THE BLACKWOOD ESTATE

The black SUV wound its way up the jagged mountain road, its tires kicking up loose gravel that clattered against the undercarriage. Outside, a dense, unnatural fog rolled through the towering pine trees, clinging to the dark earth like a living shroud.

Nora sat in the back, her fingers clutching the edges of her cheap denim jacket. She looked out the tinted window at the passing forest. They had crossed the border line an hour ago. She was deep inside the Bloodhound Territory now a wild, lawless realm where human laws did not apply and Alpha strength was the only authority.

The vehicle ground to a halt before massive iron gates forged in the shape of howling beasts. Beyond them sat the Blackwood Estate: a gargantuan Gothic fortress built of dark stone, spiked turrets, and glowing stained-glass windows that cut through the misty night like burning eyes.

"Out,  the driver growled, opening her door.

Nora stepped onto the cobblestone driveway. The moment her feet touched the ground, an odd sensation washed over her skin a faint, crackling static that made the tiny hairs on her arms stand up. The air tasted different here. It smelled of pine, ancient stone, winter frost, and a deep, overwhelming musk that made her stomach flutter.

"Follow me, Madam Vane instructed, leading her up the grand stone steps. Keep your head down. Speak to no one. You are a guest here by necessity, not by rank.

They passed through heavy oak double doors into a breathtaking foyer lined with white marble pillars and dark velvet drapery. Towering oil paintings of fierce, silver-eyed men in antique armor lined the walls.

Nora felt dozens of eyes on her back. Servants and armed pack guards dressed in tactical black stood in the shadows of the hallways, their amber eyes tracking her every movement with deep suspicion and open hostility.

A weak human in the Alpha's house, their glares seemed to say.

"The Master awaits in the study," Madam Vane said, stopping before two massive bronze doors guarded by two hulking men with jagged scars across their throats.

The guards bowed silently and heaved the doors open.

The study was vast, dominated by a roaring stone fireplace that cast flickering orange light across thousands of leather-bound books. Standing by a floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking the dark valley below was a man.

Nora’s breath caught in her throat.

He was towering—easily six-foot-four—with shoulders so broad they filled out his tailored charcoal suit to its limits. His dark, thick hair curled slightly at his collar. But as he turned slowly to face her, Nora took an involuntary step back.

His face from the nose up was completely concealed by an obsidian mask, carved with intricate, glowing silver runes. Only his square, razor-sharp jawline dusted with dark stubble—and his full, stern lips were visible.

And then there were his eyes. Behind the dark slitted cutouts of the mask, two orbs of liquid gold burned like molten fire.

The moment his gaze locked onto Nora, a violent wave of heat erupted in the room.

The Alpha froze. His chest expanded as he drew in a deep, harsh breath, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides.

Nora gasped aloud. A sudden, terrifyingly intense warmth bloomed in her stomach, shooting up her spine like a wildfire. Her heart began to beat in a frantic, wild rhythm that matched the pulsing of the fire in the hearth.

Mine... A dark, primal voice echoed softly in the back of Nora's mind a voice that didn't belong to her, yet vibrated through her blood.

Leave us, Vane, the Alpha commanded. His voice was a low, gravelly baritone that vibrated straight through the floorboards and rattled Nora’s ribs.

Madam Vane bowed her head nervously. My Lord, the binding preparations,

"I said leave, he growled.

The air pressure in the room dropped instantly, forcing the air straight out of Nora's lungs. Madam Vane didn't dare hesitate; she backed out rapidly and pulled the heavy bronze doors shut with a loud boom.

Nora was left alone in the dark, firelit room with the masked monster.