Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

When the time came to finally wear proper clothes Wednesday was even more diligent than usual, assessing her entire wardrobe with a meticulous eye for an outfit that would best show off her mating bite. She wanted it to be the first thing Esther Sinclair sees when they inevitably run into each other again.

<I dare the woman to say anything>

The black werewolf said this with a growl caught deep in her throat.

Wednesday scanned the rails and paused, her eyes narrowing on a sheer black wide necked mesh shirt, and as she looked at it, she began to build out the rest of her outfit in her mind. When she finally returned to their shared room from her childhood bedroom the sight that greeted her made Wednesday pause.

Enid’s face was obscured, her head completely lost in her MAMAMOO t-shirt, her arms locked above her head as she twisted and turned in vain to free herself from the prison that had become her top. It was a black wash t-shirt with a pink heart in the centre; the group stood in front with MAMAMOO in large pink lettering above their heads. As soon as she heard Wednesday approaching, she turned around towards the direction of the doorway and despite not being able to see her face, Wednesday knew that Enid was pouting underneath her top.

“Um, a little help?”

Despite Enid’s call for aid Wednesday did not move.

‘Beautiful.’

Enid giggled.

“OMG don’t tell me seeing me in my bra short circuited your brain!” Enid teased, and all Wednesday could do was clench her hands together by her side and tense her jaw, her eyes sweeping over her mate’s pastel pink lacy brassiere and down to Enid’s toned abs. “We spent last night and most of today having sex and this is what makes you break?”

Enid sounded incredibly amused and her bubbly laughter pulled Wednesday out of her thoughts and back into the room, and all the while Beastie whined in torment.

<Our alpha is a goddess>

<We desire her pups>

Wednesday willed her feet to move despite her struggles, her thorny black heart betraying her once more as had become its habit, but Wednesday decided to focus on the far wall as she helped Enid pull her shirt down or else she feared they would become waylaid once again. When Enid emerged from the depths of her shirt her cheeks had a faint pink blush and she had a wide smile on her face.

“Thanks!”

For her own survival Wednesday remained silent, choosing instead to walk over to Enid’s desk where their marriage knives now sat side by side, the deadly blades joined by the exquisite glass bouquet and vase. The position was only temporary and the knives needed to be placed back into their presentation boxes, but for now they had pride of place on the table alongside the flowers and for some inexplicable reason Wednesday’s gaze could not help but linger on the scene.

‘Truly exquisite craftsmanship,’ she thought.

<Is that all?>

As usual, her inner wolf was direct and astute in equal measure, and Wednesday’s silence acted as her own kind of acknowledgement which left Beastie feeling incredibly satisfied and just a little smug, which Wednesday could not blame her for. If the roles were reversed, she would doubtless feel the same way.

Wednesday heard Enid skipping up behind her and prepared to feel her arms around her waist but instead the alpha chose to stand beside her instead, leaning her hip against the edge of the table as she continued to smile like the sun itself. Wednesday felt her mate’s gaze before she saw it, and Enid was unapologetically checking her out.

“See something you like?” Wednesday deadpanned, and Enid nodded.

“Uh huh,” she mumbled, reaching out her hand to hover over Wednesday’s mating bite, it was a whisper of a touch and yet it made Wednesday’s usually strong stomach flutter. “It’s already healing up nicely.”

[Everyone shall know that our omega is ours]

<Only a fool would think we would tolerate bonding with anyone else>

Upon hearing this exchange, Enid lowered her chin and widened her smile as she continued to look her mate up and down in obvious appreciation, though her gaze was edged with obvious desire as well.

“A shame,” Wednesday replied cooly, “I preferred it when it looked raw and bloodied.”

“Haha, of course you did, you little terror. I suppose you’d be happy to look permanently mauled?” Enid said this jokingly but Wednesday’s dark eyes sparkled at the prospect as her eyes dipped down to Enid’s teeth.

“A girl can dream,” she replied dryly, “however, I cannot fault my unlocked lupine gifts, accelerated healing can only aid me in my future investigations should the need arise.”

Hearing this, Enid frowned, and she stood up straight and pushed off from the table to inch a little closer to Wednesday’s side, her hand lowering to play with the hem of her mate’s shirt. Wednesday had styled it with a white plain tee underneath, black jorts, white socks (all unbranded), and chunky black sneakers with thick white laces.

“Don’t joke, the last thing I need is you throwing yourself into danger just to test your abilities - again,” Enid said sternly, and Wednesday gave her a look which told Enid that she really should not expect anything else from her mate. “Ugh, I know, I know, you’re totally gonna get involved with something crazy and I’ll have to come and save you.”

With this Enid let go of Wednesday’s shirt, turned on her heel, and walked towards the door, leaving Wednesday staring after her.

“Why do you insist on this false narrative, I am perfectly capable of saving myself and have done so numerous times, including before we met,” Wednesday replied defensively, and a little bit pridefully, and she followed after Enid as they left their bedroom to finally go downstairs to join the others.

Beastie snorted.

<That is not entirely truthful>

<Although it pains me to say it>

‘Then don’t say it, and mind your tongue!’

<GRRRRRRR>

“Sure, if that’s the story you’re telling yourself Wednesday, that’s fine by me,” Enid replied cheerily, and she glanced over her shoulder to wink at the grumpy seer. For some reason this made Wednesday increase her speed until they were walking side by side, Enid with her hands in her jean pockets and Wednesday with her hands by her side.

“Investigation is required regardless, unless you wish to let that mangy mutt get away with what it did last night?”

This made Enid stop dead in her tracks, her eyes alight with burning rage, and she turned her head to look at Wednesday as her mate watched her attentively.

“Of course not!” Enid shot back, her voice rising to a quivering timber before her throat closed with emotion, her jaw clenching shut in her anger.

“Then we are agreed,” Wednesday replied, and she glanced down to Enid’s teeth again and then further down still to see a thick vein popping in Enid’s neck. She had to take a steadying breath before continuing. “When Father and Uncle Fester return, we shall be better placed to plan how to proceed.”

“Ugh, yeah, I know you’re right, but I want it on record that I’m not happy about it! I don’t want you anywhere near that thing again Wednesday, my wolf can’t take it! You could have died!”

Hearing the genuine concern in her mate’s voice Wednesday paused just as they reached the top of the stairs and Enid stopped next to her, and her blue eyes looked suddenly pained as she recalled what happened the night before.

“The creature had the element of surprise last night, but not again,” Wednesday told her, and her eyes softened in time with her voice. “Do not fret, Enid, I – we – shall handle it.”

Enid nodded, turning away to continue forward, and as they moved Wednesday could hear voices far off in the distance. They did not speak as they descended the first staircase but the energy between them was palpable and Wednesday was already regretting the loss of their quiet room, but they had to leave their sanctuary eventually. It had taken them long enough to leave the crypt in the first place; they really could not afford any more delays.

They reached the foot of the stairs when Thing arrived to greet them, the scarred hand riding in one of the old steamers, and when he saw the couple, he tooted the whistle in greeting. In preparation for his slew of inappropriate questions Wednesday welcomed him with her trademark glare but he simply made a beeline for Enid who leaned down so that he could hop into her hand.

“Hey buddy, I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages. How are you? Have we missed much this morning?”

“You have / no idea!” he signed excitedly and he reeled off a number of updates as they went to go and find the others.

“Any sign of Father and Uncle Fester?” Wednesday asked, and Thing shook in the negative. “Curious.”

Wednesday glanced at her wristwatch, it was already half past three in the afternoon, but just as she was pondering on their progress, a low gurgling sound pulled her attention away from her wrist, her eyes dipping down to Enid’s stomach.

“We need to feed you,” she observed matter-of-factly, and Enid blushed in mild embarrassment.

“Honestly, I’m so hungry I could eat a whole horse,” she joked, her face covered in a beaming smile that took Wednesday’s breath away and inside her chest Beastie let out lovesick chuffs.

<Beautiful>

“Procuring sustenance will help us to avoid socialising for a little while longer,” Wednesday noted, and as she said this Enid wrapped her free arm around her own, the alpha pulling her in tight to her side as they walked down the hall, the couple passing half a dozen suits of armour on the way that watched them with great interest.

