A/N: Hello again! yes, im alive. no, you're not dreaming. yes, this is not proofread. no i do not care. yes the ending sucks. Again, no, i do not care. Yes i have been siting on this chapter that was only missing the last scene for a year. Sorry.

enjoy. :)

Eliza stood on the steps and waited only two seconds before knocking again, this time more insistently. Zed may have been a jerk who ditched school—and her, for that matter, on the day before the big debate nonetheless—but he never made her wait more than a minute to answer the door. But apparently today was Test-Eliza's-Nerves day for him.

Before she could knock again, the door swung open and Zoey Necrodopolis shot her glare. "Whaat?" she drawled out. "I'm trying to do my homework here!"

"Where's your brother?"

Zoey shrugged. "He didn't pick me up from school so I thought he was with you." Her attitude dropped, sudden realization dawning on her face. "He's not? But it's almost curfew. If he gets caught out again he'll be in huge trouble. I have to go tell—"

"No! Wait." Eliza rushed out, stopping Zoey before she could run off. The last thing she needed was Zevon finding out Zed had ditched school, had run off in search of his werewolf girlfriend. Who knew what Zevon would do? This was all uncharted territory—werewolves, Zed ditching school, Zed having a girlfriend. She'd have to get to him before Zevon or anyone else found out he was missing.

"I—uh—just remembered that he's with Bonzo. I'm gonna go—to check on him." She started to turn, then decided to add for good measure, "He won't be back until after curfew though so please cover for us thanks bye Zoey!"

Eliza ran down the steps before Zoey could protest, jogging down the block to Bonzo's house.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, Addison turned around in his arms, her eyes locked into his. Zed tried to give her a comforting smile, though he knew it did little to help her. He couldn't get the image of her crouched on the ground, a blue tint under his skin that he swore he saw in the dim light of the cave, coughing and spluttering and struggling for breath, out of his mind. She had almost died minutes ago—actually, seriously died.

He swallowed, forcing back those thoughts. She was breathing now, her moonstone wasn't sickly green and yellow and she was looking more and more like her normal self again. Still, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you feel okay?"

"I…" She glanced, then back at him and said, "No, no I don't."

He didn't know what to do or say, but his arms tightened around her as if he could protect her from the disease killing her from the inside out, from the inevitable. Her head fell against his shoulder and her eyes drifted closed. "That was a close call," she muttered. "I-I have to tell Wyatt."

"Wyatt?"

"He needs to know that…we only have a few days left before my moonstone gives out," she whispered. "One, maybe two, if I'm lucky."

One day.

One day until the damage was done and there was no more hope for her to ever find the moonstone, to ever get better. One more day.

"Can I ask you something?" Addison hummed in agreement against his shirt. "With the drained moonstone, you have one or two more days before you get too sick to do anything."

"Yeah."

"What if you didn't have it?"

She stiffened, then said, "Usually, a mostly full moonstone can give us enough power to go a week or two without it. But…mine is drained. Maybe a few hours, if I'm lucky." She lifted her head, giving him a sad smile. "Even if I were to find the moonstone tonight, it'd take days or weeks before I could go more than a few hours without a moonstone."

"Oh."

"Were you planning on stealing it or something?"

"No! No, I just…well you saw earlier. My Z-Band shutting off saved me. I just…was hoping it might be similar for you."

She smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek before laying back on his shoulder. "That's really sweet," she whispered. "Thank you. For being here and…and being you. You're amazing."

"You're more amazing," he assured her. "I mean, besides the fact that your title literally has great in it, you're beyond…anything I could ever imagine."

Addison lifted her head, her blue eyes watering at his words. "Zed," she breathed.

Then she kissed him.

Her hands tangled in his hair and pulled him down, her lips on his, and he swore his heart pounded to life. He felt like he might die. The world around him faded to nothing—nothing but him and Addison, in this moment.

He's only kissed two other girls—Zana in seventh grade and some cheerleader from out of town at a Zombie Mash who's name slips his mind in this moment because he's kissing Addison and his heart is pounding and everything is on fire and he's in love, he's so deep in love with the werewolf he just met. His eyes slid closed, lifting a hand to cradle her jaw. She sighed softly against his lips, shifting slightly for easier contact.

