Page 52 of Knot My Wonderland

"I'll come for you just before dawn," Chi replied, his form growing slightly more transparent as he relaxed. "Sleep whileyou can. The Caterpillar's domain has a way of... lingering in one's mind afterward."

Varik stood as well, his wild eyes softening as they met mine. "I'll prepare some tea for you to take with you—a special blend that helps maintain mental clarity in shifting realities."

"Thank you," I said, genuinely touched by his thoughtfulness. "For everything."

As I turned to leave, Chi's voice stopped me. "Alice?"

I looked back to find him unusually serious, his form more solid than his typical shifting state. "Yes?"

"Whatever the Caterpillar reveals tomorrow—remember that knowledge is a tool, not a destiny." His teal eyes held mine with unexpected intensity. "Patterns suggest, they don't command."

I nodded, strangely comforted by his words. "I'll remember that."

The stairs seemed to rise to meet my feet as I climbed toward my room hoping to get some sleep before dawn.

Chapter Eighteen

Hatter

Iwatched Alice disappear up the stairs, her silver-touched form leaving faint luminous traces on the banister as she climbed. The house responded to her passage, walls brightening and settling into a protective hum that resonated through the floorboards.

"She's handling this better than expected," Chi observed, materializing fully in his chair now that Alice was gone. His usual mischievous demeanor faded, replaced by something more contemplative.

I settled back into my own chair, removing my gloves to study the silver scars that traced across my palms—remnants of the last time I'd tried to change Wonderland's fate. "She's stronger than she realizes. But strength alone won't be enough if the monarchs decide to move against her directly."

"The King of Spades' visit troubles you," Chi noted, his tail curling thoughtfully around the chair leg.

"Yes. Especially since he visited and we didn’t ask him to be an ally yet. He is showing interest in Alice on his own, and for that…it could mean many things.” I told him, frown gracing my face as I tried to figure out what the King could actually want in all this. "The King of Spades rarely shows personal interest in anything beyond his shadow networks," I said, replacing my gloves with methodical precision. "For him to appear at our boundary without his guards, without ceremony..."

"It suggests he sees something in Alice worth the risk of exposure," Chi finished, his form solidifying further as he leaned toward me. "The question is whether his interest stems from the pattern she represents, or something more... personal."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "You noticed it too, then."

Chi's tail flicked with irritation. "His scent is very much everywhere and hard to miss right now." His teal eyes narrowed. "The King of Spades developing an Alpha interest in our Omega dreamer complicates matters considerably."

"As does your own interest," I countered, watching Chi's form flicker slightly at my directness.

"My interest is protective," Chi replied, though his form rippled with something that suggested the words weren't entirely truthful. "Alice represents change, possibility—things I've fought to preserve for centuries."

"And the magical resonance between you?" I pressed, having witnessed their connection earlier. "The way your forms stabilized when she touched you?"

Chi's perpetual grin faltered slightly. "That was... unexpected." He materialized closer to the fire, shadows playing across his features. "I've existed in this liminal state for so long, I'd forgotten what it felt like to be truly solid. When Alice touches me, grounds me..." He trailed off, his tail swishing with agitation.

"You become more real," I observed. "More present in this reality."

"More vulnerable," Chi corrected, his voice dropping to something almost bitter. "The Queens tried to erase me, Varik. They pushed me into this in-between state thinking it would destroy me. But it became my strength—I can move through realities the monarchs can't reach, see things they can't perceive." His form shimmered with restrained emotion. "Alice's touch threatens that freedom."

I studied my old friend, noting the conflict evident in his shifting form. "Yet you seek it anyway."

Chi turned away, his tail lashing with uncharacteristic agitation. "I find myself... drawn to her. Not just as an Alpha to an Omega, though there's that primal pull as well." His voice softened. "She sees Wonderland as I once did, before centuries of games dulled the wonder of it."

"Be careful, Chi," I warned, leaning forward in my chair. "Alice isn't just any dreamer. If the pattern holds true—"

"I know what's at stake," Chi interrupted, his form flickering with irritation. "I've witnessed three dreamers come and go, Varik. I know the cost of attachment."

I sighed, the weight of centuries settling on my shoulders. "And yet you still created a magical bond with her. I saw the aftermath when I returned—the residual energy between you was unmistakable."

"It wasn't intentional," Chi admitted, materializing beside the window where moonlight cast his form in silvery relief. "She touched me, and something... responded. As if Wonderland itself recognized a connection between us."

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