.

William York. Twenty-one. Werewolf of the Lupus pack. Boy genius.

[williamyork]

epilogue: meet me in the aftermath

The movies were so wrong about death. But that's only natural since movies were made by the living. William fell into the clutches of death and then there was blackness. He couldn't remember if he closed his eyes or not. It seemed like he did with how the darkness enveloped him. It didn't matter now.

His life didn't flash before his eyes. At all. 

He knew he was dead. 

Instead of being afraid, angry, or devastated by this knowledge, Will felt comforted. He had been trying for so long and so hard and he had been so tired. Almost as an after thought, Will wondered if he'd see Hannah and Grace here. Wherever here was exactly. But he wasn't concerned. 

"William." 

He rose his head from the grass to meet the eyes of his grandfather. Kevin York had died when he was sixteen and it had devastated him. Now however, he smiled brightly at the man. "Pops." 

Kevin smiled sadly at him. "C'mon Will time to get up."

Nodding, William stood up and realized he had been laying on the top of a hill and ask he looked around he saw a sprawling village at the base of the hill. Huh. This wasn't how he pictured the afterlife at all. As he walked towards his grandfather though, the man put a hand on his shoulder. "What is this place?" He asked softly as they walked through brilliant golden gates at the entrance of the village. Now that he expected. 

"Our final resting place." Was all Kevin said to him. 

Will just nodded and looked around at the quaint looking homes that lined up and down street after street. Not sure where he was going, Will just followed his grandfather until they stopped in front of a house with the number 5491 on it. "This is yours." Kevin said. 

Will looked back at him for a moment before he turned the doorknob and pushed the door in. He was meet with what seemed like a whole mansion. It seemed the afterlife didn't have to follow the laws of physics or anything like that. It was nice. Everything was the way he once pictured his future home being - the home he envisioned before he was turned into a werewolf. 

"On the other side of that hill you were on, there's a viewing glass. If you wish - you can look over those you left behind." Kevin said still standing in the door way as Will moved through the mansion. 

Will looked over his shoulder at his grandfather before his eyes flickered past him towards the hill. Could he handle seeing them so soon after? He wasn't sure if he was strong enough anymore to not wish some of them would join him. 

Perhaps it was...better to wait until they came to him here. 

"Goodbye William. If you wish to talk I'm in 3482." 

And with that said, William was alone. 

He didn't look back. 

[williamyork]

You could come and save me, but I'm out on the edge with no way to go back | William & Henry

[araxieeirwin]

Henry couldn’t stop the sobs that he was letting out. It was the last thing he had wanted, to be holding the one thing he loved most in this world knowing that soon he would be gone. That soon a last breath would evaporate from his lips and that would be it. He couldn’t promise that. He couldn’t say he would be alright because he knew that he wouldn’t be. Because he loved his wife so much but he knew, that for both of them, William was it. He was that piece they’d both been searching for for so long. William was the light at the end of the tunnel. The lighthouse that always seemed to guide them home on long journeys. He was everything.

"I love you, I love you so much." He said, bringing Will closer to him. “Remember when you were eight and you fell of your bicycle, you thought that was the end of the world. This feels like that, too. But I promise you, William, this will only be but the beginning of another journey for you. You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay." He was speaking more to himself than to William now. Trying to reassure both of them but knowing that he was failing miserably. He rocked back and forth against the fridge, feeling like he was going insane. “I—I…I’m scared too, Will. I am so scared."

[williamyork]

William's eyes started to glaze over as his dad spoke more. But William force himself to live a few minutes longer. He wasn't done saying everything he needed to say. "I love you too, dad." He said his voice so soft that he wasn't sure if his dad would hear him. When his dad admitted he was scared, William hated himself for doing this. But he didn't regret it if that was even possible; to hate yourself but not regret the decision. Tears kept flowing down his face but William hardly noticed them anymore. They were almost natural, like he walked around crying at all hours of the day even though he knew that wasn't true. 

