Primal Desire

The wind howled, a feral cry that rattled the old window panes of Alex's room. She was six, an only child, nestled deep in the warmth of her bed.

Downstairs, a sharp crack shattered the night's stillness, followed by the hollow clatter of wood against the floor. Frigga, Alex's mother, stirred, her breath catching in her throat. Fear, cold and sharp, pricked her skin.

She moved with a quiet urgency, her bare feet silent on the cold floorboards. In the hallway, the moonlight revealed a trail of shattered picture frames, their glass glittering like malevolent stars.

A gasp escaped her lips. A break-in? Her heart pounded against her ribs.

Frigga rushed to Alex's room, her sanctuary. The door swung open, revealing Alex, a small, peaceful figure amidst the chaos.

The windows were flung wide, their hinges groaning in the wind, a chilling counterpoint to Alex's gentle breathing. A wave of relief washed over Frigga, quickly followed by a prickle of unease.

She moved to close the windows, her gaze drawn to the darkness beyond. A shape lurked in the distance, indistinct, yet undeniably there.

It was large, a dark mass against the pale moonlight. And it was watching her. Frigga's breath hitched. A primal fear gripped her.

She slammed the windows shut, the latch clicking with a finality that offered little comfort.

Turning, she meant to find Lucas, her husband. But a flash of lightning illuminated the room, revealing a figure beside Alex's bed. Shadowy, impossibly tall, with eyes that burned with an eerie, yellow light.

A scream tore from Frigga's throat, a raw, desperate sound that ripped through the night.Lucas burst into the room, his heart hammering in his chest.

Frigga lay on the floor, her lifeblood staining the worn rug. A gaping wound marred her throat, her arms slashed and torn. He caught a glimpse of something, a dark form, a flicker of yellow eyes, before it crashed through the window, shattering the glass like brittle ice.

He dropped to his knees, his rifle clattering uselessly to the floor. Frigga's breath rattled in her chest, a desperate, fading sound. He cradled her in his arms, his own tears blurring his vision, until her struggles ceased, and the weight of her death settled upon him like a crushing stone.

Alex remained on the bed, her small body rigid. The scene before her, the raw, brutal violence, had frozen her solid. No tears, no screams, only a chilling silence. Inside, a storm of terror raged, a silent scream trapped in her throat.

The funeral was a blur, a somber procession of grief and disbelief. Then came the police, their questions sharp and skeptical. Lucas's account, of a creature, a werewolf, met with raised eyebrows and thinly veiled condescension. "A werewolf, Mr. Vermont?" the officer had asked, his voice laced with doubt. "In this day and age?"

Lucas's grief turned to a burning determination. He would prove them wrong. He plunged into a world of dusty tomes and forgotten lore. He spent countless nights hunched over ancient texts, his eyes burning with fatigue, his mind consumed by the legend of the Lycanthrope.

Greek myths, folklore, whispered tales of men cursed to transform into monstrous beasts. He read of their strength, their ferocity, their insatiable hunger.

He learned of their weakness, of silver, of the blood of their kin. He became obsessed, his grief fueling a relentless pursuit of the truth.

Alex, now a young woman, watched her father's descent into obsession with a growing sense of unease. She was beautiful, with dark, flowing hair and eyes that held a quiet strength.

She had built a life for herself, a life of normalcy, a life far removed from the horrors of her childhood.

She was an accountant, skilled and ambitious, on the verge of a dream job at STARKDYNA, a global software giant.

She turned in her bed, seeking a comfortable position, when the soft chime of her phone's alarm broke the silence. Sunlight streamed through the window, a warm contrast to the chill of the night.

Rubbing her eyes, she silenced the alarm, her gaze falling on a notification from STARKDYNA.

"Dear Alexandra Vermont," it read, "thank you for your compliance and congratulations. You have been accepted for the position of Personal Assistant to the CEO of STARKDYNA. You are expected to report to the Human Resource Department for proper screening and debriefing by 8:00am tomorrow. Thank you."

Alex sat bolt upright, her heart pounding. Personal Assistant? That wasn't the position she had applied for. A flicker of unease, a sense of something...off, settled in her stomach.

Alex hesitated at the top of the stairs, gripping the polished wooden railing as she listened to the faint clatter of utensils from the kitchen below. Her father was up early, as usual, immersed in his routine like clockwork. She exhaled slowly and descended the steps, her footsteps careful but not hesitant.

Lucas sat at the small kitchen table, a newspaper folded beside his untouched coffee. His reading glasses perched low on his nose, and though his eyes flickered toward her, he didn't immediately speak. Instead, he set his pen down and waited.

