Chapter Text
Waking up in her childhood bedroom used to fill her with mixed emotions that often reflected in the need to perform. To hop out of bed, thank the moon and stars for another day, hop on her haunches and just go.
She learned to craft her own rose tinted shades, in bright pinks like Spring landscape. It made growing up the ‘runt’ of the litter a bit easier.
That was before she transformed, however. Now, it…
Its…well, its weird.
She feels a stranger in her own home nowadays. Its been a week so far and it still doesn’t quite feel real.
Its swarming about her head like a typhoon she can glimpse clearly in the mirror.
Because then she can see her eyes—swirling bright, neon blue. It’d been happening often, with her fluctuating nerves. Her brother had pointed it out first over dinner; the sight of prime rib had her leg bouncing.
Its like second nature in this way that throws off her inner equilibrium. Especially after so long and so many desperate attempts, mean words, exclusion…
(Hunt. Eat. We need our strength.)
And the voices, god—well, its just one voice.
Its been prodding in back of her brain like channeling a radio signal on accident. A wire crossed that sent these varyingly primal messages to forefront of her mind.
Her mother tells her its normal. Tells her that after a while it should fade into the back, that she and the wolf will become one.
Only its been rough to accept so many things that aren’t her own. Hell, the fact that her mom is talking to her, gushing about her even. Had been doting over her, making sure her ‘strong blood wolf’ was attended to.
Its freaking her the fuck out for lack of a better phrase.
She stares at the stark white paint of her ceiling for a long time. Its oddly quiet, because the only ones home are her and the twins. Her other brothers were college aged and wouldn’t be home until later in December.
She has to practice deep breaths still, with…that.
When she thinks about Nevermore.
She’d always been a squeamish girl. It made awful sense she was so odd as werewolves go. She definitely was reminded, rudely as possible all her life.
But Wednesday—
No, she doesn’t regret that. It was really, really tough to deal with the blood on her hands. Smelling so much…smelling in on her roommate had just…just…
(Food. Need strength to protect.)
Enid rubs her temples in bed, deciding to roll over and grab her phone. Ignoring her rumbling belly and grumbling wolf all the while for some semblance of control. The wolf inside had been making a lot of bold comments about the seer lately.
Its comical, to think Wednesday needs her to protect her. She’d be naive to think the Addams a needy person, though her parents were attached from top of their heads to their toes.
Its not anything personal. At least not anymore. Wednesday didn’t ask Enid to do most of the affectionate gestures, but it was a love language thing.
Like when she and Yoko were becoming friends and she bought the cutest blackout shades for her dorm. Or, the fancy organic sun screen she got Divina just cause it was on sale and it made her think of the siren.
Only Wednesday didn’t always like gifts, so acts of service was next on the list. Of course, Enid’s number one would forever be physical touch, but that’s something quite literally touch and go.
Her brain turns to static when she thinks about Wednesday’s arms wrapping around her for the first time. Because of the build up, you know? And the…adrenaline—yeah.
(We kept her safe. We should’ve left our kill at her feet before we embraced her.)
Which is totally insane, because Tyler’s not dead. Allegedly the boy was on the way to some kind of institution; for better or worse is TBD.
Enid’s brows knit as she looks her phone over.
Its still early. She’s been waking up at odd hours like four AM with her stomach growling and gums itching. Her mother had said it was something instinctual. Her wolf often grumbled in its place—somewhere deep in Enid’s gut where it would burn before her bones snapped.
Her mom was over joyed. She’s transformed nearly every night this week.
Its why she’s so groggy, so hungry.
She rolls from her bed in a daze, noting her lack of clothing with a groan. She dresses in her pajama set, the one with pretty flowers patterned on the shorts. They happen to be on top of the drawer.
She glances to her notifications as she groggily makes her way into the hall way and then to the bathroom.
A majority from Yoko who tended to go full nocturnal when she was home. The girl had been subject to ‘bogus coven time’ and ‘endless nagging’ from her sire. Enid grins at the forced selfie sent with her friend and her sire, Carmilla.
