Page 30 of Knot My Wonderland, Part Two (Fairytale Omegaverse #2)

Chi crouched beside us, his teal eyes flashing with concern as his tail wrapped protectively around my wrist. "And ways things could go right," he prompted gently, sensing my turmoil through our silver bond.

I nodded, focusing on the last vision—the one where we stood together against the Queen, where the pattern danced with me rather than simply obeying. "I saw myself facing her. Not afraid, not running. Standing against her with all of you beside me."

The Tweedles approached, their silver eyes studying me with analytical precision. "The temporal mirror shows the paths of highest probability based on current trajectories," Vee explained, his devices humming as they processed data from the archway.

"What else did you see?" Dee asked, his expression unusually gentle. "Something disturbed you deeply.”

I shuddered, remembering the empty-eyed version of myself standing like a puppet in the Queen's throne room. "She's making a copy of me," I whispered, the realization chilling me to the bone. "A shell with my face but none of my will. That's her contingency plan if she can't have the real me."

Heart's ruby eyes darkened with fury. "A blood golem. More sophisticated than her usual constructs, but the principle would be the same."

I pushed myself to my feet, the pattern beneath my skin pulsing with renewed determination rather than fear.

"But she can't replicate the bonds," I said, understanding flowing through me from the pattern's ancient knowledge.

"No matter how perfect the physical copy, it couldn't host the connections we share…and it couldn’t replicate the pattern. "

"Precisely," Vee confirmed, his silver eyes calculating temporal probabilities. "A simulacrum might bear your appearance, but the pattern would recognize the deception immediately."

Chi's tail tightened protectively around my wrist. "The Queen knows this. She's not trying to replicate you completely—just enough to manipulate those who don't know you intimately."

"A propaganda tool," Heart said grimly, his golden patterns pulsing with indignation. "She'll parade your copy through Wonderland, showing everyone how happy her 'daughter' is under her care."

I shuddered at the thought of my face being used to legitimize the Queen's rule. The pattern beneath my skin flared with righteous anger, silver and gold light spiraling in configurations that spoke of protection rather than aggression.

"I don’t know if she started making it yet…," I said, my voice steadier than I expected as I glanced around me at the four men before me.

"But even if she has, there's a way to disrupt it," Dee said, his fingers dancing across his temporal devices. "Blood golems require constant magical maintenance. If we can interfere with the Queen's connection to her creation..."

"We could expose the deception," Heart finished, his ruby eyes gleaming with renewed purpose. "But that would mean getting close enough to the copy to disrupt its magical signature."

I paced the silver grass, processing everything I'd seen in the temporal mirror.

The visions weren't just possibilities—they were warnings, guideposts, glimpses of paths to either follow or avoid.

The pattern beneath my skin had settled into a steady rhythm, no longer fluctuating with distress but pulsing with determined resolve.

“Did you see things you needed to learn?” Dee asked, eyes holding my own.

I nodded slowly, still processing the cascade of visions.

"The pattern showed me something crucial in each timeline.

In the ones where I failed, it was because I either surrendered my will completely or tried to control everything alone.

" I paused, watching silver and gold light spiral beneath my skin in increasingly complex patterns.

"The successful path requires balance—partnership without losing myself. "

"And the bonds?" Chi asked, his teal eyes studying my face intently. "How did they factor into the successful timeline?"

"All five," I said with certainty that surprised even me. "Not just formed, but fully integrated. The Void bond especially—it wasn't optional in the vision where we defeated her. Seth's shadows were woven through my light like... like they belonged there."

Heart's golden patterns pulsed with understanding rather than jealousy. "The pattern has been trying to tell you this all along, hasn't it?”

I gave a small grin, “The bonds were more than that of partnership…..but of mates.” My cheeks heated up as I glanced away, I’d known it was going to evolve in that direction from all the hints and attraction I had for them all…more than I knew what to do with.

The admission hung in the air like a crystalline note, resonating through our bonds with harmonic intensity.

I felt Heart's golden connection flare with warmth and recognition, while Chi's silver bond pulsed with something deeper than mere approval—satisfaction, as if he'd been waiting for me to reach this understanding.

"Mates," Chi repeated, his voice carrying undertones I'd never heard before. His form solidified completely, teal eyes blazing with an intensity that made my breath catch. "Not just magical partners, but life partners. Soul partners."

Through our bonds, I felt the truth of it settling into place like the final piece of a complex puzzle. The pattern hadn't just chosen me for power—it had chosen me to restore the ancient connections that had been severed when the Red Queen began her campaign of isolation and control.