“Hmm,” Enid hummed, “I don’t know how I’m going to face my mom, and I’m definitely not going to do it on an empty stomach.”

“Then let us go to the kitchen, I doubt it will be very busy at this time.”

Enid nodded, and Wednesday noticed her eyes tracking downwards to linger on her lips.

“You may kiss me, if you wish.”

The alpha’s face brightened immediately, a bounce taking over her step, and Enid leaned over to give Wednesday a kiss on the lips, and Thing almost fainted in Enid’s hand seeing his young mistress in love like this. Sensing his reaction, Wednesday shot him a warning look as soon as the couple had pulled apart, and the poor appendage shook from the chill that ran through his scarred fingers.

They travelled to the kitchen without running into anyone, with Wednesday listening silently as Enid talked about all sorts of things, from the full moon and wolfing out, to the Blood Trial and Esther, and then back round to the creature that had attacked them.

They were both expecting an empty kitchen and were surprised to find Professor Capri with her head in the fridge.

“Professor?”

Startled at the greeting, Isadora banged her head into the metal shelf, and she swore under her breath as she stood up straight and closed the door.

“Huh? Oh Enid, Wednesday, hello! You startled me,” she said, and she gingerly held the top of her head.

“Evidently,” Wednesday said simply, and she eyed her teacher from across the kitchen, her eyes sweeping over the room until they landed on Professor Capri’s notebook on the countertop by the pantry.

“Sorry about that, didn’t mean to make you jump! Looks like we have the same idea. Are you hungry too, Professor?” Enid asked, and she let Thing jump down on to the worktop, immediately making use of her free hand to wrap it around Wednesday’s bicep possessively as she continued to hold her mate’s arm.

“Yes, I missed lunch but I doubt I’ll make it to dinner without snacking on something,” she admitted, and she paused, her eyes flicking between the couple as they advanced closer. Her mouth dropped open. “Wait, you two-”

She pointed to Enid’s neck and then to Wednesday’s, and the proud seer stood up straighter as she looked to Enid, the couple’s eyes finding one another in a perfectly timed meeting, and Wednesday thought she would never get used to how adoringly Enid looked at her.

“Wednesday and I are officially mated,” Enid confirmed, the excitement and pride evident in her voice, and she squeezed Wednesday’s arm even tighter, and Wednesday rather enjoyed how Enid clung to her. The alpha really was wolfish in her handling of her, and before they had left their room Enid had thoroughly scented her body and clothes despite Wednesday assuring her that she was already drenched in Enid’s scent. Clearly, Enid wasn’t interested in being subtle about claiming her, and it made Wednesday’s blood quicken and her wolf howl in approval.

“Wow, congratulations,” Isadora said with a smile, and she walked over to the young couple to get a closer look at them, and Wednesday noticed she was limping on her right side. “That’s – that’s a big step, as I’m sure you’re aware. You know, Wednesday, you could be-”

“Pregnant?” Wednesday cut in, and the word seemed to trigger Enid’s alpha instincts because Wolfie instantly activated, the golden werewolf whining and yipping in excitement at the very prospect at having puppies with her omega.

[Yes!]

[Moon, bless us, and let our mate have our pups]

[Preferably a whole litter]

[AWOOOO]

‘Really, Enid?’ Wednesday said with considerable side eye.

‘My wolf is crazy about you, Wednesday, you know this,’ Enid whined, although she did not sound particularly apologetic, and she looked back at Wednesday with the most dangerous puppy dog eyes that Wednesday quickly looked away to concentrate on Capri.

“The universe would have to have a devilish sense of humour to even attempt such a feat after only one bite, Professor, we do not plan on expanding our pack for some years yet,” Wednesday said confidently, and Enid nodded along beside her.

“That’s right,” she said, and Wolfie let out a long sigh.

<My disappointment is immeasurable but I know to bide my time>

‘By all means, bide away, Beastie,’ Wednesday told her.

“I very much doubt biology cares about ‘plans’ but, ha, what am I saying, I’m sure you’re right. Anyway, I’m very happy for you both,” Isadora said, clearly keen to move the conversation on before it got awkward, especially as Wednesday was levelling her with her trademark unblinking stare.

“Thanks, and how are you feeling today, Professor? Looks like you’re healing well already,” Enid noted, and her relief was evident as she scanned the woman’s face and body.

In Wednesday’s opinion the woman looked very tired, and she had a scare on her cheek that was pink and puckered.

“Did the creature damage your leg?” Wednesday asked, gesturing down to Isadora’s right side.

“Oh, nothing that a little time won’t fix,” she reassured the pair, and for some reason Wednesday found her answer lacking, and she narrowed her eyes as she regarded Isadora closely.

“Enid, take a seat at the counter and I shall prepare us some food,” Wednesday said, and she pulled out a stool for her mate to sit in, Wednesday’s small act of attentiveness earning her a canine smile from Enid that made her thorny heart stutter.

“Thanks Wednesday.”

‘So chivalrous,’ Enid added, and Wednesday felt her ears get hot.

While Wednesday busied herself with food preparation, Enid and Professor Capri chatted behind her, Enid enquiring after her health and Isadora reassuring her that she was fine, and for some reason this continued to leave Wednesday unsatisfied. By the time she placed the club sandwich she had made in front of Enid the conversation had turned to increasingly wild theories, Enid posing them and Isadora replying to each of them with a breezy “perhaps” that showed an unusual lack of interest in the origins of the beast that could have killed her.

<She seems evasive, does she not?>

<I smell intrigue>

‘I do believe your nose is correct,’ Wednesday agreed, and she took her seat next to Enid. Her mate waited until Wednesday sat down to begin eating and the moment Wednesday’s bottom touched the seat Enid began to inhale the sandwich like a woman possessed, and it made Wednesday’s stomach feel tingly for some reason.

“Right, I’ll leave you to your food, girls, no doubt I will see you later.”

“Oh, um, b-ye Profes-sor,” Enid said, her mouth full of food.

Wednesday remained silent as she watched the woman leave, Isadora’s limp capturing her attention, and she waited until Isadora was at the door to call out to her.

“Professor.”

Isadora turned around at the sound of her name, her eyebrows knitting together before moving back into a more neutral position.

“Yes, Wednesday?”

Wordlessly, Wednesday stood up from her seat as she retrieved Isadora’s notebook, taking the opportunity to scan the double page spread where it lay open on the countertop. She picked it up and closed it, walking over to the woman and extending out her hand to offer it to her.

“You forgot your notebook.”

“Oh dear,” Isadora sighed, “I would forget my head if it wasn’t attached. Thank you, Wednesday.”

Wednesday did not reply straight away, her gaze holding Isadora’s with an intensity that began to make the older werewolf uncomfortable, Wednesday could tell by the way Isadora frowned.

“Such detailed notes, I imagine you would notice its absence if you misplaced it.”

Isadora seemed surprised by the comment, and she awkwardly nodded before glancing over her shoulder towards the door.

“I dare say I would,” she replied simply.

With that, Wednesday turned on her heel and returned to Enid’s side, and the girl had long since paused eating to watch the exchange with a knitted brow.

“Wednesday?”

Once Isadora left the kitchen Enid and Thing practically gave her the same questioning look, and the grey hand tapped the countertop to ask what that was all about.

“I am simply keeping my mind open to all possibilities,” Wednesday replied, and she finally took a bite of her sandwich just as Morticia glided into the room.

“Oh, my darlings, there you both are. How timely.”

“Hi Morticia!”

“Mother, is everything well?”

 “Come quickly, your father and Fester have returned.”

----- 🐦‍⬛🖤🩷 🐺 -----

After several days of being in the thick of events, or at least being event adjacent, Eugene craved some peace and quiet with his insect friends, and fortunately for him the vast Addams estate had numerous bees, wasps, moths, and hornets that he could get acquainted with, among others. He had been hoping to spend some quality hive time with Wednesday during his visit but he understood that she was busy, and so he had simply been excited to spend a little time with her when she had showed him to the bee swarm that had taken over a dilapidated shed out on the edge of the grounds.

