Blackwood Manor Novels & Stories

Vivienne had been awake most of the night. "Here's what I have," she said, turning her laptop toward the group. "Blackwood's renamed location matches an abandoned forestry station about four hours north. Satellite imagery shows no recorded activity in decades." She paused. "But thermal scans from the last two weeks show heat signatures. Recent ones." "Edmund," Gabriel said immediately. "Maybe," Vivienne allowed. "Or whoever he answers to." Alexander was already on his feet. "Then we go now." "We go prepared," Isaac corrected, quiet but firm. "Blackwood survived thirty years by being forgotten. I'd rather not assume it's stayed empty just because the maps say so."

Blackwood. Finally, the moment arrived. Zeke moved to the center stage. The lights dimmed, focusing a spotlight on him as he tapped the microphone. The room instantly fell silent and everyone’s eyes made their way to where he stood with a small smile on his face, eager to hear his speech. “Good evening, Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for your extraordinary generosity tonight, the Blackwood family is forever in your debt.” He began, his voice amplified, filling every corner of the vast room.

Meanwhile, Belle’s eyes remained fixed on a familiar male figure standing quietly behind the crowd. The moment Dr. Holly’s husband disappeared, the mysterious man also turned and silently left. Belle frowned slightly. He’s here again... Her gaze lingered briefly on the empty spot where he had stood before she finally turned back toward the elegant lady, who had now regained her composure. “Inform all Board members that the Chairman is calling for an emergency meeting today,” one of the men near the entrance suddenly ordered in a deep and authoritative voice while staring coldly at Dr. Holly. Director Pakorn immediately nodded in obedience.

He was built like a brick wall, with cold eyes and scars on his knuckles. "Evening, Mr. Black," the man said with a stiff nod and heavily accented English. Mr. Black? Was that Lorenzo's surname? Lorenzo reached into his jacket and pulled out a small black card with golden scribbles that I couldn't make sense of from where I stood, handing it to the security guard. The man examined it briefly before stepping aside with another nod. That's when I saw it - an elevator built right into the exterior wall of the building. The doors were sleek and modern, completely out of place against the crumbling facade.

The first thing I noticed was the silence. It wasn’t the peaceful kind. No. This one was suffocating, heavy, eerie like the walls themselves were holding their breath. The Blackwood estate was unlike anything I had ever seen. More like a fortress than a home. A sprawling mansion built from polished gray stone, lined with steel gates, surveillance cameras, and perfectly trimmed hedges that looked like they had never known chaos. Just like him. The driver dropped me off at the entrance and left without a word. I stood there for a moment, suitcase in hand, feeling like an outsider about to trespass into a world I didn’t belong in.

But walking up the rotted steps of the Blackwood Estate, my bravado felt like a thin, tattered coat in a blizzard. The house smelled of rot and centuries of settled gloom. The Master Suite was at the end of a long, groaning hallway on the third floor. I locked the door behind me, feeling the heavy, iron bolt slide into place. I was alone. The storm began an hour later. It wasn’t just rain; it was a deluge, a relentless hammering against the manor’s siding. Lightning flickered in jagged, strobe-light pulses, illuminating the room in bursts of stark, clinical white. With every flash, the ancient oak tree outside the window clawed at the glass, its gnarled, leafless branches scraping rhythmical

⸻ Aaron’s expression darkened slowly. Because now he understood something terrifying. Victor wasn’t searching randomly anymore. ⸻ He knew exactly what he was looking for. ⸻ And somehow— he knew Aaron was getting close to it too. Rain poured heavily across the city by the time Aaron’s convoy reached the original Blackwood estate. The old property stood isolated behind towering gates and dark trees, hidden from the rest of the city like a secret buried too long. ⸻ Aaron stepped out of the SUV first. And immediately noticed the broken security light near the east wing.

"Viktor." Both women stared. Kate finally spoke. "Who's Viktor?" "My uncle." Ophelia added, "The lunatic." "He isn't a lunatic." "He tried to assassinate our father." "He had reasons." "He used a chandelier." "It almost worked." Kate stared between us. "This family gets more normal every day." --- Viktor Blackwood lived in a place sane wolves avoided. The Dead Forest. Which sounded dramatic until you actually visited. Then it sounded accurate. Nothing grew there. No birds. No insects. No streams. Just black trees that had been dead for several centuries and somehow refused to fall.

But staring up at the dark silhouette of the Alpha, framed by the towering pines, the reality of his situation settled heavy in his gut. "Fine," Noah muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Lead the way, Captain Sunshine." Francis grunted,a sound that might have been annoyance or faint amusement and turned back toward the trail. Ten minutes later, the dense treeline opened up, revealing a steep, rocky incline overlooking the valley. Perched on the high rise, surrounded by a massive stone wall, sat Blackwood Manor. It was a imposing structure of dark timber, rough-hewn granite, and tall, narrow windows that reflected the pale moonlight. It looked less like

Dust drifted through the manor like falling ash. Somewhere upstairs, wood splintered loudly as another section of Blackwood House gave way beneath the strain of the failing seals. Rain poured through the damaged roof now, cold water running down ancient hallways lined with flickering silver wards. The house was dying. Eleanor could feel it. Blackwood Manor had never simply been a home. It was part prison. Part sanctuary. Part living thing. And it was exhausted. Alaric remained on one knee, one hand braced against the cracked floorboards while silver light pulsed violently beneath his skin. Each pulse answered the chains buried deep below the mountain.