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Chapter Text

"It's not what it looks like!" Addison yelled, as she and Wyatt scrambled to redress, but what they and Zed knew, was that the damage was done.

He just stood there in shock. He wanted to scream at them, to tell them how they were both monsters and how he could never forgive them. But he couldn't. All he could do was stand in the doorway, as tears fell from his eyes. He could hear her talking, desperately trying to explain herself, and begging for his forgiveness. She too was now crying, but Zed couldn't hear a thing. It was like being underwater; everything was muffled and made absolutely no sense.

"Zed! Say something!" Addison shouted at him, pulling him out of his trance. "Please! Zed, please believe me! It meant nothing! Please!"

"Leave," he spoke quietly, after a few seconds. He stared at the floor, trying not to make eye contact with Addison, knowing that her big, doe eyes and quivering lip would make him forgive her. He could never bear to see her upset.

"Zed, please. Let's talk about this," she begged. Wyatt, on the other hand, said nothing; instead just walked out of their bedroom and out of their apartment, leaving Zed and Addison alone. "You know I love y-" she started.

"I said leave." Zed growled, interrupting her, as he finally looked up from the ground. Just as he thought, her big doe eyes were filling with tears, and bottom lip trembled, as small sobs escaped her mouth.

"But Zed-"

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" He screamed, slamming his fist against the sideboard, causing various pictures of the two of them to fall, and the glass shatter. Addison, clearly startled by Zed's loud and sudden reaction, quickly grabbed her purse, and ran out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Zed collapsed to the ground, no longer holding back tears as he sobbed. He practically lay motionless in their doorway, knowing it was over. How could she do this? Did she never really care about their someday? Were the last five years of their life a joke to her? He wondered as he stayed sobbing next to the door.

*2 hours later*

Zed looked up suddenly, as a harsh, repetitive knocking echoed through the apartment. He slowly got up from the kitchen floor, with a bottle of Russia's favorite drink in hand, and stumbled towards the door. The knocking only got louder and faster, until Zed reached the door, revealing a very pissed off Wynter.

"Where is she?!" Wynter yelled as she launched herself into the apartment. "Where is that home-wrecking skank?!" It took Zed a couple of moments to realize that she was talking about Addison.

"Sh-She's n-n-ot 'ere," Zed drunkly slurred as he tripped over his own feet, trying to stay behind Wynter. He hit the floor with a large thud, as the vodka bottle shattered on the floor around him, sending glass flying all throughout the room.

That finally led Wynter to turn around and look at Zed, eyes instantly filling with tears at his current state. "Oh Zed," she said softly, as all of her anger converted into concern for Zed. "What have you done to yourself?" Wynter said as she spoke much quieter, as tears started spilling from her eyes as she examined his injury filled body, with cuts and bruises all over his body, and a large gash oozing blood from his neck.

"I-Is not that bad-d-d," he stuttered. "But I nee-ed you to do me a fa-vour."

"What do you need, Zed?" Wynter cautiously asked as she ben over to try and help Zed up.

"Shoot me." Zed stated bluntly

"What?!"

"Shoot me." Zed repeated, pulling a 1911 out of a drawer. "Addie's dad wanted me to keep this for pro-protection, but I don't want to exist without her." Zed explained, as if it was the most logical thing ever.

"Zed, give me that," Wynter said, carefully removing the rubber grip pads from Zed's hands. "I'm not going to shoot you."

"Whys not? I don't want this cruel life!" He stuttered drunkly.

"Zed, you're not thinking straight. Let's get you in bed," Wynter said as she slowly and carefully pulled Zed up from the ground, carefully sliding the sidearm into a different drawer where it wouldn't be a problem for right now.

Wynter then started carefully dragging Zed to his bedroom, with Zed tripping at every step, before finally making it to his bedroom, where Zed fell asleep instantly, while Wynter silently cried, seeing how broken Zed was, before starting to clean up some of the beer cans and shattered photo frames throughout the bedroom. How could she do this to him, they seemed so in love? What happened? Wynter quietly wondered to herself, as she started to clean the trail of blood Zed left behind, thinking, I can't just leave him like this.

Chapter Text

Zed's head pounded, as he groggily woke up. He had hoped that yesterday was just a bad dream, and that Addie hadn't really cheated on him. Instead, he woke feeling like he'd been hit by a truck, finding the other side of their bed empty. Looking around, he saw the alarm clock, reading 11:06, and the various broken picture frames stacked neatly on the sideboard.

He slowly sluggishly opened his bedroom door and walked into the kitchen to find Wynter sat at the table, rubbing her puffy eyes. She'd obviously been crying all morning, and Zed truly did sympathise with her.

"Hey, you're up." Wynter said, a lot more cheerfully than Zed expected. "There are painkillers on the counter, and some breakfast keeping warm in the oven for you."

"Wynter, you really didn't need to do all of this. I'm fine," Zed lied, as he swallowed the pills on the counter.

"Zed. We both know that's not true," she said, sipping her coffee mug. "And after last night, I'm not leaving you alone until I know that you're ok."

"What happened last night?", he asked. "I mean, I remember parts of it, but my memory is a little foggy."

"Zed, I think you may want to sit down," she warned. "I'm really worried about you. I know everything about this situation sucks. Believe me, I hate them both right now. But after last night, you asked me to shoot you."

Zed's eyes widened in disbelief. "I-I did?" Wynter nodded silently.

"Judging by the cut and bruises up your arms, and that nasty one on your neck, I'm guessing that you wanted to hurt yourself."

It took Zed a moment to process what she had just said. "I'm really sorry," he said, softly. "You've got your own shit going on, and you don't need to deal with my depressing life. You should-"

"Zed!", she interrupted. "Nothing is more important right now than your health. Mental and physical. So, you're not getting rid of me that easily." They shared a small smile, and sat in comfortable silence, as Zed finished his breakfast.

It was about 10 minutes later Zed finally broke the silence. He was washing dishes, as she dried them, when he spoke. "Zombies can't kill ourselves.", he started, "Or any other zombies for that matter. It's a biological thing; I don't really understand it. But it's something Eliza told me once."

"Oh," Wynter said, not really sure how to respond.

"I just thought we should be 100 percent honest with each other," he continued. "You know, if we are going to make it through this terrible double breakup, then at least we can have someone to rely on, right?"

"I think that's a brilliant idea," Wynter smiled. "We could have like a super secret signal, so we both know when the other one needs each other. Oh, we could call it the Zynter signal," Wynter said, getting progressively faster and louder. She looked back at Zed smiling at her. "Too much?", she asked, sweetly.

"I'm not sold on the Zynter signal. But, if you need me, like I needed you last night, I'll be there," he said.

The rest of the day, they spent sat on the sofa eating ice-cream and watching Star Wars films. Every now and then, Zed would look over at Wynter and see her wipe tears away. Always trying to look strong, Zed thought.

It was halfway into Episode VI: Return of the Jedi when Wynter finally said something. "You know, Star Wars was the first movie I ever watched," she said.

"Really?", Zed looked over in surprise. "I never thought of you as a nerd!", he joked.

"I hate to admit it, but I am a true nerd for Star Wars!", she laughed. "Obviously we didn't have movies in the den, and when we started at Seabrook, I heard you and Bonzo arguing over who was the better Jedi – Yoda or Mace Windu. Given I had no idea who either of them were, but the name Yoda intrigued me enough that I borrowed one of Eliza's old DVD players and Bonzo's DVD collection. By the time they blew up the first Death Star, I was hooked!"

"I never really had a choice in the matter. My dad has always loved them, and so I grew up watching them. I swear my first full sentence was 'Use the force Luke'. At least that's what my dad likes to tell people," Zed replied. "I wish I'd known you were a Star Wars fan sooner! We could have had so many movie marathons by now!"

"Did Addison never do Star Wars marathons with you?" Wynter asked, no longer paying any attention to the movie.

"You're kidding!" Zed laughed. "She hates them. The amount of times I've heard: 'They're poorly made si-fi films. Let's watch Harry Potter instead'. Honestly, she has bad taste in movies," he smiled.

"WHAT!" Wynter yelled, a little too loud. "And you continued to date her!". Zed's face fell, as Wynter realised what she had said. "Zed, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring-"

"Wynter it's fine," Zed said, quietly. "Let's just move on.", he said returning his attention to the screen.

Later that evening, after eating some just over pizza Zed had in the fridge, Zed sat at the end of the bed, playing with a Lego Darth Vader minifigure he'd had since he was 10 years old. A small knock at his door pulled him out of his trance, as Wynter stood in the doorway. "Hey, can I ask a favour?", she said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Sure," Zed said, placing Vader back into a small box he kept by his bed. "What is it?"

"Can I crash on your sofa?", she asked softly. "I don't want to be an inconvenience to you, but I really don't want to go back to the den and deal with Wyatt and Willa right now."

"After everything you did for me yesterday, you can sleep in the bed. I'll take the couch," he replied, grabbing a space pillow and sheets from the closet.

"No, no, no. I can't let you do that," Wynter said, waving her hands to try and get him to stop. "It's your apartment. I shouldn't have asked."

"Wynnie, I insist. In here reminds me of Addison anyway," Zed said.

"Because you're letting me stay here, I'm going to let that nickname side, just this once. But just so you know, I hate it," Wynter laughed. "But seriously, thank you."

"I'll let you get changed, while I get up the couch," Zed said, as he walked out of the room. "Oh, and feel free to borrow any of my hoodie to sleep in. You don't want to sleep in your clothes, right?", he said closing the door.

"Right," she whispered to herself. Opening his closet, she pulled one of Zed's old Seabrook athletics department sweatshirts over her head and pulled on a pair of his shorts (which were basically pants on her). Then, she left to help Zed finish getting up the sofa.

"Need any help?" Wynter asked, as she re-entered the main apartment area. Before he could answer, a loud knock on the door interrupted them.

"Could you get that please?", he asked, continuing to tuck the sheets in. "It's probably just one of the neighbours needing to borrow milk or something."

"Sure, I'll be back in a sec," Wynter smiled, walking towards the door. Her smile, however, immediately dropped as she opened the door to see the person she most hated in Seabrook (after Wyatt, of course).

"Wynter?" Addison questioned.

"Addison," Wynter growled.

Chapter Text

"Wynter?" Addison questioned.

"Addison," Wynter growled. "What are you doing here?"

"Me? I live here, unlike you. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I-" Wynter started, before Zed walked up behind her.

"Wynnie, who is… Addison. What are you doing here?", he asked, his facing dropping as soon as he saw her. I can't do this. I can't do this, he thought.

"For the second time, I live here! What the hell is going on in there? I'm gone for like five seconds and you're already fucking the whore you can find?" Addison shouted. "How could you do this to me? To us?"

"Hang on a sec-" Wynter started, but again was interrupted.

"What do you mean, 'Do this to us?'? You're the one that flushed our relationship down the drain the second you slept with that mutt!" Zed yelled back. "And how dare you call Wynter that! She's been nothing but supportive and caring since you ripped my heart out and tore it into a million pieces with your fleabag of a boyfriend!"

"I see how it is," Addison said, looking directly at Wynter. "I slept with your boyfriend, so you think you can sleep with mine!"

"We're not sleeping together!" Wynter argued.

"And I'm sure as hell not your boyfriend!" Zed shouted. "So, in the kindest possible way, fuck off!" And with that, Zed slammed the door.

