Chapter 3: Golden Eyes
987 Words
I didn’t sleep at all that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it again — Kai standing under the moonlight, his eyes glowing an unnatural gold. It wasn’t a trick of the light. It wasn’t my imagination. Those eyes had been real.
And he had looked straight at me.
By morning, my body felt heavy and my mind was restless. I got dressed slowly, hoping I wouldn’t run into him. Maybe if I left early enough, I could avoid whatever that was.
I was wrong.
The moment I stepped out of my room, Kai’s door opened.
He stood there, already dressed in his school uniform, black hair still slightly messy. His expression was cold, but there was something darker underneath it now. Something barely controlled.
Our eyes met.
That invisible pull slammed into my chest so hard I almost took a step back.
Kai’s jaw tightened. He closed his door and walked toward me, stopping only when there were less than two feet between us. He smelled like cologne and something wilder… something that made my pulse race.
“You saw me last night,” he said quietly.
It wasn’t a question.
I swallowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His eyes narrowed. “Don’t lie to me, Lila.”
The way he said my name made my stomach tighten. There was authority in his voice, the kind that made it hard to look away.
“I looked out the window,” I said carefully. “That was all.”
Kai stared at me for a long moment. His gaze dropped to my lips for half a second before he looked away, as if the action itself irritated him.
“Stay away from the backyard at night,” he said.
“Why?”
He stepped even closer. My back almost touched the wall.
“Because you won’t like what you see.”
My heart was beating too fast. “What are you?”
The question left my mouth before I could stop it.
Kai’s body went completely still. For a second, something dangerous flashed across his face — something primal. His eyes flickered, and I swore I saw a hint of gold again before he closed them and took a deep breath.
When he opened them, they were dark once more.
“You should go to school,” he said, his voice lower than before. “Now.”
He walked past me without another word, his shoulder brushing against mine. The contact sent a spark of heat through my entire body. I stayed frozen in the hallway until I heard his car start outside.
Something was very wrong with him.
And whatever it was… it was starting to affect me too.
School that day felt different.
I could feel Kai’s presence even when I couldn’t see him. Every time I walked past him in the hallway, the pull between us grew stronger. It was getting harder to breathe when he was nearby. Harder to think.
During third period, I dropped my pen. Before I could pick it up, a large hand grabbed it and held it out to me.
Kai.
He had appeared beside my desk without a sound. His fingers brushed against mine as I took the pen, and the contact made both of us go still.
His eyes locked onto mine.
For a moment, the classroom disappeared. All I could feel was the heat from his skin and the heavy tension between us. Kai’s fingers tightened slightly around the pen before he finally let go.
“Stop looking at me like that,” he muttered under his breath.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
His voice was rough. Almost strained.
Before I could reply, the teacher called for attention, and Kai returned to his seat. But I could still feel his gaze on me for the rest of the class.
That afternoon, I stayed late in the library to avoid the crowded hallways. The sun was already starting to set when I finally packed my things and headed toward the parking lot.
Most students had already left.
I was halfway to the gate when I heard footsteps behind me.
“Lila.”
I turned around.
Kai stood a few meters away, hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin tingle. The sky behind him was turning orange and purple, and the fading light made his features look sharper.
“What do you want?” I asked.
He walked closer. Slowly. Like he was approaching something fragile… or something he didn’t trust himself around.
“You need to stop fighting it,” he said.
“Fighting what?”
Kai stopped right in front of me. This close, I could see the tension in his jaw and the way his hands were clenched inside his pockets.
“You feel it,” he said quietly. “Every time I’m near you. Don’t act like you don’t.”
My breath caught.
“What is happening to me?” I whispered.
Kai lifted one hand, almost like he was going to touch my face, but he stopped himself at the last second. His fingers hovered near my cheek, trembling slightly.
“You really don’t know…” he murmured.
Before I could ask what he meant, a loud growl suddenly echoed from the trees near the school fence.
Kai’s entire body changed in an instant.
He shoved me behind him so fast I barely processed the movement. His back muscles tensed, and when he spoke, his voice was deeper… rougher.
“Stay behind me.”
Another growl came, closer this time.
Kai turned his head slightly, and for the first time since I met him, I saw his control completely crack.
His eyes weren’t dark anymore.
They were pure, glowing gold.
And when he spoke again, his voice was barely human.
“They found you.”
- Writer
