Chapter 561: Unexpected Visit
As soon as the suppressor cuffs were removed, Alaric gasped, dragging in air like a drowning man breaching the surface for the first time.
His back arched against the cold metal table, a guttural growl tearing from his throat as the gnawing emptiness inside him filled with the comforting energy of his wolf.
But his mortal body was too weak. Even with his wolf’s return, Alaric could barely summon a weak crackle of lightning between his fingers. The tiny sparks fizzled out almost immediately, leaving him panting.
Zara stood to the side, her arms folded, watching with the cold detachment of a medical practitioner. Her lips curved in satisfaction, but her voice was sharp as she commanded. "Give him another dose."
The assistant doctor, a nervous young woman in pale blue scrubs, spun toward her in alarm. "Luna Zara, are you sure about that? A second dose could—"
"Do it!" Zara’s tone was so cold and commanding that the assistant flinched.
Swallowing hard, the woman loaded another syringe and approached Alaric hesitantly. Left with no choice, he plunged the needle into his arm under Zara’s watch.
Alaric gasped, his back arching again as the drug rushed through his bloodstream like liquid fire. His pupils blew wide, his breath hitched, and then a manic, unhinged laugh burst from his lips.
"Mother," he said in a sing-song voice, his eyes rolling with delirium, "why does Mother have two horns? You’re the devil! The evil mother!" His words were nonsense.
Zara didn’t bother with him. She simply leaned closer, saying with a controlled voice. "Now listen to me, Alaric. I want you to think about Violet."
At the mention of her name, Alaric stilled, his wild eyes sharpening in sudden focus. "Violet," he breathed reverently.
"Yes, Violet," Zara coaxed, her tone shifting into that of a skilled doctor guiding a fragile patient. "Tell me about her. Why do you like her so much?"
Alaric’s face softened into wonder, his voice dreamy and filled with awe. "She’s so pretty," he whispered. "The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. She’s like... like a fairy. With purple hair ... and lips I want to kiss forever..." He giggled, a deep blush staining his cheeks. "Violet loves me. I love her too."
The disgust on Zara’s face was so visceral it was nearly comical. But she forced herself to remain composed. This was exactly what she needed.
While Alaric was lost in his delirious ramblings, Zara reached for the Mnemosyne Crown and lowered it over Alaric’s head, carefully positioning the sensors so they aligned with his temporal and parietal lobes. The metal adjusted with a soft hiss, clamping snugly in place. Alaric didn’t even flinch, still babbling about Violet, the love of his life.
Nothing happened for now since the machine had not been activated.
Then Zara moved to the control console made for the Mnemosyne crown. Lines of code scrolled across one screen, while another showed a 3D model of Alaric’s brain with pulsing red and blue markers highlighting neural activity.
The assistant doctor hurried to a secondary panel, her hands shaking. This screen tracked vital statistics, the heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and EEG readouts.
"Initializing synaptic interface," Zara announced, pressing an amber button. A soft hum filled the air, and the crown’s petals vibrated.
"Neural activity spiking," the assistant reported, eyes flicking nervously over the readings. "EEG pattern holding steady."
"Good," Zara said. Her fingers danced over the console, flipping switches one by one. "Cortical stabilization."
"Stabilization complete," the assistant confirmed.
"Memory pathway isolation."
"Confirmed. Pathways isolated."
Zara’s eyes gleamed with triumph as she touched another button, her voice rich with anticipation. "Mnemosyne Crown going online."
The entire machine began to hum, a low, ominous vibration filling the lab. Thin arcs of light rippled through the braided leads, crawling toward Alaric’s temples like living threads.
Zara’s finger hovered over the final activation switch. This was the moment she had suffered for. Time to erase that witch’s mind from her son’s mind forever.
But as her hand moved to press the button, the lab doors burst open.
"Luna Zara!" a voice barked urgently.
Zara spun around, her hand freezing mid-motion. The assistant gasped, nearly dropping her tablet, while even the dazed Alaric turned his head sluggishly toward the intruder.
"What is it?!" Zara thundered, the interruption shattering the carefully controlled tension in the room.
The guard who had barged in swallowed nervously, clearly intimidated by her wild, furious glare."W-We have a little problem, Luna."
Zara’s frown deepened, her tone cutting like a blade. "What problem?"
The guard announced.
"Griffin Hale is here."
"What?" Zara shouted, her shock breaking through her usual composure. This was the last name she’d expected to hear.
The guard shifted uneasily. "And he’s demanding to see Alpha Alaric."
At that, Zara’s head snapped toward Alaric. Her son had gone from babbling about Violet to singing praises about Griffin, giggling deliriously. The sound made her temples throb.
She pressed her fingers to her brow, closing her eyes against the building headache. Why now? This was the worst possible timing.
And yet, suspicion coiled in her chest like a serpent. Could Ace have betrayed her? No, if Ace had spoken, he would have reported to Caspian directly, not Griffin. Still, why would Griffin suddenly storm her territory like this?
Perhaps it was simple concern. Griffin and Alaric had been close since childhood. With Alaric missing from the burial, Griffin might just be here to check on him.
"Where is Ace?" she demanded, suspicion leaking into her voice.
"I don’t know, Luna. Do you want me to search for him?" the guard asked.
"Don’t bother," Zara said as she stood. "I’ll handle this myself."
She turned to her assistant. "Keep everything here under control. I’ll be back before you know it."
Crossing back to Alaric, Zara cupped his face gently and kissed his sweaty forehead.
"Don’t worry, my darling," she whispered. "This will all be over soon."
Then she straightened, regal once more, and swept out of the lab with the guard leading the way.
They crossed the bridge spanning the gap between her lab and the main packhouse.
Inside the packhouse, Griffin was already waiting. He rose to his feet as she entered.
"Luna Zara," he greeted, his voice warm and polite, a friendly smile plastered across his face.
"Griffin, my dear boy."