Page 48 of Knot My Wonderland, Part Two (Fairytale Omegaverse #2)

Chapter

Thirty

ALICE

W hen I woke, the cabin was quiet, moonlight streaming through the crystal windows.

I blinked slowly, assessing my condition.

The pattern beneath my skin had stabilized completely, silver and gold light pulsing with renewed vigor that suggested I'd slept far longer than intended.

Chi lay beside me his breathing deep and even.

I shifted carefully, not wanting to wake him as I tried to gauge the time. The pocket dimension's artificial night seemed well advanced, stars visible through the window in unfamiliar constellations that shifted subtly as I watched.

"You slept for fourteen hours," Chi’s voice made me jump, as I figured, wrongly, I’d managed to move without waking him.

"You could have woken me," I said, settling back down beside him. Through our silver bond, I felt his contentment at having spent the time watching over me, his protective instincts satisfied by my obvious recovery.

"You needed the rest," Chi replied, his tail curling around my waist as he shifted closer. "Besides, I rather enjoyed having you all to myself for a few hours."

The pattern beneath my skin responded to his proximity with gentle waves of silver light that seemed to dance with his own patterns. I felt significantly better—not just physically, but magically centered in a way I hadn't experienced since we'd begun the intensive training.

"How do you feel?" Chi asked, his teal eyes studying my face in the moonlight.

I took inventory of my body and magic, surprised by the answer.

"Strong. Rested. Like the pattern has settled somehow.

" The silver and gold light beneath my skin pulsed with a steady rhythm that felt more harmonious than before my collapse.

The chaotic flickering had been replaced by waves of light that moved as water, flowing smoothly beneath my skin.

"The pattern integrated while you slept," Chi explained, his tail tightening slightly around my waist. "Sometimes magical exhaustion forces a reset that actually accelerates development."

I raised an eyebrow. "So pushing myself to collapse was helpful?"

"Not intentionally," Chi clarified, his ears flicking with mild exasperation. "But the pattern used your unconscious state to reorganize some of the techniques you've been struggling with. It's rather efficient that way."

I stretched experimentally, marveling at how the silver and gold light moved with perfect fluidity, no longer the jagged, erratic pulses of yesterday. "Where are the others?"

"Heart and the Tweedles are in the clearing going over plans and training themselves since we have a little over a day and a half left before we head back.” Chi said, his patterns dimming slightly with concern. "They wanted to let you recover completely before finalizing tomorrow's approach."

I nodded, feeling a pang of guilt that they were working while I slept, though the rational part of my mind knew Chi was right about needing the rest. The mating mark on my neck pulsed with gentle warmth, carrying echoes of Heart's protective concern even at this distance.

"I should join them," I said, starting to sit up.

Chi's tail tightened, keeping me in place. "Not yet," he said firmly, his teal eyes holding mine. "There's something we need to discuss first."

Something in his tone made the pattern beneath my skin shift uneasily. Through our silver bond, I felt his nervous anticipation mixed with determination—whatever he wanted to say had been weighing on him.

"What is it?" I asked, settling back against the pillows. Chi's tail remained firm around my waist, a gentle restraint that somehow made this conversation feel more serious.

"You're pushing yourself too hard," he said finally, his teal eyes reflecting the moonlight. "And not just physically or magically. You're carrying a weight of responsibility that's crushing you from within."

I started to protest, but Chi's finger pressed gently against my lips, silencing me.

"Let me finish," he said, his voice unusually solemn. "We've all felt it through the bonds—this desperate fear of failing, of not being enough. But what you don't seem to understand is that your worth isn't measured by whether you defeat the Queen."

His words struck something raw within me, making the pattern beneath my skin pulse with uncomfortable recognition. Through our silver bond, I felt his genuine concern wrapped in an emotion that made my breath catch.

"Then what is it measured by?" I asked quietly, trying to ignore the way my heart pounded at his intensity.

Chi's expression softened, his tail loosening its grip to trace gentle patterns along my side. "By who you are, Alice. Not what you accomplish or how quickly you master magic."

"But if I fail—"

"Then we try again," Chi interrupted, his teal eyes serious. "Or find another way. Or face whatever comes together." His hand came up to cup my cheek, silver patterns flowing beneath his skin with quiet certainty. "What we won't do is sacrifice you on the altar of Wonderland's salvation."

