Chapter 111: guilt

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: guilt

Amelia frowned harder, one hand pressing tightly against her side.

"I’m truly feeling a cramp."

A sudden, sharp headache slammed straight into her skull. She let out a low groan, bending forward as the pain throbbed hard behind her eyes. Kate’s teasing expression vanished instantly. Worry flashed across her face as she stepped closer at once, hands hovering near Amelia’s arms.

"Okay—okay, you’re not bluffing. We’re cutting the day short. Come on, sit down—"

Skye’s voice came from just behind Kate, calm and almost indifferent.

"Don’t worry about that."

Amelia barely heard her. The pain wasn’t ordinary. It throbbed, yes, but underneath it something else pushed—something heavy and insistent forcing its way into her mind while her body struggled to hold it off.

Kate spun toward Skye, anger rising sharp in her voice. "How can you say that when she’s clearly in pain? Look at her! Why are you being so cruel?"

Skye didn’t even glance at Amelia.

"She’s fine. Some things just have to happen anyway."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Kate had no clue. She completely missed the sudden shift in Amelia—how her face smoothed out into something blank and eerily controlled, how she straightened up tall without another sound of discomfort. The tension in her shoulders disappeared as if someone had simply switched her off.

Before Kate could ask what was wrong, Amelia moved.

One clean, precise strike. Kate’s eyes rolled back. She crumpled to the floor without a sound, unconscious.

Skye let out a quiet, impressed breath, one corner of her mouth lifting.

"Your hypnosis technique really is something."

Claire stepped out from where she had been hidden among the displays, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear calmly.

"That’s why I’m one of the best."

She gave a small, almost lazy signal with two fingers. Amelia walked toward her without hesitation, steps measured and empty. Claire glanced around the boutique, assessing the space.

"So this is where you want to carry out your plan."

"Yeah." Skye’s voice was flat. "This is Moonfist Territory. Even if the brothers ever think about protecting her, they won’t choose her over their own homeland."

Claire only nodded at first. Then the certainty in her expression faltered. Her brows drew together slightly.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Amelia hasn’t done anything wrong to either of us."

Skye’s head snapped toward her, eyes flashing. "Are you fucking serious? As far as Rue is affected by her, so am I."

"I know," Claire said quietly, almost reluctant. "But she still didn’t do anything wrong."

"Stop talking." Skye’s voice hardened. Her hands clenched at her sides. "I don’t want to hear it."

She turned and walked away without waiting for a reply, shoulders rigid.

Claire remained where she was for a moment, looking at the blank-faced Amelia standing obediently beside her. A small, uncomfortable twist of guilt moved through her chest. She exhaled slowly.

"I’m sorry."

Then she started walking. Amelia followed behind her without a word.

They walked out of the boutique, ignoring the calls of the workers asking for payment. One attendant stepped forward with a polite but firm, "Excuse me, the outfit she is wearing hasn’t been paid for—" but no one stopped. Skye finally halted a short distance into the main hall and turned, giving Claire a hard, expectant look. Claire faced Amelia.

"Cause havoc. Show everyone that your allegiance is with the Underworld Territory. Make sure the men hate every fibre of your being for this. Got it?"

Amelia only nodded once.

She walked forward until she reached the near-center of the vast hall. Shoppers drifted around her in every direction, laughing, talking, carrying bags—none of them paying attention to the still, dull-eyed girl standing alone among them.

Outside, the sky began to change.

Light faded unnaturally fast. Clouds thickened and rolled in until the afternoon turned dark.

"What the hell is happening to the sky?"

"This looks exactly like those videos... the ones from before—"

"No, this feels worse."

Strong winds tore through the open spaces of the mall. Then lightning struck.

Bolts slammed down in rapid succession, shattering sections of wall and ripping through parts of the roof. Glass exploded outward. Alarms screamed. The entire place erupted into chaos as people fled in every direction.

"The curse from the Moonfist Territory—how is it here?!"

"Run! Just run!"

***

Miles away, the brothers felt it at once.

Something was wrong.

Enzo was already on his phone, calling Amelia. The line rang and rang with no answer. His jaw tightened. Reid pushed into the office, urgency written across his face.

"Have you reached her?"

Enzo shook his head once, still staring at the screen. Dean followed close behind, expression tight, shoulders tense.

Enzo switched numbers and called Skye. She picked up almost immediately. Panic flooded her voice that was on speaker; the background was pure chaos—screams, crashing, wind.

"What’s going on?" Enzo demanded. "What’s happening?"

"We’re under attack—"

The words hung there. A cold, sinking weight settled in all three of them. The office door slammed open. Rue rushed in and dropped to her knees without ceremony, breathing hard.

"I come bearing news. The Moonfist Territory is under attack—and Amelia is the perpetrator."

Enzo didn’t notice the phone slipping from his hand until it hit the desk with a dull clatter.

Reid’s voice cut through the room. "Stop spouting nonsense."

Skye’s voice still poured from the speaker, high and frantic.

"I don’t know what happened—she just snapped. She’s causing all of this. She’s seriously going to hurt a lot of people—"

A sudden scuffle interrupted her. Skye’s tone changed, sharp with alarm.

"Leave me alone—hey—stop—get off—"

Her voice cut off.

Silence stretched for half a second.

Then Amelia’s voice came through the line. "It was stupid of you to ever let me out of your sight."

The words landed wrong. It was her voice—clear, unmistakable—but the cadence, the cold edge beneath it, belonged to someone else. Something tight and uneasy moved through all three brothers at once.

Amelia continued.

"You were fools to believe my lies. I thought you were smarter than this, but i clearly underestimated you all. But I’ll make sure you wallow in regret for ever trusting someone who belongs to the Underworld Territory."

The men’s faces shifted.