"THIS ISN'T OVER NECRODOPOLIS!" Zed and Wynter heard Addison yell through the door, followed by loud stomping of footsteps, eating progressively quieter, until they faded out of earshot.

Zed and Wynter looked at each other for a moment; not saying a word, but just staring into each other's eyes. It was Wynter who once again broke the silence. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't be here. I've ruined any chance of you getting back with Addison. I'm such a stupid, bad dog and I…" Wynter cried, but was interrupted by Zed's strong arms wrapping around her and pulling her head softly not his chest.

"Hey, hey, hey. You've been the best friend I could have asked for Wynnie.", he said, as she sobbed into his shirt. "Who knows what I would have done if you didn't show up when you did. And I'm so, so sorry if you ever thought that you were anything less than that." Her sobs became less frequent, whilst Zed simply kept hugging her. "And as far as I'm concerned, after that surprise visit, Addison and I are never getting back together."

"You know I still hate that nickname," she finally said. "But if anyone is allowed to call me 'Wynnie', I'm glad that it's you."

"Well then, its settled, you shall henceforth be known as Wynnie Barkowitz!" Zed announced, causing Wynter to fall into a fit of giggles.

"You know, I would have never thought that a couple of weeks into my freshman year of college, I would have a new best friend," Wynter said, with a smile growing across her face.

"Best friend!" Zed exclaimed. "You honour me Lady Wynnie Barkowitz!", he continued, in a surprisingly good British accent.

"The honour is mine, Lord Zedward Necrodopolis," Wynter replied, in a truly terrible British accent. Zed erupted into mountain of laughter.

"Firstly, we really need to work on your British accent," Zed said, between laughs. "And secondly, Zedward?", he said with a confused look.

"I don't know, I was trying something," she replied. "But one day, I'll find a nickname as annoying as Wynnie." She glanced at the clock, and on seeing to read 11:46, said "Oh crap! I need to get to bed! God, I hate 8am lectures!"

"That's the perks of being a sophomore – no lectures 'til 10am!" Zed exclaimed.

"Hate you!" Wynter laughed as she walked towards the bedroom.

"Night Wynnie!" Zed called.

"Night Zedrick!" She turned to see another confused look on Zed's face. "Nah, still not it. But I'll find the perfect nickname someday!", she called, closing the door.

"Yeah," Zed sighed to himself. "Someday."

Chapter Text

A loud crash suddenly woke Zed up. It took him a second to remember that he was sleeping on the couch. He looked over to the kitchen to see Wynter scrambling around on the floor, picking up pieces of broken ceramic, and moping up coffee.

"Shit, shit," she muttered to herself, as she tried her best to keep as quiet as possible – for Zed's sake.

"What did my poor coffee mug ever do to you?" Zed joked, getting up off the couch and making his way into the kitchen.

"Oh, this little bastard had it coming," she smiled, seeing him walk into the kitchen, and taking a seat at the counter. "All morning it's been mocking my pancake making skills, so I thought I'd make an example out of it. You know, teach the others who they're messing with." Wynter said, after finishing moping up the spilled coffee, and cleaning up the broken shards of the coffee mug. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"Don't be – I needed to get up anyway." Zed said, pouring a fresh up of coffee for her. "Here, you'll definitely need this to get through a 3-hour lecture with Dr Otto. The man quite literally bored 7 kids to death last year," he laughed, handing her the coffee.

She thanked him, and they ate Wynter's pancakes (some of them were a little burned, but Zed didn't mind; it was the thought that counts), chatting about some of their classes and professors. Before they knew it, it was time for Wynter to go to her class. "I'll walk with you," Zed said, grabbing his jacket and bag. "I've got to hit the gym for football anyway."

"Sounds like a plan," Wynter smiled, and with that, they walked across campus to the large lecture hall.

It was only a 15-minute walk, but throughout the entire time, Wynter couldn't stop smiling at the funny observations that Zed made as they made their way through the Mountain College campus. I haven't laughed this much in a very long time, she thought.

"I believe this is your stop," Zed said, as they approached the lecture hall. "Your 3-hours of mind-numbing torture begins now."

"Yeah," Wynter sighed, failing to hide the disappointment that their walk was over. She started to walk up the steps and into the building, when she heard Zed call after her.

"Hey, Wynnie!", he called. "You wanna meet up for lunch after class?"

A smile of delight erupted from her face, as she spun around to look directly at Zed. "Where are you thinking?", she asked excitedly.

"You ever been to Mario's Pizza?", he asked. She shook her head. "Then it's settled, Mario's Pizza, at 12 o'clock." Zed smiled, "See you there, Lady Barkowitz!", he said, once again in his British accent.

"I look forward to it, Lord Necrodopolis!", Wynter giggled.

"This may be because I'm very tired but is it possible that your accent got worse?!", he laughed.

"Shut up!", she playfully yelled, walking into the building.

A couple of hours later, Zed was walking into his 10am lecture, when his good mood started to turn. He took his usual spot, towards the back of the hall, and started to pull out his computer, when Willa sat down next to him. It wasn't uncommon for them to sit next to each other, after all, he shared the class with Willa and Wyatt, but today, Wyatt was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he and Willa sat silently, the tension between them so thick, it could be cut by a knife.

Willa finally broke the silence. "I didn't know," she said quietly, not even making eye contact. "I would have told him to stop a long time ago."

"It wasn't the first time?", Zed asked, with tears in his eyes. It was becoming a natural feeling, these last few days, to have tears constantly falling from his face; but it hurt the same every single time.

"You didn't know?", she turned and looked at him for the first time. "I-I don't think it's my place to get involved," Willa stuttered. "You've probably got enough going on, and I still need to find Wynter and-"

"Wynter is fine," he interrupted. "She stayed at my place last night." Willa's face looked at him in confusion and slight anger, as he said those words. "Not like that!" Zed corrected himself. "We- we both just needed a friend." He smiled weakly. Willa let out a small smile back, and they returned to silence.

About 10 minutes passed by, when Zed broke the silence, again. "Where's your brother?", he scowled, not able to say his name.

"I'm not sure," Willa replied. "He went out last night looking for Wynter and didn't come back to the den. He's probably still trying to find her."

"Oh, crap!", Zed exclaimed, as he started to get up. However, just as he started to walk out, the professor entered the hall.

She looked directly at Zed, and said, "Mr Necrodopolis, please sit down."

"But Professor, I-"

"Now!", she shouted back at him, causing Zed to sink back into his chair, a worried look painted across his face.

Wynter trudged slowly out of the lecture hall. Her 3-hour lecture had run 20 minutes over schedule, and now she truly did believe Zed – give Dr Otto 200 minutes and he really can bore you to death. At least Zed's class only had 10 minutes left, and they would be heading over to Mario's Pizza.

"Wynter!", she heard someone yell behind her. That definitely isn't Zed, she thought as she spun around and saw who it was. All the anger she had suppressed these last few days bubbled up to the surface, as she saw who it was.

"Wynter!", Wyatt shouted again.

Chapter Text

"Wynter!", Wyatt shouted again, his face slightly red as he ran towards her. "Wynter, baby. I haven't seen you since you stormed off Saturday evening! Where've you been?", he asked, placing his hands on her back, trying to pull her into a hug.

"GET OFF ME!" Wynter shouted, pushing Wyatt away from her. Zed, please be nearby. Please help me, she thought. "Wyatt, I have nothing to say to you. So, fuck off!", she said, pushing past him and attempting to walk away.

"You don't get to walk away from me!", he growled, grabbing her tightly by the arm. "You're mine! And only mine! And what I say goes! Got that?", he continued, tightening his grip and digging his claws into her skin. As much as she tried to pull away, Wynter could only face the facts; Wyatt had always been physical stronger than her. There was no way she could escape his grip.

"Wyatt, let me go now,", she scowled at him, as a small crowd began to gather around the scene they were causing. Wynter looked around, seeing only humans watching them, and knew that not one of them would be stupid enough to try and help her against a werewolf.

"LET HER GO!", Wynter heard, and spun around to see Zed charging towards them, with Willa running behind him. Wyatt pushed her to the ground and snarled at Zed as the zombie got closer to him.

"Come on zombie! Let's go!", Wyatt growled. Zed didn't need to be asked twice. He launched himself at Wyatt, knocking them both to the ground and started punching him as hard and as fast as he could. Quickly, Wyatt blocked his attack, and hit Zed's stomach, winding him and causing him to lose balance. Wyatt then took control, kicking Zed's stomach again and again. By this point, an entire crowd of students were gathered in a circle around the pair, chanting and screaming. In the midst of the fighting, while her and Willa desperately tried to break it up, Wynter saw Addison push through the crowd with Bree and Eliza. Addison initially looked shocked at the scene, then smiled subtly, but enough for Wynter to notice.

"That's enough!" Willa shouted, finally pulling Wyatt off Zed. "You will stop fighting right now! I am your Alpha, and you will listen to me, God Dammit!".
Wyatt growled at Zed, before pointing directly at Wynter. "I'll make sure you regret this, bitch," Wyatt snarled. He pushed his way through the crowd and stormed off, leaving Zed on the floor, bloody and beaten.

"Zed, you need to go to the hospital," Wynter cried, as she leant down and wiped the blood that was dripping down his face.

"Don't worry Wynnie, I'm fine. But what about you? Did he hurt you? What happened?", he asked, worried.

Wynter giggled quietly. "Only you Zed, could get your ass handed to you, and be worried about everyone else."

"Not just anyone-", he started before they were interrupted.

"Oh my god, Zed, are you ok? Why the hell would you try and fight Wyatt?", Addison asked, as she, Willa, Eliza and Bree ran over to him. "You're a complete idiot sometimes, you know that. Honestly-"

"Addie, what are you doing here? And why do you care?" Zed replied, coldly.

"What do you mean? Of course I care about you. You and me, that's our future. Our someday!", Addison replied, looking hurt.

"Addie, let me make this very clear," Zed said, sternly. "You destroyed that someday. There's no future for us. After everything that we've been through, you chose him over us. And for that, I can never forgive you."

Addison looked directly at him, as tears rolled down her face, as if it had only just sunken in. Me and Zed are over, she thought. She then looked across at Wynter, who was too busy wiping the drying blood from Zed's arm. But it's that skank's fault not mine. She couldn't stand being there any longer, so quickly got up, still crying, and ran off.

Bree looked over at Zed for a second. "She may have made a mistake, but you can be a real asshole sometimes, you know that," she said, with venom dripping from each word, before taking off after Addison, leaving only Willa and Eliza standing over Zed and Wynter.

"I need to find Wyatt," Willa said after a few seconds. "Are you going to be ok?" She asked, making Zed nod, slowly.

"Do you need any help or…" Eliza started, glancing at Willa.

"Go on. Help your girlfriend find him," Zed said. Eliza gave him a small thumbs up, before running after Willa. "That just leaves me and you, Wynnie," Zed smiled.

"Zed," Wynter said softly. "You got hurt, because of me. Like, really hurt. I get it if you want to tell me to screw myself, and I'll leave you alone, and-" Wynter rambled until Zed interrupted her. Not with words this time, but by crashing his lips onto hers. He kissed her passionately for a few seconds, until they were both out of breath.

"The only one of us that should be apologising is me," Zed smiled. "And it's for not doing that a long time ago."

