The night was cold. Much colder than it should have been for a late spring night. Alexander shivered through is expensive wool coat.The beautiful city lights of Silverpoint sparkled below the balcony that Alexander stood on. He checked his watch. 11:58 PM. Two minutes till his nineteenth birthday. Two minutes until he became an adult in his parents eyes. Two minutes before he was to live the life his parents laid out for him.

"Alex, it's late." His mother said from inside as she worked on getting his birthday presents set up nicely. "Come inside."

"I want to watch the fireworks that are tonight." Alexander said as he smiled over his shoulder. "It'll be midnight soon."

Alexander's mother shook her head as she sighed, her silver earrings reflecting the light coming from the overhead lights. Her hair was a dark shade of brown, put back in an elegant twist. Beside his mother, Alexander's father stood there with an imposing presence. And in his right hand, his favorite pocket watch. Something he carried with him everywhere he went. Something, always present and always meticulously polished.

The hands on Alexanders watch struck midnight.

Fireworks flooded the sky. How lucky Alexander was to have been born on the same day that the city of Silverpoint was opened.The vibrant bursts of red and gold reflected off the glass building. Alexanders heart fluttered with anticipation. This is it. The beginning of everything.

Then came a horrifying scream.

Sharp, raw and unnaturally loud, it cut through the celebration like a jagged knife. Alexander froze in hear. The joy he felt only moments ago now replaced with cold ice. He spun, frantically looking around the inside of the building.

The glass door.

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It was shattered. Slivers of the glass still hung on the frame of the door, glittering with dangerous intent. Just beyond the shards a shape loomed - a blur of muscle fur and glinting bloodshot eyes. A werewolf.

Time slowed. The creatures breath fogged in the night's air. It's lips curled back revealing yellow stained fangs. The NCS chip on the back of its neck sparked with malfunctions. It's eyes, wild, unfocused and desperate.

"Run Alex!" His father shouted, pushing his mother behind him.

But the werewolf lunged.

Alexander's father hit the ground with a sickening thud and the crack of breaking bones. Blood splattered on the marble floor around his now motionless body. The pocket watch that his father held on to so dearly skidded across the floor, covered in blood and ticking uselessly.

"Dad!" Alexander screamed, his voice cracking with fear and grief.

His mothers sobs mixed in with the creatures growl as she tried to run. She slipped trying to run on the blood soaked floor with her heels. The werewolf easily caught her. Its claws easily cutting through the silk and skin of her mother.

I'm sorry, her eyes seemed to say.

Alexander's legs refused to moved. His throat burned. He wanted to run, to scream, to fight - but was trapped in place by terror.

The werewolf's gaze finally landed on him, it's eyes glassy and confused. It was panting, blood smeared across its muzzle and claws. It took a step towards Alexander, and a low whine escaped the creatures throat, as if it didn't understand what it had done. As if it hadn't meant to kill anyone.

Alexander's fear shaped into something sharper, something colder.

The creature tensed, and just before it jumped trying to escape, a sharp crack split the air. The werewolf's body jerked and fell, a tranquilizer dart buried deep into it's neck. It hit the floor with a thud and splash of the blood still lying on the ground, its chest rising and falling as the sedative took hold.

Security guards flooded into the room, too late. Their shouts and flashing weapons blurred around Alexander. He didn't hear them. His eyes were fixed on his parents' still bodies, on the blood staining his white laced shoes. The smell of copper and burnt ozone filled his lungs.

He clenched his fists.

The world had given werewolves a chance-a chance to be controlled, a chance to exist-and this was the result. Chaos. Death. Destruction.

As the guards hauled the unconscious creature away, Alexander's numbness hardened into resolve.

Control wasn't necessary. It was the only way to survive.