A MAZE OF GREED

In the dark cell in the old building, the loud yells and groans shook the thick walls. The guards were terrified, and no one dared to unlock the cell and tame the monster inside.

Since Edwin had attacked Lester and Elsie, he was put into this special cell which had bars made of silver. Even the shackles that held his uncontrolled form were also made with silver. They were fixed permanently with the silver hooks in the ground.

The underground dark cell had no source of light, except a small slit at the top of the wall. But that little ray of light neither brightened the darkness inside the confined cell nor Edwin's miserable heart.

He was on the high dosage of wolfsbane potion. Rees was worried that the dosage might affect adversely on Edwin's human as well as wolf form. No one had ever put on such a high dosage.

But they were helpless. No matter what they did, Edwin's wolf refused to calm down. He didn't let his human form gain back control. He was yearning for his mate. He had been waiting for her for decades and now that he had found her, he couldn't have her.

Edwin and his wolf were doing alright until an angel came into their life in an unforeseen way, and at an unexpected time. After waiting for more than five decades for his mate, Edwin had convinced his heart that Moon Goddess might not have blessed him with one.

It was the rarest rare thing for a werewolf to not have a mate, but the possibility couldn't be denied. Maybe she was dead even before she could meet him, he had thought.

He was so busy in his world that he never got bothered, neither he cared about finding his mate. If she was indeed destined to be with him, then she would come his way one day.

And she did!

But he had never considered the plausibility of not having her for himself. He was born different, he was build different, and he had lived differently. He expected that difference from the natural laws regarding his mate, but again the Moon Goddess had laughed at his face by sending Ruth, a human mate, into his life.

After five days of high dosage of wolfsbane and being tied in the silver shackles, Edwin's wolf had gone weak. The silver was the death of a werewolf.

Though not immortal like vampires, and some other supernatural beings, werewolves aged slower than humans. They could heal faster and didn't get any disease or sickness like humans.

The secret of getting a werewolf's life was a dagger or bullets made up of silver. No werewolf could avoid his fate if get stabbed or shot in the heart by pure silver.

Hence, whenever a werewolf was to be punished, they were tied in the silver shackles. The silver burned their skin and flesh, leaving deep bruises that took longer days to heal.

They had to starve Edwin and torture him with the silver cane when his wolf didn't resign.

Every person in the old building was on the nails and the needles. Watching their master, the leader of their breed, yelling and screaming in pain with numerous wounds and marks of torture on his body broke not only their heart but also their morale.

Augustus had ordered the isolation of Edwin. No one from the family was allowed to meet him. And no one disagreed except Elsie. But she also had to give up in front of her stubborn father, and she only hoped that her brother would get better soon.

Rees's heart broke piece by piece, watching his master's agony. The leader, the most feared and respected alpha werewolf had to suffer in this way because of a powerless human.

And she didn't even have the slightest idea!

During this time, Rees had talked with Lester and had convinced him to meet Edwin once. Though Lester was still furious at Edwin for attacking his mate, he agreed for the sake of his friendship and Elsie's belief that her cousin was innocent.

Lester walked down the stairs in the old building, and a guard bowed his head. "This way, milord!" His voice held the sadness that was similar to what his face portrayed.

Walking through the narrow corridor, rows of cells on both the sides, Lester's ears picked a distant sound, as if something had dropped on the ground. He ignored it, for he had an important matter in his hand.

Rees was at the beginning of the corridor, talking with another guard about Edwin's health and other things when his ears also picked up some shuffling sounds.

It was strange for, not many guards were stationed inside the building and none outside of it. And everyone was on the alert then where these sounds came from?

Shrugging that thought aside but keeping his senses on alert, he followed Lester. As Edwin's cell came nearer, Lester's uneasiness grew. Rees was not oblivious to the turmoil in Lester's mind and heart, but he kept quiet and walked a step behind him.

The already dimly lit corridor turned more darker near Edwin's cell at the far end of the corridor. It didn't matter though for the werewolves as they could see clearly in the dark too.