"You really mean it?" Wynter asked, expecting this to be a dream, or a prank. Zed nodded enthusiastically. "Good," she giggled, launching herself back onto Zed, and kissed him with more passion than their first.

A minute or so later, they broke the kiss, both smiling goofily at each other. "So, not that I didn't enjoy that," Wynter smiled. "But there were plans of pizza, and I'm real hungry."

"To Mario's!" Zed exclaimed.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Zed stirred awake on the couch, frantically looking for his phone to turn his stupid alarm off. Having finally reached his phone, he turned off the alarm, and found 9 unopened texts from Bonzo, a few from Bree and 1 from Eliza. Deciding to open Bonzo's first, Zed quickly scanned the chain of messages he had been sent:

Bonz: Dude, what have you done?

Bonz: I come home after 4 days away to find Addie crying in my apartment and Bree hella pissed at you

Bonz: YOU BROKE UP WITH HER? WHAT THE HELLS THE MATTER WITH YOU!

Bonz: AND PUBLICLY TOLD HER YOU DON'T LOVE HER ANYMORE

Bonz: WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Bonz: I'm about to come round and beat your sorry ass

Bonz: AND YOU HOOKED UP WITH WYNTER!

Bonz: I'm coming round first thing tomorrow morning, and you better have a good explanation

Bonz: I'll be there in 20 minutes, dickhead

The last text was only sent 12 minutes ago. Great, Zed thought. That gives me 8 minutes to compose an argument to save my ass. He carried on reading through the notifications:

Bree: You're a real piece of work

Bree: Addie is sobbing her heart out, and you can't forgive her

Bree: Just wait til Bucky hears

Bree: Even Bonzo agrees with me

Bree: Have fun being dead in the morning J

Zed didn't even consider responding to Bree. It was clear where her allegiance lay, and there was no way to convince her otherwise. But Bucky was someone who he hadn't considered at all; he hated Zed when he and Addison were dating, what was he going to be like now. He kept scrolling:

The OG Seabrook Crew chat: Bree removed Wynter from the chat

The OG Seabrook Crew chat: Bree removed you from the chat

No surprise there, Zed thought. He scrolled to the final message from Eliza:

Eliza: Have you seen this? It's all over the student page on the college website! Shits about to go down.

Zed quickly hit the link, that took him to an article he dreaded with all his heart.

Scandalous Stories with The Aceys: Seabrook's power couple Zed Necrodopolis and Addison Wells divided by Werewolves

Fuck

After circulating rumours over the weekend caused many to question the status of the relationship between high school sweethearts Zed Necrodopolis and Addison Wells, an event outside the main lecture hall revealed all you needed to know.

Everyone on campus knows about Zed and Addison; from cheer captain and football star to prom king and queen, and now the unrivalled power couple of Mountain College. But after the events of yesterday morning, their entire relationship has been thrown into doubt, as a physical fight between Necrodopolis and werewolf student Wyatt Lykensen broke out.

This came after heated argument between freshman werewolf Wynter Barkowitz, and sophomore werewolf Wyatt Lykensen. The nature of the fight is still unclear, though we can be sure it involves both Zed and Addison.

An eyewitness to the event said: "It all happened so fast. One minute, the werewolves were arguing with each other, the next Zed and Wyatt were fighting. And they were really fighting – there was blood everywhere."

As quickly as it started, the scene disbanded, upon the approach of Addison Wells, the youngest assistant captain of the Mountain College cheer squad in history. The conversation was not entirely heard, but we did record Necrodopolis saying, "Why do you care?", and "destroyed that someday."

Now for the juicy bit:

Moments later, when Wynter and Zed were left alone, our ground reporter Stacy managed to get this Scandalous Stories with the Aceys exclusive shot:

Shit, shit, shit! Zed thought as he looked at the picture. Clear as day, he saw himself and Wynter kissing. And now everyone else could see.

So there you have it! Star football player dumped assistant cheer captain for a freshman werewolf! Both Zed and Addison have refused to comment as of yet, but be sure, the Aceys are on the case, bringing you updates as soon as they happen!

Zed reached the end of the article as the door to the bedroom swung open, and Wynter stormed out. "Have you seen this?", she asked holding up her phone with the same article as he had just read. Zed nodded. "We're fucked Zed! Wyatt and Addison are going to see, and we're fucked!"

Before Zed could respond, and loud pounding on the door interrupted them.

Chapter Text

Zed opened the door, cautiously, to find a very angry Bonzo. He pushed past Zed and into the apartment, whilst growling, "Start talking Zed. And you better have a good explanation or a swear to God I will-". He stopped on seeing Wynter standing in the doorway to the bedroom and looked back at Zed. "So, Bree and Addie were right, you two are fucking now!"

"No, Bonz, calm down, you've got this all wrong. Wynnie and I-" Zed started.

"Wynnie? You two seem very close all of a sudden! How could you, Zed?!"

"Bonz, please just sit down, and I can explain everything," Zed begged, seeing the scared look in Wynter's eyes. He couldn't blame her really; even he'd never seen Bonzo this angry.

Bonzo glanced across at Wynter, and then back at Zed. "This ought to be good," he snarled, finally taking a seat on the couch (now turned Zed's bed). "So?"

"I didn't cheat on Addie, Addie cheated on me," Zed explained, slowly.

"Bullshit!" Bonzo exclaimed.

"It's true," Wynter said, sadly. "Wyatt and Addison slept together. Multiple times. I overheard him telling Willa."

"And I walked in on them on Saturday," Zed added. Bonzo looked back and forth between them, with a sceptical look in his eye. "I can prove it too," Zed said, holding out his phone. Bonzo took it, scrolling through the dozens of unanswered texts from Addison:

Addie: Zed, I'm so sorry

Addie: It meant nothing

Addie: Please, I made a mistake

Addie: I love you, not him

Addie: Please Zed, answer me

There were dozens of texts similar to this, from the last dew days. Bonzo looked up in defeat.

"Zed, I'm so sorry," he said, his eyes racked with guilt. "You're my best friend, I don't know how I couldn't believe you. I-I just believed Addison and Bree without thinking. I'm so, so sorry. Please, forgive me."

"It's ok Bonz," Zed replied, taking a seat next to him. "We've all been there – rushing in without thinking properly. I just-" A knocking interrupted Zed, yet again.

"I'll get it," Wynter huffed, and walked towards the door, leaving Bonzo and Zed alone on the couch. They sat in silence for a moment; Bonzo still wracked with guilt from his previous accusations.

"It's just," Bonzo started, making Zed look up. "If Addison really did do that to you, and Bree still defended her, does Bree think that cheating is ok? Does that mean she would cheat on me? Has she already?" Bonzo spiralled.

"Bonz, while me and Bree may not be on the best of terms right now, I know that she loves you. The way you to are together, it's kinda annoying at times, but most of the time it was sweet," Zed replied, placing a comforting hand on Bonzo's shoulder.

"But that's how you and Addie were!" Bonzo exclaimed, throwing his head back. "You were the definition of a perfect couple! And she still slept with Wyatt! Not matter how much she says she regrets it, she still did that!" He looked at Zed with a defeated expression. "What am I going to do?", he asked quietly.

"Talk to her," Zed offered. "If you two are really meant to be, she'll understand how you're feeling. Look, what happened between me and Addie still hurts. It fucking sucked to see her betray me like that. But something good did come out of it," he smiled looking up at Wynter talking to someone at the door.

Bonzo followed his eyes and smirked at Zed. "So Wynter, huh?", he smiled, nudging Zed's shoulder. "You two really are hooking up."

"No, no, nothing like that," Zed said, returning his eyes back to Bonzo. "I mean we kissed yesterday, but we both just got our hearts broken, and are pretty fucked up. So, we're going to take it slow, ease into it. But without her, I don't know where I'd be right now." Bonzo looked at him with a confused expression. "When I saw Wyatt and Addie, I kicked them both out and drank myself half to death. I was in a really bad state of mind, and I just wanted to end it all. I mean, everything around me felt like it was collapsing. I tried to do it myself," he explained, pulling up his sleeves to show the various bruising and cuts up his arms. "But I just couldn't. So, when Wynter showed up, looking for Addison, I asked her to shoot me. Luckily, she didn't, but she helped me to bed, and took care of me the next morning. I've never been more grateful for anyone in my life. And if anyone else was at the door that evening, this would be a completely different story."

"Zed, I had no idea you-" Bonzo began, before they were both interrupted.

"LIKE HELL I WILL!", Wynter yelled. Immediately, Zed leapt up from the couch, and ran to the door to Wynter. He saw Wynter with tears falling from her eyes, talking to Willa.

"What's wrong?", Zed asked, quickly pulling a crying Wynter into his side.

"She wants me to get back with Wyatt," Wynter said, between sobs. Zed looked up at Willa, with the deadliest look he had ever given.

Chapter Text

“She wants me to get back with Wyatt," Wynter said, between sobs. Zed looked up at Willa, with the deadliest look he had ever given.

"That's not what I said," Willa said quickly, sensing Zed's anger. "All I said was that it was time for you to come back to the den. You can't stay away from the pack forever, Wynter. You have responsibilities, to me, to Wyatt, and to the pack."

"You want me to move back to the den, to a room I have to share with Wyatt," she sobbed, burying her head into Zed's chest.

"Why does she have to share a room with Wyatt?" Zed growled at Willa.

"You don't understand Zed. Once the elders have paired two wolves, they have to live together, to raise their pups, to strengthen the bond of the pack," Willa explained, but it just made Zed scowled harder.

"Raise pups? You mean like have kids!" Zed shouted, causing Wynter to sob harder into his chest. "You expect her to have children with the guy who cheated on her; who broke her heart; who physically hurt her yesterday! Are you fucking insane, Willa?"

"Obviously not right away!", she exclaimed. "But when the elders have spoken, we must respect their wishes. It's a wolf thing, you wouldn't understand."

"Fuck the elders!" Zed shouted, getting more and more angry. "I thought you were the alpha! Doesn't that literally mean they have to do what you want!"

"It's not that simple, Zed!" Willa shouted back at him. "They were matched a long time ago! And unless one of them is exiled or dies, they're bound for life!"

"Then exile Wyatt," Wynter said quietly, finally looking back at Willa.

"Wynter, you know I can't just exile people over fights! It's a serious matter! Without proper cause, I can't-"

"He cheated on me, slept with a human, attacked me and Zed in public! What more reason do you need Willa!", Wynter shouted.

"Wynter, he's my brother! No matter how much shit he does, and how much he fucking puts me through, he's still my fucking brother!" Willa growled at Wynter. "So no, I'm not going to exile him."

Wynter paused for a moment, before looking Willa directly into her eyes. "Then fucking exile me.", she stated, snarling as she did so.

"What? Wynter no-" Zed started.

"Wynter I'm not going to do that!" Willa yelled. "You're not thinking straight! Just come back to the den, and we'll figure this out!"

Wynter looked up at Zed, seeing tears forming in his eyes. They both knew if she went with Willa, they probably would never be able to see each other again. Wynter would be forced to drop out of college, and live permanently in the den. "Then let me make this easy for you," she scowled, looking back at Willa. "Fuck you. Fuck Wyatt. Fuck the entire pack. You've all done nothing but lie and screw me over. So fuck it, I'm done, Willa. I'm done sacrificing me happiness for the pack. I'm done doing stuff I don't want to do you please you, or the elders, or Wyatt. I'm fucking done, Willa!", she said, slamming the door in Willa's face.