Looking up at his dad, William gave him a sad smile. "You're my hero dad -- remember that okay? A-and I know you didn't get to save me, but don't b-blame yourself for that. Tell mom I love her too. A-and Charlie -- protect Charlie dad...he knows about me...and he...could...be...in danger." It was hard to breath now. It was hard to say words and he knew he didn't have much longer. "I-I'll be okay dad -- wherever it is...I go...I'll be okay...I've been so tired...for so long." He felt a stabbing pain in his heart and he gasped. "I love you dad." He murmured as he felt a wave of exhaustion over take him - except he knew it wasn't exhaustion. William was scared as hell yes, but he let death take him into it's clutches as his eyes fluttered shut with a final sigh of air from his lips.

[williamyork]

You could come and save me, but I'm out on the edge with no way to go back | William & Henry

[araxieeirwin]

Henry had gotten home from work early due to the immense headache he had. He’d walked in the familiar door, imagining it’d be like every other day. He checked in William’s room but found it empty. He hoped that he’d gone out to see Remus or something of the sort after hearing about Grace’s death. It was still hard for him to think about it, about that little blonde girl being gone. Everyone was dying, it seemed, and it was all too soon. He’d gotten to his room and laid down for a nap. Part of him knowing sleep wouldn’t actually find him.

So he made his way to the bathroom and dug in the cabinet for sleeping pills. That’s when he heard the backdoor. For some reason it seemed odd to him, the sound. He set down the pills, leaving all the lights on upstairs because he was merely investigating. When his foot was on the first step he heard it. The tiny voice calling out to him. It didn’t sound like his son’s voice, not now. It sounded like the little boy who stood in their doorway and begged for permission to go out and play in the snow.

Something in Henry knew. Something in him had always known despite how much he attempted to deny it. He closed his eyes briefly before running down the steps. He made it to the kitchen but stopped immediately. This was not the scene any father ever wanted to be confronted with. He could tell, his son — his William; was dying in front of him.

He did the only thing he could think to do, reach out and grab him. Henry leaned against the fridge, slowly making his way down until he was sitting there cradling the slender young boy in his arms. Tears cascaded down his eyes freely, there was no time to think about putting up a strong front for anyone. His son was dying. And, as Henry had always dread, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. “Who did this to you, William, who? It’s — it’s okay. It’s going to be alright. I’m here. Your dad is here and he’s always going to be here. Always."

[williamyork]

William felt utter relief run through him when his dad's arms wrapped around him. It barely registered to him that they were slowly making their way to the ground. He reached around with his good arm and clung to his dad. He didn't care anymore that he was twenty-one, that he should be stronger than this, that he shouldn't cry into his dad's shoulder in his last moments -- but fuck it, he did because he was terrified. As his dad's words washed over him, Will let out a sob. "It's not." He managed to get out through the pain. "It's not dad -- I'm scared." Will heard his own voice and it made his head spin that he sounded so small, so weak. 

Despite the fear though, Will was grateful he wasn't going to die alone. That the last person he sees and hears isn't James, but his dad. "I'm sorry." He said brokenly as he pushed his face into his dad's chest unable to look at him right now. "I'm so - sorry." And he was. And even though his dad told him just in the hospital to stop saying sorry, Will couldn't stop the words. "P-please be okay after this dad. I -- I don't want to see you until y-you're at least a hundred." 

[williamyork]

You could come and save me, but I'm out on the edge with no way to go back | William & Henry

The pain was so bad his brain seemed to shut down all his nerves and left him numb. With a haggard breath, William stumbled his way through the woods from tree to tree. He pointedly ignored the blood his fingers smeared across the bark. And he definitely ignored the fact that it was his blood on his fingers and on the bark. He should be dead. William knew that in the depths of his soul that what James did to him should have killed him. And honestly he was so fucking surprised when he woke up, alone and in a pool of his own blood on Ben's kitchen floor. But instead here he was dragging himself back to the one place he always felt safe. Home. 

He just hoped he made it there in time. 

Frustrated tears slipped down his face, cutting through the blood and dirt on his face. He didn't want to die. God, he didn't want to die. There was Charles and his parents and his fucking pack that he wanted to live for. He hoped his death wouldn't be in vain. That Charles and his dad and most of his pack would get out of Florence and would fucking survive even if he hated James - James fucking took care of his own. 

