Page 131

Eve

When I woke up, of course Hades was already out of bed. It had clocked thirty minutes after five. I threw off the covers and retreated to the bathroom to bath. After about fifteen minutes I was out and already rummaging through the cloths in the cupboard for my workout clothes.

I finally let out a breath when I found them exactly where I had them kept. Ever since Hades prank during our first session, I had always feared he would do it again and I would end up late so that he could penalize me.

I reached for my shoes beneath only to touch a box. I reached down for the item and picked it up, confused. I didn’t remember this being there yesterday night.

I spared a glance at the clock to see that I still had ten minutes left before the session began. I crouched down and pulled open the lid of the plain box.

My breath caught and for a moment I lacked the comprehension of both time and space as I stared down at the content in the box.

I dared touch it, and softeness alone took me back to my childhood.

The memory unfurled like an old, familiar dream—soft at the edges but piercing at the center.

I could still see it. The onesie.

It had been the softest, fluffiest thing I had ever touched, as if clouds and magic had been stitched together just for us. Twirls of purple, pink, and yellow blended into a seamless swirl of color, with a rainbow tail trailing behind and a gold horn shimmering proudly at the front.

Ellen had squealed the moment we opened the box, hugging the onesie like it was the rarest treasure in the world.

"I’m a uniform!" she had declared, pulling it on and wriggling happily inside the warm fabric. "I have a rainbow tail!" She shook her hips for emphasis, giggling as the tail swung behind her.

I wasn’t far behind, tugging my own over my head.

"I’m a unicorn too!" I said, stomping my feet to feel the plush fabric against the floor.

"No, Eve!" Ellen laughed, shaking her head with that dramatic flair only she could pull off. "You have to say ’uniform.’"

"Uniform," I repeated, grinning. She always mispronounced it.

And that’s when we made the vow.

We had stood facing each other, solemn as could be for two girls wrapped in ridiculous onesies, the living light casting a golden glow around us as the adults watched.

"We can’t ever take them off," Ellen had said, sticking out her pinky. "We’re two uniforms forever."

"Forever," I promised, sealing the deal with my pinky against hers.

But that wasn’t enough for Ellen.

"Wait!" She twisted around, flipping her tail toward me. "Uniforms don’t shake hands. They do this."

She rubbed her rainbow tail against mine, making a soft swishing sound. Then she dipped her head forward until the tips of our horns touched with a faint bop.

I burst out laughing. "That’s the weirdest handshake ever."

Ellen grinned. "No no, it’s perfect."

And it had been.

Until she betrayed me.

The warmth of the memory shattered, leaving behind a hollow ache in my chest. I stared down at the unicorn onesie in the box, its colors still bright, but the fabric thinner from age.

My fingers brushed over the soft horn, and suddenly, the weight of it crushed me.

"She took it off," I whispered to no one.

I had kept my promise. I wore mine until it barely fit, until the seams stretched and the tail frayed. But Ellen…

But broke the promise we made long before it stopped fitting her unlike me.

I did not understand back then but now I did. She had suddenly called it childish but maybe she had started to hate me even by then and I had been oblivious.

Tears welled in my eyes, blurring the edges of the golden horn as I hugged the onesie to my chest. It smelled faintly of lavender and dust— but maybe I was just imagining the fragile traces of a sister who had slipped through my fingers like smoke.

"You weren’t supposed to leave me," I whispered, my voice trembling. "You weren’t supposed to take it off. You pro-promised me."

I pressed my face into the softness, as if I could find Ellen there, as if I could rewind the years and make her stay and stop her from changing to the monster that would stab me in the back.

But no amount of tears would change the truth.

She had taken it off.

And I had been left behind, wearing my onesie alone. I knew I was forgetting something but I did not know for the life of me what the thing was because soon I lay on the floor, my knees to chest sobbing, holding the onesie as if it could mend my broken heart.

---

Hades

My eyes scanned the words on the report again, my migraine growing more insistent.

---

Lunar Synchronization Index Report

Subject 1: Hades Stravos(Lycan, Obsidian Pack)

Subject 2: Ellen Valmont (Werewolf, Silverpine)

Test Type: Mate Compatibility Analysis

Status: Inconclusive

---

Findings:

The Lunar Synchronization Index (LSI) was conducted to assess mate compatibility between Hades and Ellen.