"Hey Addison are you—"

Shit.

Addison whipped around, an odd squeak leaving her mouth. Zed's heart dropped and he stared at Wyatt with wide eyes. They were screwed they were so screwed. No one was supposed to know he was there and now Wyatt walked in on them kissing. Zed could already hear the final nails in his coffin.

Wyatt blinked, letting the cover fall down behind him. "What's—uh—what's going on here?"

"It's…It's not what it looks like?" Addison offered lamely.

Wyatt raised an eyebrow and Zed wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and let the earth swallow him, before Wyatt could kill him or ruin him or something worse.

"Really?" He crosses his arms over his chest, smirking. "You think lying is going to save you?"

Addison stood up. "Wyatt I know it looks bad—"

"It doesn't look bad it is bad!"

"Don't tell Willa!" Addison pleaded.

"Don't tell Willa? You're worried about Willa, when you let a zombie into the den!"

"It's not what you think!" she said, her voice begging him to listen. "Wy, please, just listen to me."

Zed stood, standing behind her, glowering at Wyatt. He probably wasn't as threatening as he hoped, and he definitely wasn't helping her case, if the low growl in Wyatt's throat was any indication to how he truly felt.

"Zed fell in a wolf trap and I was taking care of him. That's it! That's all that happened!"

"That didn't look like you were taking care of him!"

Addison groaned. "I can kiss my boyfriend if I want to, okay?" she stated. "I know I shouldn't have snuck him in here but please, just don't tell anyone." His arms dropped and he sighed in exasperation, but Addison kept going. "No one needs to know, I'll sneak him out before midnight. It'll be in and out and no one will be the wiser."

"Addison…"

"Please? Pretty please? With a tender femur on top?"

Zed's eyebrows jumped up. He always thought "pretty please with an eyeball on top" was a universal phrase, then the humans had said "pretty please with a cherry on top" (cherries weren't even that good!) and now a tender femur. It was strange but not pressing, because Wyatt softened and sighed, much to Zed's surprise.

"Fine, but I'm not telling Willa if this goes south."

Addison squealed and pounced on him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you Wy!"

Okay. So maybe Zed was wrong. Maybe Wyatt didn't have a thing for Addison and he was just being crazy. No sane person—or wolf for this matter—would help the person they liked sneak around their boyfriend.

Wyatt looked over Addison's shoulder, at Zed, with a strikingly calm expression. It was intimidating in the weirdest way possible, like he didn't care about Zed but knew every one of his last secrets.

Addison let go of the other wolf, bouncing over to Zed. "Midnight," he reminded her.

"Yes! I'll remember, now get out!"

"So your boyfriend gets to stay—"

Addison whipped around and shot him a glare. Wyatt laughed and backed out, hands on the air in surrender. Once he's gone, Zed fixed Addison with…surprised look, that she didn't catch because she's digging through her chest in the corner. He looked away, not wanting it to look like his eyes were where they shouldn't have been (her butt), and said, "That went surprisingly well."

"That's because it was Wyatt," she said. "If it were anyone else—we would've been so screwed."

"Yeah," he agreed slowly. "So, you and Wyatt are friends?"

She nodded. "Him, me, and Willa all trained together as werepups. We spent every second together…" She trailed off, then turned around. She wasn't looking at him, her focus lost somewhere between reality and a memory. "Until the moonstone sickness started getting really bad, when we were eight. Willa started doing alpha training, and I started doing great alpha training. We all used to be really close…"

Addison's eyes fell to the ground and Zed felt the air slowly leave his lungs. That was how he felt sometimes. Being in high school—in human high school—and he and his friends rarely saw each other. It was like they were suddenly too busy. He couldn't even remember the last time he spent more than five minutes with Bonzo. And it wasn't until this election that he'd hung out with Eliza for so long.

Were they going to drift apart too?

"Sometimes it feels like those days never happened," Addison said. "Like we weren't friends at all. I mean, Willa practically hates me. And Wyatt…he tried to be there for me, but he's the beta. He has to look out for the pack first."