Wynter turned to Zed in disbelief. "I can't believe I just did that," she said, letting out a small smile of relief.

"You are the bravest person in the world, you know that right," Zed said, pulling her into a hug. "I wouldn't have been able to do that."

"Neither would I," Bonzo smiled, watching the two of them from the couch. "You guys look good together, you know. And I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"Thanks, Bonz," Zed said. "But we do still have one issue." Bonzo and Wynter looked at him slightly puzzled. "The article. It literally had a picture of us kissing, and Addison is going to be pissed!"

"Shit, the article," Wynter muttered. "There's no way that the Aceys will take it down."

"And so now everyone thinks that you two cheated on them," Bonzo added.

"There's nothing we can do," Wynter sighed. "Addison probably already knows, as does every other person on campus. All we can do is hope that people will believe us when we tell them the truth."

"And if they don't, we could always kick their asses," Bonzo laughed.

"But either way, we'll do it together, right Wynnie?", Zed said, pulling her into another hug and smiling goofily.

"Yeah," she smiled back at him. "And the name Wynnie is growing on me."

Chapter Text

Just as Zed and Wynter had expected, everyone on campus had read the article by lunch. All morning bot Zed and Wynter had heard whispers around them, as people they had never even spoken to pointed at them or scowled. The events of the last few days had shifted the dynamic of almost the whole school, and nowhere was it more evident than the group's table in the cafeteria.

Normally, their round table of eight in the back corner of the cafeteria consisted of the four couples: Zed and Addison, Bree and Bonzo, Willa and Eliza, and Wyatt and Wynter. It was common for laughter and excitement to be radiating from the table, but when Zed and Wynter approached it today, they were met with silence and tension. Zed took his usual seat, unlike Wynter, who slid onto the bench next to Zed, causing a glare from Bree. Willa, Wyatt and Addison were all still missing from the table, but they all sat in silence, each waiting for someone to talk first.

A minute or two later, it was Bree that broke the silence. "You two really think that you can just waltz in here, and expect us all to say nothing?!", she exclaimed, rather loudly. "Why can't we Bree?", Zed replied. "Neither of us did anything wrong! We're the victims!"
"Nothing wrong! You think making out with her in public while your girlfriend is crying in my apartment is doing nothing wrong!", Bree hissed. She then looked at Wynter and continued, "And you were just waiting to swoop in and shove your tongue down his throat weren't you!"
Before Zed or Wynter could respond, Bonzo interjected, "That's enough Bree. Leave them alone."
"You're taking their side!", Bree said, flicking her head towards Bonzo. "Last night you were pretty pissed at them."
"That was because you continently forgot to mention that Addison and Wyatt fucking slept together!"

"Everyone, calm the hell down. You're all creating a scene," Eliza hissed, nodding her head towards the many heads all staring in their direction. At that, they all fell back in their seats, returning to silently glaring. "Now, I know that you are all pissed at each other. But, we need to cooperate with each other, and not start fighting in the middle of the cafeteria. Now, can we… oh fuck."

They looked up to see Addison storming towards the table, with Willa not far behind her. And both of them looked very, very angry.
"Get your ass out of my seat and keep your lips off my boyfriend!", she yelled when she got to the table.
"Ex boyfriend Addie," Zed said, whilst protectively wrapping one arm around Wynter. "How many times have I got to tell you, I'm not your boyfriend anymore! You made damn sure if that when you slept with Wyatt!"
"I, I, But…", she stuttered, looking around at the now dozens of spectators watching their table.

Willa took advantage of the opportunity and started the shouting yet again. "It doesn't matter what happened. It's in the past. But now, we need to all move forward. So Wynter, you're coming back to the den now. Wyatt is already there, and we're going to figure this all out."
"No, she's not going back," Zed growled.
"Wynter, you're coming with me," Willa snarled, ignoring Zed. "It's looks bad on the pack for you it be going against the elder's decisions."
"You mean it looks bad on you, right?", Wynter asked. Willa's eyes narrowed. "Well I can only assume that you're brother cheating on his mate, and another werewolf leaving the pack looks bad on you right?", Wynter continued, smirking. "Makes it look like you can't control your own pack?"
"Wynter, I'm not joking. You're coming with me now. Cooperate or don't, you're coming with me either way," Willa said, flicking out her claws, and snarling her teeth.
"You really think that you can take me?", Wynter asked, as she stood up and did the same.
"And me?", Zed growled, standing up behind her, with the veins in his neck growing more purple and his eyes blackening.
"You think I'm scared of you, rotter?" Willa smirked, causing Zed to growl again, stepping towards Willa. (Author note: Rotter is an offensive slang for zombie)

"Sit the hell down, all of you!", Eliza yelled, throwing herself between her girlfriend and best friend. "Do you want someone to call Z Patrol you idiots?" Reluctantly, the three of them deactivated their powers, and sat down at the table, still staring daggers at one another. "Now, I get that this massive thing has disrupted our whole group, but the fighting has got to stop!", Eliza continued.

"I'll make it simple for us all then," Wynter said. "I'm no longer in your pack. Don't you or Wyatt ever try and talk to me again. I'm done with you all. And you," she said turning to Addison. "You fucked my boyfriend, then blamed me when your's dumped you. So, stay the fuck away from me too, bitch." She then grabbed Zed's hand, and they both stormed out of the cafeteria.

Chapter Text

The weeks following the cafeteria incident were tense. Willa and Eliza's relationship was strained, and Bree and Bonzo's was on very thin ice. But luckily for Wynter and Zed, the werewolves had left them alone. The Aceys have written several more articles about them, including a very detailed account of the cafeteria incident, making it the hottest gossip on campus.

But quite frankly, neither Zed nor Wynter cared. Wynter had officially moved in with Zed, and whilst they still hadn't had sex, they did now share a bed, and often enjoyed evenings snuggled up watching movies. Things were going great between them, and despite the occasional comment from another random student, they were living their best life.

September and October flew by, and soon they found themselves on Halloween, getting ready for the now annual Halloween Zombie Mash, hosted in an abandoned warehouse near Mountain College campus. Like back in Seabrook, Eliza was DJing, and so had spent the last week and a half preparing her skills and playlists for it to be prefect on the night.

At 7:00pm, Zed stood in front of the mirror waiting for Wynter to finish getting ready. He straightened his black waistcoat, practiced the quickdraw of his blaster and smiled. For years he had wanted to dress as Han Solo for Halloween, but Addison had never let him. But now, after weeks of sewing and preparing, he finally had the outfit perfect.

"Why, you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking, nerf-herder," he heard Wynter say, as she finally opened the bedroom door. Zed spun to see Wynter dressed in a silk, white gown, with her hair tied up into two circular buns on the side of her head and holding an old blaster that Zed had been bought as a kid. She really is the perfect Princess Leia, he thought.

"Who you calling scruffy-looking?", Zed asked, doing the iconic Han Solo shrug. He couldn't help but smile, as she ran over to him, passionately kissing him, as she ran her fingers through his already messy hair. "You look fantastic," Zed finally said, after a minute of kissing.

"Let's go, we're going to be late," Wynter smiled pulling him towards the door.

Zed pulled Wynter through the crowded warehouse, as loud musics and strobe lights pulsed. The crowd consisted of mostly college kids, all dressed in a variety of different Halloween costumes, and most of whom were drinking some kind of alcohol. The only way to describe the atmosphere was truly electric.

They eventually spotted Bonzo (mostly due to his large height) and weaved their way through the crowd once again to get to him. "Oh my god!", Bonzo shouted over the music. "You guys look amazing!"

"You do too, Bonz!", Zed replied. Bonzo was dressed as Gandalf the Grey, complete with grey robe, a huge white beard, wizard hat and staff. The three chatted for a moment or two, before Bree interrupted them.

As she approached, Bree shot Zed and Wynter a dirty look. She was dressed as Anna, from the Disney movie Frozen, which led Zed to believe that Addison was probably around, dressed as Elsa. "Bonz, we've finally found a table over there," she said returning her gaze to Bonzo. "Come on."

Whilst Zed and Wynter hadn't exactly spoken to Bree since the cafeteria incident, things between them were still tense. And Zed wouldn't have expected them to have changed; he knew first hand that both Bree and Addison could definitely hold a grudge when they wanted to. So, he was prepared for the next few months to be filled with dirty looks and occasional comments.

Wynter on the other hand was still pissed. As far as she was concerned, they were the ones in the wrong, and she was tired of being treated like the bad guy. Addison and Bree had done a great job of alienating her from her friends, and that was something she wouldn't forgive too easily.

"It's fine! Go! We're going to go dance anyway," Zed told Bonzo, as he was pulled away by Bree. They watched him mouth "I'm sorry", as she pulled him into the crowd. Turning back to Wynter, Zed asked, in his adorable British accent, "Would the Lady Barkowitz honour me with a dance?"

"Why yes, Lord Necrodopolis," Wynter giggled, in an ever so slightly improved British accent. They made their way to the dance floor, which was packed with more costumed people, dancing to the music. Zed and Wynter danced with each other, laughing and giggling at each other and sharing goofy smiles. And of course, the occasional kiss.

About 20 minutes later, a slightly exhausted Zed and Wynter filtered off the dance floor. "I'll grab us some drinks, if you want to find a table," Zed offered.

"Coke Zero, please," Wynter replied, as she started to search the crowded warehouse for a free seat.

Zed pushed his way through the crowds up to the make-shift bar that had been set up in the corner of the warehouse. Eventually he got there, and made several failed attempts to grab the bartender's attention. Seeing they were busy, Zed opted to wait a couple of minutes, and instead started scanning the room to try and find where Wynter had sat (one of the perks of being over 6ft tall).

"So, you finally dressed as Han Solo." Zed turned and saw Addison leant up against the bar next to him. Like he thought, she was dressed in a light blue dress, decorated with snowflakes across it, with her white her braided, and falling over her shoulder. "At least you make the waistcoat cute," she smirked, pulling on his black waistcoat.

"So, Elsa?", he said, carefully removing her hands from his chest.

"Well Bree wanted to do Anna, and there's only so many costumes that work with white hair," she replied, looking slightly hurt. "It's a shame that Bonzo refused to wear the Olaf costume; they would have looked cute."

"Sure," Zed said quietly, as they fell into awkward silence. Time seemed to completely stop, as they both stood, waiting for drinks.

After about a minute (which felt like 2 hours), Addison finally said, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"So you keep saying," Zed replied, bluntly.

"Yeah, I do keep saying, because it's true. I've tried to apologise like a million times. I admit it; I fucked up. It was a mistake. But I want to make it right! I just want to go back to how things were before! So why can't you forgive me! What more can I possibly do?"

"Addie, there's nothing you can do!", he shouted back. "There are some things you just can't forgive."

"Come on! We're Zeddison! We've gotten through worse before. Are you really going to let this be the thing that breaks us apart!"

"I tried to kill myself, you know." At that, Addison fell silent. "The night I found out, I kicked you out and tried to kill myself. It's hard for zombies though, so when Wynter got there, looking for you, I tried to get her to do it." Zed swallowed hard. "I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for her. She was there for me, and you weren't. And that's what I can't forgive."

"Zed, I had no idea. But you kicked me out and-"

"I tried to kick Wynter out too. But she stayed. She refused to leave, because she cares about me. Which is more than I can say about you right now."

