LEADER OF THE LIVING DEAD

AUTHOR’S POV 

Elena set her empty bowl aside and rose to address the group.

“Before we rest, I want everyone to understand something. We don’t know how far the illness has spread, and we cannot assume that the mountains will protect us forever. We need to conserve our supplies, keep the settlement secure, and pay attention to any signs of infection.”

The room quieted.

“If you see something unusual, report it. If you feel sick, tell me. If you find food or water, don’t consume it until we’ve checked that it’s safe. And no one leaves the perimeter alone.”

A man near the fire raised his hand. “What if a group of survivors arrives tomorrow? What if they need help?”

“We’ll assess the situation before allowing them inside.”

“And if they are sick?”

“Then we’ll keep our distance and find a way to help them without endangering everyone here.”

He nodded slowly.

Another voice came from the back. “What if an Alpha’s patrol comes looking for survivors?”

Elena considered the question.

“If a patrol arrives, we’ll speak to them and find out what they know. But until then, we will not build our plans around the hope that someone will come.”

A woman frowned. “You really think no one is coming?”

Elena looked at the faces around the fire.

“I think we should prepare as though no one is coming. If help arrives, we’ll be grateful. But if it doesn’t, we still need to survive.”

No one argued.

Perhaps they were too tired.

Perhaps they had finally begun to understand.

Or perhaps they simply recognized the truth in her words.

Elena returned to her place near the wall.

Outside, the wind swept through the abandoned settlement, rattling loose shutters and carrying the distant howl of wolves through the darkness.

She listened until the sound faded.

Three years ago she had walked away from an Alpha who believed she was too weak to stand beside him.

Tonight she sat among people who had trusted her to lead them through the first night of a dying world.

She had no title. No army. No powerful mate.

But she had her healing gift, her wolf, her knowledge of the mountains, and the determination to keep moving when fear threatened to stop her.

It would have to be enough.

Elena lay down on a thin blanket near the fire and closed her eyes.

For the first time in years, she did not wonder whether she was worthy of standing beside a powerful Alpha.

She wondered what kind of leader she could become without one.

And somewhere deep within her, beneath the exhaustion and grief, something quietly changed.

She no longer needed permission to take responsibility for her own life.

The world outside might have fallen apart.

But Elena Voss was no longer the woman who had been rejected beneath the moon.

She was becoming someone who could stand on her own.

And she had only just begun.