The girl reminded Enid of Wednesday in a way, dead eyed glare as Yoko smiles maniacally.
She snorts to herself, brushing her teeth and letting her heart skip a beat at Ajax’s text good night once again. He was extra considerate and understandably more doting in their time away. Like he’s afraid something will happen to her.
She gets so many ‘r u sure’ texts and ‘lmk if u want 2 talk.’
And Enid doesn’t understand because she feels thats all she does. She’s yet to lie to him.
(Weak boy. Could never keep us safe.)
Enid glares at her own reflection before she spits into the sink.
Her wolf also loved to nitpick her boyfriend. Constantly in her ear with short comings that sometimes don’t even make sense.
Like…of course Ajax couldn’t kill a bear with just his hands! Enid doesn’t even want that.
(Good mate provides and protects.)
Enid wished it looked less unhinged to conk herself upside the head.
Instead she bounds down the steps, luckily finding that most of the lights are off. Save for a dimmed light in the living room by the couch.
It was a quaint little townhouse they lived in. Still nice of course, considering her home state of California. It was often warm when she padded around, even in these later months. The kitchen tile even, though its a welcome cool against her feet in comparison.
The fridge is usually stacked with meat. Her mother tended to have all types of cuts thawing throughout the week to cook or nibble on as seen fit. Her stomach growls incessantly as she eyes a whole chicken on the bottom shelf.
Its like she can’t control it—the blood doesn’t make her flinch in the same way. Its not pleasant by any means…well, that would be a lie. Her wolf is delighted as she sinks her canines down and her claws extend as she takes her meal to the kitchen table.
Enid, however, she hates picking the red flecks from beneath her nails after. The metallic stench that hung under her nose afterward was maddening.
She registers footsteps, but can’t be bothered to look up until she hears words.
“Aww, you haven’t ripped your food apart like that since you were teething as a pup…”
Enid’s ears twitch and her eyes go to the kitchen door way. Esther stands with a smile that crinkles the side of her eyes. She looks at Enid with endearment that had disappeared after her puppy years too.
Esther ‘ooo’s’ in her silence and unfinished meal.
“Don’t let me stop you!” She waves Enid off, walking past her to go to the fridge herself. “I saw you last night again, you know? It still baffles me…you’re even taller than Leo.”
Leopold, or Leo—her eldest brother that she’d often been compared to. She loved him to death, but it teetered to resentment the older they got. When he was initially the alpha, only for Enid’s transition to throw things for a loop.
Her wolf had been preening under the newfound power, but Enid just felt hollow.
Esther being so kind didn’t lessen the sting. It just brought attention to the scarred over skin. The same way it did when Esther praised her over her battle scars from the Hyde.
Its bittersweet.
She just keeps eating.
/
She goes to the beach with her brothers for a lot of the day.
She honestly avoided her phone for most of it, too. Decides she doesn’t feel like battling the beast in back of her head when she just wants to talk to her boyfriend. It was headache inducing just replying to his daily ‘good morning’ message.
And God forbid she try to compliment him…
(Weak. Scrawny. No like snakes.)
She can’t even begin to implore to her wolf about how he’s not entirely made of snakes and how he was getting so much better at not stoning himself on accident. But, it fell on twitching ears and a maw that huffed its indifference.
Its easier to text Yoko, but the vampire would likely be comatose until the sun goes down.
She plays catch with the twins until Fletcher throws it way out of bounds.
“Welp, that was fun while it lasted!” Fern, the other twin snickered to himself as the frisbee disk soars over the water.
Enid watches fondly when the two begin to tussle, yelling about ‘accidents’ and ‘why they can’t have nice things.’
It’s honestly a welcome change of pace to not have to try to keep up with them. She’s surprised her own budding strength hadn’t sent the disk flying.