Addison looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Zed, I'm so sorry I wasn't there. But it doesn't mean I don't care about you. I just-"

She was interrupted by a crash and a series oh howls that echoed through the room.

"Wynnie," Zed whispered, as he jumped up and sprinted across the warehouse.

Chapter Text

5 Minutes Earlier

Wynter weaved her way through the crowd, waving at some of her friends every now and then, and searching for somewhere for her and Zed it sit. Having no luck downstairs, she ventured upstairs, and eventually found a free bench, perched next to a broken window, overlooking the campus. She quickly jumped onto the bench, and pulled out her phone to text Zed where to find her, when a familiar voice interrupted her.

"Anyone sitting there?", he asked. Wynter's eyes filled with dread as she looked up to see Wyatt smirking down at her. She looked him up and down seeing him dressed in normal clothes. His hair had grown a fair amount in the few weeks since she'd last seen him outside the lecture hall, but other than that, looked almost exactly the same.

"No costume?", she asked sarcastically. "You do know for a Halloween party, you're supposed to dress up."

"I am dressed up. I'm a terrifying werewolf who always gets want he wants," Wyatt growled back. "You on the other hand, are dressed as what? A ghost with weird hair."

"Princess Leia from Star Wars, you jackass," she replied. "You know, my favourite movie series. You'd know that if you weren't such a terrible boyfriend when we were dating."

"We weren't dating, we were betrothed. The elders said so," he growled again. "And as far as I'm concerned, we still are."

"Well, I'm not sure if you heard, dickhead, but I left the pack. So, fuck the elders, and most definitely fuck you," she snarled back at him.

"Don't be like that baby," Wyatt said in a sickly voice, as he reached out to touch her face. Wynter instantly flinched away. "You know, I only ever thought of Addison as a bit of fun. You were always the one I wanted."

"Well, I'm honoured," she replied sarcastically. "But now I've got a better boyfriend. You know, one that listens to you and doesn't fuck other girls behind your back; I know that's a foreign concept to you." At that moment, she got up and tried to walk away.

"I though that would would have learned from last time," Wyatt snarled at her, as he grabbed her arm. "You don't get to walk away from me. And that stupid rotter won't save you this time." His grip tightened, as he pulled her closer. "Never forget, Wynnie, I own you."

Suddenly, Wynter's instincts kicked in, as she kicked Wyatt as hard as she could, between his legs. He howled in pain, releasing his grip on her arm. Taking advantage of his weak state, she punched him, directly in the face three or four times (she lost count in the moment), before delivering another swift kick to his balls. Wyatt, caught completely off guard, stumbled backwards, crashing into several tables, and causing an all-mighty crash that echoed through the warehouse.

"Only Zed calls me Wynnie," she growled at the barely conscious Wyatt, who was now struggling to stand. She looked up to see loads of people now gathered around them, most of them recording the scene on their phones, and many in awe. Wynter wasn't sure what to do, as the crowd stood and stared at her.

She she breathed a sigh of relief, as Zed pushed through the crowd to find her. "Oh my God, what happened? Are you ok? Are you hurt?", he asked without taking a single breathe between questions.

"Zed, I'm fine," she replied, as she hugged him. He held tightly onto her, as she continued explaining. "Wyatt grabbed me, so I kicked him in the balls twice, and punched in the face like four times."

Zed pulled back and looked at her in admiration. "You're amazing," he said, before kissing her passionately. Breaking the kiss, he looked back at her, saying, "Seriously, you are so awesome." He waited a second, then continued. "I love you."

Wynter looked at him and smiled from ear to ear. "I know," she smiled. Zed looked back lovingly, before picking her up, and kissing her more passionately than before. She wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her fingers through his green hair, deepening their kiss. It was only someone in the crowd catcalling them that broke the kiss. They pulled apart, realising they were still in public, and giggled to each other.

"We should probably-" Zed started.

"Go home. I agree," Wynter finished, and she jumped down, and placed a small kiss on Zed's lips, before grabbing his hand and pulling him through the crowd and towards the door.

Chapter Text

The next morning, it was Zed that woke up first. He carefully untangled his limbs from Wynter's, trying his best not to wake her up. He quickly pulled on a pair of sweatpants and T-shirt from his side of the wardrobe, and made his way into the kitchen.

After making the coffee, Zed laughed quietly to himself, as he spotted the various pieces of his and Wynter's clothing that were scattered around the apartment. His waistcoat and shirt were both hanging off the front door handle, Wynter's dress was discarded over the back of the sofa, his belt and pants lay in the middle of the floor and Wynter's bra hung over a lamp. It's a wonder we made it into the bedroom last night, he thought, as he slowly sipped his coffee.

Zed was about halfway through making pancakes (which he had quickly learned were Wynter's favourite breakfast, so tried to make as much as possible), when his phone rang. He quickly ran to answer it, hoping that his fairly loud ringtone hadn't woken Wynter up, and didn't bother looking at the caller id, assuming it was probably Bonzo.

"Hello," he yawned.

"Zed, are you only just waking up? It's 10:00 am!", his father replied. Zevon's voice took him by surprise.

"Dad! Hi, um yeah, I've just got up, it's erm, I had a late-night last night."

"Oh, the Halloween Zombie Mashes," Zevon said, with a hint if disapproval in his voice. "The less I know about those the better for both of us I think."

"Yeah, probably," Zed replied, his mind wandering back to last night. He definitely didn't want his dad knowing about last night.

"Zed! Can you hear me?", his dad shouted, knocking Zed out of his gaze.

"Yeah, sorry I zoned out a little. What was that?"

"I said, I know you're in college, and you want to have fun, but please make sure you're being safe and responsible."

"Yep, definitely responsible."

Zevon sighed. "Anyway, I was calling to ask about Thanksgiving. It's in a couple of weeks, and I just wanted to check that we're doing the same as last year. You know, you, me, Zoe going to Addison's parents, watching the parade, eating dinner etc."

Shit. I haven't told him, Zed thought. Is he going to be mad? Disappointed? Dad and Zoe both love Addison, of course they're going to be disappointed.

"Zed? Hello? Are you still there?", Zevon asked again.

"Yeah dad, still here just thinking," he said.

"As I was saying, I don't mind hosting this year, and they can come around to our house, but I just need numbers so I can prepare for food and-"

"Yeah, dad. That's probably not going to happen," Zed interrupted.

"Oh, ok. I mean I enjoyed last year, and I know Zoe loved watching all Addison's old cheer tapes, so we'll all go there again-"

"No, no, dad. Thanksgiving with Addison is probably not going to happen this year," Zed interrupted again. There was silence on the other end, so Zed continued. "You see, Addie and I kinda broke up." Again silence. "Dad, you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he replied, coldly. "Just shocked, I think." He was silent for another few seconds, before continuing. "When did this happen?"

"A couple of weeks ago, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but it just slipped my mind. And with everything going on between classes and Addison, I just forgot to call you guys."

"I see. So, what happened?", Zevon asked.

"Dad, I don't really want to talk about it right now, please can we just move on?"

"Ok, so it'll just be me, you and Zoe for Thanksgiving this year? Just like old times."

At that moment, Zed looked up and saw Wynter standing in the doorway to their bedroom, wearing a saddened expression. "Dad, I've got to go. I'll talk later." He didn't wait for a response before hanging up the phone and looking back at Wynter.

"You never told your dad about Addison? About us?", she asked gloomily.

"No! I mean, technically I didn't, but it's not like that," Zed rambled, trying to justify his mistake. "I genuinely forgot. Between you moving in, Addison moving out, the whole article thing, and Wyatt. I haven't even called them since I broke up with Addison!"

"So, you're not ashamed of me?", Wynter asked, tears starting to fall from her face.

"No! Never!", Zed said, pulling her into a hug. "You are the best thing that has happened to me in a very, very long time. Possibly even ever." He kissed the top of her head and continued. "And I would never be ashamed of you."

Wynter sniffled and looked up with a small smile on her face. "I love you."

"I love you too, Wynnie." Zed stayed in that position for a few more minutes, continuing to hug and comfort his girlfriend, before pulling away. "I love you so much, that I'm about 2 minutes away from a big, stack on pancakes finishing cooking," he said, cooking the last few.

She smiled again and pulled up a stool at the counter. "You do make extremely good pancakes," she smiled. "And after last night, I think I definitely need some."

"Ah yes, last night," Zed smiled back at her, as he placed a stack of pancakes in front of Wynter. "Judging by the state of our apartment, it seemed enjoyable."

Wynter laughed as she looked around the room at the various pieces of clothing. "Well, I certainly enjoyed it."

"So did I," Zed said, dreamily. "So, I was thinking, how would you like to be the guest of honour at this year's Necrodopolis Thanksgiving? I can't promise that it will be fancy, or that you won't get food poisoning from my dad's cooking, or that Zoe won't badger you with a million questions when-"

He was interrupted by a passionate kiss. "I'd love to," Wynter replied, before continuing to kiss him. Her hand slowly crept up his T-shirt and began pulling it off.

"Really? Now?", Zed asked, slightly surprised.

"They pancakes can wait, it's time for round 2 Necrodopolis," Wynter smirked.

And that time, they didn't make it to the bedroom

Chapter Text

Soon enough, Thanksgiving break rolled around, and Wynter was preparing to spend the week with Zed's family. And to say she was nervous, would have been the understatement of the year.

"What if they don't like me?" Wynter said for the sixth time on the journey from Mountain College to Zed's house. "Your sister loved Addison, and I'm definitely not Addison. Oh God, she's going to hate me!"

"No, she won't. You really need to calm down Wynnie," Zed tried to comfort her, whilst also keeping his eyes on the road. "You've met my sister before! And she loved you!"

"That was 4 years ago, and she was 9. She's 13 now, and 13-year-olds can be really mean!", Wynter panicked.

"A few weeks ago, you were almost attacked by your ex-boyfriend, and fought him off like a ninja! How can you be scared of my harmless, 13-year-old sister?", Zed laughed.

"Because I don't care what Wyatt thinks of me! But I really care what your family thinks of me, Zed!" Wynter replied.

"Wynnie, you've done absolutely nothing to upset them. You've baked brownies for them. You even offered to help cook Thanksgiving dinner with me! They have no reason to not love you," Zed said as they pulled up to a red light. "I know I already do." He said, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"Ready?", Zed asked holding a tub of Wynter's brownies in one hand, and Wynter's hand in the other. She nodded, and they made their way up the path to his house. Although all anti-monster laws were now abolished, and Zombies were allowed to move anywhere in Seabrook, Zevon had never wanted to move. Their house was the one he bought with Zed's mom, Zee, and where Zed and Zoey had grown up. It held a special, sentimental place in Zevon's heart.

"We're here! Happy Thanksgiving!" Zed called as he and Wynter entered the house, and walked into the living room. "Hey Dad," he greeted Zevon with a hug. "This is Wynter." He stepped aside, to reveal a nervous looking Wynter.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr Necrodopolis. You have a wonderful home," she said.

"It's nice to meet you too, Wynter," Zevon said, pleasantly.

"Wynter is an amazing baker," Zed said, holding up the tub of brownies. "And she made these for us. Isn't that nice?"

"Well, I can assure you one thing, Wynter," Zevon said. "Zoey will bite your arm off for brownies, so I'd have one now before she sees they are here." They all laughed

"Where is Zoey?", Zed asked, looking around the living room. "Is she here?"

