Fantasy Gifts Blackwood Novels & Stories

"I don't—" "Your grandmother contacted me before she died. She knew this day would come." Blackwood pulled out a small vial filled with silver liquid. "Moonsbane. It will mask your scent completely for three hours. After that..." she shrugged. "You're on your own." "Why are you helping me?" "Because the world needs balance. Because the princes need to be challenged. Because—" she paused, her eyes flickering to something behind me, "because some of us remember what it was like when Moonsingers kept the peace."

"A custom-crafted bracelet. Platinum band, inlaid with rare winter diamonds and a central, pear-cut royal emerald." Ethan’s eyes widened, his playful smile completely fading. "Wait... a diamond and emerald bracelet? Lucien, that’s a traditional Blackwood courting gift. That’s what the Kings of our bloodline give to their mates or the women they intend to claim as their Queen." I paused, the tip of the pen hovering over the paper. A courting gift was literally a declaration of intent… was it okay? My wolf let out a satisfied purr, practically clawing at my throat to send the order through. I lowered the pen and finished signing my seal at the bottom of the page.

With love so loud it drowned out every ghost from that stupid manor. The Blackwood family had its monsters. But Reese had me. And together, we’d burn every last one of them down. Those monsters haven't met this monster…

I tilt my head down. The parchment line across the top reads: High Favor of the Royal Lycan Court: Lady Sommy Blackwood Awarded the Grand Golden Leaf of the Northern Territories—First Female Healer of the Southern Bloodlines to Receive the Crown’s Highest Honor. Below the golden runes is an enchanted portrait crystal.

she said, though something in her voice suggested uncertainty. She carefully unwrapped the package, revealing an ornate box inside. Lifting the lid, we found an antique baby rattle, elegant and clearly expensive, engraved delicately with the Blackwood family crest. “This is beautiful,” Isabella said, though her expression remained cautious. “But strange. Who would send something like this without any note?” She lifted the rattle carefully from its velvet lining, and that’s when I noticed something else tucked beneath the fabric, a small folded piece of paper.

Three years ago, on her birthday, I was still paralyzed in a wheelchair. My wolf form was suppressed by high doses of wolfsbane. I had lost all my strength. Even my growl was as weak as a dying pup's whimper. In that hopeless, fallen state, I couldn't even afford a decent synthetic crystal, let alone jewelry. But I wanted to give her something that came from me. Even the most pitiful, clumsily made gift. So, I hid it from her. I went to the dead woods behind the house during a downpour, searching through the mud until I found a piece of blackthorn wood struck by lightning.

“Maisie, she put so much thought into that gift! How heartless can you be to ignore her like that?” “I seriously misjudged you. In that case, we won’t give you any gifts either.” Left with no choice, I said I appreciated both the gift and her intentions, but I was already wearing a necklace. Zoe’s eyes reddened. “The one I'm giving you is more expensive than that. Doesn’t it deserve a place around your neck?” Just then, Miles Gray's rough voice came from downstairs. “Maisie! C-Come down!” It was my brother.

The doors creaked as she pushed them open, revealing what lay inside. The cabinet was filled with papers, old books, and trinkets, the remnants of a past long forgotten. Bliss ran her fingers over the contents, her heart racing with each new discovery. Among the books, she found a leather-bound journal, its pages yellowed with age. The title, written in faded gold lettering, read Blackwood Family History. She pulled it out and opened it, her hands trembling with anticipation.

Two senior maids rushed over to support Ruby. "I’m fine," Ruby managed. "Go to your room," Dexter whispered, brushing his hand against her forehead. "I can’t have anything happening to you." The maids led her away. "Now, Silas," Dexter’s voice turned low and dangerous. "Tell me before I actually snap your neck. What is the real reason you’re here drawing your Alpha's blood?" Silas pulled out an oak chair without asking and sat down, though his eyes remained wary. "I brought gifts, Dexter. Several crates of the finest silver weapons from the Blackwood forges are in the courtyard."

I blushed a beet-root red when I saw his gaze rake over my chest and back to my face before he laughed. “Are you always like this?” “Like what?” I wheezed, only able to concentrate on the way my nipples were brushing tauntingly against his hard chest. His breath sent tingles up and down my spine when he spoke and my eyes hooded over from wanting. I wanted the brutal Blackwood Alpha…there it was! The man was rumored to have killed so many wolves and humans that he had a giant castle in the middle of the town all to himself. “So…innocent,” He whispered and I flinched when he tucked a loose strand of my red hair softly behind my ear, his gaze holding mine meaningfully.