“I’m gonna grab a hot dog while you two cuddle!” Enid jokes, mostly wanting to entice them to go. She desperately wanted a shower.
Fletcher’s the one that ends up driving back, considering he’s the one that ended the game. He fronted the SUV with Fern as Enid chances her phone again.
Curiously its Wednesday replying way earlier than usual.
Enid had been over the moon in learning that her friend had finally given into the trends she hated so bad and got a phone. She was told it was a ‘begrudgingly accepted token of gratitude’ from Xavier after taking an arrow to the chest for him.
(Another weakling. Can’t protect her. We can. We will.)
“You good back there, dude?” Fern asks, leaning his own blonde head back to look at her oddly. Enid looks back in equal confusion from where she’s curled up on her phone.
“Yeah, why—whats up?” She replies blankly and Fern just shakes his head with amusement.
“You were growling is all. Which like I totally get it, sometimes Twitter pisses me off too, but you gotta work on that temper sis.”
Enid kicks the back of his seat instead, which did wonders for her anger management. The displeased grunt is just a bonus.
She goes back to her phone with warmth to her cheeks. Mainly in embarrassment of her unconscious reaction to thinking of the battle before break. Nevermind whatever her wolf was getting at…
She opens Wednesday’s message without thinking. Feels her heart in her chest and wolf running around her brain in circles as her eyes scan it.
Wednesday: Greetings Enid. I do apologize for contacting before our designated time slot, however I wanted to request that we communicate face to face this evening. I have become more adept at this facetime application you had previously mentioned. I have made a begrudging amount of progress with mother. Also Thing would like to show you the horridly bright color he painted his nails.
Regards, Wednesday Addams
Enid’s grinning like a dork by the end of it, but Wednesday was just so…herself, it endeared the hell out of her sometimes. From the unnecessary formality down to her serial killer schedule.
Wednesday typically only replied to her at night after her writing hour had finished. Like she had to commit the ‘sin’ of technology under night light. Enid often waited by her iphone with the notifications on full volume the closer it got to said time every night.
Only because of the build up…again. Wednesday had a way of making her work for things that made them all the more satisfying. The anomaly of it all, or whatever.
And oddly enough…her wolf was mostly silent when she talked to the seer. Hauntingly so sometimes, as if in a trance.
Like Wednesday’s near daily tales about her family lore and practicing with her visions were asmr.
Me: Ofc silly!! ☺️☺️☺️ omg Im so excited now! I can show u my room 😈
She would take great pleasure when Wednesday curls her lip up at the parallels to their dorm. In fact her childhood room would likely appear worse. Walls were painted a pale baby pink from when she was a pup along with all the frilly decor and her plush bed spread.
Not to mention the plushy collection.
Once home, Enid’s practically skipping inside the house.
“Whats got you in a goofy mood?” Fletcher questions as they enter. Before she can snark anything in return, Fern is butting in. Sprinkling his quip in as they walk through the foyer.
“Probs the gorgon boy she sucks face with.” The sentence sends something viscerally unpleasant rumbling up in form of a low growl.
(Claim her properly. Tell them.)
“I’m not texting Ajax, I’m texting Wednesday—my friend if you must know.” Enid does in fact correct them, with her frown and elbow to her sibling’s side.
She stuffs her phone down her back pocket and ignores the plethora of other thoughts swirling around her actions. Of why its so easy to deny, aside from it being technically true.
She’s grateful for once, when their mother’s watching from the couch. Smiling fondly at them and standing, likely to change subject.
She’d much rather do chores.
“How are my pups doing?” Esther greets, appearing from the living room as they enter. She ruffles the boys’ hair, ignoring their grunts at the term of endearment.
Enid nearly walks past before she remembers she’s technically included in that now. Esther’s attention is caught by her soon after, the woman taking time to give her a curious once over.
Enid feels the way she used to when she would wake up after another shift-less night. When she’d be prodded and sniffed as if injured, or broken.