"I'm here, I'm here!" Zoey shouted, as she slowly walked down the stairs and into the living room. "Glad to see you big bro," she said, not looking up from her phone screen.

"Never thought I'd miss the days you would tackle me to the ground because you were so excited," Zed laughed.

"Clearly you haven't met teenage Zoey," Zevon huffed. "The only time she looks away from her phone is for food or she wants money.""I'm not that bad," Zoey said, finally putting her phone away. "Hi Zed, how are you. Nice to see you again Add-". She stopped as she looked past Zed and didn't see Addison as she expected. "Wynter? What are you doing here? Where's Addison?"
Zed looked back at his dad. "You didn't tell her?", he asked.
"I thought it would be better coming from you," Zevon responded.
"What's going on? Where's Addison?" Zoe asked again, clearly annoyed now. Wynter perched awkwardly on the edge of the sofa, not sure how to respond; Zoey was blatantly pointing out her most fear of meeting the Necrodopolis family – she wasn't Addison.
"Zoey, Addison isn't coming. She, um. We erm, we broke up Zo." Zed said sadly, clearly replaying their breakup in his head. "And I, erm, I don't really want to talk about it either Zo, so, let's just leave it at that." Wynter grabbed Zed's hand and held it for emotional support. But, at that moment, Zoey realised what they were building up to.
"So that's why she's here," Zoey said bluntly. "You're replacing Addison with her."
"I'm not here to replace Addison," Wynter spoke for the first time since Zoey entered the room. She looked at Zed and smiled slightly. "We were there for each other when we were needed, and something great blossomed out of it." She and Zed smiled lovingly at each other. Zoey simply rolled her eyes at them, and went back to her phone, leaving the three adults to make small talk for the rest of the afternoon.

Eventually, the evening arrived, and after eating, Zed and Wynter were almost ready for bed. "Bathroom is on the left, dad's room is at the end of the hall, Zoe is second door on the right, mines the first," Zed explained to Wynter, as Zed finished washing the last plate up, and Wynter dried it. "You can stick your clothes anywhere in my wardrobe, I don't particularly mind."
"Wait, why your wardrobe Zed?" Zevon asked, as he walked into the kitchen. "Isn't Wynter staying in Zoey's room?"
"We share at room at school, why not here?" Wynter asked, watching Zevon's face fall.
"You live together? Zed, when were you planning on telling me this?" Zevon hissed, trying not to attract Zoey's attention.
"You were fine with me living with Addison? When she moved out, Wynnie moved in. Why is that a problem? We're both adults."
"Zed. We'll talk about this in the morning. And for tonight only, she can stay in your room."

Without another word, Wynter and Zed quickly made their way upstairs and into Zed's bedroom, trying to avoid the glare that Zevon was giving them.
"Well, your dad now hates me, and your sister definitely hates me," Wynter said, sitting down on Zed's bed and burying her head in on of his pillows.

"They don't hate you, Wynnie," Zed said sympathetically. "My dad was just taken by surprise, that's all. And Zoey doesn't even know you; how can she hate you?"

"Because she said it herself. I'm not Addison," Wynter mumbled.

"Just give it time. She'll love you just as much as I do," he said, gently kissing her.

Their kiss deepened, and in a few minutes, they both made it onto his be. Wynter lay on top of Zed, slowly pulling off his shirt, whilst trying her best not to break their kiss. The rest of their night, like their first, was truly magical.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Zed expected to wake up to Wynter's limbs wrapped around his, and her hair over his face as it often was. He was surprised, however, when he rolled over to find the other side of the bed empty. Zed, gently rubbed his eyes and glanced over at his alarm clock, seeing it was only 6:47am, and the fact that Wynter was hardly ever awake early confused him. He quickly pulled on some clothes and rushed out of his door in search for Wynter.

He didn't have to look far, but by simply following the smell of breakfast down to the kitchen, where he saw her carefully placing blueberry muffin batter into cake cases. He stopped in the doorway and watched her for a second, admiring her attention to detail as she meticulously placed exactly the same amount in each case. After the final one, she opened the oven, and placed the tin into it.
"You know you didn't need to make breakfast," Zed said finally, as he walked into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her from behind and gently kissing her neck.
"You know I don't need another hickey, Zed," Wynter moaned, as he continued to kiss her neck. "It's going to be hard enough hiding the first three from your dad and sister today."
"Well maybe, if you weren't so beautiful, I would be able to restrain myself," Zed laughed, spinning her around to face him. Then, he kissed her passionately, and they both allowed themselves to get lost in the moment. Wynter gently pushed her hands through his thick, green hair, as Zed pulled her closer by the waist.

"And this is why we need to talk this morning," Zevon said, disapprovingly, as he walked into the kitchen. "The first thing I see in the morning does not need to be you two shoving your tongues down each other's throats."

Wynter and Zed quickly broke apart, and glanced at each other, blushing like crazy. Zevon poured a cup of coffee from the pot Wynter had made earlier, and sat down at the table, staring at his son and Wynter. "Sit, now," he said sternly, pointing at the two seats opposite him.
"Dad, I-" Zed started, before being interrupted.
"Zed, no. I'm the one asking the questions here, young man," Zevon said, glaring at the two of them. "I know you said you didn't want to talk about it, but if you two are living together, I want honesty. What happened with Addison? And when did this start?" Zed looked at Wynter and sighed.
"Ok, but it's a long story," Zed replied, reluctantly. For the next 45 minutes, he explained almost everything to Zevon, from first seeing Addison and Wyatt, to Halloween, only leaving out certain intimate parts in an attempt to not further embarrass Wynter. During this time, Wynter sat silently, painfully reliving parts of the story as Zed told it, only getting up to take the muffins out of the oven and put in the next batch.

By the time, he had finished, both Wynter and Zed were emotionally exhausted. Zevon leaned back in his chair, taking everything his son had told him in. "Well, you did say it was a long story," Zevon chuckled to himself. "Zed, can I speak with you, upstairs," he said pointing up the stairs.

Zed turned and gave Wynter an apologetic look, before following his dad up the stairs, leaving Wynter alone once again in the kitchen. She sat scrolling aimlessly on her phone, waiting for Zed and his dad to return.

A few minutes later, the sound of someone walking down the stairs caught Wynter's attention. Expecting it to be Zed, she looked up, but was slightly surprised to see Zoey. "Morning Zoey!", Wynter said, cheerfully. "I made blueberry muffins if you want to try one."
"Not hungry," Zoey scowled at Wynter, as she sat down across from her at the table, pulling out her phone and completing ignoring Wynter's friendly gesture. Zoey yawned, and gently rubbed her eyes, causing Wynter to look up.
"Did you not sleep well?", Wynter asked, trying to start any interaction with Zoey.
"Surprising not," Zoey said, looking up from her phone. "Zed and I share a wall. A very thin wall."
It took Wynter a second to realise what Zoey was talking about. When it hit her, embarrassment spread across her face, as she stuttered, "Zoey, I'm, I'm so sorry. I, I mean we, we weren't-"
"I'm 13, not an idiot. I know exactly what you were doing. Addison at least had the decency to try and be quiet," Zoey muttered.

Wynter had never been so embarrassed in her life. Her face went as red as a tomato, as she tried to reason and explain, but no words came out. She sat, opposite her boyfriend's 13-year-old sister, trying to justify herself.

"You know this is just a phase, right?" Zoey said, interrupting Wynter's thoughts. "Zed and Addison have had fights and broken up before, but they always end up back together."
"Zoey, I know you don't like me," Wynter finally said. "But I love Zed. And you have no idea what he's been through these last few months. You can't just assume that you know what's best for him."
"You've known him, what? 3 months? I'm his sister! I've known him my entire life!", Zoey shouted back. "And I know that Addison is good for him, and you're not." She stormed out of the kitchen, back up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door behind her, leaving Wynter alone at the table, silently sobbing.

After a few minutes, she went upstairs to tell Zed that her being there was a bad idea, and she would go back up to college, when she heard Zevon and Zed's slightly raised voices coming from his bedroom.

"Dad! It's not like that!", Zed exclaimed.
"Bullshit! You think I can't see the hickeys all the way up her neck! I know exactly what you two have been doing!", Zevon replied. He sighed heavily, before continuing, in a softer voice. "Look, Zed. I know that Addison hurt you, but sleeping with Wyatt's girlfriend isn't going to change anything. You need to sit down with Addison and work it all out. You two are supposed to be together, not with a werewolf."

Wynter didn't think her heart could break more than when she found out about Addison and Wyatt. But it just shattered 10 time the amount it did last time. She couldn't cope anymore; she just had to get out of there. And with that, she ran.

Chapter Text

5 Minutes Earlier

"Well, you did say it was a long story," Zevon chuckled to himself. "Zed, can I speak with you, upstairs," he said pointing up the stairs.

Zed turned and gave Wynter an apologetic look, before following his dad up the stairs, leaving Wynter alone once again in the kitchen. Zed followed his father into his bedroom, pulling his door (mostly) shut as he entered.
"Zed, why didn't you tell me?" Zevon sighed, sitting down on Zed's bed. "About Addison, about Wynter. I thought I was the kind of dad you could come to about this sort of stuff."
"Dad, I'm sorry. I should have told you, but everything happened so fast. I forgot," Zed replied, hanging his head.
"Zed, I know that you're growing up. You don't need me as much. But I want to be there for you. Since you left for college, it's been a little lonely here. Zoey will never admit it, but she really misses you too. Just, please try ok?"
"Yeah dad, I'll try and make an effort to call and visit more. And you can use that time to get to know Wynter more, right?" Zed watched as a slight frown grew across Zevon's face. "What's wrong?"

"Son, are you sure that you're ready to be dating? And with Wynter?", Zevon asked.
"What's wrong with Wynter?", Zed replied, with a sceptical look on his face.
"Nothing's wrong with her!", Zevon defended. "She's a perfectly nice girl. But are you sure she's right for you?"
"Dad, why don't you like me and Wynter together?" Zed asked, his voice slightly raised.
"I just, I just think that you are using her to make Addison jealous. And she's using you to annoy Wyatt. I get you're happy at the moment, but how long is this really going to last?"
"How can you say that dad? She's been nothing but kind, and helpful and-"
"Answer me honestly. What does Addison think of you two?"
Zed paused for a moment, then answered, "She hates Wynter. But-"
"Son, I know you're angry. And you have every right to be. But sleeping around with Wynter isn't going out change anything between you and Addison."
"Dad! It's not like that!", Zed exclaimed.
"Bullshit! You think I can't see the hickey all the way up her neck! I know exactly what you two have been doing!", Zevon replied. He sighed heavily, before continuing, in a softer voice. "Look, Zed. I know that Addison hurt you, but sleeping with Wyatt's girlfriend isn't going to change anything. You need to sit down with Addison and work it all out. You two are supposed to be together, not with a werewolf."

Zed stood up; fists clenched by his sides. He turned to his father, and growled, "You know nothing about me. You don't care about me. If you did, you wouldn't be desperately trying to get me and Addison back together. If you did, you would be happy that I've found someone that I love; that I've found someone that by some miracle loves me back!"
"But that's Addison, Zed. She loves-"
"FUCK ADDISON!", Zed shouted. "And fuck you, you old, selfish, arrogant bastard!" There was a moment of silence between the two of them, before Zed continued. "And if you think that I'm ever coming back to this house, you're wrong," he snarled, before pulling open the door and storming out.

