SHOULD I MAKE HIM SUFFER?

AUTHOR’S POV 

"Your pack?" she asked.

"Those who remain."

"How many have you lost?"

Kaiden's eyes flickered.

"Too many."

For the first time, Elena noticed how much weight he had lost. His face was sharper, his skin pale beneath the grime. The powerful Alpha she remembered had always seemed untouchable, as though the world itself would hesitate before daring to strike him.

That man was gone.

In his place stood someone who had survived a disaster that had taken almost everything from him.

A small, unwanted ache stirred inside her.

She crushed it before it could grow.

"Why here?" she asked. "There are other territories north of the highway."

"We tried them."

"And?"

"They refused us."

Elena almost laughed, though there was nothing amusing about his answer.

Three years ago, Kaiden had possessed the resources to make neighboring Alphas compete for his favor. He had been able to negotiate alliances, secure trade agreements, and choose the future he wanted.

Now those same doors had closed in his face.

"And you thought of Haven," she said.

"I heard that a woman named Elena Voss was leading a settlement here."

His gaze held hers.

"I came to see if it was true."

"You came because you have nowhere else to go."

Kaiden flinched.

It was a small movement, almost imperceptible, but she saw it.

"Yes," he admitted.

The honesty unsettled her more than a denial would have.

She had prepared herself for arrogance. She had expected him to invoke his title, remind her of their former bond, or demand that she assist his pack because they had once belonged to the same territory.

Instead, he stood outside her gates and admitted that he had nowhere else to go.

For one dangerous moment, she remembered the young Alpha she had admired before the Moon Ceremony. She had fallen for his strength, but also for the kindness she had glimpsed beneath it.

Then the ceremony had revealed the truth of his priorities.

Elena stepped away from the viewing gap.

"How many infected have you brought with you?"

"None that we know of."

"That is not an answer."

"We checked everyone before leaving. Anyone showing symptoms was isolated. We lost some people on the road, but we did not bring anyone we knew to be infected."

"Did you examine every person in those vehicles?"

"Yes."

"Have any of your warriors developed fever, confusion, or dark markings since the examination?"

Kaiden glanced toward Rowan, who had been standing a short distance behind him.

"No," he answered. "Not since we left the territory."

Elena considered him.

She needed to know whether his group posed an immediate threat. Haven could not afford to take in infected survivors without precautions, and she would not allow her personal history to cloud her judgment.

But she also could not ignore the number of people standing behind him.

They looked like the people she had sworn to protect.

The sick. The hungry. The frightened.

People who had lost their homes and had nowhere else to turn. Who needed help. And who were not responsible for what Kaiden had done to her.

"Elena," Kaiden said, taking another step toward the gate. "I am not asking you to forgive me."

Her expression hardened.

"You haven't asked for forgiveness because you haven't even apologized."

His mouth opened, then closed.

For the first time since she had recognized him, he seemed unable to find the words he wanted.

She waited.

A part of her wanted to hear him acknowledge what he had done. She wanted him to admit that his rejection had not been a small disagreement or a decision that could be erased by the passing of time.

He had humiliated her in front of the people she had once hoped to call family.

Then he had let her leave alone.

But even now, with the consequences of his decisions written across his exhausted face, she could not know whether he regretted hurting her or merely regretted losing her.

Those were not the same thing.

Kaiden lowered his voice.

"I know I have no right to ask anything of you."

"Then you understand the situation."

"I do."

"Do you?" Elena asked. "Because the last time we stood face-to-face, you made it very clear that being your mate did not mean I belonged beside you."

Pain flashed through his eyes.

"You are right."

The admission caught her off guard.

She had imagined this meeting more times than she cared to admit. In some versions, she had walked away without looking at him. In others, she had demanded answers until he had nothing left to say. Occasionally, in the darkest hours of the night, she had imagined him telling her that he had made a mistake.

She had never imagined him agreeing with her so quietly.

Kaiden looked at her as though he wanted to say more.

Instead, he glanced toward his people.

"My pack has children. Injured warriors. Families who have been walking for days. I would not have brought them here if I had another choice."

Elena followed his gaze.

A little girl sat inside one of the vehicles, her face pressed against the window. Beside her, an elderly woman held a bundle of blankets in her lap. A young warrior with a bloodstained bandage leaned against the side of the vehicle, his eyes half closed from exhaustion.

Elena's heart twisted.

She could refuse Kaiden.

She could close the gates and tell him to keep moving, to find another settlement, to face the same hopelessness he had allowed her to face three years ago.

But the people behind him were not responsible for his choices.

And Haven was not built to become a place where Elena decided who deserved to suffer.

It was built to keep people alive.

She looked at Garrick.

"Prepare the outer yard for inspection. No one enters the inner settlement until Lydia and I have examined them. The injured will be treated first, and anyone showing signs of infection will be isolated immediately."

Garrick nodded, but his gaze shifted toward Kaiden.

"What about their weapons?"

"Every weapon will be counted and secured before anyone crosses the gate. Their warriors will remain under supervision until we've determined they pose no threat."

Kaiden's expression tightened at the restrictions, but he did not protest.

Elena turned back toward him.

"You will follow our rules while you are here. Your title does not give you authority over Haven. You do not issue orders to my people, and you do not interfere with my decisions."

"I understand."

"If you break those rules, you will leave."

Kaiden held her gaze.

"Understood."

She should have felt satisfied.

Instead, the sound of his agreement brought back the memory of another night, three years ago.

Now he stood before her with nothing left to offer except the people who depended on him and a request for shelter.

Elena turned toward the guards.

"Open the outer gate."

The men moved to obey.

Then she stopped them.

"Wait."

She looked at Kaiden one last time.

"Before you enter Haven, I want you to understand something."

He stood perfectly still.