Happily Harem After Read online

“Time lives in Wonderland,” King Bevan explained. “Because of this, he has more power here, and as an incentive for the rest of us to allow him to wield his power, he stops the residents of Wonderland from aging, once we reach an acceptable maturity.”

  “But, my uncle,” I whispered.

  “Duke Theodore sacrificed a lot to see you safe, Your Majesty,” King Jaxon said softly. “And he will be remembered for it.”

  “He died for me?” I asked as tears filled my eyes. “I just buried him today, and you're telling me that he died instead of bringing me back here.”

  “He wanted you to be as prepared as possible.” Bevan gave me a sympathetic look. “If he didn't try to return with you sooner, he must not have felt that you were ready.”

  “Which brings to mind the question of if you are, in fact, ready.” Draven frowned. “What sort of magic do you possess, Queen Alice?”

  “She hasn't come into her power yet,” Jaxon answered for me.

  “You haven't what?” The King of Diamonds shouted.

  “Calm yourself,” Jaxon snapped. “She has been in the human world. She probably needs some time to connect with Wonderland.”

  “You'll be fine.” The King of Clubs smiled supportively. “Your mother was one of the strongest women I've ever met; there isn't a mome rath's chance in the sea that you were born without the Wilds in you.”

  “We should take her to see the Caterpillar,” Draven said.

  “That hookah smoking hypocrite,” Jaxon growled.

  The other two men just stared at Jaxon.

  “Fine,” King Jaxon huffed. “But we need to take her further into the Underland then.”

  “The Underland?” I asked.

  “It's a hidden community beneath Wonderland, where we've been regrouping our forces and hiding the refugees.”

  “Refugees?”

  “The Queen of Hearts didn't just betray the other kingdoms when she took Wonderland,” Jaxon explained. “She betrayed her own magic, turning love into a weapon. Spaders are meant to be the warriors of Wonderland.”

  “And the Order of the Cheshire,” Nick said as he came into the room. “We are warriors as well.”

  “My apologies,” Jaxon nodded to Nick. “The Order of the Cheshire is in a class of its own.”

  I lifted a brow at Nick as he nodded to Jaxon.

  “We were the protectors of the Royal Wilds,” Nick said proudly. “Shapeshifters and soldiers. But I am the last of the Cheshires.”

  “What?” I whispered.

  “The rest of my order died in defense of our king.” Nick held his chin high, but his eyes glistened. “I was charged by His Majesty to see you and the Duke to safety, or I too would be dead.”

  “Thank you for saving my life, Nick,” I said softly.

  He blinked in shock, then gave me a brilliant smile. “It was the greatest honor of my life, Your Majesty. And I hope to continue to guard you, now that you have returned to us.”

  “I can think of no one I'd rather have guarding my back,” I said immediately.

  Nick, the last Cheshire Cat of the House of Wilds, beamed at me.

  “Now, what were you about to say, King Jaxon?” I looked to the King of Spades. “About the Spades being the warriors?”

  “My House handled any military matter in Wonderland,” Jaxon said. “The House of Diamonds looked after our wealth, the House of Clubs healed our sick and crafted our potions, and the House of Hearts was meant to bring love into our world. Queen Rina turned the magic into something it wasn't meant to be, and that has poisoned it and her. She has gone even madder than poor George, and she inflicts her insanity upon the people of Wonderland.”

  “Thus, the refugees.” Bevan waved his hands out. “We dug a network of tunnels and hidden homes beneath the earth, like this one. The tunnels have never been discovered, and Underland is the only place in all of Wonderland that is safe from the Queen of Hearts.”

  “Sounds good.” I sighed. “Honestly, I just want a place to lay my head down for a few hours.”

  “I'm sure that we can help you with that,” King Draven smiled wickedly.

  “Shut up, Draven,” the other kings said in unison.

  Chapter Five

  George the Hatter's cottage wasn't connected to the rest of Underland. It was a precaution in case his eccentricity drew too much attention instead of dissuading it. So, we had to trek back into Tulgey Wood to find an entrance to Underland. At least this time, I didn't have to drink anything.