"Wynter!", Zed called, as he ran down the stairs. "Wynnie where are you?". He was met with silence, and an empty kitchen and living room. He frantically searched the house for any trace of Wynter, but found her nowhere. Ignoring the pleas from Zevon to stop and talk, Zed barged into Zoey's bedroom.

"Have you seen Wynter?", he asked, desperately. "She was in the kitchen a few minutes ago, and now she's gone!"
Zoey slowly pulled out her headphones and looked at Zed. "She ran out the house like a minute ago. She was saying something about how it was a mistake."
"And you didn't stop her!" Zed shouted back. "Fuck!".

He stormed out of the house, and ran down the street, desperately trying to see where she went. Panicked, Zed spun around, trying to see any clue to where she could have gone. "FUCK!", he shouted again, before he pulled out his phone, quickly calling Wynter. No answer.

Wynter sat crying by the river. She wasn't sure why she had come here, but as she ran from Zed's house, her legs just brought her to the riverbank. She perched herself on the edge of one of the large rocks, and silently cried, as she watched the water flow.

I'm an idiot, she thought to herself. Such a fucking idiot. Why did I think I could be happy with Zed? That his sister or dad could ever think of me as anything but a placeholder until Addison came back. He's probably already getting back together with her. She cried even harder at the thought of Zed and Addison back together. Why did I ever think that they wouldn't find a way back to each other? Everyone tried to warn me.

She sat motionless, for what seemed like a lifetime, replaying every moment she had spent with Zed. To her, it had been the best moments of her life. She felt free of Wyatt, Willa, the elders, and the pack. She felt free of responsibility, and expectations. She could just be herself. But to Zed, it was probably just a distraction from Addison.

But I was stupid to think it could ever last. To think that Zed would ever want to choose me.

She sat watching the flowing water, and the same thought kept spinning around her head.

I should probably just end it all

Chapter Text

"What the fuck did you say to her Zoey?!", Zed shouted as he stormed back into the house, trying to phone Wynter for the fifth time with no answer.
"Zed! Calm down! You don't talk to your sister like that!" Zevon shouted back at him.
"I'm not talking to you," Zed replied, coldly. "Zoey, what the hell did you say to her? Where's she gone?", he continued, as he stormed back into Zoey's bedroom.
"I, I don't know," Zoey said meekly. "I, I erm, I said something about Addison, and then went upstairs and left her alone in the kitchen. I'm sorry. Zed, I'm so sorry."
"Fuck this house!", Zed shouted. "If either of you two actually cared about me, you would stop bringing up Addison and accept Wynter." With that, he stormed out of the house again, and into his car, starting to drive around the streets looking for Wynter.

After almost 30 minutes and no results, Zed finally called for help. He pulled over, and called Eliza. After a few rings, she picked up. "Sup Zed. What can I do for you?"
"Are you with Willa?", he asked, sharply.
"Zed, whatever shit you two are arguing about, I'm not getting inv-"
"Eliza, please. I don't give a fuck about arguments right now. Are you with Willa?"
"Yeah, I'm at the wolf den now, give me a sec to grab her." To Zed, it felt like hours waiting for Willa to get to the phone. Please, Wynter. Please be close, he thought over and over again.

"Zed, want do you want?", Willa finally said, in a harsh tone.
"Is Wynter there? In the den?", Zed asked, desperately.
"Why would that fucking traitor be at the den?", Willa snarled back.
"Willa, please. My dad something bad about Wynter and she heard it and ran off. I need to find her. Please, you've known her far longer than I have. Where could she have gone?"
Willa paused for a moment, then answered, "Wynter always liked the water. Is there a lake or a river nearby. She might be there."
"Thank you! Thank you so much Willa!", Zed exclaimed.
"And Zed," Willa continued, now much quieter. "Please make sure she's safe. I know we're not exactly speaking after everything that's happened, but I still care for her." She paused again. "Just make sure she's safe."
"I will. Thank you, Willa."

Just as he hung up the phone, a message from Wynter came through. He opened it quickly, and read:
Wynnie ❤️: Zed, I'm so sorry for causing a fight with your dad. But sitting here and watching the world go by this last hour, I realise that we could never last.

You deserve Addison, and you know it's true. Everyone does. Through ups and downs, you two have always stuck together, and I don't know why I tried to convince myself otherwise. I'm sorry to have kept the two of you apart, and I promise that it won't be the case anymore.

All I ever caused anyone is pain. I kept you and Addison apart, made Wyatt angry all of the time, caused Bree and Bonzo's relationship to almost fall apart, and made Willa look bad in front of the elders. Whilst I never meant for any of it to happen, I know that it's my fault, and I am truly sorry.

I know it's stupid, because our relationship was never real, but I felt like it was. The last few months were the most exciting and thrilling I have ever had. For the first time in my life, I felt loved, and wanted. I felt like I truly belonged somewhere. But if the last 2 days have taught me anything, it's that we aren't meant to be.

Zed Necrodopolis, you are a wonderful and loving man, and Addison is truly lucky to have you in her life. Don't mourn or cry over me. I'm not worth any of your tears. Just live your life to the fullest, and make every day like you have made the last few of mine – a gift.

So, thank you Zed. Thank you for making my last few months the best I've had. The truth still is, however, that I only ever bring pain and suffering to everyone I love. The world would be a better place without me in it, so for the first time in my life, I'll do the world a favour and take me out of it.

Goodbye Zed.

Zed hysterically cried all the way through reading the message. Desperately, he texted her back, trying to convince her to wait, to listen, to stop, but to no avail. All the messages remained unread.

He sped towards the riverbanks, as fast as his car would allow. He swerved around pedestrians, almost caused 3 different accidents, but he simply didn't care. You are a fucking idiot Zed, he thought, as he drove. How could you let this happen. She's going to kill herself, and it's your fucking fault!

About six minutes after receiving the message, Zed got the the river. He jumped out of the car before it even stopped, not caring that it rolled into the side of the bridge. He ran down the path, past the rocks, where he saw her phone and jacket; she was definitely here.

Without a second thought, he jumped into the river, swimming downwards as fast as he could, in search of Wynter. Panicked, he hunted around for any sign of her; he knew he was running out of time. Just as he was convinced he was too late, Zed saw her body. Lay motionless on the bottom of the river, Wynter appeared to be sleeping peacefully. He swam over to her, pulling her up, and swam as fast as he could up to the riverbanks.

Her skin was cold.

She didn't move.

She wasn't breathing.

Chapter Text

“Zed, you need to get some sleep. You've been awake for 3 days straight!", Eliza exclaimed, as they sat beside Wynter's hospital bed.
"What if she wakes up and I'm not there. I can't do that to her; it's my fault she's here to begin with," Zed said, not taking his eyes off Wynter.
"Just take a nap on the sofa. I'll be here the whole time and I'll wake you straight up if she wakes up. Please Zed, just sleep," Eliza begged.
"She's right Zed," Willa agreed, as she walked into the room with two cups of coffee. "Wynter will need you when she wakes up, and you're no help if your half asleep."
Zed wanted to argue back, but he just didn't have the energy. He hated to admit it, but they were right. "Fine, but the second she wakes up-"
"I'll wake you up," Eliza finished. "Now sleep."

Zed reluctantly made his way to the couch, and lay down on it, his feet hanging off the edge. As soon as he closed his eyes, he fell fast asleep, leaving Willa and Eliza watching Wynter.

Zed stood in the dark. There was absolutely nothing around him but the emptiness of space. Suddenly, Wynter appeared. Like she was in the river, her body lay motionless. Her eyes were closed, lips blue, and not breathing.

"Wynnie! Wynnie!" Zed tried shaking her awake, but with no luck. Still, she lay as still as a statue. Zed cried, holding her in his arms, begging for her to wake up. "Please Wynnie. I love you," he sobbed.

"You don't love me," he heard Wynter's voice say, coldly. He spun around, seeing Wynter now standing behind him. "You love Addison, not me. I am nothing," she continued, with no change of tone. She stood, completely emotionless in front of a tearful and broken Zed.
"That's not true, Wynnie. I love you. Please believe me!", Zed begged, now on his knees in front of her. Still, she remained emotionless.
"All I bring is pain and suffering to those I love," Wynter continued, pulling a knife from her back pocket.
"Wynnie, that's not true. Please put the knife down," Zed cried louder, but it was like she couldn't hear him.
"The world would be a better place without me in it," she finished, as she plunged the knife into her stomach.
"Noooo!" Zed screamed, running as fast as he could towards her.

"Nooo!" Zed screamed, as he jolted awake. "Wynnie! Where's Wynter?", he scrambled, pulling himself up from the couch.
"Zed, Zed. Wynter's fine, she's right there. It was just a dream," Willa soothed, as she pulled his flaying arms to his sides, trying to comfort him. "It was just a dream; Wynter is fine," she repeated.

Zed took a moment to catch his breath, looking around the room. Everything was exactly how he remembered before he fell asleep. The bleak, white hospital room, window facing the dumpsters, the steady beeping of Wynter's heart monitor. It was just a dream.

He sighed in relief, looking back at Willa, with tears forming in his eyes. "I almost lost her again," he sobbed. "I couldn't save her."
"Oh, Zed. Come here," Willa replied, pulling Zed into a comforting hug. It was strange to be hugging Willa; normally she gave a strong, stoic impression, but today, she knew that both Zed and Wynter needed her. "Zed, Wynter is the strongest person I know. She's going to pull through, and that's because you saved her. Not me, not Eliza. You."

Zed hugged Willa tighter He knew she was right; Wynter truly was the strongest person he knew. And if anyone could pull through, it was her.

"Woah, Willa and Zed hugging. Now that's something I thought I'd never see," Eliza said, walking back into the room. They all chuckled slightly at Eliza's remark. "Wills, visiting hours are almost over. We should get going," Eliza continued.
"You going to be ok?" Willa asked, looking back at Zed. Zed nodded slowly. "Ok, we'll be back at 8:00am sharp. Make sure she's ok."

Willa and Eliza made their way out of the hospital room, leaving Zed alone with Wynter. Technically, he shouldn't be staying with her, but due to the circumstances (and the fact Zed refused to leave), one of the nicer nurses reluctantly let him stay. Zed curled up on the chair next to Wynter's bed, pulling the now familiar blanket over him and watched her sleep. She looks so peaceful, Zed thought.

About 3 hours later, Wynter began to stir. Zed jumped up fro his seat, rushing right over to her bed, and sat perched on the edge, holding her hand.
"Zed? What are you doing? Where-" Wynter started, groggily. She was interrupted, however, by Zed's lips softly kissing hers; the only thing that he had wanted to do for the last 3 days. A couple of seconds later, Zed gently pulled away from her.
"Wynnie, you have to know that nothing in that message was true. You are the strongest, bravest, most beautiful person I have ever known. I'm so sorry if you ever felt otherwise, but I promise I will never let you feel like that, ever again."
Wynter saw the guilt and fear in his eyes, and felt tears grow in her own. "Zed, I. I, erm." She was utterly lost for words. For the first time in her life, Wynter didn't know what to say.
"Wynnie, it's ok. You're ok now," Zed said, pulling her tightly into a hug. She buried her face in his chest, gently sobbing against the fabric of his shirt.