"I…get it," Zed said slowly. Addison snapped her eyes to him in surprise, and he's surprised too. In a weird way, it was all starting to make sense. He honestly felt stupid for never realizing it before. The wolves being in Seabrook was a pain in the butt. But, they were a lot like zombies, like humans, like everybody.

Humans thought zombies were nothing but undead brain-eating freaks. And zombies and humans thought werewolves were dangerous flesh-eating monsters.

It's that word—monsters—that set him off, sending his mind racing at a mile a minute.

Suddenly he's six years old again, and he's helping his mother clean the latest round of graffiti from the side of their home. "Humans think we're monsters, Zeddy," she told him. "But you're not a monster. You're my sweet, kind, darling boy. You're Zed Necrodopolis. Always remember that, okay? You're not a monster, you're a zombie. You're more than just the bad things."

Zed looked back at Addison, surprised to see that she had turned away from him again and was wearing a plain blue, Seabrook-esque tee shirt and buttoning a pair of dark purple jeans. "When did you change?"

She shrugged. "You were staring into space for like five minutes. I decided to let you be."

Huh.

"Can I ask you something?" Zed asked.

Addison threw a smile over her shoulder. "Of course you can."

"Why are you just…okay with humans hating you? Why do you guys just let them call you monsters? I mean, you're so much more than that."

Addison turned around, frowning at the question. "We are monsters," she said. "You're a monster too, aren't you? You eat brains, we eat flesh. It's who we are."

"We don't eat brains," Zed stated. "Not anymore, we're way past that. And we're past being monsters."

"But it's part of what makes werewolves, werewolves," she said. "Every single wolf is unique, different in their own way. But the one thing we have in common is we're all wolves. Even if we're from different packs, or we don't all look the same. Deep down, we're…I don't know, like stars. All unique but the same, separate but together." She shrugged. "That's how I see it at least. It's why I never leave the pack. They drive me crazy, but we're all in this together."

"I-I just don't get it," he huffed. "How can you just walk around knowing so many people out there hate you?"

"Why do you care so much about what other people think?" she asked. "Aren't you proud of who you are?"

Zed fell silent.

Addison waited a second, then turned back around. "My pack and I don't get along most days, but tonight is the one night we forget all of that," she said. "It's the First Moon Feast. It's a celebration of our history and our culture. Of being werewolves."

She turned back to him, except this time he noticed how her face is clear of any and all marking, and her hair is down, flowing down her shoulders and pinned back with a simple blue bow. She looked strangely human, minus the fangs and the claws, and the dark jeans that no human would dare wear.

"You look—"

"Almost human, I know." She grinned, walking over to him. "Can I use your jacket?"

"Yeah but—" He stopped, not sure what he was going to say after that and instead slid it off his arms and handed it to her.

"One of the big things we do tonight is teach the pups about the legend of the Great Alpha," she explained. She kept talking as she walked back over to her chest. "That's me, if you weren't aware. My job is to dress in 'plainclothes' and sneak around the den." She pulled his jacket on, then squatted, rummaging through her chest while she kept up her excited chatter. "The pups will do a bunch of different activities but anytime one of them spots me, they get a bead." She held up and shook the box, verifying the beads inside. Zed nodded, almost struggling to follow her quick and excited explanation. "It's a fun game for the kids. And then, at midnight, there's this big dance where I transform into the Great Alpha."

She stood and turned back to him, grinning from ear to ear. "And you get to be here which makes it even better," she squealed. "You're gonna love it!"

Zed laughed. He already knew he was going to have a great time, just by getting to spend time with her. She bounced over to him and he couldn't help but wrap his arms around her. He wouldn't dwell on his partial existential crisis, or how much trouble he'd be in for being in the wolf den. He didn't let the thought of his dad being beyond upset of him being out all night cross his mind.

He just swept Addison in his arms and held her, ready to learn about werewolves. Because she was a werewolf, and he was willing to do whatever it took to stay by her side just a little longer.

Eliza found Bonzo sitting on the steps outside his front door with Bree, wrapped in their homework. She'd left Zed's house almost an hour ago and, instead of going to find them first, went back home, trying to come up with a logical reason as to where he could've gone. All solutions led her back to Addison and the werewolves, none of which could be true or possible. Zed wouldn't ditch half a school day on the eve of the election for some girl, not to mention a werewolf.

