A MAZE OF GREED

Reaching at Ruth's apartment building, Edwin dreaded to pass Ruth back into Rees's hands. Rees and Zoe stood beside him as he looked at Ruth's face for a long minute.

"She will be in 'the great manor' from tomorrow onwards, Master." Rees said confidently.

'She has no other choice!' Zoe agreed.

Edwin did not say anything and, with a heavy heart, passed Ruth to Rees.

"I am waiting for you here." It was not just a statement. It was a declaration.

"Yes, Master."

"Ed- I mean Lord Edwin I-"

"Let's go Lady Zoe. Mrs Payne must be worried for Ruth and you." Rees interrupted her, sensing the bad mood of his Master.

He did not want any human to see two supernaturals fighting in the middle of the night.

Zoe hissed at Rees but followed him inside the building nonetheless, after telling Edwin to take care of himself.

Edwin stood there waiting for Rees. He could not describe the waves of various emotions hitting his heart. This invisible wall between him and Ruth tore him apart.

'Only till the next morning!' He said to himself.

But was only getting Ruth in 'the great manor' enough? Would that pave a way for him that reached her heart?

He was still searching for these answers and had come up with none yet.

Rees used his power of compulsion on Mrs Payne and made her think that Ruth came on the regular time tonight and nothing was suspicious. He put Ruth on the mattress.

"I hope your mishaps will not put you in a troubled place with Master!" He whispered before leaving.

Although Lord Augustus had ordered all the supernatural creatures to not use their power on humans, Rees had to break that law.

How was he supposed to calm Mrs Payne, who was freaking out in fear?

While descending the building, Rees halted when he saw a silhouette standing on the porch from where the person looked outside. Rees did not want to grab the person's attention and, hence used his power to run down to Edwin.

Florence could not sleep. The four walls of her room suffocated her. She stepped out for some air. She wanted to go for a walk, but it was almost 1 o'clock in the night, and it was not safe to wander alone at that time.

So she decided to pace in the corridor of her floor. But then she noticed a figure standing on the road, their face shadowed by the dim light. She walked closer to the rim of the porch and peeked down curiously.

The height, the physique and the demeanour of the man felt familiar to her brain. Who was the man? And what was he doing there at this odd hour in the night?

Her breath hitched when he slowly raised his head, and their eyes met for a fraction of a second.

"Y-young Master?" The words came out of her mouth in a bare whisper.

She could not believe her eyes and thus blinked to get a clear vision. But when she reopened her eyes, the man was gone. She found no one standing on the empty street.

What kind of mystery was that?

*

*

*

That night Edwin did not return to his chamber. He headed straight to the old building. He was holding up his anger for a long time. His wolf was thirsty for destruction and bloodshed.

However, his human knew it was not the right time for that.

Rees watched him punching on the walls trying his best to keep his wolf caged inside him. Rees heard the breaking of bones or the stones in the wall, yet he did not dare to stop his Master.

Edwin needed to let out his anger and calm his wolf before the sunrise, or else he was not sure what he would do the next time Ruth crossed her path with him.

During the walk to Ruth's home, Zoe explained the course of today's events in detail that Rees recited again to Edwin.

"Harold Davies! That filthy bastard!" Edwin growled in an unnatural voice and landed another punch on the wall.

His voice was a mixture of his human and wolf's voice that could have frightened any strong-willed human.

His knuckles were broken and bleeding, but he did not stop with his onslaught. He did not feel any pain and even if he did then it was overshadowed by the fury raging inside him.

He did not know what exactly transpired between Harold and Ruth.

Did he say something inappropriate to her? Did he mock her? Did he touch her?

Another powerful punch landed on the wall, and Rees gulped down his saliva in nervousness.

"Edwin, stop!"

"Edwin, I said STOP!"

Edwin growled in anger, showing his canines to Lester. Lester matched his dark eyes with his calm olive green unfiltered.

Rees quickly offered a glass of strong dose of wolfsbane potion. The exact concentration that Edwin used to drink not long ago; when he lost his control to his wolf.

Edwin gulped it down in one go. That liquid was enough to exhaust the fire of revenge, so he asked for one more glass that Rees obliged.

"I know what happened with Ruth was misfortunate and it should not have happened. This is the reason why she needs to be in the protective walls of 'the great manor'." Lester pointed the obvious.

"I am going to kill that moron!" Edwin growled.

Lester was also upset with what happened with Ruth. He could not imagine what would have happened if Rees did not reach her on time.

"Harold Davies has crossed the limits this time!" Lester said darkly.

"What about those four men? Were they humans or spies?" Lester then asked Rees.

"They were humans, My Lord. They saw a woman alone and..." He did not dare to complete his sentence.

That was on relief. The day was too dramatic for everyone's liking.

"Edwin you should-"

"I am staying here tonight." Came Edwin's response.

The blood dripped down on the floor, but the man was oblivious to that.

"Master, there is something I want to inform you."

Edwin nodded his head curtly for Rees to continue.

"When I went to the Harold's office and was searching for Ruth, calling her name, I felt like someone was watching me." Rees told the thing that was nagging his mind for quite some time now.

"Who was it? Did you felt anything else?" Lester asked curiously.

"It was a human that I am sure. But I did not see his face." Rees recalled the scent of a human he caught then.

"But we have cleared Vincardine of spies. Or perhaps the man was a citizen and just happened to present there at that time?" Lester tried to look at the bright side.

"My Lord, why would a citizen chose to be silent when he knows that I was searching for someone? I am sure that he was not a citizen."

"Then a spy?"

Edwin was tensed at that thought. He had eradicated all the spies by his own hands. The only ones that were left were appointed by Lord Augustus.

"Does that mean it was Lord Augustus's man? They are the only people we have not touched yet." Lester wondered the same thing that Edwin thought.

"If it is so then..." Rees realised he was speaking of the O'Dell family member. He had no authority to say a word against them.

"Then it will be a problematic situation for us." Edwin said the words that Rees avoided saying out loud.

"Was he following you from the manor?" Lester then asked.

Rees shifted his weight from one leg to another. "Apologies, My Lord. But I was to worried and distracted for Ruth that I failed to notice it." Rees confessed.

Edwin again landed another punch on the wall in frustration. And if his wound was bad before, then it looked nasty now.

"Edwin stop punishing yourself! We know that even if Ruth comes in 'the great manor' in the morning, her presence is going to attract suspicion. Besides, she is not going to stay day and night in the manor.

At the end of the day, she needs to go back to her place. Getting her work here is not a perfect plan, it never was and I knew it. There are different dangers waiting for her in the premises of 'the great manor'.

And the only thing we can do is... treat her ordinary. Avoid speaking her or getting close to her."

"LESTER!!" Edwin roared at his suggestion.

"You know that is the best thing you can do in her favour if you want her alive in 'the great manor'." Lester said with a firm tone.

Five minutes later, Edwin was left alone with his bloodied knuckles and bandages beside him. He pulled out the brown piece of cloth that was the only thing that kept him bound to sanity.

"Moon Goddess, I do not know what you have in your mind. I do not know why you chose Ruth only as my mate.

I do not know if I should name the things she makes me feel as l-love.

But I know only one thing for sure.

She is the one who can tame my beast and keep me alive. She is the drug that I need if I have to serve my destiny.

I will do anything to protect her and keep her by my side.. Anything! Even if it means taking lives or letting my darkness take over me. I will do it all without a second thought because I need her, and I WANT her!"