Maybe he does love me, she thought.

Chapter Text

Zed sat anxiously on the now very familiar hospital chair, waiting for Wynter to arrive back. About 30 minutes ago, two of the nurses had taken her for some tests and examinations of some sort, leaving Zed to worry alone in the hospital room. For the hundredth time since she'd gone, he glanced down at his watch, hoping it would speed up time. But instead, he kept slowly watching the seconds tick by.

At least Eliza and Willa will be here soon, he thought. So far, they were the only ones who knew what ha happened. He thought back to the day he found Wynter:

After Zed had pulled Wynter from the river, he had taken her straight to the hospital, to be treated. There was a period of uncertainty, where they weren't sure if Wynter would make it, and Zed was an absolute mess. Willa called him several times, for updates of Wynter's location, but he hadn't answered.

Eliza, being the computer whiz she was, had tracked Zed's phone to the hospital, and Eliza and Willa were there within the hour. When they saw Zed, pacing up and down anxiously in the waiting room, their hearts sank.

Zed saw them, and broke down crying, saying it was his fault, and Wynter was going to die, and he could never forgive himself. Eliza's heart broke; she had never seen him like this, and it hurt her more than she wanted to admit. They pulled Zed back together, and sat with him, silently waiting for any news on Wynter's condition.

They all breathed a sigh of relief when the doctor announced that she would be alright. And for the next few days, both Eliza and Willa stayed with him for as long as they could, only leaving the hospital when they were kicked out by the nurses, and arriving the next day with breakfast and coffee as soon as visiting hours began.

Telling Wyatt or Addison was completely out of the question, and Zed still hadn't spoken to Zevon or Zoey since he went to look for Wynter. They had thought about telling Bonzo, but he was with Bree in Colorado for Thanksgiving break, so would only worry more.

"We're going to keep you here for another day or two for observation," the nurse explained, as he pushed Wynter in a wheelchair back into the room, knocking Zed out of his trance. "But if the tests come back positive, you can probably go home the day after tomorrow."
"Thank you," Wynter said, quietly, as she got up and climbed back into the bed.
"I'll leave you two alone," the nurse replied, as he wheeled the chair back out the room, and closed the door.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Do you want some water? Or coffee? Or-" Zed started.
"Zed, please. I just want to be with you," Wynter said, softly. Zed gently climbed onto the bed with her, allowing her to rest her head onto his chest, as he wrapped his arm protectively around her. They had spent the entire of last night together, just discussing feelings and the last few days. Plenty of tears had been shed, on both sides, and they'd finally reached a place where they both felt comfortable.

"I meant what I said last night, by the way," Zed said, causing Wynter to look up at him. "You are my future. Not Addison. You." He gently kissed the top of her head. "So please don't ever try to do anything like that again. Just talk to me, and I promise I'll make you feel better."
"Don't worry, I wont," Wynter smiled, lying her head back down on his chest. They enjoyed a few more minutes of silence, just cuddling with each other until another interruption.

"Hey Zed, I've got coffee-" Eliza said, as she opened the door, stopping when she saw Wynter lying next to Zed. "Oh my god, Wynter, you're ok. We were so worried." Eliza practically threw herself at Wynter, wrapping her in a tight hug.
"Thanks Eliza," Wynter smiled, returning the hug. People really do care about me, she thought. "Is this one of the rare Eliza Zambi hugs?", she joked.
"Yeah, don't get used to them," Eliza laughed, as she finally pulled away. "Willa is just parking the car, she'll be up in a sec. She's going to be so happy to see you, Wynter."
"Willa is coming? Here?", Wynter asked nervously, glancing at Zed.
"Don't worry, Wynnie," Zed said, pulling her tightly back into a hug. "She hasn't missed a day since you got here. And I probably wouldn't have found you if not for her."
"Oh," Wynter said, not really understanding what was happening. Last time she spoke to Willa, she told her fuck herself, and she hated her.

Less than 5 minutes later, the door opened again, and Willa walked through. She froze on seeing Wynter. Then, like Eliza had done a few minutes ago, she lunged at Wynter, wrapping her arms tightly around her. "Wynter, I'm so glad you're ok! I'm so sorry. I was a horrible alpha, and an even worse friend. I'm so, so sorry," she cried.
"I'm sorry too," Wynter choked, in between sobs. "I said vile things to you, and you didn't deserve that."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," the nurse from before said, as he walked through the door Willa had left wide open. "But the tests we ran have all come back positive. It looks like you and the baby are going to be ok."

Wynter looked up, very confused. "Baby? What baby?"

The nurse looked back down at the chart in front of him. "As standard procedure we run blood tests on all patients. Miss Barkowitz, you're pregnant."

Chapter Text

The nurse looked back down at the chart in front of him. "As standard procedure we run blood tests on all patients. Miss Barkowitz, you're pregnant."

"Pregnant?", she questioned, looking directly at Zed, who wore an equally confused and scared expression. "You mean like pregnant, pregnant? Like to have a baby pregnant?" The nurse nodded.
"But how?", Zed asked. "We, we used protection. Every time. How is she pregnant?"
Realisation dawned on Wynter, as her face went as pale as a ghost. "Halloween," she stated, making Zed look back at her.
"No, Wynnie. We used a condom. I made sure. I-"
"Not the morning after," Wynter interrupted him. Zed's face dropped as he realised; she was right.
"I'm going to leave you guys alone, call if you need anything," the nurse said, quietly, as he pulled the door shut.

Willa and Eliza looked at each other, utterly stunned. They were both lost for words. Pregnant. Wynter and Zed were going to have a baby. The thought of is completely scared the shit out of them.
"We're going to give you guys a minute to process," Eliza finally said, breaking the tension filled silence. She grabbed Willa's hand and quietly lead them out of the room, now just leaving Wynter and Zed, alone.

Wynter and Zed shared an equally shocked, but terrified look. She swallowed hard, and began, "Zed, I'm so sorry. I've ruined your life. You don't want-"
He interrupted her, by crashing his lips into hers, and starting a passionate kiss. They kissed for about a minute, his hands gripping her waist tightly, as she gently ran her hands through his thick, green hair. Eventually, Zed broke the kiss, and said, quietly, "Wynnie, this is the best news I've ever heard." She looked at him, slightly confused, as he continued. "Unexpected? Definitely. But the love of my life is going to have my child; how can I be anything but overjoyed. And I support any decision you make, if you want to keep it, or not."
Wynter smiled back at him. "Keep it," she said, quietly. "I want to keep it." She looked up at Zed, wearing a saddened expression, "But what if everything changes?"
"Wynnie, we're going to have a kid; of course everything it going to change," he replied, causing a frown the appear on her face. "But change isn't always a bad thing. And I think that this kid will grow up with the best mom in the world."
"And the best dad," she smirked,

She hugged him tightly, wiping a tear of happiness quickly from her face. Zed is right, Wynter thought to herself. This baby might just be the best thing in the world.

ZZZZZZZZZZZ

About 30 minutes later, a timid knock on the door interrupted Zed and Wynter's conversation. It slowly creaked open to reveal Eliza and Willa nervously waiting in the doorway.
"Hey, it's been a while. We were wondering if you wanted to talk, or…"
"Yeah, you guys can come back in," Wynter said, softly. She and Zed sat opposite each other on the hospital bed, with a stack of leaflets in the middle of them. Eliza and Willa sat down on the sofa they had become well aquatinted with the last few days. The four sat in silence for a couple of minutes, nobody really knowing how to start the conversation.

"So," Willa finally said, looking at Wynter. "How are you feeling?"
"Overwhelmed," Wynter replied, honestly. "I mean, there's never even been a human-werewolf baby, never mind a zombie-werewolf baby. The nurse gave us all these leaflets about pregnancy, but I don't know how much even applies to us, and…"
"Hey, hey, hey. Wynnie, I already said, everything is going to be ok," Zed said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"How do you know that, Zed?", Wynter asked, with a panicked expression. "And why aren't you freaking out like me?"
"Because when one of us is freaking out, the other needs to stay calm. Wynnie, whatever happens, we'll get through this," Zed said, reassuringly.
"And we'll be here to help, whenever you two need us," Eliza chimed in.
"Really?" Wynter smiled.
"Wynter, I said earlier, I've been a horrible friend the last few weeks. I was mad at the elders, pissed at Wyatt, and I took it all out on you. I'm so sorry, but let me make it up to you. Whatever you need, day or night, please come to me," Willa said, no longer holding back the tears. Wynter said, nothing in reply, but jumped up and wrapped her arms around Willa.
"And when the kid does get here, Auntie Eliza and Auntie Willa will be more than happy to babysit," Eliza laughed. "I'm one hundred percent being the fun aunt."

"Guys, not to interrupt this lovely moment, but Willa just made me realise; what are we going to do about Wyatt?", Zed asked, with a glint of fear in his eye. "The last two times we've seen him, he tried to attack you, Wynnie. If he finds out you are pregnant, who knows what he might do."
"He's right," Willa said, breaking off the hug. "Wyatt hasn't been himself around the den recently. He's angry, short, and sometimes nearly violent."
"We're bound to see him around at some point; Mountain College isn't that big," Eliza agreed.
"And what about Addison?", Wynter added. "I know she won't be as angry as Wyatt, but she's going to be pissed as hell. She's still in love with Zed."
"Fuck, why does this have to be so complicated," Zed sighed, holding his head in his hands.
There was another moment of silence before Willa spoke again. "I should be able to keep Wyatt away for a while. I'll text you every time he leaves the den to go somewhere on campus."
"And at least you're not showing yet," Eliza added. "That way if Wyatt or Addison do see you, they won't know straight away."
"But the most important thing is that we'll handle it together. Right Zed?" Wynter asked.
"Together," Zed agreed.

Chapter Text

A couple of days later, Wynter was discharged from the hospital, and she and Zed drove back up to their college apartment. Not wanting to see his dad, Zed sent Eliza into his house to retrieve the few items he and Wynter had left. Zevon had not taken Zed's refusal to speak to him well; according to Eliza, he had continuously interrogated and shouted at her to tell him everything when she got their stuff. In addition, Zed had a very long string of unanswered text messages from Zevon, with messages ranging from telling Zed he was a disappointment, to begging him to come home and talk this out.

It was a Sunday afternoon, when Zed and Wynter sat in their apartment, playing monopoly. Zed was teaching Wynter how to play, since they had never had board games in the wolf den, and it had become a weekly tradition to play one a week since Wynter had moved in. Her favourite so far was Twister, but that was mainly because when they played together, they ended up tangled in each other's limbs, which very quickly became them making out.

They were reaching the 3-hour mark of the game, and to her surprise, Wynter was winning. She had built several hotels, and was about to build another on the reds, when a loud knocking at the door interrupted them. It startled both Zed and Wynter, and after warning Wynter that he knew exactly how much money he had, and so it was no use trying to steal it, he went to answer it.

"Look who I found," Eliza announced, as Zed opened the door to reveal her and Bonzo.
"Bonz! Welcome back! How was Colorado?", Zed asked, as Bonzo pulled him into a hug.
"Not great. I'll tell you about it later," Bonzo answered, finally letting go of Zed. "Is Wynter here? Eliza said she was in the hospital. Is everything ok?"
"You better come in and sit down," Zed said, flashing a worried look at Eliza. "A lot happened while you were away."