Alex lingered near the counter, fingers grazing the smooth surface before she finally said, "I got the job."

Lucas nodded once, his gaze steady but unreadable. "Not the position you wanted." A statement, not a question.

"No." Alex shifted her weight. "But it's something."

Silence settled between them-not uncomfortable, but thick with words unspoken.

Lucas reached for his coffee, took a slow sip, then met her eyes. "Pays well?"

"Enough."

Another pause. A flicker of something-approval, maybe-crossed his face before it smoothed over. He nodded again. "Good."

Alex studied him, searching for more-some indication that he was proud, happy, anything. But she knew better. This was how he was. How they were. She folded her arms, forcing a small, wry smile. "I thought you'd at least pretend to be excited."

A ghost of a smirk tugged at the corner of Lucas's mouth, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You never liked pretense."

She let out a quiet chuckle, shaking her head. "No, I guess I didn't."

Lucas tapped his fingers against the table, then leaned back in his chair. "Big company. Lot of people."

"Yeah."

"Be careful."

It was the closest thing to concern he would voice, and Alex knew it. She nodded, her throat tightening just a little. "Always."

She turned to leave, but before she stepped out of the kitchen, his voice stopped her.

"Alex."

She glanced back.

His eyes lingered on her for a moment, something unreadable there. Then, with a slow exhale, he simply said, "Congratulations."

It wasn't much. It wasn't what she might have wanted. But it was enough.

For now.

"The office said I should be there by 8am today and it's already a few minutes past 7" She hurried to the shower and took a quick bath and while running around trying to prepare herself an alarm rang in the living room. "Dad, what was that?" "Oh.... It's ugh .... It's nothing, he stuttered.

Coffee? He asked while stretching out a cup of hot coffee. She took the coffee and drank with haste, then she stormed out of the house on her way to the office. Just as soon as she left Lucas went over to his computer which sounded the alarm earlier.

It was a CCTV camera alarm that had gone off in the woods about 70 to a 100 kilometres away from town. He grabbed a big black leather bag which he pulled from under the large couch in the living room, took the keys from the table and made for the garage.

He took his car and drove out. Alex tried to arrange herself properly while in the car tying her hair and retouching her lip gloss to look as presentable as possible on her supposed first day which came unexpectedly.

She arrived at the STARKDYNA Building which was a tall skyscraper and had up to 170 floors. She walks down to the front desk inquiring about the HR department, "Hello good morning. I'm here for debriefing at the Human Resource Department", the lady at the front desk was on the phone so she waited.

"Alexandra Vermont?" "Yes ma'am that's me" "The HR department is on the 6th floor". "Thank you" she said as she made for the elevator, the elevator bell rang as she reached the 5th floor. She stepped out of the elevator nervou toshe lifted her eyes forward and bumped into someone.

"Oh I'm sorry I.... I didn't see u" she lifted up her eyes and saw a young handsome man in a black suit and a black shirt inside leaving the first two buttons off he was tall with dark hair, a well chiseled jawline, he wore a silver ring and a had a tattoo on the side of his neck written in a foreign language.

She paused for a while completely mesmerised by the beauty of the young man. "You dropped this," he said while handing her the folder and her bag which had fallen."Are you lost?" He asked looking at her who looked like she was at the time.

"Uhm....no no I'm on my way to the Human Resource Department". "Ok just go straight down the hall to the 2nd door on your right". "Thank you" she said with a nervous tone. As she walked down the hallway she couldn't stop turning back looking at him who was now waiting for the elevator.

She had never been carried away by a guy like that, she tried to brush off the fantasies that were accumulated in her head at the time.

As she approached the HRs office she met Tiana the Admin of the department who was going to be debriefing her. "So.... Alexandra congratulations once again and welcome to STARKDYNA I hope you are up for this job and that you are ready to commit to the position given to you."

"Thank you and yes I am ready and I am here to give my very best". "Ok then without further ado I would like to show you the daily schedule of our boss Mr. Damon Stark, he is a very subtle yet intense person and he does not tolerate sloppiness or lack of coordination you must be at your best behaviour whenever you meet him.

"Do not enter his office without knocking, do not speak when he speaks and avoid eye to eye contact with him. Just as she's concluding the phone rings, "hello,....... yes sir,....... Right away sir".

"You're all good Mr. Stark is requesting you meet him in his office now. Take the private elevator on left up to the penthouse suite on the top floor. He'll be waiting for you".