The Blightwood Offering

FABIAN

I clutched the steering wheel tighter as my car bumped down the forgotten dirt path leading to the Blightwood. Every instinct screamed at me to turn around, but I kept driving deeper into the forbidden forest. The trees grew denser, their twisted branches forming a canopy that blocked out the moonlight. My headlights barely penetrated the unnatural darkness ahead.

No wolf in their right mind entered the Blightwood willingly. Even humans avoided these woods, guided by an instinctive fear they couldn't explain. Yet here I was, three days before my wedding, meeting Seraphina Sinclair of all people.

I finally reached the small clearing she'd described. My headlights swept across the area, revealing her sleek black car already parked at the edge. Seraphina stood beside it, arms crossed, looking completely unbothered by our surroundings.