  The entrance was under a rock, and all sorts of jokes popped into my mind when I first saw it. But the timing was inappropriate, everyone looking over their shoulder's anxiously, so I kept my humor to myself. Beneath the rock was a spiraling set of stairs which we took down to a tunnel. After about an hour of navigating the maze of tunnels below Wonderland, we finally came to a settlement.

  An empty room was located for me, and I was escorted into it by all three kings. They bid me goodnight at the door, and then I shut it on their handsome faces. I just couldn't take anymore strange. I bolted the door for good measure. Then I went straight to the bed and fell into it, fully clothed.

  I woke up hours later, though it seemed like mere minutes. My mouth tasted like something had died in it, and my hair was as wild as my elusive magic. I stumbled across the room to the bathroom to remedy both matters. A hot shower and some aggressive gargling later, and I came out into the bedroom refreshed and ready to take on the world... a world I had never even known existed.

  I was about to get into my dirty dress when a knock interrupted me.

  “Your Majesty, I have a change of clothes for you,” a female voice came through the door.

  “It's safe, Queen Alice,” Nick called out.

  I opened the door wrapped in a towel, and Nick quickly turned his back. There was a woman holding a stack of clothing, and she just smiled, bobbed a curtsy, and came into the room. I shut the door behind her.

  “I'm Beth, Your Majesty,” the girl said. “The King of Diamonds has sent these to you with his highest regard.”

  “Oh, well, if it's his highest regard.” I rolled my eyes, and Beth giggled.

  “His Majesty hasn't given any woman his attention since the Queen of Diamonds was killed.” Beth cast me a sideways glance as she laid the clothing on the bed.

  “Oh, damn,” I huffed. “Thank you for reminding me. I completely forgot that his wife was killed. I probably would have said something insensitive and then felt like a horrible ass.”

  Beth's eyes went wide.

  “Yeah, that was probably the wrong thing to say too,” I muttered.

  “Not at all, Queen Alice,” Beth hastened to reassure me. “I was just surprised at how much you sound like your mother.”

  “You think so too, huh?” I frowned, wondering about that whole Nature versus Nurture thing.

  “Oh, yes. You look a lot like her as well.” Beth smiled. “It's no wonder that you have the kings in such a state.”

  “The kings?” I lifted my brows. “You think they like me? Like, really like me? Oh, God, what am I saying? Don't answer that, Beth. I've just lost my uncle and have tumbled down a rabbit hole into a weird world where I'm evidently queen. The last thing I need is a romantic entanglement.”

  “Or three,” she added helpfully.

  “Yes, quite right; or three.” I blinked. “As if I could have a relationship with three men at the same time.”

  “Oh, but don't you know?” Beth asked. “The original wild queens were always married to four men; her Card Kings. That's how Wonderland is meant to be ruled. Queen Julia, your mother, broke tradition and married your father, who wasn't a king at all. It put Wonderland into a tizzy and had all sorts of repercussions.”

  “Like what?”

  “Oh, like the kings choosing their own wives,” Beth said. “I hope that you don't think that I'm speaking ill of your mother, Your Majesty. Queen Julia was a wonderful queen, but if she had only stuck to tradition, the Queen of Hearts would never have r
isen to power.”

  “Go on,” I urged. “Tell me it all.”

  “Well, once the Queen of the Wilds announced that she'd only be marrying one man, and he, a Cheshire Wolf, no less–”

  “Hold on,” I interrupted her. “I'm half wolf?”

  “Oh no, Your Majesty.”

  “So, my father wasn't a werewolf?”

  “Yes, he was,” Beth said, “but wild queens are born wild, that's all. Wild trumps all other races.”

  “Of course.” I grimaced. “Go on; I'm sorry for interrupting.”

  “It's quite all right, Your Majesty.” Beth shook her head. “I'm happy to explain anything you'd like. But back to your parent's marriage; the Card Kings were divided in their reactions. Two of them married women of their own choosing, and two remained bachelors. The King of Diamonds chose well, and his queen was kind to their people, but the King of Hearts chose one of his duchesses, and she wasn't so kind.”

