Page 31 of Knot My Wonderland

I grinned, showing my fangs. "Mine is simply more honest about being a mask."

Varik glanced at me, “And you seem to be taking a liking more to Alice more than normal.”

I paused mid-step, my tail freezing in its usual rhythmic sway. "What an interesting observation."

"Not a denial," Varik noted, his eyes sharp despite his casual tone.

"Would you believe me if I offered one?" I countered, allowing my form to shimmer slightly—a tell he knew well when I was avoiding directness.

"No," Varik said flatly. "I've known you too long, Chi."

I materialized on a nearby bench, stretching my legs out before me. "She's... intriguing. Different from other Dreamers. Different from other Omegas." I examined my nails with feigned disinterest. "Her scent alone is unlike anything I've encountered in centuries."

"That's not all, though, is it?" Varik pressed, moving to stand before me. "I saw how you watched her when she redirected your command. There was more than clinical interest there, Chi."

I laughed, the sound scattering into multiple echoes across the garden. "Are you concerned I might try to claim her myself, Varik? How deliciously paternal of you."

"I'm concerned you might complicate matters with your usual brand of chaos," he replied, not rising to my bait. "She has enough to navigate without adding your particular... attention to the mix."

I rose in one fluid motion, my form solidifying fully as I stepped closer to him. "My 'attention,' as you so delicately put it, has saved her life once already. Or have you forgotten who found her in the forest before the shadows could claim her when she first arrived?"

Varik had the grace to look slightly abashed. "I haven't forgotten."

"Good." I circled him once more, my movements deliberately predatory. "Because you may have shown yourself to her first…but I was the one who protected her before you had the chance.”

Varik's expression softened slightly. "And I remain grateful for that, Chi. But my question stands."

I tilted my head, considering how much truth to offer. The garden around us seemed to lean in, flowers turning their faces toward our conversation like eager eavesdroppers.

"She challenges me," I admitted finally, my voice dropping to something almost vulnerable. "Not just with her power, but with her... perspective. She sees Wonderland as I once did, before centuries of games dulled the wonder of it."

Varik's eyebrows rose slightly. "I haven't heard you speak this way in a very long time." Narrowing his eye,"She is not a plaything though," Varik warned, his voice taking on that subtle edge I'd heard him use only during our most serious disagreements.

"Of course not," I agreed, rising with fluid grace. "She's far more valuable than that. To Wonderland. To your cause." I paused, my smile sharpening. "Perhaps even to me."

Varik studied me with the kind of careful assessment that came from centuries of friendship—the look that said he could see through my deflections to the truth beneath.

"Just be careful," he said finally, his voice softening. "She's not like us, Chi. She hasn't had centuries to build defenses against heartbreak."

I laughed, though it came out less convincing than I intended. "You assume my interest could lead to heartbreak. How pessimistic of you."

"I assume nothing," Varik replied, adjusting his gloves with precise movements. "I merely observe. And what I observe is that you're circling her like she's the most fascinating puzzle you've encountered in decades."

"Isn't she?" I countered, unable to keep the genuine curiosity from my voice.

Varik sighed, the sound carrying centuries of experience. "That's what concerns me. You love puzzles, Chi. Until you solve them. Then you grow bored."

I materialized directly in front of him, my form more solid than usual, my expression uncharacteristically serious. "Some puzzles are worth solving slowly."

Varik held my gaze for a long moment before nodding once, a gesture of reluctant acceptance. "Just don't interfere with her training. She needs to focus on survival, not on whatever game you might be playing."

"Who says I'm playing a game?" I asked, my tail flicking behind me with genuine irritation.

"You're always playing a game," Varik replied, though there was no malice in his words. "It's your nature."

I shrugged, conceding the point with a fluid roll of my shoulders. "Perhaps. But even games have stakes worth winning."

The garden rustled around us, a sudden wind carrying the scent of approaching rain. The flowers turned their faces skyward, petals opening wider as if eager to drink from the coming storm. I inhaled deeply, tasting electricity on the air—not just weather, but a shift in Wonderland itself.

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