Defy The Alpha(s)

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."

crown down with more

brother did out there," she said, closing the diary. "Do you think he’s

"Because you drugged him and dragged

know so bad the curiosity

stepped back unconsciously. "What any mother in my position would do,"

had heard about his brother dating her and

to be mated to her," Zara said flatly. "Despite the fact that she already has a mate. Not just one but two. He believes

blinked. The sentence didn’t fit

was nearly impossible to get a Matebond these days. Having two,

doesn’t make

Zara finished for him. "She’s feeding my son with nonsense and I would

said, dragging air into his lungs, "he’s confused.

to kill me. You saw it. That girl has her claws deeper in him than you want to admit. What will she

being paranoid," Ace said

head snapped toward him. "Do not

room in half. Ace swallowed and

"You’re talking about attenuation of episodic memory anchored in the bond lattice. The lupine cortex wraps the hippocampus. You start damping CA1 and DG with that much weight, you’re not

could black out and wake up covered in someone else’s blood. You interrupt

when, the faces—and leave the procedural memory intact. He will still know how to shift, how to fight, how to breathe. He just won’t remember her. And anything that tries to bring her back—scent first—we shut that pathway down

saying you would rather