So she found herself running to Bonzo—and evidently Bree—looking for answers or hope—anything really.

"Guys, Zed is missing," she rushed out. "He ditched school and he didn't pick up Zoey and he's not home."

Both Bonzo and Bree shared a look of equal concern, standing up. "Oh no! What are we going to do? Do you think it had anything to do with Addison?" Bree rushed.

She thought it had everything to do with the white haired werewolf, but she didn't want to freak them out more than they already were. "I dunno, but I can track his Z-Band to find him," Eliza told them.

A Z-Patrol Jeep drove down their street, blasting the message about the approaching curfew. Eliza ignored it, watching the screen of her tablet load with Zed's location. The curfew was the least of her worries. She and Zed had mapped out weak spots in the barriers surrounding Zombietown ages ago, and could sneak in and out without most people noticing. But they'd have to leave sooner, and her damn computer was taking forever to load the results.

The screen came up, a white and blue map of Seabrook and its surrounding area. Her and Bonzo's Z-Bands went online first, Zed's taking a minute longer before his dot and face blinked to life on the screen. "Shit," she grumbled. "He's in the Forbidden Forest."

Bree's face dropped. "What? What's he doing there?"

"I-I dunno, but we have to go find him," Eliza said. The jumbled puzzle was slowly solving itself in her head. He'd run off during school, looking for Addison, and had been missing all day. And now he turned up in the Forbidden Forest? It couldn't have been a coincidence. He could be hurt and dead there, led into a trap by someone he thought was good.

"He could be in danger," Bree whispered.

"He needs our help," Eliza decided. "Let's go."

Life pulses through the wolf den, carried out by the steady beat of the drums. It's deep, core shaking rhythm brought a new life to the den, the whole pack coming alive as the sky got dark and the moon rose.

Addison held Zed's hand, leading him from the corridor of rooms and into another part of the den. The entryway was decorated with colorful symbols he'd seen on some of the wolves' bodies. It looked similar to the room they had gone through when he first got there, like a smaller version of it.

Addison squeezed his hand and he looked down at her. "I'm gonna leave you for a few minutes, but stay put and don't let anyone see you."

Zed nodded, then followed Addison inside. He had to duck down to hide from the wolves walking around, following Addison as they snuck around the back until she gestured for him to crouch behind a boulder. He peaked out from the side, watching as the little wolves sat on the ground around the walls and edges of the room.

He was hiding for only a minute when a howl broke through the den. Addison stood beside his hiding spot and howled as well.

Wyatt emerged in the center of the room, his grin enough to brighten it and everyone's spirits. "Alright alright, the sun is down, the moon is up, and it's time for a feast!" he cheered, earning excited shouts and cheers and even howls.

The beat of the drums intensified, the steady thump, thump, thump shaking the whole den to the core. More sounds got added—drums and strings and winds and other ones Zed couldn't pinpoint—the tune changing from a steady rhythm to a more musical song. Like an actual song.

And then, Wyatt started singing.

Zed was no stranger to randomly bursting into song. He'd been at Seabrook High for almost a year, he was used to it by now. He just hadn't expected the wolves to be like…well everyone else. Was everyone in the Seabrook vicinity musically inclined?

"Turn up, explain our history

Pull back the veil of mystery

What's written on the cave is prophecy

The Great Alpha is our destiny"

It was actually quite cool. The older werewolves, around Zed's age, danced across the floor.

Wyatt held up a blueish hunk of crystalline rock. The moonlight hit it, and all heads turned to the cave wall, where some mystical project was playing of what looked like a dancing Addison, though no one could see the face.

"The Great Alpha!" he proclaimed. "For years, our pack has been waiting for her arrival, for she shall save us from our downfall! She will brave the horrendous humans and rescue our moonstone from their grasp!"

Woah. Zed didn't know what to think. Addison was destined for such a glorious purpose. He couldn't begin to imagine the pressure of it all, to save their entire pack; their culture, their history, everything. He looked to her, crouched beside him, watching Wyatt's spectacle, a deep frown on her face.

"You know the rules! Every time you spot the Great Alpha in disguise, make sure you get a lucky bead for your full wolf jewels."