“I know Father would appreciate the bees being wrangled, the man is a fiend for honeycomb, and I am inclined towards having some hives at home myself,” Wednesday had said.

“For Humming Away from Home, you might say!” Eugene had joked, but Wednesday’s expression at the time had made him quickly backtrack and stumble over his words. “Not to say this isn’t your home, because I know Nevermore is home away from home, but our club hives came first, then theses ones, so technically this is Hive Away from Home – or something.”

Even giving her his best brace-filled smile Wednesday remained a tough nut to crack, but he took heart in the fact that she had not teased him at the time which was a win in itself. They had then spent an hour together searching for the queen and beginning the move from the shed to the hives that Wednesday had “acquired” from somewhere. Eugene had not asked questions, and inevitably she had to leave to attend to some matters back at the mansion.

This was where he now found himself.

What should have been a balmy summer afternoon with blue skies and skin burning sun was instead tinged with an overcast grey, but only within the boundary of the Addams estate he noticed, as outside its perimeter there was barely a cloud in the sky.

“This place really defies the laws of nature,” Eugene said to himself, although it was also partly to the bees, and he shivered while he worked.

Upon hearing the approach of boots on gravel he glanced behind to see Pugsley walking over to him and the boy had a wide-eyed look on his face that told Eugene something was afoot.

“Hey, everything ok?” Eugene asked, lifting up his mask so he could look at Pugsley without the mesh screen.

“Things are going crazy back at the house!” he said with an almost maniacal smile. “I came to find you so you wouldn’t miss out.”

“Oh man, is it Enid and Esther? No wait, Wednesday and Esther? Oh no, Enid and Wednesday versus Esther!”

The very thought had Eugene a little panicked, though if he had to place a wager his money would always go on Wednesday to win. He was surprised to see Pugsley shaking his head.

“Nope, it’s the girls – um I mean the other girls – they’re hunting Agnes and they are mad, I mean boiling mad,” Pugsley explained.

Sensing that his hive time was coming to an end, Eugene closed up shop and removed his bee suit, and he didn’t even need to look at Pugsley to know the boy was eyeing up his insect friends.

“Don’t even think about, these bees are not snacks, it’s only the honey that’s up for grabs. Got it! Don’t think I won’t make Wednesday keep an eye on you,” Eugene warned, and at the mention of his big sister Pugsley turned ashen which Eugene thought was a genuine feat because the boy looked pale to begin with.

“Ok, jeez, I wasn’t going to do anything, I swear,” Pugsley assured him, raising his palms up to show he wasn’t a threat.

“Only because I mentioned Wednesday.”

Instead of replying, Pugsley picked up a stone and threw it into the overgrown brush nearby, avoiding Eugene’s eyes as he waited for his friend to finish packing up.

“So, what’s the deal with the girls? I wanted to ask earlier but they all looked like they would bite my head off. Plus, Agnes dipped out of lunch, which is kinda odd.”

Hearing this, Pugsley’s face contorted into a wide smile, and the two boys started their walk back to the house through the woods.

“Apparently it’s got something to do with my sister and Enid,” Pugsley started to explain.

“Right, where are they exactly? They’ve been missing all day.”

Pugsley sighed, scratching his chin absentmindedly as he walked.

“I asked my mom but she told me to give them some privacy, whatever that means, but she had a – a look on her face,” Pugsley said, and his voice lowered into a whisper as he pulled a face.

“Oh no, are they hurt?” asked Eugene, his mind whirring with a thousand terrible scenarios.

“No, nothing like that, it was a look that my parents have sometimes when they’re alluding to, you know, adult things…”

Eugene stared at his friend as his cheeks started to feel a little warm, unsure what to make of it all, but before he could ask a follow-up question Pugsley had already moved on.

“Anyway, Bianca, Yoko, and Divina were doing something for Wednesday and Enid and whatever it was Agnes found out-”

“She wasn’t included?” Eugene asked, his eyebrows rising over the top of his glasses. “Agnes won’t like that; she likes being in the thick of it.”

“You’re telling me, no wonder the three of them kinda gel together even though they clash sometimes. Anyway, I don’t know why Agnes was left out, and honestly, I can’t keep up with girl stuff, you know,” and both boys nodded solemnly as if heavy with the weight of teenage angst when it came to matters of the opposite sex. “But whatever went down Agnes vanished leaving the girls in the state they’re in.”

“Woah.”

“I know!”

“Did you see Yoko’s shiner? She tried to hide it under her sunglasses but you can still see it peeking through, and then there’s Divina’s arm – or was it her wrist?”

“Honestly, dude, I thought it was her elbow! But anyway, I don’t know what happened but I think we should try and find Agnes,” suggested Pugsley in a moment of seriousness, and Eugene nodded in agreement.

“Where are Ajax and Kent?”

“They volunteered to help Lurch on a supply run, Mom and Granny have been working nonstop on the furs and I think they’re running low on some stuff.” Pugsley leaned forward as he continued to speak. “Pretty sure Ajax wanted to hide for a few hours because when he tried to talk to Bianca, she really chewed him out. His snakes sounded so sad under his beanie, it was kind of hard to watch.”

“That’s rough, but he should really know better,” Eugene said, and he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “The only way it could be worse is if he tried to talk to Enid when she’s mad, or Wednesday.”

Both boys shivered in unison.

The pair came across Kitty Kat on their journey back to the mansion, and as the three of them walked they spent the rest of their time coming up with wild theories about what might have happened between the four girls and how Wednesday and Enid were involved, or not involved, as the case may be.

“Girls really are terrifying,” Eugene concluded.

For some reason Pugsley simply grinned at him, and Eugene thought he was a braver guy than he was, or at the very least a little bit mad.

----- 🐦‍⬛🖤🩷 🐺 -----

The first time Enid’s ears twitched she thought it was a shiver, but then it happened a second time right as she heard raised voices and the sound of delicate china shattering. Practically in unison, Enid and Wednesday’s heads turned in the direction of the commotion and they looked at each other wordlessly before pushing ahead through the winding hallways, tracking the loud quarrel to the greenhouse.

[Stay alert]

Enid ducked to the ground as a plant pot flew towards her head, and the werewolf shouted at her mate to take cover but Wednesday simply eyed the potted projectile with a mixture of amusement and disdain, almost daring it to hit her, and it flew past her head to smash into the hallway wall behind her with a loud clatter, sending soil flying everywhere and staining the peeling wallpaper in wet clumps.

“Broken china in a glass house,” Wednesday mused to herself, “it is almost poetic.”

In a mess of rustling hair and colourful claws Enid sprang back up to her full height, sending a heated glare to the person who threw the pot plant, calling after them with a growl to show her displeasure.

[That almost hit our mate!]

“Watch where you’re throwing that, assh-”

Except Enid’s words died in her throat, a small squeak slipping from between her lips to replace them, and she almost fell backwards from embarrassment and regret as she was greeted by the kind brown eyes of Morticia staring back at her. Professor Capri stood next to her, her face a canvas of confusion, and she remained silent as she looked towards Morticia and then to Enid.

Without saying a word, Morticia pointed in the direction of the door leading to the garden, her luxuriously long dress sleeve, statuesque figure, and perfect posture all combining to create a vision of a woman that looked straight out of a gothic painting, and Enid blinked twice in quick succession as her brain rebooted. Her annoyed frown transformed into an extremely apologetic scrunch of her eyes, and she awkwardly squeaked her apologies as she shuffled past her mother-in-law, half bowing for some inexplicable reason as she walked by, adding a second half bow towards Isadora for no apparent reason.

[We almost cursed at the clan matriarch]

[Bow lower!]

“I didn’t mean – sorry Morticia, that was rude of me. Hi Professor.”

Beside her, Wednesday watched, and she looked a little perplexed by the whole thing.

“Enid what are you doing?” asked Wednesday, her perfectly sculpted eyebrow arching upwards underneath her bangs, and she seemed genuinely dumbfounded, eyeing her mate with almost clinical interest as Enid began to blush.

How could Enid admit that she had been momentarily struck by Morticia’s beauty, her mind filling completely unprompted with visions of an older Wednesday with her hair down for no reason at all…

[AWOO]

[Our mate is already so sexy]

[The matriarch of her clan is so beautiful]

[No doubt our omega will be too at her age]

[We should scent her again to reaffirm our pack bond!]