  “That's Queen Rina?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Beth confirmed. “Just a year after he was married, the King of Hearts grew ill.”

  “But I thought that people who live in Wonderland don't age,” I said.

  “We don't.” Beth nodded. “Sickness does occur but fatal disease is rare, and the King's illness shocked all of Wonderland. Many of us believe that it was Queen Rina's doing, that she was already twisting the Heart magic into something dark, even back then. We think that Queen Rina found a way to steal King Henry's magic, and she kept taking it until he died.”

  “That's fucking evil,” I whispered as I slid into the clothing that Beth had brought me; some soft leather pants, boots, and a cotton tunic.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “And disruptive to Wonderland. For the first time in all of Wonderland history, a queen sat on the Heart throne alone. The Card Kingdoms are masculine in nature, and they require a king to rule them. The Kingdom of Hearts became unstable under Queen Rina's rule, but no one could do anything about it. Upon King Henry's death, the crown should have passed to his brother, Duke Kyran, but the Duke of Hearts went missing shortly after his brother's death, and so, Queen Rina remained on the throne.”

  “Suspicious,” I growled.

  “Yes, it was.” Beth grimaced.

  “You said that the Card Kingdoms are masculine?” I asked.

  “Yes, as I mentioned, Wonderland is meant to be united by a sacred marriage between the Card Kings and the Wild Queen. The Card Kingdoms are masculine, but they come together under the feminine Wild Wonderland. It is a delicate balance.”

  “That my mother fucked up,” I noted as I pulled on the boots.

  “Yes, well, we all do crazy things for love. Do you know the rest of the story?” Beth asked.

  “About Rina trying to sleep with my dad?” I asked, and Beth blushed. “Yeah, I know the rest.”

  “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you,” Beth said. “I only meant to explain to you that not only could you be romanced by all three of the Card Kings, but they're also most likely hoping that you'll follow the traditions of Wonderland and encourage them to pursue you.”

  “And then what; marry them all?” I sat back on the bed heavily.

  “Yes, of course.” Beth frowned at me. “You don't like the thought of marrying the Kings? I would give my left toe for one night with them. With any of them.”

  I barked out a laugh and then covered my mouth with my hand. “Sorry, I'm just a little overwhelmed.”

  “It's perfectly reasonable, Your Majesty.”

  “It's nice to finally find some reason in this world,” I mumbled.

  “Your Majesties, the Queen of Wilds is still dressing,” Nick's voice filtered through the door. “Please allow her a few moments, and then I will announce you.”

  “And the madness returns,” I whispered.

  Chapter Six

  “Thank you, Beth,” I escorted her out of my room, and then waved the waiting kings in. “Get in here, now!”

  The gave me shocked looks as they hurried in, and I slammed the door behind them.

  “When were you fuckers going to tell me that you intended for me to unite the kingdoms by marrying all of you?” I nearly shouted.

  “Well, I guess we don't have to find a way to tell her,” King Bevan said to the others. “She seems to have discovered it all on her own.”

  “So, it's true?” I gaped at them.

  “It's tradition.” Draven held his hands out to his sides like there was nothing he could do about it.

  “A tradition that could save Wonderland,” Jaxon said gently. “The magic of Wonderland wants us to be together. Tell me that you don't feel attracted to us; that you don't feel something binding us together.”

  “I don't feel ...” I choked on the words, then shook my head, and growled, “I will not be influenced by magic!”

  They all burst into laughter.

  “What's so damn funny?”

  “This is Wonderland, darling,” King Draven purred. “Saying that you won't be influenced by magic here is akin to saying that you won't breathe the air. It's impossible.”

  “My mother chose her own husband,” I snapped.

  “And you see where that got us,” Draven's sensual features hardened suddenly, and his eyes narrowed on me. “I tried to accept Queen Julia's decision, and in the end, I was punished for it. My Lara was taken from me because I went against the magic and married her, instead of waiting for the princess who I was meant to be with.”

  “What?” I whispered.

  “Your mother's choice sent ripples through the very foundation of Wonderland,” Bevan explained. “Wonderland had to recalculate. Jax and I felt it, and we told the other kings to wait, to be patient, that the land itself would correct the imbalance.”

