The Blackwood Estate
1300 Words
Warmth.
That was the first thing Luna noticed.
Not the soft mattress beneath her, or the faint scent of cedarwood and sandalwood hanging in the air, or even the distant hush of wind brushing against tall windows.
Just warmth.
It wrapped around her like a heavy, protective blanket, pushing away the freezing rain that still lingered in her dreams, like her body had finally been pulled out of a storm it had been drowning in for way too long.
Her eyelids fluttered open slowly, reluctantly, like they didn’t fully trust whatever was waiting for her on the other side.
A crystal chandelier hung from a vaulted ceiling painted with intricate silver wolves running beneath a full moon. The artwork looked almost alive in the morning light, like the wolves could start moving any second. Sunlight poured through massive floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across a bedroom so huge it made her chest tighten—bigger than her entire apartment, bigger than anything she’d ever stepped into before.
Silk curtains swayed gently in the morning breeze, brushing softly against polished glass.
Dark oak furniture gleamed against flawless hardwood floors, every surface too clean, too expensive, too untouched.
Nothing about this place felt normal.
Nothing about it felt like it belonged in her world.
"You’re awake."
Luna shot upright instantly, her heart slamming against her ribs.
Darius stood near the windows, one hand tucked casually into the pocket of freshly pressed black trousers. The torn shirt he’d worn last night was gone, replaced with a crisp white dress shirt that clung to his frame in a way that made him look even more controlled, more dangerous. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing strong lines of muscle and faint scars that hinted at battles she didn’t understand.
He looked completely put together.
Like he hadn’t spent the night fighting werewolves and vampires in the dark.
Like chaos didn’t follow him everywhere he went.
"You..."
Her voice came out rough. She swallowed, forcing herself to look around the room again like it might suddenly start making sense.
"Where am I?"
"My home."
She frowned immediately, suspicion sharpening her expression.
"This is a home?"
"It’s the Blackwood Estate."
She slowly turned her head back toward him, disbelief deepening.
"This looks more like a palace."
A faint, almost invisible smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"It’s been called worse."
Luna threw back the blankets with more force than necessary, frustration bubbling up inside her.
"I’m leaving."
The second her feet hit the floor, dizziness slammed into her so hard her vision blurred.
The room tilted.
Her knees buckled.
Before she could even process the fall, Darius was already there.
One moment he was across the room.
The next, his hand was steadying her waist, firm and unyielding.
Heat shot through both of them at the contact—sharp, immediate, impossible to ignore.
Luna gasped, breath catching in her throat.
Darius’s eyes flickered gold for a split second, like something inside him reacted before he could stop it.
Then he let go immediately, stepping back like the contact had burned him.
"You should rest."
"I’ve rested enough."
"You were unconscious for fourteen hours."
Her eyes widened in shock.
"What?"
"Your awakening drained you."
"I don’t even know what that means."
"I know."
His calm tone only irritated her more, like he was deliberately refusing to meet her panic halfway.
"Then stop talking in riddles!"
Her voice echoed through the massive room, bouncing off stone and glass and silence.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
The air between them felt heavy, charged, like something waiting to snap.
Finally, Darius exhaled slowly, like he was choosing his words carefully.
"You deserve answers."
"Finally."
"But not all of them."
Her jaw dropped in disbelief.
"You’ve got to be kidding me."
Before she could say anything else, a knock sounded at the bedroom door.
Once.
Twice.
Then it opened without waiting for permission.
Evelyn walked in carrying a tray loaded with breakfast, moving with practiced ease like she belonged in every room she entered.
The smell hit Luna instantly.
Fresh bread still warm from the oven.
Fluffy scrambled eggs.
Crisp bacon.
Fresh fruit sliced neatly.
And coffee.
Real coffee.
The kind she hadn’t had in so long her stomach physically tightened at the scent alone.
Evelyn smiled faintly, like she’d been expecting this reaction.
"You haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon."
Luna quickly looked away, suddenly aware of how obvious her hunger must be.
"I wasn’t hungry."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"You didn’t have money."
Silence fell instantly.
Darius slowly turned his head toward Luna, his expression shifting in a way that made the room feel colder.
"You skipped meals?"
She shrugged, trying to keep it casual.
"It happens."
"How often?"
"It’s not a big deal."
"Luna."
The way he said her name was softer this time, but there was something heavier underneath it. Something that made her chest tighten in a way she didn’t like.
It made lying impossible.
She looked away.
"More often than I’d like."
Something dangerous flickered in Darius’s eyes.
Not toward her.
Never toward her.
But toward whoever had let her life become that way.
He pulled out a chair beside the table.
"Sit."
"I can stand."
"Luna."
That single repetition of her name carried quiet authority.
She sighed dramatically, mostly to hide how unsettled she felt, and sat down.
Evelyn hid a small smile as she placed the tray in front of her.
"You’ll learn," she whispered lightly.
"He gets stubborn."
"I heard that."
"I know."
Luna couldn’t help it.
A small laugh slipped out before she could stop it.
It surprised even her.
Darius looked at her immediately, like the sound had caught him off guard.
For the first time since they met, she looked… lighter. Less guarded. Less like she was bracing for impact.
The moment didn’t last long.
A sharp knock echoed somewhere deeper in the mansion.
Then another.
Fast footsteps filled the hallway outside, growing louder, more urgent.
Before anyone could react, a young man burst into the bedroom without warning.
"Alpha!"
He stopped abruptly the second he saw Luna.
His mouth actually fell open in shock.
"No way."
Darius’s voice turned instantly ice cold.
"Knock."
"I did."
"You ignored the answer."
"I was excited."
The man’s bright green eyes snapped back to Luna, scanning her like she was something out of a story he didn’t quite believe.
"So she’s real."
Luna frowned.
"Am I missing something?"
The guy grinned, way too enthusiastic for the tension in the room.
"I’m Mason."
He held out his hand immediately, like they were already friends.
"Head of security."
"You look about twenty."
"I’m twenty-six."
She hesitated, then shook his hand.
"Luna."
"I know."
She groaned under her breath.
"Seriously?"
"Your name’s been all anyone’s talking about."
Darius cleared his throat sharply.
"Mason."
"Right."
Mason’s grin vanished instantly, replaced by focus.
"We’ve got a problem."
The room went quiet.
Even Evelyn straightened slightly.
"The Council arrived an hour ago."
Evelyn cursed under her breath.
"They’re early."
"They’re demanding to see her."
Luna looked between all of them, unease creeping in.
"The Council?"
Darius’s expression hardened completely.
"The highest governing body of the werewolf world."
"And they know I’m here?"
"They know you awakened."
A knot formed in Luna’s stomach, tightening with every second of silence.
"What do they want?"
No one answered right away.
That silence said more than words ever could.
Whatever was waiting outside that door…
it wasn’t good.
Darius looked directly at her, his voice lower now, controlled but heavy with meaning.
"They’re going to ask one question."
"What question?"
His voice dropped to almost a whisper.
"Whether you should be protected..."
He paused, the weight of it settling over the room like a shadow.
"...or executed."
- Writer