Wolfie’s stream of consciousness almost made Enid stumble in distraction right into Morticia who was eyeing her with great amusement much like Wednesday was, except where Morticia’s expression was soft Wednesday’s was sharper in its attention, as if the seer was irked that she found her mate so attractive even when Enid was behaving like a goof.

‘Oh my god, I need to get a grip. I think brushing Wednesday’s hair earlier did something to me. It’s like I can’t look at Morticia without seeing flashes of Wednesday, crap, this is a disaster!’

Wolfie merely snorted in amusement, the golden werewolf choosing not to say anything because Enid was doing enough talking for the both of them in this case.

“Er, it’s nothing Wednesday. Let’s um, let’s go and see what’s going on. So-rry Morticia! Professor.”

“Do not apologise on my account, sweet wolf, I took no offence. I know you are only acting on instinct,” Morticia reassured her, and she reached out to stroke Enid’s cheek with her thumb. What else could Enid do but melt into the older woman’s touch, and all the while Wednesday simply regarded the pair quietly, although her gaze could not help but watch Isadora who stood in awkward silence.

“T-thanks,” Enid managed to mumble, still unsure how to react when receiving such genuine maternal attention, and to save herself from any further embarrassment she strode out of the greenhouse with Wednesday on her heel, and Morticia watched as her daughter and her mate made haste to follow the commotion into the garden. As they left, Enid overheard Capri talking to Morticia.

“It looks like it will be another eventful day.”

“Indeed,” Morticia hummed thoughtfully.

Ahead of them, Bianca was pacing up and down the scorched lawn with her hands on her hips, and the expression on her face painted the picture of a young woman who was beyond annoyed.

“That’s such a cheap move, Agnes, stop vanishing and face me like a woman, dammit!”

“But the moment you see me you’ll jump me,” Agnes replied from some unknown hiding spot, “so why would I do that?”

“Ugh, I’m not going to jump you. Do you think I’m in the habit of beating up kids, or something?”

“Hey, I’m not a kid!” Agnes shouted defensively, and Bianca pivoted to try and follow the girl’s voice but she quickly lost track of her when Agnes fell silent again.

“Dammit,” the siren mumbled. 

Over by a weathered bench Divina was using her good arm to fan out the smoky ends of Yoko’s smouldering hair, and Enid squinted to check she wasn’t seeing things but as usual her vision was perfect. The ends of Yoko’s long locks, as well as her eyebrows, looked like they had been scorched by a flame.

The couple did not approach straight away, choosing instead to scan the garden for any signs of Agnes but as expected she remained invisible – for now. Sensing she had company, Bianca turned around, pausing her pacing abruptly, and her face lit up when she saw the couple.

“Finally, I thought we were going to have to send you two an eviction notice to get you out of that damn crypt,” she joked, and her powerful voice carried across the garden, and Enid could feel her cheeks growing hotter. Hearing the greeting, Yoko and Divina looked over and they both beamed at the couple.

“There you are. Giving Wednesday a rest are you Wolfie?” Yoko teased, and she pulled her sunglasses down her nose to shoot the overheating werewolf a wink, and beside her Divina was unable to suppress a giggling laugh of her own. “Lemme guess, you two broke that big, fancy bed, didn’t you?”

Both Enid and Wednesday looked away, Enid towards her feet and Wednesday over to the horizon, and Yoko snort laughed so violently that her glasses almost fell off.

[Damn right we broke the bed, and we’ll do it again!]

“God, Yoko, don’t say things like that – wait – what happened to your eye?” Enid said asked in evident concern.

The fang’s shiner was, well, shining and Enid quickly ran over to her friend with Wednesday not far behind, the quiet seer drinking up the scene and enjoying the chaos of it all.

“Are you ok?” Enid asked, her face scrunching up into a frown as she worried over her friend.

“Fine, fine,” Yoko deflected, and she wafted her hand in the air to shoo the werewolf away. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t even hurt. But it was an eventful night, and the afternoon tea didn’t go to plan either,” Yoko said with a wink.

With a roll of her eyes, Divina reached out and lightly poked the bruised skin with her index finger and Yoko yelped in pain, her response was a little exaggerated but that was Yoko to a tee, Enid thought.

“Ouch, what did you do that for?”

The siren sighed.

“Stop trying to be all brave,” Divina told her. “You can say it hurts.”

“Well, it sure hurts now!” Yoko whined, and she removed her glasses to gently rub the sensitive flesh.

Bianca walked over to join them but Wednesday noted that the siren remained alert for trouble. She came to a halt by the bench where the small group had gathered and all at once the three girls shared the same realisation.

“Holy shit, Sinclair, you two really did it!” blurted out Bianca, and Enid realised that the siren’s eyes were locked on to her neck. Yoko and Divina both stood up to get a closer look, and Wednesday straightened her back even more as she regarded the group in front of her, all three of them gawping at the couple with their mouths agape as they openly stared at both of their necks.

Standing next to Wednesday, Enid was all adorable teeth and blushing cheeks as she wore a proud smile on her face, and despite her shirt already having a low neckline she pulled her top down a little more so that her friends could get an even better look.

[Now everyone knows that she is OURS and we are HERS]

Wolfie let out happy chuffs, the besotted and proud werewolf flopping to the floor and rolling around Enid’s chest like an excited puppy, and Wednesday seemed to sense it all as they stood so close to one another that they were almost touching.

‘You are radiant, Enid, it is dazzling – you are dazzling. With any luck I shall go blind.’

‘Oh my god, Wednesday, don’t say stuff like that when we’re with our friends. It’s totally unfair that I can’t kiss you right now!’

Going by the way Wednesday was side eyeing her, Enid came to the realisation that this may have been her mate’s intention all along, and Enid made a mental note to bring it up with her later in private.

[Our mate is so tricksy]

[We’ll kiss the smugness right off her pretty face]

‘Yes, we will, Wolfie, don’t you worry.’

All the while, the three young women were still gawping at Enid’s neck, balancing their open inspection of Enid with more subtle and fleeting glances towards Wednesday’s mark in case the seer decided to scalp them when she inevitably had enough of them huddling around her. Luckily for them, Wednesday seemed agreeable to showing off her mark, albeit not quite as actively as Enid was doing, because the bubbly blonde still held her shirt open whereas Wednesday felt confident that her exhibition of skin was enough to get her point across.

Both methods had the desired effect.

“Damn Enid, that bite looks gnarly as hell,” noted Yoko, clearly impressed, and she looked towards Wednesday with a teasing grin. She whistled so loudly in open approval that she unsettled a group of birds in a nearby tree. “Of course, Addams would know how to leave her mark, damn girl.”

To this Enid simply giggled, her cheeks blooming into an even deeper blush, and she decided that if now wasn’t the time to be clingy, then when was? Enid shuffled sideways until she was standing behind Wednesday, wrapping her arms around her mate’s waist and nuzzling into her cool neck without a care in the world. Wednesday simply held her position, her heartbeat spiking before falling back into its usual slow rhythm, and this made Enid even happier.

‘Comfortable?’ Wednesday asked.

‘Extremely!’ Enid replied cheerily. ‘But don’t worry, no PDA in front of the girls, I just really wanna hold you right now. Show my mate off a little, ya know?’

Wednesday considered this for a moments before replying.

‘This is agreeable.’

‘Yay!’

All three girls took a moment to soak up what they were seeing because Enid was practically draped over Wednesday and the usually grumpy seer did not seem to mind, in fact she seemed to rather like it, and Bianca, Yoko, and Divina all exchanged faux scandalised looks.

“Congrats, Enid, and you too Wednesday, I’m so happy for you both. Making it official clearly agrees with you guys,” Divina said excitedly, and she opened her arms to Enid who hesitated for a moment, the alpha unwilling to leave the comfort of her omega’s neck, her arms squeezing around Wednesday tightly as she considered what she wanted to do, but eventually she decided to accept her friend’s hug.