Lester's steps halted right in front of the cell, his chest was heavy. The cell was darker, without a hint of light except the dull moonlight passing through the open slot in the wall nearing the ceiling. But it couldn't reach where the naked man was chained.

Gulping down the lump in his throat, Lester was about to open his mouth when his nose caught a mild scent. Sniffing aloud, he tried to guess the source or the direction of it.

"Have you smelled that?" Lester asked in a low whisper.

Edwin's wolf was on the verge and kept coming out now and then. Any trivial thing could trigger him. That was why everybody needed to be more careful around him.

"Yes, milord! It is familiar and-" Rees words died in his throat as his eyes wandered in Edwin's direction.

Instead of sleeping or lying unconsciously on the rocky floor, he was looking outside that narrow slit. He was only a few feet away from it.

Before Rees could say anything, Lester's body went still. "It's a human blood."

They didn't wait for even one more second and ran out of there, not caring if Edwin sensed it.

Edwin's senses were weakened due to the frequent high dosage of wolfsbane potion. The silver chains had burned the skin on his wrists and ankles. For the first two days, for controlling him they had put a silver collar around his neck when his beast was stronger and in his element.

Even though they had removed the collar after two days, the burn had left a dark brownish red mark on his neck. Instead of getting healed, the wound had worsened, and puss and liquid oozed out of it along with blood.

His coffee-brown hairs were dirty, and without washing, the long and thick tresses with dirt smelled foul. He was deprived of any piece of cloth. The cell he was in had no lights, and the only ventilation available was the slit in the wall and the gaps between the closely fitted silver bars.

He had no privilege of using the toilet and had to do the natural processes right where he was chained. The rancid smell burned the hairs in his nose. But after almost a week's torture and weakness, he got used to it.

There was not an inch on his body without a scar. The nasty scars made by silver cane on his back and legs could make a sane person crawl in fear.

His wolf was weak and angry but also dangerous, just like a wounded lion. Edwin had already harmed a guard when he came to take out the silver collar from his neck. That poor werewolf was getting treatment since then.

His human form was in no great condition. It had been more affected- physically and mentally, than his wolf. Edwin began losing hope. The pain and longing for his mate had turned him insane.

No matter what he did, he couldn't forget those beautiful hazel eyes glinting like sunshine. Her round face mirrored innocence. Her voice was a melody to his ears.

The image of her standing in a blue dress in the Green's house was imprinted in his soul. Her flowery fragrance was stuck in his heart. The moment her blazing eyes made a contact with his for dishonouring Florence had set his whole body on fire of need.

She came disguised as a curse to his darkened soul, and yet he couldn't resist the longing of his heart for her.

Edwin heard approaching steps. He knew it must be Rees, for no one dared to come near him. His senses were so dull that he couldn't smell Lester. He waited in the dark for this torment to end.

But then he heard something. He strained his ears, directing his focus on that sound. But he got not only the sound but also a scent- sweet and pure, just like an elixir.

His heart began pounding fast in his chest, and he didn't know why. Something inside him stirred to wake up from a deep slumber, and it was not his wolf. He moved his head, sniffing around the air. His search came to halt when he saw a shadow looming near the slit in the wall.

With his tall height, he was short of only a foot or so from that narrow window to the outside world. When he saw the shadow moving outside, his curiosity got the best of him. The ache in his heart increased to the point where it became hard to breathe.

Edwin's body was weak, and he hadn't stood up in a long time that made his legs shook when he put his weight on them. But mustering all his remaining strength, he pushed himself to stood up again. The silver chains hit the ground, creating a clinking sound.

With thudding heart and anticipated eyes, he walked slowly towards the slit to see a figure standing outside. The scent of the elixir came splintering down on his senses, drenching him from head to toe in unexplainable energy.

His breaths turned louder as he neared that slit. He was so close to deciphering a mystery. Every cell in his body jumped in excitement, but it died down in a blink of an eye when he felt some movements outside. By the time he looked out in the defined distance, he found nothing except a small plant with red drops on it.