✧ 70 | Last Breath ✧
Billy covered his eyes before the impact. When he opened them again, the sight waiting for him shredded his heart—a scene that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Ned lay crumpled in the dirt.
He was still alive.
Barely.
His chest had been ripped wide open, exposing torn muscles and pale ribs that glistened beneath the moonlight, rising and falling in frantic, uneven jerks. Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth with every wheezing gasp, spilling onto the ground beneath him.
And then Billy heard it.
The sound.
God, the sound.
Every breath sounded like someone trying to breathe underwater, lungs filling not with air, but with blood. Thick, bubbling gurgles filled the night. Each breath fought through crimson that refused to let him live.
It was the sound of a boy dying.
"Nooo!" Billy wailed.
Ned had jumped in front of Billy to save him from Charlie's attack. In doing so, at the very last second, Charlie's killing blow landed on Ned.
Charlie's wolf stood hunched, suddenly looking smaller.
His rage melted away, replaced by a father's instinct.
His fur seemed to gray beneath the moonlight.
His large wolf eyes watered. Slowly, he reached out a trembling hand to touch his boy, but pulled it back before he could, refusing to believe he had attacked Ned.
Charlie hadn't meant for this to happen. He was under the effect of the vaccines and trapped in his first uncontrollable transformation.
Charlie hadn't meant to kill his own son.
Refusing to let Billy see him cry, Charlie turned and ran. His animalistic howls echoed beneath the midnight sky.
"No, no."
Billy held his high school sweetheart close to his chest, crying.
"No."
He felt Ned's heartbeat growing weaker beneath his hand. He heard his shaky breaths. He even smelled his fear.
Ned fought to stay alive for a few more seconds. His eyes welled with tears. His lips twitched, struggling to form his last words.
"Billy..." his voice was low.
"It's OK, Ned," Billy sobbed. "It's OK. I'm here."
"I... love you."
Ned drew one last rattled breath.
His dilated green eyes stared into the night sky. His chest stopped moving. And the ragged breaths ceased with a final exhale.
Billy watched the life leave Ned's eyes; eyes once full of color and shine were now dull, a still image of that innocent, sweet boy he used to be.
Billy let out a sudden gasp as he realized Ned was gone. Then he choked on his tears, sobbing. Tears flowed uncontrollably down his cheeks, soaking his face. Heartbreaking wails rattled his chest as he clung to Ned, whispering into his ear.
"I love you too. I love you so much"
Billy forgot about the pain of his bones moving under his skin, signalling his first transformation. He cried, grieving the death of his soulmate, as his backbone broke to make room for his large werewolf form.
The mutation was painful, but losing Ned was pure agony.
However, there was no time to grieve.
The moon's pull was too strong. Combined with the vaccines and the hatred now burning inside him for Charlie, Billy was only seconds away from wolfing out.
But there was something sinister about this transformation.
The shock of losing Ned fractured Billy's mind, splitting his personality in two. Something dark took root inside him. A Beast far more dangerous than any ordinary werewolf.
Yet one thought remained after the shift:
Ned left and took Billy's heart with him.
Billy never loved again.
Until now.
Those same shiny green eyes full of life were peeking into his soul. It made his heart pump again and again in fast rhythms, matching the other boy's heartbeats.
Billy felt a soft touch on his cheeks.
His face warmed.
His skin tingled from the sweet but nerve-wracking closeness.
The yellow drained from his eyes, and warm brown took its place.
As though those hauntingly beautiful green orbs absorbed the fire within them.
Those magical eyes proved capable of taming the most dangerous beasts and turning them into puppies.
Billy was back as soon as he looked deep into Ilya's eyes. Close enough to see the tiny flecks of gold hidden inside the green.
And Beast was gone, hopefully for a very long time.
Now, the same face Billy had lost thirty years ago was staring back at him. The same beautiful face. Thirty years since he'd watched those same green eyes lose their light. Thirty years since he'd held the boy he loved as life slipped through his fingers.
And now...
They were looking at him again.
Alive.
Warm.
Filled with light.
It couldn't be.
No.
It must be him.
"Ned?" Billy whispered, tears blurring his vision.
The boy's lower lip trembled, holding back his tears. He hoped he had finally gotten rid of Beast, the monster who enjoyed torturing him for days, and could reach out to Billy.
He wished with all his being for Billy to come back, to save him from Beast's cruelty.
"No," he managed between shaky breaths. "It's-it's me. Elliott."
Billy's face crumpled.
"Oh, God..." His trembling hands rose to Elliott's cheeks. "I'm sorry."
Ilya stared at him.
For a heartbeat, he couldn't move.
Billy's voice.
Billy's eyes.
Billy.
The Beast was gone.
"Billy?" he whispered.
When Billy nodded, the last of Ilya's strength gave out.
"Billy!"
Ilya gasped.
Then the dam of tears came crashing down.
The cry ripped from somewhere deep inside him, raw enough to tear Billy's heart apart.
Billy felt guilty for leaving. He saw the boy break before him, not knowing what to do.
"I'm so sorry."
He pulled the boy closer to his chest, hugging him like a protective big brother.
But that only made Ilya cry more.
Ilya needed that hug. He needed to feel safe again. He needed that comforting, warm hug more than anything in this damned world he'd accidentally stepped into.
And Billy gave him that warmth.
"Shh..." he whispered. "I'm here. I'm here now."
Billy squeezed the boy tighter, but careful not to crush his little frame.
Ilya buried his face against Billy's chest, sobbing so hard he could barely breathe.
"You're OK," Billy's voice broke. "You're OK."
Guilt crashed over him like a wave.
He had disappeared.
He had left this poor boy alone with Beast.
"I'm here, now," Billy whispered, his own voice breaking again as he stroked Ilya's hair. "You're safe."
Billy closed his eyes, holding Ilya as though he could shield him from the Beast inside him. He wasn't afraid of disappearing again. He was afraid of what Beast would do to the boy in his arms.