His vision was extremely blurry at this point and William relied on pure instinct to guide him home. And not ten minutes later he saw the blurry outline of the home he grew up in, the home that he was born in and it seemed fitting the home he would die in too. Will hardly had the strength to unlatch the back gate but luckily he didn't lock it even though his mother had told him to do so only a few nights ago. 

The moment he stepped foot into the yard he wanted to collapse right then and there, to say that this was good enough but he gritted his teeth and push his feet to carry him towards the backdoor. He prayed that his dad was home from work, if not both his parents. Though there was a part of William that hated doing this to them. No parent should outlive their children let alone watch them die, leaving them feel helpless. But dammit, he didn't want to die alone. 

Pushing those thoughts away, William somehow managed to get the backdoor open with the arm that wasn't broken and he finally let himself stumble and fall into the kitchen. "Dad?" He called out. "Mom?" His voice was small and not at all like him and he wondered if perhaps his dad would come down with his rifle and shoot him and ask questions later. 

William pointedly ignored the blood that was smeared across the smooth tiled floor as he tried to get farther into his house. God, please let one of them be home, he doesn't want to die. They'll magically fix him like they've magically fixed everything else. 

[williamyork]

I owned every second that this world could give me | James & Will

James: lost himself in a trance for a while, while he was cracking William's face against the counter, but was pulled from it when the boy spoke up. There was finality in everything the young wolf did, everything he said, and though James wanted nothing better than to tear him apart it was less fun when the prey didn't fight back. He dropped William to the floor and winced past his own pain to deliver a swift kick to his ribs; not once, but twice. Holding himself off from a third endeavor, James kneeled beside William and took him by the hair again, lifting his face so that he could admire his handiwork and get close enough to whisper in William's ear. "....say hello to Hannah for me." Hauling back, James delivered what he expected to be the final haymaker.

William: was sure he screamed in the beginning, he was positive there was a soul ripping scream that came out of him as he felt his skull crack against the counter. There was so much blood and while he knew head wounds bled profusely even if it was a small cut, he knew this much blood meant he would only have minutes left before he bled out and died. He wasn't expecting James to drop him so he fell into an ungraceful heap on the floor, limbs bent uncomfortably as he sucked in his last gulps of air. He barely heard James' words through the haze of pain and just like that with one last blow, William's world went dark.

[williamyork]

I owned every second that this world could give me | James & Will

James: was slower to get up the second time around, what injuries he sustained throbbing like the pulsing in his temples, but the alpha eventually straightened to full stature again. He returned the stare, everything about him buzzing with hostility and hunger, with rage and the mercilessness of fate. “As did I. Like I said…you’d have flourished in Wolfus.” James hadn’t yet finished speaking his sentence when he pushed off into a sprint, shouldering William hard against the fridge before he took him by his shirt collar and turned to heave him at the opposite wall. He followed closely behind before again grabbing hold of William, his fingers seizing the hair at the back of his head. The wolf hoisted his enemy with a snarl and turned, looking to bash William’s face against the corner of the kitchen counter repeatedly. “Enough blood for you, dear William?”

William: shrugged even though it hurt. "Maybe one day I would've killed you and become an alpha that way." Before he could get out much more, James surged at him and Will didn't have the energy to move out of the way, instead he tensed as he prepared for impact. Everything happened so fast, the sharp pains the exploded as he hit the fridge, the pain turning into a searing burn as James threw him against the other wall. The breath knocked out of him, Will gasped in air as James grabbed his hair and held his face over the corner of the counter. "It'll do." He wheezed out as he practically went limp under James' hand. He had no more energy left in him to fight back.

[williamyork]

I owned every second that this world could give me | James & Will

James: afforded himself a twinge of surprise as he felt his bulk falling backwards, his attention to the sensation of his fist burrowing deep into Will’s abdomen as distracting as the symphony of the young wolf’s breath leaving his lungs unexpectedly. He threw a hand out as he fell backwards, making a last ditch effort to grab William by the throat and pull him along for the ride and having to settle for a fistful of his shirt material. James yanked hard with a yell and brought them both crashing to the ground, his own back slamming hard against the unforgiving tile. Enough to cause him to writhe for a moment, the pain only working to send him deeper into fury. “Why don’t you insects just fucking /DIE/?!”

