Chapter 81: evil or grey characters?

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: evil or grey characters?

Amelia exhaled slowly, rubbing her thumb against the edge of the table.

"This is... a lot to take in."

The woman leaned back in her chair, studying her. "Haven’t the men already shown you proof of their cruelty? Do you enjoy the way you’re treated in that house?"

"I don’t like it one bit," Amelia answered without hesitation. "But that still doesn’t prove anything about some supposed past life. And I don’t even believe reincarnation exists."

A faint, almost pitying smile touched the woman’s mouth. "You’re one to talk. You’ve been reincarnated for over two hundred years."

Inside, the woman kept her expression normal.

It’s almost convenient that she still doesn’t have her memories. That works in my favor—for now. The moment those memories start returning, it won’t be good, I’ll have to make sure they don’t.

Amelia was quiet for a few seconds longer, weighing the offer against everything else already tangled around her life.

I can’t go against the contract. I’m not suddenly attached to fulfilling it out of loyalty... I just don’t want the consequences of breaking it. Those men won’t hesistate to kill me without hesitation.

She lifted her gaze again.

"Your proposition sounds enticing. But I’ll have to refuse."

The woman didn’t react with anger. She didn’t threaten. She simply watched Amelia for a moment longer, calculating.

I can’t force her. Any pressure might be the exact thing that starts waking those memories.

At last she gave a small, composed nod.

"Fine. You know where to find me if you change your mind." Her voice cooled by a fraction. "And if your powers end up causing anyone’s death... let today be the reminder that it will be your own fault. You’ll bear those consequences alone.

The woman lifted one hand and pointed toward a narrow corridor at the side of the restaurant.

"The restroom will take you back to the bunker."

Amelia blinked, caught off guard by the lack of resistance.

The woman seemed to read the thought. "Were you expecting threats? Like i said, i am not the bad guy. You’ll come to me on your own eventually."

Amelia stood. She took a final look at the woman’s face—etching the features into memory—then walked toward the restroom without another word. Inside, she checked each stall until she found the one that wasn’t a stall at all: a dark, circular passage that opened like a black hole in the wall. She stepped through.

The world shifted.

She landed back in the secret bunker. The other three girls were still on the floor, stirring, just beginning to wake. Amelia dropped down quickly, arranging herself as if she too were only now coming around.

Lana pushed herself up on one elbow, groggy. "What... happened?"

Lila shook her head, pressing a hand to her temple. "I have no idea."

Kate sat up more sharply, eyes scanning the room. "Wasn’t there a huge wolf?"

The three of them looked at Amelia. "I... think I saw that too."

Their gazes moved at the same time toward the far wall. The dark circular opening was still there.

Kate’s voice dropped. "That can’t have been a dream."

Amelia was already on her feet. "We need to close it. Now. Before whatever that was decides to come back—or something worse comes through."

They rushed to the heavy fridge that had originally hidden the passage and shoved together. The metal didn’t move an inch.

Lana stepped back, breathing hard. "Move. Let us try."

She and Lila joined hands. The familiar electric current sparked around their fingers. Their eyes flared. With a strained, synchronized push of power, they forced the massive fridge forward until it sealed completely over the black opening. A series of heavy mechanical clicks sounded from behind the metal, as if something had locked into place.

The twins staggered. Thin trails of blood slipped from both of their noses.

Kate’s face tightened with alarm. "Your noses are bleeding. We need to get you checked. Now."

Amelia steadied Lana with an arm around her waist. "Shouldn’t we tell the school authorities about this?"

Kate shook her head hard as she supported Lila. "And risk them shutting every bunker down? Not a chance. We tell Marcus everything and figure it out from there."

Amelia didn’t argue. Together they half-carried the exhausted twins out of the bunker, the sealed wall silent behind them.

**

Later, the car moved steadily along the road back toward the estate.

Amelia was deep in thoughts. The twins had simply pushed their new ability further than their bodies were ready for. Her attention stayed fixed on the passing scenery, the woman’s words turning over and over in her mind.

Evil reincarnations.

The claim should have been easy to believe,

She had seen the brothers’ cruelty up close—felt it, survived it. Nothing about their capacity for ruthlessness surprised her anymore. And yet the woman’s version of them refused to settle cleanly.

She believes what their mother said about them, that the world itself had shaped her sons into what they became, stripping away softness until only survival remained. That detail sat uncomfortably beside the Underworld’s narrative of pure, inherent evil.

Which version is true?

Night Menace would. The next time that chaotic presence surfaced, Amelia intended to demand answers.

When the car finally stopped at the estate, she went straight to her room without lingering. The moment the door shut behind her, Swifty launched from his perch in a bright flash of silver wings, circling her once before landing against her shoulder with a soft, demanding trill.

Amelia scratched lightly beneath his chin, some of the tension in her chest easing at the familiar weight of him.

"Long day," she murmured. "You wouldn’t believe half of it. Pocket dimensions. Women who think I should assassinate three alphas before breakfast."

Swifty gave a quiet sound that almost felt like judgment. She huffed a tired breath and set her bag down.

"I know. I didn’t agree. I’m not that reckless."

She began changing out of her college clothes when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," she called, already assuming it was Skye.

She had stripped down to her bra, back turned as she reached for a fresh top from the chair.

"I need another bottle of sleeping pills," she said without looking around. "The last ones are almost gone. And today was nothing like anything I’ve dealt with before. You would not believe the nonsense I had to listen to. Some woman tried to convince me the brothers are ancient evil reincarnations and that I’m supposedly some kind of—"

Enzo stood just inside the doorway, completely still.

Whatever reason had brought him here dissolved the instant his eyes landed on her. His throat worked once as he swallowed. The clean line of her bare shoulders, the soft curve of her waist, the way her hair fell against her skin—none of it was anything he had prepared himself to walk in on.

Heat crawled up the back of his neck. He knew he should look away. He didn’t. The realization that he was staring only made the moment worse, locking him in place instead of freeing him.

Why did I come here?

He was certain there had been a purpose. He could no longer remember a single word of it.

Amelia noticed the lack of response first. Skye never stayed quiet this long—especially not when given an opening to complain or mock.

"Skye?" she tried again, still half-distracted. "Did you hear me about the pills, or are you just going to stand there judging my life choices in silence?"

Nothing.

A small, uneasy feeling prickled along the back of her neck. She turned.

The second her eyes met Enzo’s, every coherent thought left her body.