“Thanks Div, thanks for everything,” Enid said, her voice thick with genuine appreciation, and she looked over to Bianca and Yoko, inviting them to join in the hug using just her eyes, and the pair obliged.

It was one thing to soak up Enid’s possessive and proud attention, the memory of her alpha’s skin still hot on her skin, but it was quite another to be involved in something as horrifying as a group hug, and Beastie could only agree. Feeling a little too close to the emotional display for her liking, Wednesday took a step backwards only to feel a presence behind her, and when she glanced over her shoulder, she was greeted by the smiling face of her mother who was watching from the door of the greenhouse. Capri was next to her, and unknowingly for the teacher they were now joined by Professor Weems.

‘She watches,’ Wednesday said, and hearing this Beastie let out a low growl.

‘Great,’ and Enid pulled away from the embrace and gave her friends a thumbs up, her back remaining turned so that Morticia, Isadora, and Larissa could only see the back of her head.

Sensing the incoming shift, Bianca looked over to Wednesday who nodded, and within a few moments a nearby cracking sound pulled their attention away, the dry twig taking on the effect of a loaded gun, and when it went off Bianca’s head snapped around to follow it like a pointer dog.

‘I do hope Barclay can act as well as she sings,’ Wednesday mused.

‘OMG, did you just give Bianca a compliment?’ Enid asked in amusement.

‘Don’t be absurd, Enid,’ Wednesday mumbled.

When Bianca called out her voice was strong and commanding, and she scanned the garden with her eyes to try, in vain, to locate where Agnes was.

“Agnes, I know that’s you!”

“Drats,” moaned the young vanisher, and she remained concealed. “I just don’t want to miss out on the group hug,” she admitted, and in the blink of an eye she appeared beside Wednesday who looked unfazed by her sudden arrival. Divina and Yoko, on the other hand, practically jumped out of their skin while Bianca simply looked annoyed. But Enid? She had smelled the girl’s body spray before the twig snap, and so seeing her appear beside Wednesday was no surprise.

“What did I tell you about being aware of your surroundings? Have you ever heard of an agile elephant?” asked Wednesday, the now brooding seer side eyeing Agnes with her arms crossed. “Even without my lupine hearing I would be able to detect you, Agnes, and stop drowning yourself in that disgusting bubble-gum body spray, anyone with a working nose can smell you a mile away.”

“It’s true,” agreed Enid, “I smelled your scent first before you broke the twig.”

Agnes let out a long, deep sigh, and Enid thought she looked a little defeated.

“No,” Agnes replied meekly.

“Evidently you still have much to learn,” Wednesday told her.

Agnes physically slumped, her shoulders dropping as she looked up at her mentor with large doe eyes, and Enid saw her mate’s eye twitch ever so subtly out of discomfort.

“Maybe I wanted you to hear me,” Agnes mumbled.

“Then you are foolish as well as heavy footed,” Wednesday quipped, and Agnes completely deflated. However, she did not have time to wallow in Wednesday’s critique because Bianca was glaring at her, and while Yoko and Divina’s stares were not as heated, they were certainly not friendly.

“Addams, you need to put DeMille on a leash, the girl has gone too far!” Bianca insisted through gritted teeth.

The three broke away from Enid to walk towards the young vanisher who, instead of vanishing again, speedily shuffled behind Wednesday to use the older girl as a physical shield.

“Woah there Bianca, let’s take a breather ok, it’s only Agnes,” Enid said in the hopes of calming things down, and she glanced back towards the greenhouse, and the three woman remained in the same place as before.

“Seriously? Are you forgetting that the girl tried to kill you last year?” Bianca retorted, and Enid’s mouth flapped open and closed because she had temporarily forgotten that that had even happened. So much had gone on since Agnes’s murder attempt in a misguided effort to get Wednesday’s attention and subsequently the whole thing had slowly slipped down Enid’s list of crazy events that had happened to her last year, which was really saying something.

“Almost killed her,” Agnes stressed, except this was picked up by Wednesday.

“I would not be so proud of a failed attempt, Agnes, it shows you remain green and inexperienced,” Wednesday reminded her seriously, and Agnes hid her face behind her mentor in embarrassment.

Enid crossed her arms, her nostrils flaring as she gave her mate a pointed look, and Enid was incredibly amused to see Wednesday scramble to correct course.

‘Not that I condone any threat to you,’ Wednesday reassured her, and Enid heard Beastie whine as she said this.

‘Uh huh. I still haven’t forgotten that spa date, you know.’

‘Spa … date?’ Wednesday asked in mild confusion, her face remaining an unreadable mask despite her growing concern.

‘Yep, spa date, with couple’s massages…’

‘Couple’s massages?’ Wednesday’s eyes widened ever so slightly in alarm.

‘…and soft towels,’ continued Enid.

‘Wait, Enid-’

‘Aromatherapy, and hot stones, and pool plunges, and, and, cucumber! Lots and lots of cucumber.’

<To eat?>

[Yucky vegetables]

<Meat would be better>

[Agreed]

‘Before our wolves confuse you, the cucumber goes over the eyes,’ Enid added chirpily, and Wednesday’s face finally broke, her eyes scrunching in mild horror at the mere thought of the ordeal, for an ordeal it would be.

‘Perhaps we can discuss this later,’ she told Enid.

‘Oh, don’t you worry, Wednesday, we definitely will,’ Enid teased, and she gave her mate a wink.

Their conversation happened in mere seconds and yet everyone could seemingly sense that something had shifted between them, not least Bianca who noticed the crack in Wednesday’s typically stony expression.

“Um, you alright there Addams? You’re not having an aneurysm, are you?”

Knowing her mate well, Enid knew that Wednesday would want to avoid any illusion to the conversation they had just had, and she watched with a knowing smile as Wednesday deftly pivoted back to Agnes.

“Actually, I grow tired of this foolishness Barclay, I do not know what transpired between you and Agnes but it no longer holds my interest,” she briskly replied, “it is nearing my writing hour and I cannot neglect it.”

To Enid’s eye, Bianca looked like she wanted to laugh.

“Gosh, I wonder why it’s so late in the day already, is it because you two were hiding away all morning? I’m amazed you even have enough energy to socialise,” Bianca teased.

If looks could kill, Bianca would have dropped dead on the ground, but instead Wednesday seemingly willed the siren to evaporate into thin air and the way she was concentrating Enid began to wonder if she might actually succeed.

This only made Yoko snort laugh, the fang’s face pulling into a sharp smile before she steadied herself, and she shared a look with Enid before she calmed down.

“Damn, aren’t you even going to ask what happened?” Yoko asked, and Wednesday glanced over to the bruised fang with her stoic expression now returned to her face. “My baby hurt her wrist and everything, all in the pursuit and fulfilment of our friendship duties I might add.”

Yoko pointed to Divina’s sling and the siren, feeling a little embarrassed over the fuss, tried to shush her girlfriend.

“Honestly babe it’s not that bad, really, it just needs a little rest that’s all,” Divina replied, and she held up her limp wrist for inspection.

“Alright, seriously, what the hell happened last night?” Enid demanded, her voice rising as she scanned everyone’s faces.

All the while, Morticia, Larissa, and Isadora watched the drama unfold by the greenhouse, and they did not seem in a hurry to move.  

“I – I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” mumbled Agnes, and she peered around the back of Wednesday to glance towards the older teens warily. “I just wanted to help you and Wednesday, that’s all, Enid.”

Enid tilted her head, her eyebrows dropping into a questioning frown, while in front of the vanisher Wednesday’s entire body stiffened.

“Huh, help us with what?” Enid asked, and she looked at Wednesday whose face remained calm but thoughtful.

“After you messaged last night, I wanted to help you guys out because you were clearly planning something without me, but Bianca, Yoko, and Divina wouldn’t let me assist,” Agnes explained, and she crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue childishly at the three girls. “It’s blatant gatekeeping.”

“Cheeky little shit, isn’t she,” grumbled Yoko, and Divina elbowed her girlfriend between her ribs.

“Shh, Yoko, don’t be mean,” Divina chided her.

Hearing this, Enid’s eyes widened and she looked at Wednesday apologetically.

“Crap, you mean Agnes tried to … oh Moon … did she try and follow me and Wednesday?” she asked, her voice rising as she shuddered at the possibility.

