26, you don't know

Ari had always imagined this moment would feel electric. Ever since she was a child, she had dreamed of the day she'd finally wolf out, her first transformation. It had been the stories she whispered to herself at night when she couldn't sleep, the visions she built in her head like a fairytale: powerful claws slicing through the darkness, glowing eyes reflecting the moonlight, the freedom of running through the woods faster than the wind. It was supposed to be a birthright, a rite of passage, the moment she truly became one of her own.

But now, as she sat in her dorm room, pulling on her boots and staring at her trembling hands, it didn't feel like a dream at all. It felt like a weight pressing against her ribs. Her heart kept thudding faster than she could steady it, and the thought of the full moon creeping higher into the sky made her stomach twist. She had waited for this her whole life, but the waiting had been safe. The reality was different. The reality was unpredictable.

What if she lost control? What if she hurt someone? She'd seen videos, heard stories of first transformations gone wrong. Even with supervision, accidents happened. Claws were sharp. Instincts were stronger than reason. The wolf side wasn't polite or careful- it was wild, relentless, and ancient. And she wasn't sure if she was ready to meet that part of herself.

Her thoughts drifted to Pugsley, still missing. The boy who made her laugh in the class, the one who confessed his crush on her in awkward half-sentences, the one who had always seemed lighter even though he was Addams. And now he was gone, somewhere out there in the woods or worse. The timing was cruel. Of all nights for him to vanish, it had to be this one, when the moon was full and silver and pulling at her blood like a tide.

Ari shoved open the dorm door, her boots thudding against the stone floor as she stormed down the hall. She couldn't sit there and wait. Every instinct inside her screamed that Pugsley was out there, that he needed her, and if she didn't move now, she might never see him again.

The cold night air hit her face as she stepped outside, the moon already looming fat and silver in the sky. Her stomach twisted tighter. She barely made it halfway across the courtyard before two figures came tearing past the shimmer of blonde hair and glitter told her it was Enid, and the red flash of curls could only belong to Agnes. Both of them looked panicked, sprinting like the devil was on their heels.

"What happened?" Ari shouted, catching them just as they were about to disappear into the trees.

Agnes skidded to a stop, breathing hard. "Isaac buried Wednesday alive! We have to go now!"

Ari blinked, her brain stumbling over the words. "Wait. what? Who the hell is Isaac?"

Enid grabbed Ari's arm, eyes wide. "Pugsley's... zombie."

"Slurp?" Ari's jaw dropped.

"Yes!" Agnes snapped, throwing her arms up."come on!"

"Wait, wait, wait." Ari shook her head, holding up both hands. "Since when do we call him Isaac? He's Slurp. He's always been Slurp."

"That's what you're stuck on right now?!" Agnes yelled, exasperated. "Name later, rescue mission now!"

Ari's voice came out sharper than she intended. "Fine. Let's go. But someone better explain to me how Slurp suddenly became Isaac."

Agnes groaned but grabbed her hand anyway, dragging her toward the woods. "Ugh, you ask too many questions."

"And you don't ask enough!" Ari shot back, her pulse quickening as the dark line of trees swallowed them whole.

Ari's lungs burned, her heart pounding not just from the sprint but from something deeper, something ancient. The moonlight broke through the canopy in silver shards, and each one felt like a knife sinking into her skin.

Her breath hitched. Her legs buckled.

"Ari!" Enid skidded to a stop just as Ari crashed to her knees, dirt and leaves biting into her palms. Her whole body shook, heat surging under her skin like wildfire. Her nails scraped against the earth, elongating, sharpening.

"No, no, no..." Ari gasped, pressing her forehead to the ground. Her back arched, a guttural sound tearing from her throat. "Not now. Not the time."

Gia and Liam weren't there, but Enid and Agnes crouched beside her, panic flashing in their eyes.

"What's happening?" Agnes asked, her voice high-pitched with fear.

Enid's face went pale, her hand flying to her mouth.

"Go," Ari ground out, her voice shaking, guttural. She forced herself upright, even as her vision blurred, her bones creaking under the pressure of the shift. "You have to go. Find Wednesday."

"I'm not leaving you—" Enid started.

"Yes, you are!" Ari snapped, her eyes glowing faint gold in the moonlight. "If I wolf out here, I can't control it. You need to go!"

Her voice broke at the end, half-growl, half-plea.

Enid's hands trembled, her chest heaving. She wanted to say something but the urgency of Wednesday's fate pressed harder. She nodded once, sharp and reluctant.

Agnes swallowed, eyes flicking between Ari's shuddering form and the dark woods. "We'll come back for you," she promised.

Ari squeezed her eyes shut as her body jerked again, her jaw aching, her teeth already lengthening. "Just... go!"

Agnes grabbed Enid's wrist, pulling her into motion. The last thing Ari heard before she collapsed onto the forest floor, trembling and half-shifted, was the sound of their footsteps fading into the trees.

————-

By the time Ari's breathing slowed and the last tremor left her body, the forest was quiet again. Her skin was slick with sweat, her clothes torn at the seams, and every muscle ached like she'd been dragged through fire. She sat there dazed, hugging her knees to her chest, when the crunch of footsteps pulled her back to reality.

Agnes emerged from the trees, her curls wild, a jacket slung over her arm. She didn't say anything at first, just crouched down and carefully wrapped it around Ari's trembling shoulders. The fabric was warm, smelling faintly of smoke and pine.

"What... what happened?" Ari rasped, her throat raw.

Agnes hesitated. "They found Pugsley. He's safe."

Relief punched the air from Ari's lungs. Her eyes burned as she whispered, "And Wednesday?"

"She's good too."

For the first time all night, Ari let out a shaky laugh of relief. But then another thought clawed its way to the front of her mind. "And Enid?"

Agnes's smile faltered. She looked away, chewing her lip.

Ari straightened, the exhaustion in her bones replaced by dread. "Agnes. Where's my sister?"

Agnes didn't answer. She shifted uncomfortably, fiddling with the sleeves of her own jacket.

"Agnes," Ari pressed, her voice sharp now, trembling on the edge of panic. "Where's Enid?"

Finally, Agnes exhaled, the words heavy. "She... she wolfed out during the full moon."

Ari blinked, confused. "So? That's not—" She stopped, noticing the way Agnes avoided her gaze. "What aren't you telling me?"

Agnes swallowed hard. "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" Ari demanded, her chest tightening.

Agnes's voice dropped, almost a whisper. "Enid's an Alpha."

Ari froze, the world tilting under her. "What? But that means if she transforms during a full moon..." she started. "She might not be able to change back."

Agnes nodded.

Ari's knees gave out and she collapsed back to the ground, clutching the jacket tighter around herself. "No, no, no..." The words tumbled out in sobs, raw and desperate. "She can't, she can't be stuck. She can't..."

Agnes wrapped her arms around her, holding Ari against her shoulder as she wept. "We'll figure it out. I promise. We're not giving up on her."

But the promise felt fragile, like glass, and Ari clung to it anyway because it was all she had.

—————-

A/N

I said no good ending in s2 for Ari