Knotted By The Devilish Alpha Brothers

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: aren’t we a couple

Amelia stared at her, the question hitting harder than expected. The automatic ”no” that should have come instantly refused to form. Something conflicted and uncomfortable twisted in her chest instead.

”I... don’t know how to describe it,” she said slowly. ”Their personalities are exhausting. Most of the time I want to throw something at them. But...” She hesitated, searching for words that wouldn’t sound ridiculous. ”They’re also unfairly handsome. That part somehow makes the rest slightly more tolerable.”

Kate let out a soft laugh. ”So what you’re saying is you’re physically attracted to them, and there are a few decent qualities you don’t completely hate.”

Kai made a face. ”There is nothing good about those men.”

Kate glanced at him. ”You saw how they protected her during the chaos. I don’t think they’re as purely cruel as the rumors make them out to be.”

Amelia didn’t agree. The first month under their roof had been nothing but cruelty, and remnants of it still appeared every day. Yet something had shifted. It has been feeling less cruel than before, though she couldn’t explain why.

Lana suddenly straightened, eyes fixed on something behind Amelia. ”We have to go. Now.”

Lila frowned. ”Why?”

Lana only pointed. The three Ellington brothers were walking straight toward them.

Marcus’s expression hardened. ”We definitely need to run.”

They turned to leave—

”Stay where you are.”

Enzo’s voice rolled across the space. His alpha aura followed a second later, heavy enough to root the entire group in place. Lana made a small panicked sound and latched onto her sister’s arm.

Enzo’s eyes moved over each of them. ”Who are you?”

Amelia replied. ”They’re my friends from college. They have nothing to do with what happened here.”

”And how can you be so sure?”

Amelia forced her breathing to steady. An idea surfaced—risky, but better than silence. She softened her expression and looked at the three brothers with a soft look that anyone else will think she isn’t faking it. ”My darlings,” she said, the endearment tasting strange on her tongue, ”my friends knew about the ceremony. They came to watch... to see proof of the bond I share with all of you. If you treat them unfairly now, what do you think they’ll believe about how my own men treat me?”

Dean’s hand came up to cover his mouth. He leaned slightly toward Reid. ”Is the freakshow standing right in front of us?”

Reid’s reply was edged with dark amusement. ”The freakshow only comes out when she’s sleepwalking.” A faint smile touched his mouth. ”Looks like Amelia’s finally adjusting to her real personality.”

Enzo gave no outward reaction, though something unreadable flickered behind his eyes. After a moment he inclined his head toward the students after he stopped releasing his aura. ”Leave.”

They didn’t need to be told twice. The group turned and walked away quickly. Kate glanced back once, offering Amelia a small, steady smile before disappearing with others.

Amelia let out a long breath.

Enzo’s voice cut through the brief quiet. ”You disobeyed me. I told you to remain inside the vehicle.”

Amelia turned to face him fully, exhaustion making her bolder than usual. ”What exactly did you expect me to do after everything that just happened? You three have more enemies than I can count. Sitting quietly in a car because you told me to doesn’t automatically make me safe.”

None of them answered. The silence that followed was heavy with private thoughts none of them chose to share.

Reid finally broke it, rolling his shoulders as if trying to shed the entire day. ”Let’s go home. It’s been a long enough day already.”

No one disagreed.

*

The ride back to the estate was quiet. Amelia sat in the back seat, phone in hand, scrolling through the rapidly spreading news. Videos of the ceremony, the sudden flower growth, the meteor attack, and—worst of all—the intimate scene on the stage were already circulating.

She stared at one particularly clear clip and felt an unexpected twist of disappointment. How far would we have gone if no one had attacked?

The thought should have disgusted her. Instead it left a strange, hollow ache. She ought to be relieved the chaos had interrupted everything. She wasn’t. Not entirely.

Her gaze drifted to the car window. Her powers were real. Weather manipulation was just the beginning—she could feel that much. But how was she supposed to uncover the rest?

An idea surfaced, ridiculous and somehow practical at the same time. Her sleepwalking self. The version of her that already carried the past-life memories. If anyone knew the full extent of her abilities, it would be her.

Amelia muttered under her breath, ”Okay, Night Menace... how exactly am I supposed to schedule a meeting with you?”

A second idea followed almost immediately. A video. She could record a message for the night menace. If she could help answer her deep questions.

By the time they returned to the estate, the sky had already begun to darken. Amelia went straight to her room, locked the door, and stood under the shower until the hot water finally eased the worst of the tension from her muscles. When she emerged, she collapsed face-first onto the bed.

Swifty hopped closer along the mattress. Amelia turned her head just enough to look at the silver bird. ”You have no idea what kind of day I had” she mumbled.

The memory of the brothers’ hands and mouths on her body rose without warning. Heat rushed to her face. She grabbed the nearest pillow and pressed it hard over her head, letting out a muffled sound of pure frustration.

Eventually she sat up again.

She propped her phone against a stack of books on the desk, checked the angle twice, then hit record. For several seconds she only stared at her own image on the screen.

”Hi...me...ummm... I don’t really know how to start this.” She cleared her throat. ”Umm. Hello, other me. I come in peace.”

A weak, self-conscious laugh slipped out.

”My life has changed so dramatically that I can’t even tell if it’s for better or worse anymore. I just... I need to know who I really am. These powers—have I always had them? Why did they never show up when I was a child? Or a teenager? Why only now, when everything is already this complicated?”

Her voice softened.

”I don’t have anyone to talk to about this. The person I thought was the love of my life is gone. The only best friend I ever had is gone too. And now I’m stuck here under a contract I can’t break unless I somehow fulfill my part of it.”

She looked directly into the camera with tired eyes.

”I need your help. I know you’re still me—just the version that remembers everything I don’t. If there’s any part of you that cares about the life we’re living right now, then please... don’t leave me blindly walking through this. Whatever I used to be, whatever we used to be, I have to start understanding it. I can’t keep surviving on pure reaction and luck. I need direction. I need the truth. Even if it’s ugly.”

She held the silence for a moment longer, then gave a small, exhausted nod. ”That’s all I have to say.”