The vehemence in his voice surprised me. Through our bond, I felt his fierce protectiveness, his growing affection that bordered on something deeper.

"I'm not trying to sacrifice myself," I said, though even to my own ears the protest sounded weak.

"Aren't you?" Chi's eyes narrowed slightly, his tail flicking with agitation. "You push until you collapse. You dismiss your own needs as secondary to the mission. You speak of Wonderland's salvation as if it's worth any price, including yourself."

I looked away, unable to meet his penetrating gaze. The pattern beneath my skin dimmed slightly, reflecting my discomfort with his accuracy.

"The others might not say it so bluntly," Chi continued, his voice gentler now, "but we've all noticed. Heart is too protective to confront you directly, and the Tweedles think in probabilities rather than emotions, but they see it too."

"I just want to be ready," I whispered. "I can't bear the thought of failing when so many are counting on us."

Chi's hand guided my face back toward his, forcing me to meet his gaze. "And we're counting on you being alive," Chi said firmly, his silver patterns pulsing with intensity. "Not just functional or magically capable—alive. Present. Still you."

Through our bond, I felt the depth of his emotion—not just concern for a bonded ally, but something personal that made my chest tighten with recognition.

"Chi," I started, but he shook his head, his tail curling more possessively around my waist.

"I need you to understand something," he said, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "What I feel for you... it's not just the bond, it's not just a magical connection, or shared purpose."

My heart hammered against my ribs as I processed his words. The silver light beneath his skin pulsed in rhythm with my own patterns, creating spirals of luminous energy that danced between us in the moonlight.

"I love you, Alice," Chi whispered, his teal eyes luminous in the moonlight. "Not because the pattern chose you or because of any magical bond. I love your courage, your compassion, your stubborn determination to face impossible odds."

The confession hung between us, making the silver bond pulse with an intensity that took my breath away. Through our connection, I felt the absolute truth of his words—not affection born from magical necessity, but genuine love that had grown alongside our bond.

“I love you too.” I told him back, my heart pounding and a smile on my face.

Chi's eyes widened, the silver patterns beneath his skin flaring with a brilliance that cast dancing shadows across the walls. For a moment, he seemed unable to speak, his tail freezing mid-motion around my waist before a full genuine smile graced his lips, his fangs on full display.

"I have been waiting to hear those words from you.” He purred, teal eyes alight with pure love as he looked at me.

Before I could respond, Chi's lips were on mine, the kiss deep and claiming in a way that made the silver bond between us sing with harmonious energy.

His tail tightened around my waist as he pulled me closer, silver patterns blazing beneath his skin where we touched.

"Mine," he whispered against my lips, echoing Heart's possessive claim from nights before. "My Alice."

"Yours," I agreed breathlessly, my hands fisting in his hair as he deepened the kiss.

The pattern beneath my skin responded eagerly, silver and gold light spiraling toward his silver glow with desperate intensity.

Chi's hands roamed my body with reverent touches, each caress leaving trails of silver light that the pattern absorbed hungrily.

Unlike Heart's golden warmth, Chi's energy felt like liquid starlight—cool and soothing yet somehow burning with its own unique fire.

"We haven’t had much alone time so I am going to enjoy this.” Chi muttered lowly as he began trailing kisses down my throat, his fangs scraping lightly against the sensitive skin. The sensation sent electric shocks through me, making the pattern beneath my skin flare with eager anticipation.

"Chi," I gasped, my back arching as his teeth found the hollow at the base of my throat. His answering purr vibrated against my skin, a sound so inherently feline that it made something primal within me respond.

"I want to devour you and make you scream my name Alice," he murmured against my collarbone, his hands working at the buttons of my shirt with nimble fingers. "Watching Heart claim you, feeling the echo of it through the bonds... it nearly drove me mad with wanting."

His confession sent heat pooling low in my belly. Through our silver bond, I felt his restraint finally snapping—weeks of careful distance, of letting others take precedence, all crumbling in the face of his need for me.

"Then devour me," I whispered, my voice barely audible as his shirt joined mine on the floor. The silver patterns beneath his skin pulsed with predatory satisfaction at my words.