THE GOLDEN EYES

Chapter 5

Lena’s POV.

Frustration boiled up inside me.

“Can you stop mentioning the hospital for crying out loud?” I said sharply.

“I said I’m okay.”

Sophie's eyes widened.

Guilt hit me immediately.

She was only trying to help.

I dragged a shaky breath and pressed a hand against my forehead.

“Sorry,” I muttered more quietly.

“I just… I can’t go there right now.”

Sophie studied me carefully for a long moment.

Concern still lingered in her eyes, “Lena,” she said softly, “this whole thing is confusing me”

My chest tightened painfully.

If only she knew how scared I was too.

Sophie hesitated.

Then finally groaned.

“You are unbelievably stubborn.”

“I know just help me please” I murmured softly.

“It's fine” she replied worriedly.

I carefully lowered myself back onto the couch.

The second she peeled back the bandage fully, her face paled. “Oh no, Lena.”

I looked away immediately.

“No, I can’t do this., I am not a nurse you need hospital” she muttered..

“Please just do it, I will be fine, I promise”

Sophie carefully cleaned the wound while I

bit down hard against the pain.

Every touch hurt so badly.

“Are you sure you don’t want painkillers?” she asked quietly.

“I’m okay.”

“You keep saying that, but you look seconds away from death.”

A strained laugh escaped me.

The stitching hurt worse than I expected.

Several times I had to grip the couch

cushion just to stay still.

But eventually, Sophie tied off the final stitch and leaned back with a relieved sigh.

“There,” she muttered. “You officially owe me forever.”

I glanced down at the wound

“Thanks.”

Sophie studied me carefully again.

“You’re still not telling me everything.”

My chest tightened.

“No,” I admitted softly.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

I pushed myself carefully off the couch.

Sophie frowned immediately. “What are you doing?”

“I want to go to the bookstore.”

Her jaw dropped slightly. “Lena, you can barely stand.”

“I need to go,” I said quietly.

Sophie stared at me like I’d completely lost my mind.

“Why?”

I hesitated before answering.

Because staying here felt worse.

Every sound outside dragged the memory back.

I needed something normal.

Something familiar.

“If I stay here thinking about last night, I’ll lose my mind,” I admitted softly. “I just… I need a distraction.”

Sophie’s expression softened slightly.

I forced a weak smile.

“Besides, moving around might help the wound heal faster.”

Her eyebrows lifted immediately.

“That is absolutely not how injuries work.”

Despite everything, a small laugh escaped me.

Sophie sighed dramatically and pointed a warning finger at me.

“Fine. But if you pass out, I’m dragging you to the hospital myself.”

“Deal.”

“And you are not lifting anything.”

“You’re very bossy today.”

“Because apparently one of us has to be responsible.”

“Let me shower first.”

My body still ached as I made my way

toward the bathroom.

The second I shut the door behind me, the cabin felt strangely quieter.

I turned on the shower and steam slowly filled the small room.

For a moment, the hot water helped.

The heat loosened the tension in my muscles as I carefully avoided my injured shoulder.

I closed my eyes briefly.

The memory slammed back instantly.

Golden eyes.

Blood.

Teeth.

My breath caught sharply.

I opened my eyes again, And froze.

For one horrible second, I thought I saw a massive dark shape standing behind the shower curtain.

My heart nearly stopped.

I spun around violently.

Nothing.

Just steam.

My breathing turned uneven.

“You’re losing it,” I whispered shakily to myself.

I forced another breath and reached for the soap beside the sink.

Then I noticed muddy footprints on the bathroom floor.

Leading toward the door.

My stomach dropped.

“No…”

I blinked hard.

The footprints disappeared.

My pulse pounded painfully now.

The air suddenly felt colder.

A low growl echoed faintly in my head.

I jerked backward so fast pain shot through my shoulder.

“Hah!”

The sound vanished instantly.

But panic had already taken over me.

I grabbed a towel and hurried out of the bathroom, my wet footsteps echoing against the wooden floor.

Sophie looked up immediately from the couch.

“Lena?”

I could barely breathe.

Because for a second in that bathroom…

it felt like the beast was still here.

I quickly changed into fresh clothes, though my hands still trembled slightly as I pulled on my sweater.

The image of those muddy footprints refused to leave my head.

Neither did the growl.

I stepped outside the cabin a few minutes later, the cold air brushing against my damp skin.

The woods stood eerily quiet around us.

My eyes moved automatically toward the trees.

My pulse picked up again..

The forest looked normal in the daylight.

But after last night, every movement between the trees made my pulse jump.

Like something could step out at any second.

I barely realized I’d wandered a few steps away from the porch until a hand suddenly touched my shoulder.

I jerked violently.

A gasp escaped me as I spun around.

“Lena!” Sophie stared at me wide-eyed. “you scared me.”

My chest heaved.

“S-Sorry.”

Her expression shifted immediately to concern.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

I opened my mouth, but for a second nothing came out.

Because honestly?

No.

I wasn’t okay at all.

“I’m fine,” I stammered quickly. “Let’s just go.”

Sophie didn’t look convinced.

But she nodded anyway.

And as we walked toward the truck, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing back toward the woods one last time.

Certain something was still watching me from the trees.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the bookstore.

The small bell above the entrance chimed softly as we stepped inside.

The familiar scent of old pages and coffee wrapped around me instantly.

For the first time since waking up, some of the tension in my chest eased slightly.

Sophie moved behind the counter while I wandered slowly between the shelves, running my fingers absentmindedly along the spines of books.

Everything felt normal here.

Quiet and safe.

At least… safer than the woods.

The front door suddenly opened again.

The bell rang softly overhead.

My body tensed automatically before I could stop it.

A man stepped inside.

Tall.

Broad shoulders.

Dark hair slightly messy, like he’d run his fingers through it too many times.

He wore a simple black hoodie with the sleeves pushed up to his forearms.

Nothing about him should’ve stood out.

But the second my eyes landed on him, something inside me tightened.

His gaze swept across the bookstore once before landing directly on me.

For a strange moment, neither of us looked away.

Then he walked closer.

Calm.

Confident.

“Hi,” he said softly.

The sound of his voice hit me like i

ce down my spine.

It sounded too familiar.

My breath caught.

I’d heard that voice before.

But I couldn’t remember where I’d heard it.

My pulse spiked violently.

The man tilted his head slightly, like he noticed my reaction.

Something about him felt familiar.

Wrongly familiar.

“My name’s Caleb.” he said.