William: couldn't breath as James yanked him down with him. The hold on his neck was tight enough that Will knew he wouldn't be able to get any air into his lungs if he tried. He felt a sick satisfaction at James' anger and his angry words. At least he got to do that before he died. "Because -" Will wheezed through James' grip on his neck. "we just don't know how to give up." He managed to get out, knowing this was probably it, the end. With a broken arm and no doubt damaged organs from the way James ground his knuckles under his ribs and no air to draw strength from, Will knew that this fight wasn't going to last much longer. "I expected more blood." He said offhandedly as he continued to stare at James.

[williamyork]

I owned every second that this world could give me | James & Will

James: knew that the smaller, younger man wouldn’t stay down for very long, regardless of his condition. That notwithstanding, the aim was to do as much damage as possible with each encounter before finally just crushing the new alpha completely. It, at that point, seemed inevitable. He barked out a laugh when William screamed, spurred to push his broken limb into further disrepair before the other wolf escaped from beneath him. With renewed vigor and the memory of the taste of blood exploding on the tip of his tongue, James swiftly pushed himself to his feet and pinpointed William’s new location. He stepped forward to catch the swung cutting board with the outside of his forearm, forcing the piece of wood back towards William in a display of strength meant to prove a point: I will obliterate you. He hooked the fist of his free side in an upwards swing towards William’s abdomen, forcing the younger wolf back towards the fridge as he continued to hold the cutting board at a stalemate with his arm, grinding his knuckles under the bottom of William’s ribcage.

William: grit his teeth when James block his blow - wishing so hard that he could at least do some damage to James in return. He doubted he'd able to though. This angered Will as he glared right at James until he felt James' free hand connect with his abdomen. The air rushed out of him and he slammed into the fridge, his world went dark again for a few seconds before he came back around to the feeling of James grinding his knuckles under his rib cage. Will bit back his scream this time and tried to think of what he could do to hurt James. Through the haze of pain, William quickly swept his leg against James' and pushed with all of his body weight to knock James' legs out from underneath him. He felt a sense of pride when he managed to do it.

[williamyork]

I owned every second that this world could give me | James & Will

James: Peterson had a very polished finish, everything dark and savage and cruel hidden behind an air of sophistication but in that moment as he heard the other wolf’s skull crack against the tile it fell by the wayside as his wolf came as close to surface as it could when the temperature was uncooperative. His hair a mess and a blood-hungry vibrance gleaming in his eyes, he looked every part the murderer he was rumored to be as he took the blow to the sternum with a laugh; a rush of air escaping in a grunt. James caught William’s arm in his hands when he moved to throw an elbow, pulling on the limb so that it was extended fully before he slammed his palm upwards, looking to force William’s joint against its natural way of bending until it broke.

William: screamed when James broke his arm. He knew screaming wouldn't get anyone to call for help - Ben's house was too far away from the other homes for that to happen. But the screaming help throw the pain away as he violently kicked James, throwing his whole body weight behind the blows until he was able to roll out from under the man. He panted through the pain as he looked up at James. His killer. William York was only a boy. A boy who had dreams and loves and hopes. A boy who until this year hadn't been tainted by the dark parts of life. Will wanted to scream at how life turned on him so abruptly but he didn't have the time because he knew James would come after him in only a matter of seconds. Instead he reached up and grabbed the cutting board that was left on the counter and with his good arm swung it hard at James' face.

[williamyork]

I owned every second that this world could give me | James & Will

James: “All the more reason to send you into the next life, then.” He knew the smaller man was stalling but given his condition he let him. Besides, James loved to hear himself talk and he was, in that moment, enjoying playing with his food. His confidence in his abilities kept him patient and he knew, in time, he would get exactly what he’d always wanted. Perhaps Emily was right. Maybe he /did/ get his happily ever after, in the end. “…they’ll become part of Wolfus and as such it will be my responsibility to watch over them, as I have my own family for quite some time, now. You only know me as a tyrant because you’ve lived your life on the outside of my favor.” When the other wolf raised his hands, something bubbled up in James that he found hard to bottle. He felt the predator in him bristle to the surface, his senses kicking into overdrive and when William complied, when he seemed to resign himself to his fate, James rushed forward to spear tackle him to the ground. “Adieu, young William!”

