Page 2 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
The collar at my throat throbbed gently, matching my pulse. I could feel its presence in every breath I took, like a leash with no visible hand. I pressed my fingers to it, barely brushing the warm bone-like surface. There were carvings along it—delicate markings that pulsed with embedded enchantments.
My power was still there, buried under the weight of the collar, flickering weakly. The gold-and-silver pattern beneath my skin, felt like it was submerged in cold water, dulled and distant.
And the bond… the one connecting me to Heart….to Chi.. it still pulsed faintly, golden, silver and strained.
Like a heartbeat under layers of ice.
Heart was alive,hurting, but alive. The only warmth left to cling to. I could feel Chi’s panic and anger as well. I looked back at Aldric, who watched me with quiet calculation. His hands were folded neatly behind his back. His uniform was spotless, the red heart stitched over his breast catching a sliver of morning light.
"You're just going to stand there and watch me drink it?" I bit out, with a little more force than I intended by the look that flashed across the man’s face.
"I'm here to ensure compliance," he replied, not cruelly. Just plainly. "It goes better if it’s your choice."
I stared him down. "That'snota choice. That’s athreatin a teacup." His mouth curved faintly—whether in approval or regret, I couldn’t tell. I brought the cup to my lips and inhaled. The scent was sharp—lavender, sage, something vaguely metallic. Not unpleasant, just… ancient. Familiar in a way that made my Omega instincts bristle.
My throat was tight, but I drank. The liquid coated my mouth like silk, warm and strangely comforting. A deceptive calm spread over my limbs—slow and sticky, like honey poured over bruises. It didn’t numb me completely, but I could feel the tension in my shoulders begin to soften, my heart rate slowing just a little.
Not sleep. Not sedation.
Submission.
A quieting of oneself. A ritualistic tethering of will. I swallowed the last sip, setting the cup back on the silver tray with a clink that sounded too loud in the quiet.
"Very good," Aldric said softly. "Your attendants will arrive soon to prepare you for the audience with the Queen." I turned away from him, toward the tall window that curved elegantly into the crystal-veined wall. Crimson silk curtains fluttered at the edges, disturbed by a draft I couldn’t feel. I drew them aside with slow fingers, squinting into the white-gold light of morning. The view stretched beyond marble courtyards and bone gardens. The palace grounds were a labyrinth of impossible beauty and impossible cruelty—twisted trees with bleeding blossoms, sculpted hedges shaped into thrones and cages. Statues of long-dead monarchs watched everything in silent judgment.
Beyond the outer wall, far in the distance, I saw the edge of the forest. And something moved. A flicker—too fast to identify. A shadow slipping between trees. My breath caught. Was it real? Chi? Heart? I didn’t know…but it was something. The collar flared against my skin. A bright jolt. Not pain… but warning. I gasped and stepped back instinctively, heart slamming in my chest.
"You saw something," Aldric said behind me. Not a question.
I didn’t answer. My fingers curled against the silk at my sides. “If Heart comes for me,” I said, voice low, “when he comes….and Chi as well….they won’t stop. Not until this entire place is ash…..”
Aldric didn’t flinch. “Then I hope you are prepared for what happens when fire meets madness.”
He turned, walking to the door, but paused before he left. “For what it’s worth… I admire your spirit, Omega. But spirit will not protect you from the Queen’s design.”
He exited without another word. I stood in silence for several heartbeats. Then I reached up and touched the collar again.It pulsed once—like it was breathing with me now. My throat tightened, and I swallowed down the rising heat behind my eyes.
There was no room for tears. Not now. I walked back to the bed and sank into the sea of crimson silk and obsidian shadows. Curled my legs beneath me, every movement deliberate.
Three days.
Three days to survive.
Three days before they carved the pattern from my soul and handed it to someone else. I pressed my palm over my heart. Felt the bond pulse again—soft, but there.Still there.
“I’m coming back,” I whispered, to myself, to Heart, to the strange, starless sky outside the window. “I don’t know how. But I’ll find a way.” And if I couldn’t? Then Wonderland would learn what happened when an Omega refused to break.
Chapter
Two
ALICE
The attendants arrived an hour later—three women with eyes like empty mirrors. Their movements were eerily synchronized as they entered, carrying trays of fragrant oils, silver-tipped brushes, and white silk garments so delicate they shimmered like spider silk. They didn’t speak.
Not to me.
Not to each other.