“Girl, that little red headed demon was going to crash your crypt rendezvous for sure, we had to stop her,” Yoko replied, and the others both nodded in agreement.

“Shit,” Enid mumbled under her breath.

“Why does Tanaka have a black eye?” Wednesday asked matter-of-factly.

Agnes looked at her feet as she replied.

“Well, that was an accident,” she explained quietly. “You see, I – wait – Wednesday, what happened to your neck?”

Agnes pointed at Wednesday’s neck and in a flash, Enid was standing by her mate’s side, her arms waving in the air to try and draw Agnes’s attention away.

“Now let’s not get side tracked, Agnes, you were saying about-”

“Oh no, Enid, you’ve been mauled too!” Agnes squeaked, and she looked genuinely concerned for the couple, the girl looking around the side of Wednesday to frown at Bianca, Yoko, and Divina. “They were clearly in a fight last night and you stopped me from helping, some friends you are!”

In exasperation Bianca covered her face with her hand, mumbling into her palm with almost defeated energy.

“I swear, Sinclair, if you don’t sort out this mess, I’m going to need a vacation to recover from this one, got it?”

Enid looked back at Bianca apologetically, internally scrambling to figure out how to explain to Agnes without being inappropriate except before she could string a sentence together Wednesday beat her to it, and her mate seemingly shared none of her interest in being subtle.

“I am not privy to what Enid discussed with you all, but Enid and I were mated last night. Your concerns are subsequently noted but they are unnecessary, these are mating bites not wounds from battle. I shall now allow two minutes for questions. Your time starts now.”

Wednesday made a point of looking down at her wristwatch, her dark eyes remaining fixed on the watch face as the dial counted down the seconds, and all the while Agnes remained stood in front of her in what Enid could only describe as a shocked stupor. Clearly the cogs were turning inside Agnes’s head but her body was slow to catch up. 

‘Wednesday, are you kidding me? Did you discuss this with Agnes? Cos this is totally going off script.’

‘Trust the process, Enid,’ Wednesday told her, but this only made the alpha pout.

‘Are you sure about this, Wednesday?’ Enid asked, suddenly unsure.

‘What is that irksome phrase you like to use?’ Wednesday pondered internally. ‘Go with the flow.’

Saying it, even within the confines of her mind, left Wednesday wanting to cut out her tongue, and sensing this Enid couldn’t even be annoyed with her for it.

‘Honestly, I can’t believe you’re using my own words against me,’ Enid sighed, and Wednesday looked dangerously close to a smirk.

Meanwhile, Agnes was doing a pitch perfect impression of a deer caught in headlights.

“Well shit, Addams, you broke her!” called out Yoko from behind.

“Hey, don’t joke,” Enid replied, and she looked over her shoulder to shake her head at her friend who duly shut up.

“Agnes, you only have one minute and forty-four seconds remaining to ask questions,” Wednesday told her. The reminder of her dwindling time seemed to snap Agnes out of her own thoughts, and her eyes whipped back to Wednesday’s neck and then to Enid’s and then back to Wednesday’s.

“Ok wow, I have so many questions,” Agnes started to say, her face brightening as she looked at the couple.

“Make it quick, my time is precious and yours is fleeting,” Wednesday informed her, and Agnes’s eyes widened in anxiety as she started to list questions at a mile a minute.

“Right, um, okay. What’s a mating bite? Did it hurt? Are you two married now? Was there a ceremony? Was there a lot of blood? Are you still going to get ‘human’ married? Can I be a bridesmaid?” Agnes reeled off all her questions in a non-stop whirlwind, her eyes shining the entire time as she looked at Wednesday in expectation, and Enid was impressed that her mate hadn’t turned around and walked away yet in despair.

<Poor little red>

<She is amusing>

[Cute but disconcerting sometimes]

[We have a soft spot for her]

Enid’s face softened as she saw the confusion in Agnes’s eyes, and she gently placed her hand on the small of Wednesday’s back as she moved to stand beside her mate, her fingers dragging along Wednesday’s waist before finding the hem of her shirt and holding it between her fingers. Enid could feel the three sets of eyes on her from the greenhouse, and she was prepared to play her part.

“Gosh, ok, so um, you know that Wednesday and I love each other very much and that we’re mates,” Enid started to explain, and she saw Agnes’s eyes become even more doe like and glossy as she looked over at Enid eagerly.

“Yes,” she confirmed with a small nod.

“Well, you see, it’s kind of a werewolf thing…”

Suddenly, Enid could feel Wednesday looking at her in her peripheral vision and this only made her feel hot all of a sudden.

“A werewolf thing?” Agnes echoed. “Meaning?”

“Um, meaning, er…”

“OMG girl, they had sex and they bit each other, bada-bing, bada-boom! Now who wants more tea, cos those blood cakes are calling my name.”

Enid turned on her heel, her face erupting into a bright pink as she glared sternly at Yoko.

“Yoko, what the hell, that’s totally tmi!” Enid almost growled out the words under her breath, and Divina looked at Yoko as if to say to her girlfriend that she was on her own, however, the easy-going fang remained surprisingly unfazed in the face of possible danger.

“Oh please, Agnes for sure knows about the birds and the bees, Enid, she can’t be walking around uneducated. That’s just poor parenting,” Yoko insisted, and this earned her a fierce death glare from Wednesday, the vampire feeling the chilling look before she saw it.

“Careful, Tanaka,” Wednesday warned.

“We will talk about this later,” Enid told her friend, but it was Bianca who stepped in.

“Now hold on Enid, while I disagree with how Yoko said it, we went to a lot of trouble for you last night. Do you have any idea how many petals I chucked around that damn crypt, or how many candles I had to setup in those fancy holders and sconces? Yoko’s lighter ran out and Divina had to run to the house to hunt down matches, matches, Enid. Agnes obviously couldn’t know why you two needed privacy and so we had to improvise and, well, it didn’t go as planned. Do you know what’s worse than a nosy teenager amped up on sugar? An invisible one!”

“I don’t understand, I thought you two were already mates?” Agnes asked sincerely, her head tilting as she looked at Wednesday.

“That is correct, however, to complete our bond and become formally mated in the eyes of werewolf society we exchanged mating bites at the point of cli-”

“A-at the point of, um, kissing. Cuddling and kissing, and um making out! Yeah, um, lots and lots of kissing and then, um, we bit each other,” Enid rambled, her hands flying around in front of her.

Wednesday turned around to look at her in what Enid recognised as confusion and what was possibly pity. Agnes, meanwhile, remained unperturbed.

“Just say sex, Enid, it’s a lot less embarrassing than whatever that just was,” Agnes said to the struggling werewolf, and the young vanisher slowly shook her head. “Nevermore provides mandatory sex-ed classes from age twelve, remember? I may not know everything about werewolves, but it’s not like I’m a kid you know.”

Behind her, Yoko sighed. “No one forgets their first demonstration with a condom and a banana,” she recalled awkwardly. “It’s basically seared into my brain.”

“Don’t remind me, babe,” groaned Divina.

Enid wanted the ground to swallow her whole and all she could do was laugh, and the entire time everyone looked at her just as awkwardly except for Wednesday whose eyes softened when their gazes met.

“From what I can deduce, in anticipation of you following us, Bianca, Yoko, and Divina thwarted your poor attempt to spy on us. Is that correct Agnes?” Wednesday asked, and her question had Agnes pinned to the spot, and she nodded weakly.

“It’s not like I knew, obviously, it’s just Enid messaged ‘the plan is on’ and naturally I only wanted to help,” Agnes explained, and her eyes dipped down to the ground as her cheeks became flushed. “Evidently my presence would have been unwanted…”

“That is an understatement,” Wednesday deadpanned, and the seer looked practically nauseous at the very idea of being interrupted as Agnes looked back up at her with her widest, most unsettling smile. Her eyes were so large now that Wednesday almost felt trapped by them, Enid could tell by how uncomfortable she looked.   