William: felt as though everything happened simultaneously in slow motion and at a pace too fast for him to keep up with. James was coming at him and Will tensed in preparation. As they fell to the floor, Will's head cracked against the tile harshly and for a second his vision blacked out as he gasped. But it was only a second and soon he was moving, jerking his leg up under James to knee him in the sternum. His mind whirled quickly, urging him to fight to live to move his elbow to try to crack it against James' jaw. Every movement hurt him, his hardly healed body obviously protesting his movements, but he gritted his teeth and continued to try and get James off of him, to get the upper hand in the duel of death.

[williamyork]

I owned every second that this world could give me | James & Will

James: “I liked you, William.” James began slowly, moving from his position to start slowly pacing off to the side. He walked steadily, simply sizing up the younger man before him and perking a thick brow at the sight of him. “So much so I offered you the chance to save yourself. You’d have flourished in Wolfus. Pity.” James picked up some odd-end possession of Ben’s, left unceremoniously on the kitchen counter, and held it up to briefly inhale the scent of his enemy. Perhaps someday, if the former Lupus leader survived whatever took him away from Florence. Without a body to see for himself he’d be opposed to believing rumors so fully. The wolf set the knick-knack aside and sighed, turning back to William. “It’s nothing personal, you understand. You took it upon yourself to assume the position of alpha. And quite obviously doomed yourself in the process.” James craned his head to the side until he heard his neck pop softly, growling in pleasure as he rolled his shoulders, too; slowly limbering up for the fight. “I’m not unkind, though, William…I wish you’d have understood that. I’ll let you die with honor, regardless…but you will die.” Planting his feet, James began to loosely curl his hands into fists while he raised them, angling his shoulder towards William. “Shall we?”

William: raised an eyebrow at James' words, watching the man prepare himself for the fight. "I don't agree with your philosophy. Perhaps if I did then you would be right. And perhaps even in another life I am apart of your pack. But that isn't this life." Will didn't want to move just yet, knowing he had to save every bit of energy he had left inside of him. "Well. I'd rather you kill me than Remus. I'd rather it be me than any of them. I'd ask you to not harm any of them if I die." He chuckled humorlessly because he knew that was a when not if, but even facing death he was horribly optimistic. "But I don't think you'd be able to promise me that." William's eyes watched James' hands ball into fists and he curled his hands into fists as well. He nodded to James' question. "Okay." He breathed as he waited for James to make his move.

[williamyork]

I owned every second that this world could give me | James & Will

James: “Thank you, William.” James stood his ground, his hands ready but heavy at his sides. There was no reason to make a move yet. Instead, he relished in William’s reaction. More enjoyable than that, however, was the unspoken understanding in the room; as thick as the tension and hostility. One of them would die that night. Cocking his head to the side, James’ eyes followed William’s movements and he grinned, wide and awful and crooked. “…is Benjamin not home?”

William: felt his adrenaline kick in when he watched the grin spread across James' face. "No. But you already knew that." William replied his voice surprising him by how steady it was. There wasn't any time to be afraid. Not anymore. He had allowed himself his moment. Now it was time to face the demon who stood before him and he was going to kill him or die trying. Silently William cursed himself for snapping a few days earlier and getting hit by a car. He was no where near a fighting condition - but he'd have to make due. "So, how will this go down James? Do I need to grab a knife or are we going to try to kill each other with our bare hands?"

