Magnus's POV "I underestimated you." Anna looked at me, her voice laced with self-mockery. She had thought I was some mountain to be climbed, and in her foolishness, she had made plans in her mind. But I didn't care. She had already lived through the hell I tailored for her-a life worse than death-and survived it. I didn't answer. My focus was on the monitors. Not the annex, but the moment Aysel stormed in, claws and fire flashing in her gaze. My wolf stirred, ears pricking, teeth tingling. Her fury, that unrestrained protectiveness, it was intoxicating. Only the taste of her lips an hour ago could rival this rush. And then I saw her-glass shards in hand, threatening Anna, demanding my location. My eyes burned with a feral glow. Of course... she was my second rib, the only rose on this lonely planet. A faint smile tugged at my lips. "Jackson, copy the video for me." "The footage's already in your inbox, Alpha," he said, restrained but proud. "Good. Tell Finance to release triple the year-end bonus tomorrow." "Yes, Alpha," he replied, his lips twitching to suppress a grin. Anna finally realized she was ignored. She was irrelevant to me. Her expression soured, frustrated. I watched Aysel's back until she vanished from view. Only then did I turn to Anna. "You think your loneliness gives you power, that even death is just one more life to lose?" I asked, folding my hands, wolf coiling in my chest like a shadow of claws. Her heart leapt, fear tightening her throat. "What... do you mean?" I let a predator's smirk curl. "Aysel is right. You wield your knife, but never strike the real enemy. Lucky for you... I will guide your hand." She trembled, trying to rush at me, but my pack's guards held her fast. "What do you intend to do?" she whimpered. I watched her panic and let a dark chuckle roll through me. "Simply witnessing your family's coldness. The way they tore lovers apart, betrayed those loyal to the house... I cannot let it go. You suffered, and yet you never fought back. You never scolded them, never took back the wealth you sent away. Your piety is commendable-but I, your nephew, will correct it.""Slums? Rogues Settlement? Where should I put them?" I asked, letting the threat hang like the scent of blood in the air. "No! No! Don't!" She hissed, eyes rimmed with fury and fear. "What I did has nothing to do with them. Leave them alone!" I smiled, the wolf inside me purring. "You may have ignored your son, but your heart was still there. I sent him abroad safely, according to your plan... but I intercepted a few things. His identity. His fortune. A penniless shadow of a man abroad, yet cared for by me. As for your husband, he'll linger in half-life, a mindless husk, surviving only as long as he is tolerated. You've seen your family descend into despair-this is the consequence of their cruelty... and yours." Her knees hit the ground. Head down, she begged, over and over. "Magnus, please... spare them. I was wrong about Raya, wrong about you... and wrong about Aysel. I shouldn't have harmed her. All the faults are mine. Please... spare them." "Indeed, the fault is yours," I said, stroking my palm as if I could still feel the echo of Aysel's lips. "I heard you prepared a gift for Aysel tonight. Convenient. I need not consider a return gift. Take your own work... and enjoy it," I murmured. My voice carried the weight of wolf and Alpha both. Anna's body slumped, her spirit broken. She watched me leave, defeated, as the storm outside raged on. The rest of the family scheming over inheritance at the hospital didn't know the transformation that had just occurred at the old mansion. I, the Alpha, had already set things in motion. Returning to the room with a predatory calm, I felt a sudden chill. Someone was missing. "Where is she?" I murmured, scent of rain and storm clinging to me. ... Guided by trembling guards, I arrived at the annex. The small building once intimidating now blazed with light. "Young Master, Miss Aysel is inside," they greeted. I nodded, pausing at the door to watch her for a moment, letting my wolf smell the air around her-dust, sweat, determination. Then I pushed the door open. Inside, she was alone, moving quickly. The small rose, freshly washed and fragrant, was now streaked with dirt and soot. The animal remains from before were carefully tucked along the walls, draped with white cloth. She climbed the ladder, hammering at the wall with a small iron hammer. As frames fell, she hauled a nearly human-height portrait to the center of the room.I felt the breeze at the door brush against me, and she looked up, eyes shining. "You're here!" Her voice sparkled. "I was just going to borrow fire. Did you bring it?" I retrieved the lighter. While I did, she gathered scattered small frames into a pile. The floor space filled quickly, a mountain of memories and grudges, now ready for ashes. She handed me the stack, her grin melting the last bit of cold from my chest. "Burn them. Magnus. From now on... good days only." She muttered, disappointed. "Too bad about the rain... would have set the house on fire." I obeyed, the wolf inside me roaring at the scent of fire and the thrill of destruction. The flames engulfed the pictures-faces of treachery, betrayal, and hatred-vanishing in a torrent of smoke. My enemies' malice burned, Raya clinging to me in a carwrecked memory, the helpless cries of fallen wolves in the mountains, and finally Aysel, radiant, bursting through the door, illuminated by my fire. She was right. From now on, only good days. I carried her home, her body finally relaxing against mine, exhausted from the night's labors. A soft kiss on her forehead, the scent of rain and fire behind us. The sins of the old house left far behind. My wolf curled around her as we drove, protective, eternal. Anyone foolish enough to challenge us would face teeth, fire, and claws. But with Aysel... the world was ours.