“Sorry,” Agnes blurted out, and she looked towards Bianca, Yoko, and Divina apologetically. “Wednesday and Pugsley took me on a booby trap tour of the mansion the other day and it’s all I’ve been able to think about, the full moon aside of course,” and she added this while looking between Wednesday and Enid. “I forgot that suit of armour was haunted, honest I did!”

Bianca shook her head.

“And the marbles?” Bianca asked, her chin tilting downwards as she stared at the redhead with her intense bright blue eyes to the point, they almost appeared silver. Agnes shuffled her feet.

“Doesn’t everyone keep an emergency bag of marbles in their pocket?”

“Those marbles almost broke my neck,” Yoko whined loudly. “When Div fell over, she hurt her wrist.”

“I’m fine, really!” the siren insisted, but Agnes winced.

“Sorry about that Divina,” Agnes apologised, gesturing towards the older girl’s arm where it remained in a sling. “But you handled those stairs like a pro.”

Divina groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“What about the trap door?” asked Bianca. “I suppose Addams prepped you on that too?”

Bianca walked up to Wednesday’s side and Enid naturally leaned in closer to her mate to hold her by the waist, her alpha pheromones spiking enough for even Bianca’s siren nose to pick up the scent.

“Woah, Enid, is that you?”

“Sorry Bianca but can you, like, back up a bit from Wednesday. She doesn’t like to be crowded,” Enid directed, and her tone was as unyielding as flint despite being wrapped in a cheery register and Bianca immediately took a step backwards.

“Say no more,” the siren said, and she raised her hands as she walked around to stand next to Agnes instead, leaving more of a distance between her and Wednesday.

‘Enid?’ Wednesday said her name with great intrigue and no small amount of appreciation.

‘I swear I’m not being an asshole alpha, Wednesday, it’s just Bianca was just a bit too close for my liking that’s all.’

[Do not apologise for loving and protecting our mate]

[Our mate is our pack]

[Our mate is our priority]

‘Yet Agnes remains closer still and you say nothing,’ Wednesday pointed out.

‘Ugh, that’s a totally different thing!’ insisted Enid, and she started to pout again.

‘Is that so,’ Wednesday said, and the seer turned her attention back to Agnes and Bianca who were now standing face to face.

The group all looked at each other, almost taking it in turns to glance towards the greenhouse, when a cheery whistling from the other side of the wall momentarily occupied everyone’s attention, and Kitty Kat bounded around the corner and on to the green, followed closely by Pugsley and Eugene.

“There you are sis, hey Enid!” greeted Pugsley happily. “I was wondering where you two were. Hope you got some rest after all the full moon action, bet you two are tired.”

‘My brother’s timing remains suboptimal,’ Wednesday noted with annoyance.

‘As long as they don’t derail everything, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Maybe the boys can help sell it?’ Enid suggested hopefully, but Wednesday did not share her mate’s positivity.

‘Pugsley couldn’t sell teeth to a backstreet dentist, and I should know because he tried to do that when he was eight.’

Wednesday shook her head at the memory right as Enid shivered at the image that came into her head.

“Pugsley, my guy, you have no idea,” laughed Yoko.

Enid watched Wednesday as she swiftly glanced over her shoulder and whatever look she gave the fang left Yoko looking paler than death. Enid cleared her throat, the heat returning to her cheeks, and she waved the boys over while Wednesday leaned down to pet Kitty Kat.

“Haha yeah, we’re good thanks, Pugs,” Enid replied with a small squeak, and she sidestepped the boy’s comments entirely as she went straight into asking the pair how they were. “Everything good? And where have you and Eugene come from anyway?”

“The hives out by the old shed,” Eugene replied, and he looked around the group with a smile on his face. “Wednesday helped me set them up so that her parents have their own honey supply. Um, more importantly though, why does everyone seem kinda on edge? Is this because of what happened with you, Agnes?”

The young girl’s mouth tensed into a tight line, and she gave Eugene such a frightening frown that he instantly regretted the comment.

“Watch your tone Eugene,” Agnes snipped.

“Ok, ok, sorry,” Eugene apologised, readjusting his glasses before looking at Pugsley like a kicked puppy. Pugsley, however, simply rolled with it.

“Hey Agnes, I was talking to Leopold this morning and the word among the ghosts is that they got to spook some sirens and a fang last night,” Pugsley said, his voice as bright as his smile, “is that why Yoko has a black eye?”

“Wait a second, the ghosts are gossiping about us?” asked Yoko, completely stunned.

“They have nothing better to do,” Wednesday confirmed in her trademark monotone. “It is truly a moral failing on their part, and they wonder why they cannot cross over to other side. They are certified gossipmongers. Was it Leopold who did the scaring?”

She posed this question to her brother, but he quickly shook his head in the negative.

“He tends to haunt the belfry ever since we both went to school,” Pugsley explained, and he turned towards Agnes. “Did you really lob Gunther the Giant’s head at them?”

Practically in unison, Bianca, Yoko, and Divina all looked at each other in confusion and worry.

“Hold up, there was a guy’s head in that helmet?” squeaked Divina, and she looked thoroughly grossed out at the prospect.

“If only,” Wednesday said under her breath, and she turned around to face the couple behind her. “Gunther’s spirit resides in the suit of armour in the hallway near my childhood bedroom. He died by decapitation, and so I can only assume that he did not take kindly to having his helmet snatched.”

“He’s kinda sensitive,” added Pugsley with a grave nod of his head.

“Aww, poor guy,” cooed Enid.

“Poor guy? Poor guy?” Bianca repeated the words as her eyebrows arched upwards, her voice rising as she pointed accusingly towards Agnes.

‘Perhaps I judged too quickly,’ Wednesday noted with interest. ‘The addition of Pugsley seems to be enriching the experience. Keep going, Enid.’

‘Right!’

“Calm down, B, how bad could it be?” Enid asked innocently, her tone far too relaxed for Bianca’s liking, and the siren rolled with it.

“DeMille vanished on the spot, as she always does, leaving us to be chased by a headless armour ghost swinging a mace and screaming bloody murder. Yoko tried to grab Agnes and got a face full of moose instead when she jumped across the landing and went head first into that damned hunting trophy at the bottom of the stairs.”

Wednesday’s eyes narrowed.

“Watch your tone when talking about Albert, Barclay, he was one of father’s most loyal companions when he was a boy,” she explained seriously. “Perhaps Tanaka should watch where she falls next time. And Bianca-”

“Yeah, Wednesday?”

“Do not raise your voice at my mate again,” Wednesday warned, and Enid felt a jolting chill run down her spine that made her wolf whine.

Before Bianca could respond, Yoko jumped in.

“Albert – the moose,” Yoko snorted, and she had to cover her mouth, her eyes filling with tears as Divina hissed at her girlfriend to shut up, fearing Wednesday’s ire. Enid motioned to Yoko to keep quiet, and felt that her friend was lucky that Wednesday only decided to glare at her and not follow it up with anything else.

“Look, my point is, have you ever tried to siren song a suit of armour? You can’t do it! It’s a nonstarter, Addams, you understand? And don’t you dare smirk at me right now, the shit I go through for you two, ugh, I should really get my head examined.”

Bianca let out a long, exaggerated sigh, and the boys both looked genuinely concerned for her.

“I really do appreciate all your help, Bianca,” Enid said sincerely, and Bianca simply shook her head.

“Plus, there was the trap door,” jumped in Divina wearily, “can’t forget that little cherry on top of the cake.”

“Oooh, the one with the spikes at the bottom or the shark pool?” asked Pugsley excitedly, and his fingers surged with sparks for a few seconds before he calmed back down.

“Seriously, dude?” Eugene asked in astonishment.

Meanwhile, Bianca, Yoko, and Divina all looked ashen.

“Neither,” Yoko replied, “it was the one with the venomous snakes. Honestly, Enid, I felt like Indy in Raiders of the Lost Ark except without the whip and the cool hat.”

To this, Pugsley nodded happily, his smile widening at the thought of it. “Man, of course, how could I forget that one! One of my favourite pits,” he said as he looked back at Eugene with a twinkle in his eyes, and it was a sparkle that was mirrored in Wednesday’s own.

[Cute murder siblings]

“You forgot because you have a head like a sieve, Pugsley,” Wednesday chided, and she glanced over to see her brother start to frown.

