Barely Breathing

(Third person pov)

The transformation was beginning again, but Xyrus was fighting it all to stop the process. The beastly nature of his wolf should not unfold tonight, he thought, not in front of his Willow when his wolf's target is the same girl he had loved through the years.

Willow scooted away, witnessing again an internal battle between a wolf and a man. He was in deep pain. Fur visible on his arms yet he was still on his human form. He looked at her. His red eyes were full of agony meeting her moss green pair. As if he was telling him to turn away and not see him like this.

Her mouth gawked open and she was frozen to the spot in shock, only now realizing that he has the eyes of blood. His wolf does. Fragments of every clue fell into place like a puzzle.

The mark...the Blood Moon Pack…red fur wolf…with red eyes.

She had read about it in books. An ancient blood wolf, born with red blood eyes. It is a curse.

There must be a reason why Xyrus does not always shift into his wolf. He is quite famous and feared even among alphas for his unmatched strength and cunning ways. He never loses a battle with anyone, proof of it was at the mate hunt. His beast is a nightmare that if released fully will bring chaos and destruction.

She now realized why he did not shift at the Mate Hunt. Xyrus likes her but his wolf doesn't. Sky is a beast that does not favor anyone.

has control over him then. Its eyes back then were a sea-blue like Xyrus human form, but not today. Getting your wolf’s true eyes means

feared anyone nor anything since he was a child. And yet, for the first time in his life, his heart skipped a beat at the sight of fear from her eyes. He

snow surrounding him. He coughed blood and tried to

to his outstretched hand where two claws popped out already and fur covering his arms.

in her eyes was killing him. Yet enough to give him more strength to control his wolf. With a loud cry, he tried again to overthrow his wolf. Fur slowly disappearing, claws and canines retracting, blood oozed at the traces of

physical pain he felt replaced into something more unbearing when

say, the ache in the body is nothing

had left him... There in the cold... On his

***

(Willow’s pov)

For some unknown reasons I couldn't decipher, an ache in my heart wouldn't go away, making my breathing rigid almost shallow. Like I was hit a thousand times straight

end a while ago. Xyrus was struggling to stay in his

away from him. But seeing him suffering made me rethink if I

struggling, still clutching the ground of snow surrounding him. He coughed blood and tried to reach one hand