Defy The Alpha(s) novel Chapter 536

Chapter 536: The Mnemosyne Crown

Ace’s mouth went dry, but he continued reading especially when it came to to the risk part.

Werewolf Physiology: Lupine cortex rebound; scent-blindness (temporary to permanent); dissociation; split-shift episodes; blackouts; aggression spikes. Outcome for human Physiology: brain-dead risk at moderate amplitudes.

Notes: Werewolf neuro-regeneration reduces catastrophic failure probability. Memory "bleed" into adjacent non-target recall clusters expected; can be managed post-procedure with guided re-imprinting.

Ace set the paper down slowly, as if any sudden movements might set off whatever trap he’d just walked into. He tore his eyes from the text and scanned the table and there he saw it.

It was exactly like the sketch. A crown of matte metal and braided leads, petals of mesh overlapping like armored leaves.

The Mnemosyne Crown.

"What are you doing?"

Ace froze and turned slowly. His mother Zara stood in the doorway. The mark on her throat was fading, but the bruise was still there, covered with salve. The herbal scent drifted with her, but her eyes were sharp and cold.

Her gaze slid from Ace’s face to the Mnemosyne Crown in his hands and the temperature in the room seemed to drop.

She crossed the lab in three clean strides and plucked it from his grip. "Who told you to intrude on my work?"

"What are you doing, mother?" Ace snapped back, anger rising in his chest. He gestured to the spread of papers. "I saw the drawings and the diary. Don’t tell me you’re going to put that thing on him."

Zara set the crown down with more care than she’d used with Ace.

"You saw what your brother did out there," she said, closing the diary. "Do you think he’s in his right mind?"

"Because he was angry?" Ace shot back. "Because you drugged him and dragged him home? He said you betrayed him. What did you do to him?"

He wanted to know so bad the curiosity was eating him from the inside out.

Zara straightened and looked him squarely in the eyes. She stepped forward and he stepped back unconsciously. "What any mother in my position would do," she said. "I saved him from the hands of that witch, Violet Purple."

"Violet Purple?" Ace repeated, bewildered. He had heard about his brother dating her and seen once or so on the news.

"Your brother believes he’s going to be mated to her," Zara said flatly. "Despite the fact that she already has a mate. Not just one but two. He believes he’ll be the next."

Ace blinked. The sentence didn’t fit in his head. "What?"

It was nearly impossible to get a Matebond these days. Having two, that was pretty wild and incredibly lucky.

"That doesn’t make sense. It’s —"

The look she gave him made his skin prickle. "Your father is very busy with Alpha Henry’s burial," she said, each word measured. "And under no circumstance is he to return to the pack while I am working."

She stepped closer. The air between them thinned. "You would not like to see me angry, Ace."

He swallowed hard. "No."

"Can Mother trust you?" Zara asked softly, except he could sense the threat beneath it.

Ace hesitated. It was only a second but it sure felt like an hour.

He nodded.

"I want to hear you say it."

"Yes, Mother."

"Good." She patted his shoulder once, the gesture almost tender if you didn’t know what lived behind it. "Now give me space. Bringing this online will take time, and I don’t enjoy distractions."

Ace looked at the crown again and swallowed. Then he turned and walked out. But one thing was clear to Ace, his mother was more dangerous than he thought.