“Can we please stay on track, people! To continue, by the time we got out of there Agnes, who was still invisible by the way, was almost at the crypt!” Bianca explained through gritted teeth, and the boys shared a confused look between them.

Enid and Wednesday both glanced towards Agnes who was now looking anywhere other than at them, in fact she was rather preoccupied by the tuft of dry grass by her left shoe all of a sudden, and Enid cleared her throat and waited until the girl finally looked up at the couple.

“Agnes, please tell me you didn’t make it the crypt?” asked Enid.

Wednesday, meanwhile, was fixed to the spot as she stared at the girl. Agnes shook her head.

“Thank the Moon!”

“Only because Agnes wasn’t looking where she was going and fell into an unmarked grave that must have been ten feet deep. No clue what the hell you plan on burying down there, Addams, but I’m surprised you didn’t hear Agnes shouting at us to get her out,” explained Yoko.

[Oh, there was shouting alright, but it was from our omega moaning]

‘Enid, please try and remain focused,’ Wednesday said, and Wolfie let out a series of sniffles. ‘You do not exactly have a poker face.’

‘Now Wednesday, in Wolfie’s defence she’s crazy about you, and she’s just a little excited that’s all. Plus, no one else can hear us,’ Enid reminded her mate gently. ‘Try not to be embarrassed, besides, I don’t remember you complaining when I was eating you out last night, hmm?’

A quick glance at Wednesday’s face and Enid quickly spotted the seer’s reddening ears, and Enid’s heart skipped inside her chest. The corner of Wednesday’s mouth twitched as she side eyed the alpha, but instead of looking threatening Enid simply thought she looked cute.

‘That is beside the point,’ Wednesday finally replied, and her jaw tensed as she battled to remain nonchalant.

<But our alpha did make us moan>

<Very loudly I might add>

Neither girl replied, but Enid thought it best to push out some calming pheromones just in case, and to her joy they seemed to help even though Wednesday fought not to show it.

“I’m not proud of it, but it’s true,” admitted Agnes shyly, and this brought Wednesday and Enid back to the outside world, and they realised that all their friends were waiting to see how they would reply.

“Allowing yourself to be caught is another mark against you,” Wednesday declared, and Agnes hung her head in shame. “You shall have to work harder going into the next school year if you wish to remain my eyes and ears at Nevermore.”

Agnes perked up as her future seemingly dangled on the line in front of her, her usefulness coming into question, and Enid sucked at her teeth.

“Don’t be mean, Wednesday,” she told her mate.

“It is not mean, Enid, it is honest,” Wednesday retorted.

“Being honest can hurt if you do it meanly though,” Enid continued, but Agnes came to Wednesday’s defence.

“No, no, Wednesday’s right, I can do better! I’ll keep practicing my craft until I hone my abilities, Wednesday, I promise,” Agnes vowed, and she stood up straight and gave Wednesday a salute, but Wednesday didn’t react to it.

A natural silence fell amongst the group, and it was only broken by Kitty’s deep bellow as he flopped to the ground at Enid’s feet to demand belly rubs.

“Haha, ok big fella, I’ve got you,” Enid cooed, “who’s a handsome lion? Is it you? Is it you, Kitty?”

“Bianca, your face remains kissed by thunder and while I can certainly take pleasure in your displeasure why do I sense it’s going to become inconvenient?” Wednesday eyed the siren keenly, and Bianca simply rolled her eyes.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Bianca replied sarcastically, and she gestured towards Wednesday’s neck to remind her of what she contributed to ensure that Wednesday and Enid could have their privacy.

“It’s not as if anyone died,” Wednesday replied, her dark sense of humour tipping Bianca over the edge. “More’s the pity.”

“Dammit Addams, I wish you had choked on those stupid ass petals!” Bianca snapped. “Agnes fought dirty because she takes after you, she’s slippery because you’re slippery.”

“Have you considered that your annoyance and embarrassment in fact stems from your inability to capture and neutralise a fourteen-year-old? Your insufficiencies have nothing to do with me, Barclay,” Wednesday replied, looking the siren up and down with a critical eye that was pure provocation, and Enid realised her mate was purposefully trying to get a rise out of Bianca.

‘Damn they’re good,’ Enid thought to herself.

[Our omega looks sexy when she’s annoyed]

“Woah there, you two, let’s calm down a sec,” Enid suggested, and she regretfully stopped giving Kitty belly rubs so that she could stand between the pair, instinctively covering half of her mate’s body with her own.

“Look, Addams,” Bianca said, and she looked around Enid so that she could stare Wednesday down. “You can stand there as proudly as you like with your neck on show, I’m very happy for you, but some appreciation would be nice. It’s not like I’m asking for the moon, here.”

“Bianca, we’re so-”

“Oh no, Sinclair, enough with the royal ‘we’ alright,” Bianca cut in, “I want a personal thank you from Wednesday herself, not one made on her behalf.”

Having said her piece, Bianca crossed her arms and stared at Wednesday as she waited for the seer’s reply, but Wednesday was in no rush to offer what Bianca wanted. As the seconds passed by everyone looked at one another sheepishly, and they all held their breaths as Wednesday made her reply.

“I didn’t ask you to do any of that, Barclay, and yet you demand that I show gratitude for acts that I did not request,” Wednesday replied in her signature monotone. “Who knew the Queen Bee of Nevermore would stoop to begging.”

Hearing this Bianca physically tensed, and Yoko and Divina both let out small gasps.

“Wednesday, that’s not very nice,” Enid chided, and she sounded genuinely disappointed, and she made sure it was loud. She looked towards Bianca and she softened her eyes. “Not that I agree with Wednesday’s stubbornness, B, but she didn’t know what I had planned because it was meant to be a surprise.”

“And I get that, Enid, but I dunno,” and Bianca motioned towards Wednesday whose dark eyes remained locked on the siren. “I also helped with your love confession at the party, we all did, and I travelled a long way to be here, you know?”

Bianca took a long, slow breath in, the siren taking the time to try and calm herself down, but from Enid’s point of view she simply looked pissed off.

“I recognise your assistance and how you helped Enid and I, and I acknowledge it,” Wednesday said stubbornly. “There, is that sufficient?”

Bianca stared at Wednesday like the girl had sprouted a second head.

“Really? That’s it? That was pathetic.”

“What else is there?” Wednesday retorted, needling her further, and Bianca scoffed, raising her hands in front of her.

‘You are scarily good at this, Wennie,’ Enid shared, and she thought that Wednesday stood up straighter.

The alpha watched Bianca closely, her friend’s expression subtly changing as a thought took hold, and slowly Bianca sauntered closer to Wednesday so that she could look down at her.

“Friends thank friends when they help them out, Wednesday, even you with your stunted emotional growth knows that,” Bianca said, and she lazily gestured towards her with her hand.

Looking up at Bianca along her nose, a hint of a smirk danced across Wednesday’s lips and Enid braced herself for trouble. No one moved, no one breathed.

“You classify our relationship as one between friends?” Wednesday asked, and the further provocation was evident from her tone to the way she held her body.

[We may have to intervene]

[The siren is getting very close]

‘She’s fine, Wolfie, sheath your claws for me.’

At this, the formidable golden werewolf let out a disappointed sigh, but she did not argue.

“You think I came all the way to freakin New Jersey to sing and perform and be supportive of you two idiots, fling around petals, and fluff up pillows, all for my own amusement?” Bianca replied sarcastically, her voice carrying across the entire garden, and she placed her hands on her hips as she stared Wednesday down.

“I couldn’t possibly comment, Barclay, I don’t know what sirens like to do in their free time, other than frequent the local pool and fish for lifeguards to pick up,” Wednesday quipped, and even though Enid knew better than to be surprised she still gasped, and so did Yoko and Divina.

Meanwhile, Pugsley and Eugene took a step back from the group as a precaution, while Kitty Kat just looked happy to be around company as he remained sprawled by Enid’s feet.

“That’s it, Addams. You. Me. Inside. We’ll fight this out on the piste.”

Enid was not at all surprised when a hint of a smile surfaced on Wednesday’s face, her dark eyes gleaming with the promise of combat.