But this time her mom’s expression is soft. Her nose isn’t invasive, but her eyes are weirdly sagely like she knows something.
“Uh…everything alright, mom?” She tries not to stutter and will her heart not to clench in anxiety. Its so strange to have her mother be like this.
Squinting her eyes in a smile and wrapping arms around herself just as Enid holds her own arm for comfort. Her brothers seem to know how to make themselves scarce when things got weird. They were no where to be found suddenly.
Just soft murmurs from the TV. Its technically still early—easier to wolf around on a public beach that way. Their father was likely still asleep.
“I should be asking you, shouldn’t I?” Esther attempts to joke and with her daughter’s awkward smile, she cocks her head. She leans herself in direction of the hall, “Come with me to the den for a moment…will you, Enid?”
The entire walk she feels weighted down. Her wolf curled up with its tail raised and ears back. Internally she was reeling—her stomach especially.
“Did…did I do something?” Enid asks by the time they hit the door way to a small office space. Her mom just sat on one of the arm chairs that lay to the side, under a wall of varying mementos from kills her family had made over the years.
Her mom simply lays back against the seat, her wolfishly curly head going against the fur blanket draped against the back. She can’t help but lock up, excuses flying from her mouth.
“If this is about the pork rinds in the cabinet I swear to god, Fletch told me they were free game—“
“Enid you’re not in trouble, sweetheart.” Esther holds up her hand as if Enid stood before her in her wolf form. A frantic animal needing to be swayed. She smiles, albeit her eyes are wary, “I just wanna have a chat. Wolf to wolf.”
Enid’s more than a little triggered about this scene. Theres been many talks in the den with her mother throughout the years, none of them of any help to barely-hanging-on self esteem.
Most were about her shortcomings. With lectures and points to certain animal parts on the wall. Trophies she’s yet to add to, since her transformation hadn’t yet happened.
Just before start of the semester, actually…she’d been in this very same position. Except her dad was here too, behind his desk and Leo was standing with his hands in front of him. He had kept his head down, mouth moving, but never opening.
She has to blink away the harsh blue of her own eyes. If she thinks about it too long, her own pack looks awfully close to predator. She becomes defensive.
“About…?” She questions, then having to clear the gruff from her tone. She had to make active efforts to control herself when her mom looks at her like that.
“I heard you’re in good standing with the Addams girl, still?” Esther questions in a way that almost sounds coy.
Like its to be expected that she would be questioning her about…
It just throws her for such a loop, she stares dumbly back at her mom. Her mouth opens, because of all the things—the people, its just—
And the fact that its about Wednesday…
(Protect. Off limits.)
“She’s my friend, yes…why?” Enid’s brows knit tight at the alarm she feels going off in her brain. In this room especially. She frowns as she leaped in defense of her friend once again, “Are you gonna be judgey about her family? They’re good people.”
Enid can’t swallow the growl rumbling up her neck when Esther laughs. Her mom remains unaffected, likely used to the grumbling over years being around moody teenage pups.
Still, it displeased her to think her that her warning about harm coming to Wednesday wasn’t taken seriously. Deeply and on a frightening level that had her reigning in claws for the nth time this week.
Her mom must take pity on her internal battle, probably seeing the way her eyes have begun to glow. She shakes her head before explaining.
“Not at all, actually the Addams are a very important family.” Her mom has that glimmer in her eyes that make hers wanna roll. Of course their status had won her over. Esther beams, “That Gomez—he handled your uncle’s case against his job with the union, you know?”
Enid didn’t really know what Wednesday’s parents did outside of annoy her. Rather, she didn’t go into detail outside of the day to day. The seer was someone that needed to be prodded for information and Enid didn’t often know where to begin or end.
She was still asking a million questions about all the rooms in the Addams mansion. Wednesday had casually dropped the fact that it was well into the double digits.
So, she knew her mother had a sewing room, a lab for ‘various experiments that shouldn’t be discussed in a traceable manner,’ and that a fencing piste existed somewhere. She’d definitely heard Wednesday mentioning Gomez having an office, though.
