### Chapter 2: The Beast Within
The creature didn't move. It was a massive shadow in the doorway, its golden eyes locked onto mine, unblinking, waiting. The air in the room felt thick—charged, like a storm was about to break. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could hear the distant howl of other beasts echoing through the night, but none of them dared to approach.
I couldn't look away from the creature. Something in its gaze pulled me, like I was drawn toward it by an invisible thread. For a moment, it felt as if the world outside the cabin had ceased to exist. The fire flickered in the hearth, casting long shadows across the walls.
"Are you going to hurt me?" I whispered, though the words felt wrong. The creature had no reason to harm me.
The beast's growl softened, almost like a rumbling purr, and it stepped forward, its claws scraping against the wood floor with a terrifying, but oddly respectful, sound. My fingers twitched, the urge to command it bubbling up inside me like a rising tide.
"Sit." The word escaped my lips before I could stop it.
The creature immediately obeyed, lowering itself to the floor and sitting on its haunches, tail curled around its massive paws. I couldn't believe it. It had obeyed me. A creature that was feared by everyone in our village, a creature that had killed before, was now waiting for me to give it an order.
I stepped back slowly, my legs shaky. "What is this?" I muttered to myself.
The door to the cabin creaked open further, and I spun around, expecting to see one of the villagers or my mother standing there. Instead, the figure that entered was much smaller—almost childlike, but wrapped in a cloak that covered most of their face. A woman, I realized, though I couldn't tell her age.
"You're not alone," she said, her voice smooth, like honey, but with an edge to it. "You've awakened something."
I stared at her, heart still racing. "What are you talking about? This thing… it's not real. It can't be."
The woman stepped forward, revealing her face. Her features were sharp, and her eyes—one dark as the night and the other glowing faintly with an unnatural light—locked onto mine. "It's real, Dominic. And so are you. The gift your father spoke of… you're the last of your kind."
"Last of my kind?" I repeated, my voice trembling. "What do you mean?"
She looked down at the creature, then back at me. "That beast you command is just the beginning. There are others, more dangerous, more powerful. And they will come for you. The gift your father spoke of allows you to control them, but it also makes you a target."
I shook my head, trying to make sense of it all. "Control them? You mean, I can make them do what I want? Why? How?"
"That's something only you can discover," she said, her tone cryptic. "But first, you must learn to control yourself. Because once you begin using your gift, you can't stop it."
The words sent a shiver down my spine. "What does that mean?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she turned her attention to the beast still sitting obediently at the door. She murmured something under her breath, and the creature's eyes shifted, locking onto her.
"Your connection to the monsters is more than just a power—it's a bond," she continued. "You'll see things differently. Hear things differently. You won't be the same, Dominic. And the moment you let it go—let the power take over—you'll be beyond control."
I felt a sudden rush of panic. My father's words, her warnings, they were starting to make sense. The power within me—it was real. It was dangerous. And it was all I could think about now.
The beast growled softly, its eyes flicking back to me, waiting for a command. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "Stay," I said, my voice more firm this time. The creature obeyed without hesitation.
"Good," the woman said, nodding approvingly. "But that's just the surface of it. You must learn to listen, to feel what they feel. Only then will you understand the true extent of your power."
I nodded, though uncertainty gnawed at my gut. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. I had a gift, yes, but what good was it if it could lead to something uncontrollable, something dangerous?
"You don't have much time," she said, her voice growing serious. "You must leave before they find you. The other monsters will come, and they'll be more than you can handle. You'll need to learn to fight back."
"Fight back?" I repeated. "How? I don't even know what I'm doing."
She smiled, but it was a hard, knowing smile. "You'll figure it out. But the sooner you start, the better."
And with that, she turned and left, leaving me standing there, alone with the creature that had become my responsibility. The silence that followed was heavy, oppressive.
I glanced at the beast. It hadn't moved. It was waiting for me to make the next move.
And for the first time in my life, I realized that everything had changed. The monsters weren't just outside anymore—they were inside me, too.