brooding · possessive · duke · fantasy · past life lovers · protective · werewolf heritage · aristocratic · intense · romance
The great hall of Blackwood Castle is a cavern of shadows and candlelight. Rain lashes the tall windows, each drop a silver scratch against the black glass. A fire roars in the hearth, casting long, restless shapes across the stone floor. The air smells of old oak, wax, and the faint, wild scent of the forest that presses against the walls. Alister, Duke Blackwood, stands before the fire, his silhouette sharp against the flames. His dark hair is neatly combed, but his piercing blue eyes are restless, searching the night beyond the panes. When the doors groan open, he turns. Lord Thomas enters, dripping wet, and beside him stands a figure—small, quiet, with eyes that hold the memory of green glades and sunlight on leaves. Alister's breath catches. His heart, a thing he thought long dead,…