Call of the Unknown

Alyssa

Alyssa was by no means a weak woman. She had faced down threats, survived the worst the world could throw at her.

But tonight...tonight, she witnessed something that chilled her straight to the bone.

Nothing in her life had prepared her for what she saw in that alley.

She had seen big dogs before, sure, feral, dangerous ones even.

But this... this was no dog.

The creature's size alone had been monstrous, its presence filling the narrow alley like a living shadow. And those eyes, those glowing, hungry golden eyes, they held something more. Something aware.

Alyssa shivered at the memory, pressing a hand to her chest as she climbed the steps to her apartment.

The uneasy feeling clung to her like a second skin. It felt as if invisible eyes were still watching her from the darkness, waiting.

Fumbling with her keys, she jammed the right one into the lock, her heart pounding in her ears. The door swung open, and she quickly slammed it shut behind her, twisting the deadbolt with a trembling hand.

Without pausing, she raced to the window.

She grabbed the edge of the curtain and peeled it back just enough to peer into the night.

Nothing was there.

Only the empty, shadow-drenched street.

Still, her instincts screamed. Her skin prickled with the certainty she wasn’t alone.

From the corner of her eye, she caught the flicker of movement, just a whisper of shadow, but when she snapped her gaze toward it, there was nothing there.

A trick of the mind, she told herself.

Just nerves.

Just adrenaline.

But even as she let the curtain fall back into place, Alyssa knew deep down...

Whatever she had seen tonight wasn’t finished with her yet.

And neither, she feared, was the feeling growing steadily inside her, an electric pull she couldn't explain, pulling her toward the unknown.

Hours later, Alyssa still lay awake, the covers pulled tight around her, every creak of the old building making her flinch.

Sleep didn’t come easy—not with her heart still racing and her mind replaying the scene over and over.

But exhaustion, cruel and heavy, eventually dragged her under.

And when it did, the dreams came.

She stood alone in a misty forest, silver moonlight slicing through the thick fog.

Somewhere, just beyond the reach of her vision, something moved, something familiar.

She should have been afraid. She wanted to be afraid.

But instead, warmth bloomed in her chest, a yearning.

The mist parted for just a moment, and golden eyes locked onto hers, bright, burning, unearthly.

A low, deep rumble of a growl vibrated through the air, but it wasn’t a threat.

It was a call.

Alyssa reached out without thinking, her hand trembling in the cool night air. The creature, no, the presence, stepped closer.

And just before her fingers could touch the shimmering outline of fur and muscle, she heard it, soft, a whisper only her soul could hear:

"Mine."

She gasped awake, clutching her sheets, her heart hammering against her ribs like it wanted to break free.

The apartment was silent around her.

But she could still feel it—lingering, heavy, real.

The golden eyes watching her.

The invisible tether tugging at something deep and ancient inside her.

She shook her head violently, pushing the dream away.

But a small voice inside her, one she had buried for years, whispered a terrible, thrilling truth.

Something had found her.

And somehow... she wasn’t sure she wanted to run.