MY PLACE, MY RULES

AUTHOR’S POV 

"I am trying to understand your capacity."

"Then ask me without assuming that what you see means we have more than we need."

Kaiden drew a slow breath.

He had promised Rowan that he would approach her as a man asking for help. He had intended to honor that promise.

But every time Elena spoke to him in that calm, unyielding manner, he felt the urge to remind her that he was not some desperate traveler who had wandered into the mountains by accident.

He was Alpha Kaiden Blackthorn.

Or he had been.

"I would appreciate it if you remembered who I am," he said.

Elena stared at him.

Then she set down the papers she had been holding.

"I remember exactly who you are, Kaiden."

Hearing his name in her voice stirred something painful inside him.

"Then you should understand that I cannot simply stand aside while my people suffer."

"And you should understand that your title gives you no authority here."

The words fell between them with startling finality.

Kaiden went still.

Elena continued before he could respond.

"You are an Alpha. I know that. But Haven is not Blackthorn territory, and I am not one of your pack members. You cannot come into my settlement and expect me to change its rules because you are accustomed to being obeyed."

"I have not asked you to change your rules."

"You have spent the entire afternoon demanding an audience, insisting on special treatment during your examination, and expecting everyone to accommodate you because you are an Alpha."

Kaiden's face hardened.

"I was trying to speak with the person responsible for making decisions."

"And you were told that I was busy helping the people who needed me."

"I am aware of that."

"Then perhaps you should consider why you found that so difficult to accept."

He opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Elena had not raised her voice. She had not threatened him or attempted to embarrass him in front of his warriors. She simply spoke with the confidence of someone who no longer believed she needed his approval.

And that, somehow, was worse.

Three years ago, Elena had stood before him beneath the Moon and asked whether he felt nothing for her.

He had refused to give her the answer she deserved.

Now she was standing before him, and he could not find a single argument that would make her treat him as anything other than another survivor in need of help.

Kaiden looked away first.

"What are your conditions?" he asked.

Elena studied him for a moment, as if deciding whether he was finally ready to listen.

"I can offer temporary shelter to your surviving pack members in the northern section of Haven. It is separate from the main residential area, and we can establish a controlled entrance between the two sections."

"Temporary?"

"Until we have assessed the situation and determined whether a longer arrangement is possible."

"And if we need more time?"

"Then we will discuss it when the time comes."

Kaiden disliked the uncertainty.

He needed something definite, a promise that his people would not be forced back onto the road after a few days. But he could see no point in arguing when Elena had not yet agreed to accept them permanently.

"What else?" he asked.

"Every newcomer will undergo a medical examination. Anyone showing signs of the Ashen Plague will be isolated until we know whether they are infected. Your people will surrender their concealed weapons before entering the residential section. They may keep approved weapons for patrols and defensive duties, but those weapons will be registered and issued according to Haven's rules."

His expression darkened.

"You expect my warriors to surrender their weapons?"

"I expect everyone entering Haven to follow the same security procedures."

"My warriors are trained fighters. They will not appreciate being treated like potential criminals."

"Neither will mine appreciate being threatened by strangers carrying concealed weapons."

"They are not strangers. They are my people."

"And I am responsible for mine."

Kaiden fell silent.

There it was again.

That certainty.

Elena was not trying to compete with him. She was not attempting to prove that she could command more warriors or defend a larger territory.

She was simply protecting what she had built.

He had once thought her too gentle to lead.

Now he was beginning to understand that her gentleness had never meant she lacked resolve.

"What about food?" he asked.

"Your supplies will be counted. We will determine how much food Haven can contribute without putting our existing residents at risk. Everyone who is able to work will contribute to rebuilding efforts, food collection, repairs, or patrols."

"And the injured?"

"They will receive treatment. Those who cannot work will not be forced to do so."

"The elderly?"

"They will be given shelter."

"The children?"

Elena's expression softened slightly.

"They will be protected."

For a brief moment, Kaiden could not speak.

He had watched people become cruel in the weeks since the plague began. He had seen desperate families abandon their injured relatives because they could not carry them. He had watched warriors refuse to share water with strangers, even when they had more than enough for themselves.

He had expected Haven to be no different.

Instead, Elena had built a place where people were expected to contribute when they could, but were not discarded when they could not.

She had built something he had once believed was impossible.

A settlement where strength did not determine who deserved to survive.

"How many people are currently living here?" he asked.

"Enough that I cannot afford to make promises without knowing what they will cost."

It was a reasonable answer.

He hated that it was reasonable.

"And what do you expect from me?"

Elena's gaze remained steady. And he hates it.