Third Person's POV Later, Aysel heard that Bella had gone abroad alone to continue her studies—and eventually settled overseas for good. Aysel felt regret for them, but no pity. Derek had once kidnapped her, too. At that time, he had wanted Magnus dead. Relentlessness and the instinct to strike back from the brink were strengths shared by both Derek and Magnus— and they also became the blades that cut them down when they failed. For the sake of the one they loved, neither wolf would ever leave the other a chance to counterattack. If either of them had been more mediocre, perhaps things would not have ended so brutally. New graves rose one after another in the Sanchez ancestral cemetery. Even Bastien, who had weathered countless storms and ruled his pack with iron resolve for a lifetime, could no longer endure it. All his life, he had climbed higher and higher, standing above countless wolves. In his youth, he believed in the law of fang and claw, reveled in risk, and never cared for the lives of weaker packs. Power had been nothing more than a toy in his hands. Yet at the end of his life, watching his descendants turn on one another, witnessing the collapse of his bloodline— He was suddenly overwhelmed by desolation. Tears streamed down the face of the old Alpha. He had once believed that Johanna was responsible for his eldest son's death, and that the enmity between the first and fifth sons was the greatest failure of his life. He never imagined worse news still awaited him. Knowing his time was nearly over, Bastien summoned all members of the Sanchez family—along with the lawyers—and forcefully divided the pack. This was not a simple separation of branches. It was a clean, absolute severance. Except for Magnus's line, all others were completely cut off from the Sanchez Pack's core territories and enterprises. The Sanchez Pack was finished. From this day forward, there would only be Magnus's Sanchez Pack. Lying on the hospital bed, Bastien looked at the grandson he had always been most proud of. "From now on, let them fight for their own futures," he said hoarsely. "What I've left them is enough to ensure comfort for several lifetimes. If anyone uses seniority to beg you for more, don't look back. Tell them it was my decision." "Alright," Magnus replied calmly. He did not argue. He understood that the old Alpha's decision was also a form of protection—for the others. The vengeance for his mother had already been exacted. He had no need to slaughter everyone to the last wolf. Bastien had always regarded him as a successful creation rather than a beloved child. But it was also because of Bastien that he had survived at all. Magnus did not mind fulfilling his dying wish. "Good… good," Bastien murmured, finally relaxing after receiving his answer. "You and that girl are well matched. Live well together. Don't fail her. Don't follow your father's path." "I won't," Magnus said. Bastien smiled faintly. "You're actually more like your mother." "She suffered by marrying into our pack. If I had known back then, I would never have agreed.""My grave—place it beside your uncle's. It's been many years. Let us father and son talk again." "From now on, the two of you will rule together. Keep in touch with my old allies. Don't let those bonds die." "When the cubs are born… remember to bring them to see their great-grandfather…" His voice grew weaker and weaker, until his hands fell limp. The monitor beside the bed flattened into a single, unbroken line. The sound of weeping filled the ward. The era of the old Alpha ended there—with the wolves of the Sanchez Pack howling in grief beneath a silent sky.