Primary Result: Negative for Mate Bond

No definitive markers indicating mate alignment were detected. Standard indicators of fated pair bonding, such as lunar-linked neural resonance and shared pheromonal patterns, did not register during testing.

Anomalous Disruptions:

Genetic anomalies present in Ellen’s DNA appear to interfere with standard LSI parameters. These deviations affect loci traditionally linked to mate bond validation.

Lunar Receptor Instability was detected in Ellen’s genetic profile.

Heightened Regenerative Markers mimic the signature of a bonded mate, resulting in conflicting readings.

---

Result Interpretation:

While the test did not confirm a mate bond between the two subjects, the anomalies present prevent a conclusive determination. The LSI flagged Ellen’s genetic irregularities as a potential bond disruptor, suggesting that either:

1. Ellen’s physiology operates outside the standard parameters for werewolf mate recognition.

2. An external force may be blocking or altering mate bond signals.

---

Recommendation for Next Steps:

Direct Lunar Exposure Analysis: Perform mate bond testing under the influence of the full moon to bypass genetic interference.

Controlled Blood Exchange: A secondary test involving a limited blood-sharing ritual may bypass superficial anomalies and assess mate alignment at a deeper, ancestral level.

Long-term Monitoring: Continuous observation of interactions between the two subjects during peak lunar cycles may reveal suppressed or latent mate bond indicators.

---

Addendum:

The current inconclusive result does not rule out the potential for bond development under unusual circumstances. However, caution is advised – incomplete or fractured bonds can lead to instability in both subjects.

Report Compiled By:

Dr. Chaol Morgan

Head of Genetic Research, Obsidian Pack.

---

This too was inconclusive? We are not mates, but there was that damn anomaly. I stared at the results as if trying to will it out of existence, but the white sheet remained in my hand.

Whatever this anomaly was, whatever secret her DNA was hiding had to be unraveled. It was very rare for werewolves to operate beyond normal standard parameters of mate recognition.

The werewolf race was far more stable, and so was their DNA. Such a phenomenon was only known to Lycans because we were biologically hybrids; therefore, our instability was inevitable. My hand tightened around the paper.

But Ellen wasn’t Lycan. She was a werewolf—a Silverpine wolf at that. Stable. Predictable. Ordinary.

Except, clearly, she wasn’t.

"Anomalies," I muttered under my breath. "That’s all she’s ever been."

The first time I met Ellen, I knew there was something different.

Her scent was muted, not in the way of someone suppressing their wolf, but as if her very existence refused to fully manifest. She felt incomplete, like the moon had forgotten to leave its mark on her.

Something had always been odd about her.

Which made more sense when I found out that she was wolfless. The hypothesis that she had been hollowed with large doses of wolfbane fit perfectly into the symptoms. But could wolfbane also alter her DNA?

I exhaled sharply, dragging my hands down my face.

"This shouldn’t be possible."

The words echoed, but I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince—myself?

"So what do you think, Hades?" Kael asked, his arms crossed as he assessed me.

I glanced up from the report and met Kael’s gaze. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp. He wanted answers too. He knew what was at stake.

"I think something doesn’t add up," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Wolfbane can suppress a wolf, yes. But DNA anomalies? Lunar receptor instability?" I shook my head. "That’s not wolfbane. That’s something else."

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You think it’s genetic tampering?"

"I don’t know." I leaned forward, bracing my elbows on the desk. "But I know the Silverpine Pack isn’t known for experimentation. If something like this was happening under their noses, the spyware should have noticed."

"The spyware was just recently implemented. It will still take months before we discover something worthwhile, and they had failed before."

I gritted my teeth. "How could I forget?" The muted phone calls and the bombs. The security had been heightened and better devices put in place, but I couldn’t shake the chill of unease. We still hadn’t been able to find out who was behind it.

But it was not the first time we were attacked, nor the last. There was a horde of people that did not like me on the throne.

My head snapped up and I glanced at the clock. "Where is she?"