  “But we didn't listen.” Draven shook his head sadly. “We saw the chance to choose our own way, and we took it.”

  “A few years later, you were born.” Jaxon's stare warmed on me. “You are Wonderland's gift to us, her way of repairing the rift your mother made.”

  “You guys think that I was born to be with you?” I asked in shock.

  “We know that you were,” Bevan corrected. “At the moment of your birth, we all felt your magic reach for ours.”

  “I don't even have any magic,” I huffed.

  “Oh, honey, yes you do.” Draven smirked. “I remember it well; a burst of energy across my skin that soaked into my heart. Even Henry felt it. We think it's the reason Rina killed him.”

  “So, you believe the rumors of Rina stealing Henry's magic?”

  “We do.” Bevan nodded. “There's no other way that a Duchess could do the things Rina has done. She had to have taken Henry's power.”

  “Poor Kyran,” Jaxon whispered. “She probably killed him as well. And he had nothing to do with his brother's choices.”

  “We don't know that for certain,” Bevan said. “Kyran could still be alive.”

  The other men stared at him until Bevan looked away sadly. The possibility of Rina letting one brother live while killing the other seemed slim.

  “And you guys want me to fight this woman?” I asked.

  “Alice”–Jaxon took my hand–“you will not be alone; all of us are with you. But I remember the moment you took your first breath and the magic that rushed through our world with it. I swear to you; you have magic more powerful even than your mother's. You just need to find it.”

  “And how am I going to do that?”

  The men looked at each other and smiled.

  Chapter Seven

  “I thought you said that this guy was a hookah-smoking hypocrite?” I reminded Jaxon.

  “Well, desperate times.” King Jaxon grimaced as he pushed past a low-hanging branch.

  A family of rocking-horse flies flew off the branch, whinnying in affront. He frowned after them.

  “The caterpillar has ways to squirm past a person's defenses,” King Bevan said. “I go to him when I need help working out a particularly difficult potion.”


  “Potions,” I huffed. “I don't have to get small again, do I?”

  “No, I'm certain that won't be necessary,” Draven assured me, and then he looked to Bevan. “Will it?”

  “No, there's no size requirement for finding your magic,” Bevan said.

  “Good.”

  The woods suddenly opened up, and a set of marble steps were revealed. I strode up to them with Nick and the kings as their retinues held back. The steps went up so high that I couldn't see where they ended.

  “Oh, hell no.” I groaned.

  “At least you have a sturdy pair of boots now, Your Majesty,” Nick offered. “A good pair of boots on your feet are worth five in a closet.”

  “Yes, fantastic.” I rolled my eyes. “The caterpillar lives on top of a monument?” I asked the kings.

  “He has a fear of being stepped on.” Jaxon sighed.

  “Him and the mome raths,” Draven muttered.

  “Well, he is a caterpillar,” Bevan said.

  “Wait”–I looked over at them in shock–“he's really a caterpillar? That wasn't just a code for something else?”

  “Nope, he's a caterpillar.” Draven chuckled.

  “What the hell is a bug going to do for me?” I asked them.

  “He's a very smart bug,” Bevan said.

  “Too smart for his own good,” Jaxon muttered. “He should lay off the weed.”

  “He can be a bit rambunctious,” Bevan admitted. “Please be patient with him; he may be the only one who can help you release the wild inside you.”

  “Wonderful,” I muttered as I started climbing the steps. “I have to be nice to a bug so that he will help me find my magic so that I can marry three men and unite a magical kingdom.”

  “If you don't mind.” Nick winked at me and then shifted into his cat form. He began floating up the pyramid steps.

  “No fair,” I grumbled. “Maybe I should have gone small again.”

  The climb wasn't as far as it seemed, and soon we were striding through a proper English garden in full bloom, laid across the flat top of the marble pyramid. The pyramid rose high above the treetops, giving an incredible view of Wonderland. I stopped and stared at the Wilds, the castle I'd been born in, but my gaze was quickly lured away to the rest of the landscape.