A MAZE OF GREED

"Miss Moore?"

Ruth stood stunned at her place. Her body was as stiff as rock. Her heart pounded loudly in fear. She did not mean to kill that duck, but it just... happened.

And to add her guilt now stood a familiar face, witnessing her cruelty. She was a monster!

"H-Henry?" She dared to say his name.

The young man looked like he had seen a ghost. Now that Ruth had moved in the servants quarters, their meetings had become sparse except occasional smiles when they crossed their paths in 'the great manor'.

Henry was unloading the things he was told to bring from the market when he noticed, Ruth, sitting alone in a corner. After he was done with his work, he thought of sharing a word or two with her.

But what he saw was something he had never expected in his lifetime. The woman he knew- his Luna- looked like a cruel person when she strangled the poor bird to death. He tried telling his mind that there must be some logical reason behind her actions.

The woman he knew was kind and did not know what violence meant. But after many attempts, his mind came with no such logical explanation that would justify her action.

What was she doing?

"You... you killed the duck." He said as if he was repeating that fact in his mind, over and over.

Ruth shook her head, her eyes wailed up with tears. "No... no Henry. Please listen to me. I can explain."

Could she?

"Why? Why did you do that? It was just a bird... a harmless creature!" He almost cried.

During her previous encounters with Henry, Ruth had figured out that he was a young and emotional man. He especially had a great attachment for the animals and the birds than the humans. And, she liked that trait of his.

So now seeing him shaking in disbelief did not surprise her.

"Henry please listen to me. I did not mean to kill it. Please!"

Ruth pleaded earnestly. Every word she said was true and was coming from the deepest pits of her heart. But Henry was too shocked to hear them.

Not saying another word, he turned around to leave. Ruth panicked and hurriedly ran to block his way. Spreading her arms to her side, she tried to stop him.

"Henry, where are you going?" She asked in alarm.

"Please let me go, Miss Moore."

"No!" Ruth, now well aware of his intentions, shook her head as she stared hard at him.

"You can not leave before I explain you." She said with finality.

Henry- a werewolf- did not like what she did and how she was trying to explain it to him. For him, what he saw with his eyes was the only truth.

He was trying to control his wolf only because Ruth was his Luna. He knew, if he disrespected her, then it would mean he disrespected his Young Master, which was the last thing he would ever do.

"What do you want to explain me? I see it with my eyes, Miss Moore. I do not want to hear anymore from you."

Ruth clenched her jaw.

"Fine! If you do not want to hear me then that is okay. But, I want you to promise me that you will not say a word about it to anyone." She glared at him.

Henry observed her dumbfoundedly. Was she the same woman he was glad to have as his Luna?

"Miss Moore. Is this really you?" He asked tenderly and with disappointment.

"What do you mean Henry?" Ruth was getting agitated with every passing moment.

The look of disappointment was too much for her to bore.

"You are not the same Miss Moore I knew. You have... changed a lot. You are not that same person anymore."

That broke Ruth's last restraint. The one thing that she was scared of was disappointing people who trusted her. Henry was someone she considered a nice young man. She liked to talk with him. He was always polite and caring. She liked the way he treated her exceptionally well.

The respect she enjoyed having in his words and actions regarding her, shattered right in front of her. Ruth could not take that blow well.

Taking a step closer to him, she said with teary eyes and trembling chin.

"You are wrong! You all are wrong! I am the same Ruth. I am the very same person. It is you all who have changed and not me!" She screamed at his face, taking him by surprise.

He had never seen Ruth acting that way. He searched around for someone and, considered reaching Young Master through the pack link. He soon realised that the situation was getting out of his hands.

"Miss Moore please! Let me call someone. You do not look good." His features clouded with worry.

But Ruth panicked, even more, when he said that. Calling someone would mean other people know what she just did.

The faces of people who trusted her flashed in front of her eyes. She had already done many unexplainable things, and every time she was saved by these people from the consequences.

What would they think if they got to know that she killed an innocent soul?

They all would despise her!

And the blue-eyed monster... would he defend her then?

"You are NOT calling anyone!" Ruth hissed through her teeth.

Her expressions suddenly changed. Her warm hazel eyes hardened as they dared Henry to act otherwise. She looked nothing like a timid and shy Ruth. At that moment, she looked much more stronger, and authoritarian.

"Miss Moore..." Henry stepped back as his wolf stirred inside him uncomfortably.

He felt it in his cells. His mind waved the red flags. His wolf scowled, moving inside him. It was restless and uneasy.

Ruth was long gone to hear him. All that remained behind were her instincts. She was adamant about keeping her secret safe.

"Henry, you have to keep your mouth shut. You can not tell anybody what you saw." Ruth said with a commanding voice.

Henry gulped nervously. His wolf and his human both were fighting against something, but what- they did not understand.

"But... I..."

"You have to forget it Henry. You did not see what I did. You do not know what happened. You have nothing to tell others. Do you underrstand that?"

Ruth prayed he would understand. She had nothing else in her mind at that time. She did not care if he was scared or confused. All she cared about was she did not kill that duck willingly.

It was an accident that no one should know.

A thin layer of perspiration formed on Henry's forehead. With every ounce of resistance, he tried moving away from Ruth. He wanted to look away from her, but he could not.

Before he could do that, Ruth grasped his hand in hers.

She kept repeating her words, till she saw his face changing expressions.

A minute later, a pain that shot in her head made her blink rapidly, and she left his hand as if his touch had burnt her.

Taking deep breaths, she blinked a couple of times to clear her misty vision.

"H-Henry?"

Ruth was too shocked. She did not know what exactly she did to him, but unlike the previous times, this time she was aware of her actions.

Henry's face was blank, and so was his mind.

"Miss Moore?"

He looked at her as if he had not expected her there.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he saw her tear-stained face.

Not knowing how to react, she only nodded her head. She did not say more as her mind was too preoccupied with everything, which was going on.

"Oh, no. Poor bird. It died. See!"

Ruth looked at Henry as if he had gone mad. He acted as if he had just found that.

What was going on?

He picked up the bird and stood up. "I apologise that we could not get a chance of a nice talk, Miss Moore. But first, I need to bury it somehwere. See you later! Have a good night!"

Ruth kept gawking at Henry as he walked away without any hint of what transpired between them. Her head spun.

What did she do?

To clear her mind, she staggered towards the same fountain. The sound of the struggling bird and its fight for life under her hand made her throat burn with bile.

Ruth collected some water in her palms and splashed it on her face. Tears dried after some minutes. But the things that she did- knowingly or unknowingly, willingly or unwillingly- had set her whole world in chaos.

She sat at the same place for what felt like hours. It was late when she regained the sense of time.

Should she speak with Mrs Payne?

Ruth scoffed at that thought. She was the last person she expected to tell her the truth. Seemed like she needed to work on it by herself.

Did that mean she was a witch?

With those thoughts in mind, Ruth finally dragged herself towards the home.