A MAZE OF GREED

Edwin was constantly in a sour mood since his fight with Ruth. He could not help but curse at himself for reacting that way. But then it was her fault too, as much as it was his. She should not have gone that far.

She did not even give him a chance to explain himself.

And now this attack of rogue on Lester and Rees. Edwin had a bad feeling about this since the beginning.

He burst into his uncle's office without a knock. He looked like a raging bull who was ready to take anyone on its long and deadly horns.

Augustus was reading a book, sitting on the couch. He did not look up at Edwin.

"I did not know that my dear nephew needs to learn the mannerisms of a five-year-old. There is a thing called knocking on the door, Edwin." Augustus said, turning the page of the book in his hand

His glasses rested on the angle of his nose.

"We need to talk!" Edwin declared.

He saw Augustus's jaw ticked in displease. He did not like the authoritative tone Edwin used at him.

"I am busy." Augustus replied dismissively.

But Edwin was too furious to keep up with Augustus's tantrums.

"When I say that we need to talk, then it means it should be right NOW, no matter if you are busy or not!" Edwin said with finality.

But his demand was not taken positively by Augustus. Slapping the book down on the couch angrily, he stood up.

"Do not you raise your voice at me, Edwin! Do not forget who you are talking with. I am your uncle, your guardian. I practically work as a slave for dispensing YOUR duties!" Augustus had enough of the sweet talk.

With passing time, he found it difficult to hide his hatred towards Edwin. And when Edwin was being this disrespectful towards him, he did not care about the pretence of a good uncle.

"And how you are exactly doing it, Lord Augustus? By turning deaf to the peoples' plight?!"

Edwin did not care if he was disrespecting his uncle. For him, his pack, his breed came before his own family. That was what his grandfather had taught him.

"What are you saying?" Augustus hissed like an angry snake.

"I am saying the truth Lord Augustus. I thought that our people are better off with you rather than me. I trusted you, your justice and your hardwork, your care for our people. But you disappointed me big time!" Edwin spat in fury.

Augustus's sharp grey eyes darkened by a shade. "You of all people should not talk about disappointment Edwin. We all know who has brought disappointemnt and shame to the O'Dell name. It is you!" Augustus pointed his finger at Edwin.

"It is you who is reckless and careless enough that your one stupid action took six innocent lives and that too of the humans. It is you who is popular amongst the women rather than in the warriors.

Is there a single woman who has been left untouched by you? You even slept with the women who were double your age! Is not that disappointing Edwin?

Spending family money like a river on alcohol, feasts and women, is not that enough to bring disappointment? Is there a single time when you left your selfish motives aside and thought about others first?

No! Because you are a self-centred man with no morals. I have been cleaning your mess all my life. And what do I get in return for that? You- the greatest disappointment in the history of the O'Dells- telling me that I disappointed you?! Great Edwin! Just great!"

"Uncle Augustus!" Edwin warned.

He was not there to count his innumerable mistakes. He was there to ask for an explanation.

"Would you have acted the same way if your father was in my place Edwin?"

And with that, Augustus hit the sore spot.

Taking a threatening step ahead, Edwin said through his gritting teeth. "Do not bring my father into this, uncle Augustus. I or you... no one can be compared with him. And if my father was in my place, the first thing he would have done to knock some sense into this selfish man, slapped him the first time he committed a mistake.

And about dispensing duties, my father would have listened to the complaints from the small packs instead of ignoring them like they did not mean anything. If only you had listened to them then, then the innocent cubs would have not been separated from their packs, their families.

If only you had any clue of rogues wandering around Vincardine's borders, my best friend and my best man would not have been attacked by a rogue!" Edwin's eyes had turned obsidian by this point.

The lively blue fire in his eyes made him look like an incarnation of the wrath of God!

"Stop accusing me Edwin! Who is the leader of the werewolves, huh? Is it me or you? If I failed at my duties then what did you do?" Augustus was surprised to hear this new piece of information. But he was not ready to accept his mistake.

Edwin gave him an incredulous look, not believing the arguments he presented.

"Uncle Augustus, what is the use in discussing whose mistake it was? We both are equally at fault here. I know I have done wrong things in the past and I regret them. But this is not the right time to point fingers at each other. We both need to work together, uncle."

Edwin tried earnestly.

But Augustus was too blinded by his jealousy to comprehend his words.

"You, a kid is telling me what should I do? Open your eyes Edwin not me and not our people needs you or your opinion. I know how to handle such things. This is as easy as running into woods for me. So keep your wiseness to yourself and get out!"

Edwin clenched his fists tightly till his knuckles turned white. His wolf was very sensitive these days, and his uncle was just triggering him with every passing minute.

"Do not forget who YOU are talking with, Lord Augustus. I am your leader, your alpha! And you MUST obey my orders." Edwin's wolf felt the presence of Augustus's wolf.

He did not like the challenge he was presented with.

"You are responsible for the kidnappings of those cubs. The alpha of the neighbouring pack wrote a letter to you about it, and yet he did not receive any reply for months. We are not easily accessible for our people, so how are they supposed to tell us their problems?

If you did not consider that as an important matter, then I do not know what should be important. You could have at least mentioned this matter to me. It is about the future generation of our breed, Lord Augustus!

And what is your security doing? What is your espionage network doing? They do not even know that the rogues are in the buffer zone around Vincardine."

Edwin's chest heaved up and down with his ragged breaths. If it was someone else in Augustus's shoes, then he would have pissed his pants seeing Edwin's enraged state.

But the fact that Edwin was too weak to hurt his family came in handy for Augustus at such times. He was just like his father, his exact replica. Walter was too foolish enough to try building a family. He was too naive to easily trust others.

Augustus was afraid at first that Walter's son might turn out opposite of him. Yet, he was no different than Walter.

"And what were you doing Edwin? Stalking a woman for days? Slipping out of 'the great manor' at odd times every chance you got? Trying to seduce that new maid? What is her name again?

Yes, Ruth! Is not that her name?! Do you think that I am a fool, Edwin? Do you think I am blind and deaf to not know what you are doing?"

Edwin's body stiffened at the mention of Ruth.

Stalking her? How did Lord Augustus know it? And if he did, then why was he silent all this time?

Did he also know that Ruth was his mate?

Edwin wolf grumbled restlessly.

"That woman! My own daughter dared to talk back at me for her sake. What sorcery she has done on you all? You made Theodora plea in favour of Fannie in front of everyone for that maid."

Edwin could see wheels running in Augustus's head. Before he invested more time in solving that equation, Edwin needed to distract him.

"Uncle Augustus. That maid is of no importance at this moment. She is only my new favourite flavour and nothing else. We males like a hard chase and she is exactly that."

Edwin wanted to stab himself with his silver blade dagger for saying such disrespectful things about Ruth. No long run or no amount of wolfbane potion could heal those wounds.

"I hope you understand the gravity of the situation. I know what my people need, and I am going to do what the O'dells are supposed to do- protecting their people.

I expect your cooperation, uncle.. The rest is your choice."