," she explained. "But I will not put the needs of Haven aside because he has arrived."

Rowan inclined his head.

"I understand."

"Good. Then help Garrick organize the supplies. Once I know how many people we can accommodate, I'll make a decision."

He turned to leave, then paused.

"Elena?"

She looked up.

"Thank you for allowing us to come this far."

She held his gaze.

"I haven't agreed to anything yet."

"No," Rowan said. "But you have given us a chance to ask."

For a moment, something in his expression reminded her of the man who had stood beside Kaiden when she left Blackthorn. He had watched her walk through the gates before dawn, carrying everything she owned, and he had said nothing to stop her.

Perhaps he had not understood what that departure meant.

Perhaps none of them had.

Elena picked up her pen.

"I'll speak with him when I'm ready."

Rowan nodded and left.

She looked down at the list of supplies, but the numbers had begun to blur.

Kaiden was here.

He was not a memory anymore. He was a living presence within the boundaries of the home she had built, and his return had awakened feelings she had believed she had buried.

She pressed a hand against her chest, where the damaged bond still ached faintly.

Don't let him confuse you, Luma warned.

"I'm not."

You are thinking about him.

"That doesn't mean I want him back."

Luma fell silent.

Elena drew a slow breath and forced herself to concentrate on the supplies.

She had a settlement to protect.

She had children who needed food, wounded survivors who needed treatment, and a perimeter that still required repairs. She had no time to revisit the past simply because Kaiden had finally discovered that the world did not owe him everything he wanted.

If he wished to remain in Haven, he would have to understand that he was no longer the man who decided her future.

She was.

And for the first time, he would have to wait for her answer.