Knotted By The Devilish Alpha Brothers

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: A secret

The light drained from the sky as if someone had swallowed the sun. Everywhere turned dark—sudden, unnatural nightfall pressing against the windows. Thunder rolled across the campus in deep, continuous growls. Then the wind rose. Small purple tornadoes spun into existence between the buildings, growing larger, tearing at banners, scattering bags, and flinging loose papers into the air. Havoc spread in seconds.

Students screamed and ran for cover. Some, inexplicably, stood in doorways and under overhangs taking pictures and videos, phones raised as if the danger were only a spectacle for their social media feeds.

A bolt of lightning split the sky and struck the great tree that had stood in the central courtyard for decades. The trunk cracked down the middle with a sound like the earth itself breaking. Half of it toppled in a shower of splinters and leaves, crashing onto the stone pathway with a deafening roars.

Inside the restroom Amelia felt the ground shudder beneath her feet. Tears still ran down her face, but the sound of chaos outside finally cut through her daze. She stumbled toward the door, heart hammering.

What’s happening?

She stepped into the corridor. People were running in every direction, shouting, pushing, dragging friends toward the nearest solid walls. Another crack of lightning tore through the roof somewhere nearby. Debris rained down. The force of the strike knocked Amelia off her feet; she hit the floor hard, the air punched from her lungs.

Are we under attack?

Strong hands seized her under the arms and hauled her upright. Kate’s face appeared in front of her, pale and urgent. Amelia couldn’t make out the exact words through the roaring in her ears, but the meaning was clear—safe place, now.

They ran.

Panic flooded Amelia’s chest, mixing with the lingering heat of her earlier rage. The purple tornadoes still spun outside the shattered windows. Then, abruptly, they stopped. The wind died. The darkness shifted. Thick red clouds rolled in from every direction, pressing against the glass and seeping through every crack. Students still caught outside collapsed where they stood when they came in contact with it, bodies crumpling to the ground without a sound.

Voices screamed for the doors and windows to be sealed. It was already too late. The red mist was inside.

Kate’s grip on Amelia’s wrist tightened. ”I know where we can go. Don’t let go.”

She dragged her down a side corridor, until they reached a row of metal lockers. Kate yanked one open, then pressed firmly against the back panel. With a soft mechanical click, the rear wall swung inward, revealing a narrow dark passage.

Amelia stared. ”What—?”

”Go. Now. The clouds are coming.”

Amelia didn’t think. She stepped through. Kate followed and pulled the locker shut behind them just as the first tendrils of red mist reached .

For a moment they walked in complete darkness. Then emergency lights flickered on along the floor, illuminating a descending path of concrete and steel.

”I had heard of secret passageways,” Amelia whispered, still breathless. ”I never believed they were real.”

Kate replied. ”That’s the whole point of making them rumors.”

The path opened into a wide underground space. It looked like something from a movie—reinforced walls, a stocked fridge, a massage chair in one corner, shelves of supplies, even a small seating area with blankets. The air was cool and filtered, untouched by the chaos above.

Kate exhaled and leaned against the wall.

”We’re safe here. For now.”

Amelia’s eyes drifted to the massage chair. The thick cushions and polished controls looked almost inviting after everything that had just happened.

”Can I use that?”

Kate waved a hand. ”Go ahead.”

Amelia crossed the room and sank into the seat. She found the power switch and turned it on. The chair hummed to life, rollers pressing firmly into her back and shoulders, kneading away the tension that had been locked in her muscles for weeks. A soft sigh escaped her before she could stop it.

”That’s soooo much betterrrr...” The sensation was almost too good.

Kate paced near the center of the room, arms crossed.

”I’ve never seen anything like that up there,” she said. ”Purple tornadoes, red clouds, people just dropping... What do you think it was?”

Amelia kept her eyes half-closed, letting the chair work. ”I haven’t seen anything like it either.”

Kate stopped pacing. ”Really? Something similar happened at Dylan and Jane’s wedding. Weren’t you there?”

Amelia’s brows drew together. The memory was fragmented, hazy around the edges.

”I remember the atmosphere changing a little,” she said slowly. ”But I hit my head. I was unconscious for the rest of the day.”

Kate hummed, thoughtful. ”People were saying it was some kind of curse. Or a warning. And now the same thing happens on campus? There has to be a connection.”

Amelia didn’t answer. She didn’t know what to say. The earlier pain in her chest—the crushing weight of Jane’s words—had finally eased under the steady pressure of the massage rollers.

For the first time in hours she felt something close to calm. A small, practical thought drifted through her mind: I should ask for one of these back at the mansion. Almost immediately she dismissed it. They would never agree to a request like that.

Kate pulled out her phone and unlocked it. Her expression shifted.

”The red clouds are disappearing.”

She walked over and held the screen in front of Amelia. A live stream from one of the students showed the courtyard. The thick red mist was thinning, dissolving into the air as if it had never been there. The purple tornadoes were gone. Sunlight was beginning to return. In the background, people were shaking the unconscious students, calling their names, trying to wake them.

Amelia watched for a long moment. ”Is it over?”

Kate lowered the phone. ”I’m not sure. We should stay here a bit longer.”

That suited Amelia fine. The chair was still working on the tight muscles along her spine, and the underground room felt far safer than anything above.

”How did you even find this place?” she asked.

Kate’s mouth curved into a small, secretive smile.

”That’s a secret. But this is just one of the secret rooms in the college.”