Page 14 of Knot My Wonderland

"You're awake." The Hatter's voice came from the doorway, low and careful.

I turned to find him leaning against the frame, his tall hat absent, revealing that mess of dark curls with threads of silver. Without the hat, he looked both younger and older at the same time—more human, yet somehow more wild. Those green eyes still glittered with barely contained madness, but there was something else there too. Relief, maybe. Or concern.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked, my voice rough with sleep.

"A full day and night," he replied, stepping into the room. "The transition is never gentle. Especially not for a returning Dreamer."

I glanced around the room, taking in details I'd missed before. The walls were lined with bookshelves that bent and curved like living things. Tiny glass bottles filled with colorful liquids sat among leather-bound volumes whose titles shifted when I tried to read them. A teapot on the bedside table steamed gently, though I hadn't heard anyone enter.

"This is really happening," I whispered, half to myself. "I'm really back in Wonderland."

The Hatter moved closer, his steps light despite his height, and settled into a chair by the bedside that seemed to materialize just as he needed it.

"Indeed you are, little Alice." he said, his voice softening. "Though not quite the Wonderland you remember, I imagine."

I ran my fingers over the blankets, their textures both strange and oddly comforting. "It feels... darker. Hungrier." I looked up at him, searching his face. "And what did you mean about me presenting? I've been an Omega for years."

The Hatter poured tea from the steaming pot into a cup that didn't match the saucer beneath it. The liquid inside shifted colors as it settled—amber to violet to a deep midnight blue.

"In your world, perhaps," he said, offering me the cup. "But you haven’t been in Wonderland since you presented. Now that you are…” His voice trailed off as his eyes met mine, something ancient and knowing flickering behind them. "Now that you are, Wonderland recognizes you differently. It tastes your nature. And an Omega in Wonderland is... rare. Precious. Powerful."

I accepted the tea, feeling its warmth seep into my palms. The scent was unlike anything I'd ever encountered—wild herbs and something electric, like the air before a storm.

"But I don't feel powerful," I said, taking a tentative sip. The flavor bloomed across my tongue, sweet then sharp then impossibly complex. It cleared my head instantly. "I feel hunted."

The Hatter's smile was thin and sharp. "Often the same thing here, I'm afraid."

I set the cup down carefully, watching the liquid continue to shift colors. "Why are Omegas so rare here?" I asked, tugging the blankets closer around me. "And why does it matter so much?"

The Hatter’s fingers tapped a restless rhythm against his knee, “There was a plague about fifty years ago and the Omegas were the ones getting sick…now there aren’t many left.”

His eyes flashed a gold color before back to his green, “And now to have an Omega is an honor. To have one makes Alpha’s instincts calm…here and wonderland we are all a little more feral than what you are used to.”

I shivered at the word "feral," feeling its weight press down around me. It explained the hunger I'd sensed in the forest, the way those shadows had moved with such single-minded purpose.

"So I'm what—some kind of rare commodity?" I asked, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. "A prize to be claimed?"

The Hatter's expression darkened. He leaned forward, the chair creaking beneath him. "To many, yes. That is exactly what you are." His voice dropped lower. "The Red Queen would give half her kingdom to possess you. The Duchess would lock you in a gilded cage. Even the White Rabbit, for all his timidity, would try to stake a claim."

I swallowed hard, fingers tightening around the teacup. "And you? What do I represent to you?"

His eyes met mine, as he gave me a grin, “Well, you're my little Alice of course. Not someone I would try to claim as a mate. I would say more….a daughter.”

The Hatter's words hung in the air between us, settling over my skin like a familiar blanket. A daughter. Not a possession. Not a prize. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Thank you," I said softly, not entirely sure what I was thanking him for—the protection, the honesty, or just the simple acknowledgment that I was more than my biology.

His smile softened at the edges. "You were always different, Alice. Even as a child, you saw Wonderland for what it truly was—not just the madness and magic, but the heart beneath." His fingers tapped against his knee again, a nervous rhythm. "You never tried to tame it or own it. You simply... belonged to it, in your way."

I sipped the strange tea again, letting its warmth spread through my chest. "So what happens now? You said I can't go home…” The thought of not going home did send a pain in my heart. Not being able to see those I love…but at the same time I never did feel like I belonged there.

"I'm sorry, little one," the Hatter said, his voice gentle but firm. "The door between worlds isn't meant to open twice. Notfor Dreamers who've grown up. The magic... it binds differently now."

I stared into my teacup, watching the colors swirl like storm clouds. "But my life—my apartment, my friends...family" My voice caught.

"They'll wonder," the Hatter acknowledged, his voice gentle but unflinching. "They'll search. Eventually, they'll mourn."

A hard knot formed in my throat. I looked away, blinking rapidly at the strange, curved ceiling. "That's cruel."

---