The manor apparently had a lot of guests, much to her friend’s displeasure. She tries hard to recollect if she’s hip to any clientele.
“I was kinda young…” Enid replies eventually, when she comes up blank. Shrugs her shoulder with it and her mother breathes out another laugh, but softer.
“The point is, Enid, I would like you to invite Wednesday to our home so I can thank her properly.”
Another statement that feels like wolfsbane to the face with how viscerally it jars her. Let alone the fact that she retained her roommates name.
Hearing it pass her mom’s lips just feels so ridiculously surreal.
“Thank her?” Enid repeats, incredulous of the situation in and of itself. Her brain is still stuck on the fact that their families knew each other to some capacity.
“She unlocked your wolf, sweetheart.” Esther smiles so wide, her eyes squint at the sides. She nods her head in Enid’s direction with a sigh of joy. Then her hands go to her lap, as if she can barely contain herself, “The one to trigger your powers after all these years…and a blood moon wolf in the Sinclair pack!”
(Extend the pack invitation. Show her we can provide. Worship her. Allow our pack to—)
Enid has to lean against the doorway for a minute to process it all. Her wolf alone is screaming at her as if she’s known Wednesday longer than a couple weeks. The loudest its been since she was in the forest, back in Jericho and desperately trying to pick up Wednesday’s scent.
She focuses on the most important implication here.
Her mom’s invite is a heavy one—extremely embedded in tradition and formalities.
The last person of which had been when her second oldest brother Charlie had found his mate after leaving for college. It was a way to not only celebrate a union, but show off pack assets and strength.
Often it included a big hunt to highlight how well a pack could provide. The feast and bonding afterwards was meant to be a sacred thing. It technically varied on reason, as it could also symbolize something like a pack treaty, or a new member.
Enid was more than overjoyed at getting to share her customs with her bestie. That was something all parties could agree on, but it still sat uncomfortably in her belly.
She believes it to be her own fear, but can’t pinpoint one singular thing. She just knows her mom and Wednesday in the same room could bring disaster before all else.
“I can definitely ask if she has time to come over, yeah.” She pretends like it wasn’t a question she’d wanted to ask anyway. She had extended an invitation to Wednesday before they had finished packing fully.
Her mother nods and grins madly, hands clapping together.
“Oh, I could howl to the moon goddess herself—I wasn’t expecting to host so soon!” Esther was over the lunar cycle itself with the fact that she would get to do this and have Christmas with all her pups this year.
While Enid and her brothers were sent home early, her other siblings would be there in the upcoming weeks.
Its already taxing to put on her face and deal with conflicting emotions with her family.
And then dealing with her wolf banging on its mental cage after so many dormant years—Enid felt over loaded. She certainly wouldn’t be able to annoy anyone with her amount of clubs next semester if this continues.
Speaking of…Enid can’t help but test her luck further.
“Do you think I could invite…Ajax over sometime, too?” She asks slowly, hands behind her back. It has her belly lurching with nerves and her wolf protesting, but she had to try.
Ajax had been. He’d been trying a lot, actually.
Her mom pauses her theatrics and excited planning to look at her funny. She doesn’t look upset and though Enid flinches and prepares for the worst, she simply waves her hand. As if Enid had made some meaningless aside.
“One guest at a time, sweetie.” Esther brushed off, standing from her chair and moving to walk past her. She pats Enid on the arm and then knocks her forehead into her daughter’s arm.
It should be comforting, but Enid’s stiff as a board.
Her mom just keeps past her, tossing over her shoulder—
“Besides, I think you’ll be plenty occupied with this one—oh! Let me go wake Murray and prepare for a hunt!”
Enid doesn’t think she exhales until the footsteps go towards the steps. And then she lets herself slide to the ground, back against the wall once she hears them upstairs.
How the hell was she supposed to ask Wednesday to come visit her now?