"The First Queen had five mates," Vee said quietly, his silver eyes reflecting ancient knowledge as he glanced over to his brother before his eyes went back to me.

"The courts united in perfect harmony," Dee finished, his temporal devices humming with recognition. "It wasn't just a political alliance—it was the deepest form of magical partnership possible. The pattern thrived under that connection."

I felt my cheeks burn hotter, but the pattern beneath my skin pulsed with eager affirmation.

Through our bonds, I sensed the truth resonating through each connection—Heart's golden warmth expanding with joy, Chi's silver clarity sharpening with possessive satisfaction, and even the Tweedles' opalescent energy dancing with anticipation.

"Five mates," I whispered, the words feeling both foreign and completely natural on my tongue. "Is that why the pattern chose me? To recreate what was lost?"

"To heal what was broken," Heart corrected gently, his ruby eyes soft with understanding. "My mother's isolation didn't just damage her—it severed the natural balance between the courts. Without connection, without partnership, Wonderland itself began to fracture."

I took a deep breath, feeling the pattern beneath my skin pulse with confirmation. Everything was coming together—the bonds, the communion with the pattern, the visions in the temporal mirror. It wasn't just about defeating the Queen; it was about restoring what she had destroyed.

"So the five bonds... they're not just for power or protection," I said slowly, watching silver and gold light dance beneath my skin. "They're for healing Wonderland itself."

"Yes," Dee nodded, “Each bond making wonderland strong and stable.”

I looked between the four men, feeling the weight of this revelation settle over me. The pattern beneath my skin hummed with a kind of satisfied contentment, as though pleased I'd finally understood what it had been trying to show me all along.

"So when do we tell Seth?" I asked, my voice steadier than I expected given the magnitude of what we were discussing.

Chi's tail flicked with amusement. "I believe he already knows. The Void Court has always been particularly attuned to destiny's patterns."

"He's waiting for you to be ready," Heart added, his ruby eyes warm with understanding. "The Void bond requires complete acceptance – not just of him, but of the shadows within yourself."

I nodded, thinking of the incomplete connection that already existed between us – the whisper of potential that flared whenever Seth was near. The pattern showed me how that final bond would complete the circle, creating a harmony that was needed throughout wonderland.

And me?" I asked quietly. "What does this mean for me?"

Vee stepped closer, his silver eyes gentle. "It means you have a choice, Alice. The pattern shows the possibility, but it cannot—will not—force it upon you."

"The bonds must be freely given and received," Chi added, his tail curling thoughtfully. "Magical necessity doesn't override personal desire."

Heart reached for my hand, his touch warm and reassuring. "Whatever you choose, we stand with you. Whether as mates or simply as allies."

I looked at each of them, feeling the connections that already bound us together—connections that had saved me from the Queen, that had helped me understand the pattern's true nature. These weren't strangers; they were already integral parts of my life in Wonderland.

"I need time to process this," I said finally, watching the pattern shift beneath my skin.

"Of course," Vee nodded, his silver eyes understanding. "Time is something we can provide, at least within the pocket."

Heart squeezed my hand once before releasing it. "We should continue your training regardless. The Queen won't wait for personal revelations to be processed."

I was grateful for his practical shift in focus.

The weight of destiny—five mates, healing Wonderland itself—felt overwhelming when considered all at once.

But the pattern beneath my skin pulsed with gentle reassurance, reminding me that some choices unfold naturally rather than requiring immediate decisions.

"The temporal mirror showed me something else," I said, turning back toward the crystalline archway which now stood dormant. "Techniques for channeling the pattern that I hadn't considered before. Ways to create rather than just defend."

Chi's ears perked up with interest. "Creation magic is rare, even among pattern-bearers.”

“The First Queen specialized in it," Vee said, his silver eyes gleaming with interest. "The ability to manifest entirely new constructs rather than simply manipulating existing reality."

I flexed my fingers, watching silver and gold light dance between them in configurations I hadn't consciously designed. The pattern seemed eager to demonstrate what it had shown me in the temporal mirror—not just defensive shields or simple manipulations, but true creation.

"May I try when we start training again?" I asked, feeling the energy building beneath my skin, waiting for release.

The Tweedles exchanged a quick glance before nodding. "The pocket is the safest place to experiment," Dee confirmed, lips twitching in a small smile.

I nodded, “Thank you. I just need to clear my head a bit then I will be ready to train again.” I then turned heel and walked away, my mind a jumbled mess.