THE RULES OF MY HAVEN

AUTHOR’S POV 

Elena had learned that the fastest way to lose control of a settlement was to let people believe the rules could be changed whenever someone powerful disliked them.

Haven had survived its first months through cooperation, sacrifice, and a great deal of stubbornness. 

Food remained scarce. The water supply had only recently been restored, several buildings still needed repairs, and every day brought another problem that demanded attention.

But Haven was standing.

And Elena intended to keep it that way.

"Everyone should be here by now," Garrick said, placing a stack of papers on the wooden table.

Elena glanced around the meeting hall.

The room had once served as a dining area for the people who had lived in the abandoned settlement. Its windows were cracked, one corner of the roof leaked whenever it rained, and the long table in the middle had been repaired with mismatched pieces of wood.

It was hardly a place fit for a council meeting.

But they had more important things to worry about than appearances.

Garrick took his usual seat beside her. Lydia Shaw arrived carrying the infirmary records, while two other settlement leaders entered together, arguing quietly about the number of blankets needed for the northern shelters.

Roderick came in last among the Haven leaders, his broad shoulders nearly filling the doorway. He had become more cooperative since arriving at the settlement, although Elena knew he still believed strength and rank should determine who received the greatest privileges.

Kaiden entered a moment later with Rowan.

Elena's fingers tightened around her pen.

She had hoped to finish the meeting before seeing him.

Since the incident at the ravine, she had been doing her best to avoid being alone with him. The strange connection they had experienced continued to trouble her. She had felt nothing similar since, but the memory remained sharp enough to unsettle her whenever she thought about it.

She had no intention of allowing a mysterious pulse to confuse her feelings.

Whatever had happened, it did not change the past.

"Let's begin," she said.

The leaders settled into their seats.

Elena reviewed the latest reports. The water supply was functioning again, although the damaged supports would need additional reinforcement. The infirmary had enough supplies for ordinary injuries, but they were running low on certain medicines. The hunters had returned with some game, yet their food stores remained insufficient to support the settlement indefinitely.

"We need another supply expedition within the next two days," Garrick said. "The southern forest may have more game, but the raiders Caleb warned us about could still be operating near the road."

"We should send more warriors," Roderick suggested. "A larger hunting party would be able to protect itself."

"And leave fewer people to guard Haven," Lydia replied. "We have children, elderly survivors, and injured people here. We cannot weaken the perimeter every time we need food."

Roderick frowned. "Then perhaps we should send the strongest warriors and give them enough food to maintain their strength."

Elena looked up from her notes.

"What do you mean by enough food?"

He seemed surprised by the question.

"The warriors doing the dangerous work should receive larger portions. They need their strength. A hunter who collapses from hunger is useless to everyone."

There was some agreement around the table.

Elena understood the argument. Warriors burned through energy, particularly when they were hunting, patrolling, or defending the settlement. Their work was dangerous, and she had no intention of sending anyone into the forest without enough food to do the job safely.

But that was not the same as deciding that the strongest people deserved more simply because they were strong.

"Anyone going on the expedition will receive an appropriate meal before leaving," she said. "We will also prepare food for the journey. But that doesn't mean their regular portions should be larger than everyone else's."

Roderick leaned forward.

"You're saying a warrior who risks his life should eat the same amount as someone who stays here repairing a roof?"

"I'm saying we distribute food according to need and the work being done, not according to someone's rank or strength."

"That sounds fair until the food runs out."

"The food is already running out," Elena replied. "That's why we count every portion, keep records of our supplies, and make sure nothing is wasted."

"And when we have only enough food for the people who can defend this place?"

The room grew quiet.

Elena put down her pen.

"Then we will face that problem when it comes. But we will not decide in advance that the lives of the people who cannot fight are worth less than yours."

Roderick's expression hardened.

"That isn't what I said."

"Perhaps not. But it's what your proposal would mean in practice."

He opened his mouth to argue again, but Elena continued.

"Hunger doesn't make some lives more valuable than others, Roderick. The children are not less deserving of food because they cannot defend the walls. The elderly are not less deserving because they cannot hunt. The injured are not less deserving because they need time to recover."

She glanced toward the infirmary records Lydia had brought.

"Some of the people we treat today may be strong enough to help us tomorrow. If we abandon them because they are temporarily weak, we lose people who could have become part of our future."

Roderick crossed his arms.

"That is a generous way of thinking when supplies are limited."

"It isn't generosity. It's survival."

Elena leaned forward slightly.

"If we begin deciding that only the strongest deserve to live, then what exactly are we protecting Haven for?"

No one answered immediately.

She looked around the table, meeting each person's eyes.

"We are not building another pack where people have to prove their worth before they are allowed to survive. Everyone here has already lost enough. We will ask people to contribute according to their abilities. We will expect those who are healthy to work, and those who can defend us to help protect us. But we will not punish people for being injured, old, or young."

Lydia nodded.

"I agree. The infirmary already has patients who are recovering well enough to assist with lighter tasks. If they had been denied proper food during their recovery, they might never have reached that point."

Garrick placed his hands on the table.

"So do I. We need our warriors, but we also need our hunters, builders, healers, and everyone else who keeps this place functioning."

One of the other leaders nodded in agreement.

Then another.

Roderick's gaze shifted toward Kaiden.

Perhaps he expected the Kaiden to support him.

Kaiden sat with his hands resting on the table, his expression unreadable.

"Alpha?" Roderick prompted.

Elena body went rigid. 

One nonsense from him and he is out!