[williamyork]

I owned every second that this world could give me | James & Will

James: “No, thank you. I’ve already.” His words were light, his tone almost sing-song with amusement. As he had gotten closer to Ben’s estate a faint trace of something noteworthy tickled his nose and by the time the Wolfus alpha made it to the property he was able to confirm, without a doubt, that it was wolf. But not Benjamin. They, all of them, mostly smelled the same after a while but Benjamin….well, James could pick his stink out in a landfill. He had utilized his abilities in stealth to carry him up the steps with barely a sound, every step respectful of the fact that Benjamin lived in a cabin; they seemed to be forever settling, in his experience. The sound of someone else moving about pricked his attention but it was the smell of fear that lured him to the kitchen like blood in shark-infested waters. At the current, he was standing in the doorway, blocking at least the exit towards the front of the cabin, his jacket already removed while he rolled his sleeves up; a familiar practice. “Hello, William.”

William: froze and felt the world crash around him as he heard James' voice. His body tensed and he sucked in a sharp breath. Just when he thought things couldn't get worse, James reappears and reappears in Ben's fucking house. His eyes burned with anger and exhaustion because he was so done. So done with everything being so fucking shitty. But despite this, despite how badly he wanted to turn to James and say 'get it over with' he didn't. Because Will still wanted to /live/. So if he was going to die tonight he would go down fighting. "Hello, James." He said through clenched teeth instead. Taking one deep breath, he pushed himself away from the kitchen counter and turned to face James. "Welcome back to Florence." He continued his voice falsely cheerful.

[williamyork]

I owned every second that this world could give me | James & Will

James: couldn’t remember a time he was as excited as he was in the moment he discovered Benjamin Harris was missing. While the alpha would have much rather been responsible, himself, he clung to the hope that perhaps the Lupus leader was simply misplaced. It thrilled him, imagining in a brief daydream as he drove his truck to Ben’s residence, to think of the look on his face if he were to return to Florence, his pack gone. Converted. Submitted to an alpha worthy of the title. And from there his ranks would grow, traversing the country, devouring pack after pack after pack. It was radical thinking, he of course was aware, but he allowed himself small pleasures and there was nothing as gratifying as being the king of everything. He parked about a block away from the other alpha’s home, slipping into the cover of darkness as per usual, senses pricked to the sounds and smells of the area as he slowly, carefully stalked to the seemingly empty residence.

William: felt his heart turn to ice the longer he looked around Ben's home. It became more and more apparent as he walked through the home that Ben had either left it abruptly or was taken abruptly. There were remnants of Ben doing things about the house if the empty trash can with no bag in it indicated anything. If Will hadn't been straining his ears to pick up on /something/ to tell him Ben was still around, he might have missed the low rumbled of a truck. It stopped a block away. Figuring it was a neighbor, Will continued through the house but eventually he had looked in every room, every closet and nothing. Thinking he was alone - Will let himself panic. His breath hitched and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the kitchen counter tightly in his hands. "Fuck." He whispered hoarsely, head bowed and his eyes screwed shut.

[williamyork]

I owned every second that this world could give me | James & Will

William: gritted his teeth as he walked to Ben's house. Discharging himself from the hospital probably wasn't the best idea - but if Ben was really gone they were fucked. Between the hunters and well now that Will thought on it more, James he had to act quickly. He had to find Ben before their whole pack collapsed and they were left as treats on the doorsteps of the hunters. Finally though, Ben's house loomed before him and he marched his way up to the front door. He reached over to the hideaway rock for the spare key. The door was already unlocked. Cursing under his breath, Will wondered what he would find on the other side of this door. He couldn't smell blood so he took that as a good sign. Walking inside, Will decided not to turn on the lights in case hunters were around. Though honestly they might have already seen him. Closing his eyes, Will pushed the panic down inside of him and moved through the first floor of Ben's house. "Ben?" He called out softly as he began to snoop around.

[williamyork]

Text: MAGGIE

Maggie: ....what? Grace was killed?

Will: Yeah, she was. You're staying with Quinn right? Stay there and be careful okay? Don't go out unless you have to and when you do, don't go out alone. I'll check on you guys as soon as I can okay?

[williamyork]

Text: MAGGIE

Maggie: What?! No.... Will, we gotta get him back before something happens to him. Why would they do that?

Will: He hasn't been answering me at all and Quinn says she hasn't seen him either. And with Grace getting killed he wouldn't just disappear like this. Because he's an alpha they're getting serious now. Fuck. And trust me I'm going to come up with a plan to get him back - to find him. Just stay safe okay Mags?