Addison tugged on his arm, urging him to follow her. They walked for a few minutes, the music and voices fading behind them until they ended up in another empty part of the den. The room was dark and quiet. Addison sat on the floor and Zed took the spot next to her.

"Aren't you supposed to be playing a game out there?" he asked.

She sighed, folding her arms on top of her legs. "I can't," she whispered. "We're supposed to be celebrating...but I'm going to have to go out there and tell them I failed. That I...I'm not the Great Alpha."

Zed scooted closer to her. "Addy, what're you talking about?"

"My entire life, everyone's told me that I would save all of wolf kind. That everything was in my hands. Without me, we'd be nothing." She paused, taking in a deep breath. "I've spent my entire life searching. Hunting, tracking, disobeying orders and breaking rules. And now, we're on the brink of existence, and I still keep coming up short."

"If I can't find the moonstone, then I'm not the great alpha." she looked up at him, blue eyes watering. "That's all I've ever been, Zed. I-I don't know who I am without it."

Zed wrapped her in his arms, pulling her into his chest. Addison instantly melted in his arms, several tears breaking free. Years of pressure and constant fear finally caught up to her. Nothing terrified her more than losing her family and letting down her pack. The thought of accepting that reality might beat out losing them, though.

"Addy," Zed said softly. "Addy...you're more than the great alpha. But it's not up to me to tell you who you are. I can't—you have to find who you are. But I'll always be here, no matter who you become."

She sniffed, lifting her head to look at him. "You will?"

He nodded. "I know you've got your wolf pack, but you've got me too. And Bree and Eliza and Bonzo. Even Zoey. And, since you've got me and E and Bonzo, you've also got all of Zombietown backing you."

She smiled softly. "Gar garziga," she whispered, surprising him. He blinked twice, not sure if he heard correctly. At least until she added, "I said that right? Gar garziga? That's zombie-tongue, right?"

Zed nodded, biting back a smile. "Yeah. I just—I gar garziga you too."

Addison giggled. Zed readjusted, sitting her between his legs. He knew he should remind her about the game she should be spearheading, but he does enjoy getting to hold her like this. It made him feel just as content as it made her feel.

"You're gonna have to teach me how to howl," he tells her.

"You don't howl 'I love you.' It's too special."

He nodded. "Yeah, it is." 'I'm in love with a werewolf.'

They sit together for a few more minutes, enjoying a silent moment away from the hassle of Seabrook. No moonstones, no elections, no Bucky. Just Zed and Addison.

"How many kids do you think are losing their minds searching for you?" Zed asked.

Addison snorted a laugh. "All of them. I should probably get back out there. Do my werewolf duty."

She wiggled, and Zed released his hold on her. She stood, turning and pulling Zed up to his feet.

"Other than the immense amount of pressure, it's pretty cool that you know who you are and all that," he said. "I mean, take it from a guy who's whole history is a freak accident at a power plant."

Addison blinked, an amused smile on her face. "What does that even mean?"

"A little lime soda and some mysterious Seabrook energy and bam! Zombies." He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "That's all we've got for our history. No projected future."

Addison gave him a sad smile. "You'll find your destiny Zed."

She linked their hands together. Zed had managed to lift her spirits with so little words. The least she could do was give him a small taste of a werewolf feast. And maybe someday he could get a proper invite.

She led him out of the room, walking back to a more general area of the den. They made it five steps before running straight into Wyatt and Willa. Who had Eliza, Bree, and Bonzo following behind them.

Willa frowned when her eyes landed on them. "Addison?" she asked, stunned to see Addison there with Zed.

"Oh boy," Wyatt mumbled.

"Zedeka!" Bonzo exclaimed.

Willa's expression quickly hardened. "What is he doing here? A zombie. In our den?"

Oh crap, oh no, oh god. Addison knew she was screwed. Willa was already upset with the surprise visit from the humans and zombies.

"What are they doing here?" Addison asked.

"They came looking for that," Willis said with disgust, gesturing to Zed. She turned, glaring at Eliza. "Get your friend and get the hell out of our den. No humans or zombies allowed."

She fixed Addison with a glare, before storming off.