A MAZE OF GREED

Ruth could not sleep peacefully. Her heart was trapped in a dark place where she could only feel that something was not right, but she did not how to escape that place.

Giving up on the tries to go back to sleep, she sat up in the bed. She glanced at Thea's peacefully sleeping form. She could not wake her up and disturb her sleep.

Ruth's hand raised to touch her locket that rested on her chest proudly. She smiled, looking down at the cute pendant. She decided to ask Res about it. She wanted to know where he found such a beautiful gift for her.

She then looked out of the window at the dark sky. It was still covered with dark clouds. Their darkness worried her.. She could not understand why her heart was feeling restless.

Was something happening? Was it bad? She did not know. But guessing that the sleep long ran away from her, she decided to read a book that was kept on the bedside table.

At least she and her friend had something in common, and that was they both loved reading.

*

*

*

"Rees."

Rees was startled by the knock on his bedroom door. He had just finished talking with Edwin through the mind link. He enjoyed teasing his master, but his last words made him nervous a bit.

He was confused to see his parents at his door. Getting up from the bed, he invited his parents inside.

"Yes, father? Do you want to talk something?"

"Yes. We do." His mother said.

Rees nodded and gestured for them to take a seat in the chairs in his room.

Rees had a slight idea about what his parents wanted to talk about. He had noticed his father's guarded behaviour during the dinner. And he knew he had to have this conversation with them sooner or later.

"The dinner went good, right?" His mother started.

Rees nodded his head in agreement. Before his mother came up with another indirect way of striking the conversation, his father directly came straight to the point.

"We want to talk about your friend Ruth."

Rees tensed hearing that. But he knew he had no choice than answering his parents' questions.

"Yes."

"Why the wolf painting caught her attention?"

Rees was in a dilemma. He did not know if he should tell his parents the truth about Ruth or not.

"I... I do not know father."

Mr Welby stared at his son for a long moment. "I did not realise when my son learned lying blatantly on my face."

Rees cringed at his father's straightforward words. He was always a man with few words, but whenever he opened his mouth, he either had something important to say or, slice the person's heart with the sword of his words.

"It is not like that father. I apologise for lying. But I do not think I can tell you the real reason." He admitted.

"If you are referring to the fact that Ruth is involved with the Young Master in some way, then you do not need to address that, as we have already figured that much on our own. Now what I want to know is HOW she is involved with him?"

Rees shifted uncomfortably but hung his head down.

Mrs Welby looked at her husband telling him to not push their son. But she understood her husband would not stop until he get what he wanted to know.

"If you think that I am immune to the rumours then you are wrong son. I have heard things about the young master. And if you are forgetting then let me remind you that I was one of his mentors in the academy. I have a right to know what is going on with him."

Mr Welby was right. During Edwin's training ears, he was appointed as one of his mentors with the responsibility of teaching Edwin about the various types of weapons, and how they are prepared.

Edwin had great respect for him. Although Mr Welby worked in the ammunition factory, from where they sold arms and ammunition to the royals and other lords, as a werewolf his loyalty always rested with the O'Dell family.

And there was another personal connection of his with Edwin.

"Rees, your father was friends with Young Master's father. You know how much he cares about him. If there is anything that we can help with then please tell us."

His mother tried, but Rees's lips remained sealed.

After moments of silence, Mr Welby's patience ran thin to finally get snapped. If his son was not ready to open his mouth, then he had to pull out the ace card from his deck of cards.

He was proud of his son's loyalty towards his master, but this was not the time to keep his mouth shut.

"Why did you gifted Ruth that locket?"

Rees's head snapped in his father's direction. He looked at him with wide eyes.

"I saw you putting that locket in the box before you wrapped it with a paper."

Now Rees knew why his parents persisted on the topic. It seemed like he had no choice than telling them the truth.

"Father... first promise me that this news will not leave these four walls. Mother?"

He knew how much his mother liked gossiping.

She sensed the gravity of the situation and nodded. "It is about our leader, Rees. How can I leak the news?!"

Mr Welby also nodded his head in agreement.

Rees sighed and thought how many more times he needed to break this secret to people. Was it his only purpose in life?

"Young Master has found his mate. And it is Ruth!"

Mrs Welby gasped in shock. Mr Welby who did not show much on his face also looked surprised.

"But.. but she is human." His mother said.

"Yes. And still she is chosen as Master's mate by the Moon Goddess."

Mrs Welby chanted a prayer in the ancient language of the supernatural creatures that requested the Moon Goddess to be kind to her children.

Mr Welby sat silently with scrunched brows. His mind wandered back to Edwin's younger self when he was his mentor. He always knew that the boy with cerulean blue eyes was special.

He never had anything easy. Life was adamant on testing him at every turn of his path. He could see a great warrior and wise leader in Edwin. Even though his irresponsible and reckless ways never pleased Mr Welby, he never lost his faith and hope in that young boy.

Rees told his parents what exactly happened in 'the great manor' weeks ago and how Edwin lost himself to his wolf. Mrs Welby had tears in her eyes at the end of Rees's narration.

"What does the black book says?" Mr Welby asked.

"I do not know all the details but I know that Ruth and Master can not be together."

Mr Welby knew what was written in that Black book. He had not read it himself. But Edwin's father had mentioned to him what was the content in it.

"You are right. They can not be together. Their fates are cursed." He said.

"But why did you gave that locket to Ruth?" Mrs Welby asked.

"Master told me to do it. When we interrogated that suspect, he said that they are coming and they will not spare anyone. They will kill everyone, the master and his beloved ones.

Master was worried for Ruth's safety. Hence he acquired that bluestone and made that locket for Ruth." Rees explained.

"But the vampires can not cross the borders of Vincardine." Mrs Welby tried to sound hopeful.

Mr Welby cast a sharp gaze at her. "They have already reached our borders, have not they?"

That made Mrs Welby sigh. "Why we can not tell everything to Ruth? Even if Young Master manages to stay away from her, his wolf will rebel again. What we will do then?"

"No darling. Telling the truth to Thea was a different thing. It took Rees a lot of efforts and time. It is not possibilbe in Master's case." Mr Welby explained.

"We... I mean Lord Lester has a plan, but Master is not agreeing with it." Rees told Lester's plan.

Mrs Welby looked satisfied with the plan, but Mr Welby had a different opinion.

"Rees, you can not force her into accepting Young Master as her mate." He said sternly.

"We are not doing that father. We just want to get them both close to each other. She will learn to accept him and eventually will fall in love with him."

Rees himself sounded doubtful of his words.

"You think that is easy with the Young Master's reputation?" Mr Welby raised his brow.

Rees fell silent as he had no answer to that question.

During the brief silence that followed, Rees noticed there was something else on his father's mind.

"Father is there anything else you are thinking right now?"

Mr Welby wanted to say something, but he was not sure, so he decided to stay silent about it.

"No there is-" He stopped midsentence as he saw Rees's eyes darkened and his body stilled.

He must get contacted through the mind link by some pack member. Mr Welby leaned forward in alarm as he saw his son's face pale. He realised that something unfortunate had happened, and now his son needed to fix it.