A MAZE OF GREED

The two families- The Greens and the Welby's joined by Ruth, Mrs Payne and Edwin Berrycloth were discussing the half-done preparations and how they were going to manage the rest in the remaining short time.

Amongst the group, only Ruth was the one restless. She kept fidgeting nervously, her face painted in a pretty shade of pink and her hazel eyes unsteady and stealing glances towards her right.

The peck on her cheek from that night still burned on her skin. Yes, after discussing with Ida- with the help of a hypothetical tale that she had come up with- and secretly reading some selective pages of the romantic books from Elsie's bookshelf, Ruth had come to the conclusion that it was only a peck and could not be considered as a kiss.

That did not help her mind to wander in the very wrong directions. She inhaled deeply to calm her untamed thoughts. Edwin watched her chest rising up and down, and he gulped.

"So till now we are done with selecting the decoration theme, menu, the place of reception and our dear Ruth is already done with Thea's wedding dress. I am very excited to see it Ruth!" Mrs Green gushed in excitement.

More than Thea, she was desperately waiting for the wedding day and was participating in all the preparations with zest.

Coming back to reality, Ruth smiled shyly and nodded. "Of course, Mrs Green. But no one is allowed to see it early."

"Oh Ruth. Stop testing our patience! You can show us if not the groom and the bride." Mrs Welby suggested.

Mrs Payne, who had the privilege of seeing the wedding dress smiled fondly at the excitement of the two ladies. 'A mother's love is just so fascinating!' She thought.

"No way! If I can not see my wedding dress then no one can see it! I do not want you all to brag about how beautiful it is. I am trying hard to not tie my best friend with a rope and break into her home to see it myself." Thea grumbled.

Everyone laughed at her words, including Ruth. She threw her head back, pulling her shoulders forward a little bit. She did not hide her laugh with her hands or restrict it for the sake of mannerisms like other ladies.

Her laugh was free and pure. The corner of her eyes crinkled as her pearly white teeth sat in a line. The sound of her laughter reminded Edwin of the sound of a flowing river- calm yet melodic!

Unknowingly, she caught him staring at her and froze. The way he looked at her with his precarious eyes made her breath hitch. She hurriedly tore her gaze from his, afraid of what might happen if she did not.

She instantly bit the inside of her cheek when she saw Mrs Payne staring at their mysterious exchange.

Ruth was careful to not repeat the same mistake for the rest of the night. She was also relieved that the topic of her and Edwin Berrycloth was forgotten- at least this time.

Later that night, when everyone was having a good time, the bride and the groom slipped out of the group. Ruth noticed their sneaking and winked encouragingly at both of them.

As it was a late hour in the night, the road was deserted. Only a few people were on the road with their spouses or friends.

"Is not this feel so unreal?" Thea asked as they walked side by side.

"What?"

"This! We going through everything to accept each other wholeheartedly, our families planning our wedding and soon we are about to start our new life as husband and wife!" Thea explained.

A corner of Rees's mouth lifted in amusement. "Is not it good?"

Thea shook her head. "No. I mean yes, ofcourse it is good! In fact it is the best feeling I have ever experienced but then it all feels too surreal sometimes."

"I understand. You are just nervous and excited at the same time. Every bride goes through this phase before the wedding." Rees assured her.

"Is it right to feel that way, Rees?" Thea asked nervously.

Smiling at her, he stopped walking and took her to a nearby bench to sit.

Taking her hand in his, he started, "Thea. There is nothing wrong with feeling that way. It is natural. A woman has to leave her family, her beloved parents, a home she has spent all her life to accept a new family, a new man whom she may or may not be acquainted well with, and a new place to call as her home for the rest of her life.

That is too much, I know. But that is what the traditions say. But trust me, as your husband and mate, I promise to always stand by you, shelter you, fight battles for you and keep you happy!" He said sincerely.

Thea got emotional hearing his words but did not interrupt as she wanted him to continue. His words were doing magic on her anxious mind.

"Thea, sometimes I feel sorry for you that you do not only have to deal with the human world but also with my werewolf world. And they both are far different in many aspects.

I am a warrior and a bodyguard of a werewolf leader. As you now know, that if the prophecy written in the Black book comes true, then I will need to fight at the forefront along with Master. I just... I just do not want you to get hurt in the process. I know it is very unfair to you, and you might have not asked for it. But... I..."

Rees sighed at the end. He had finally told her those things which he was carrying in his chest since the day he recognised her as his mate.

"Rees, I confess that I was so overwhelmed and... scared in the beginning. That all was just beyond my imagination. The fact that the man I love can turn into a big wolf is... frightening and confusing at the same time.

But you let me take my time. You allowed me to comprehend things at my pace and never rushed with anything. And now I am going to be a part of your world after our wedding.

But if you give it a thought, then I have already become a part of your world. It happened when I helped you with Ruth losing her job. I was ready to betray my friend for the sake of your leader." Thea chuckled dryly.

She still regretted it, but she had to do it. And she was glad that it turned out good for Ruth. She could feel it between Ruth and Edwin and just hoped that they would find their love soon.

After a minute of silence, Rees said, "I am sorry!"

She knew those three words held multidimensional meanings.

"Rees?"

"Hmm?"

Thea was now nervous. Rees could guess that from her heartbeats.

"You... you said something about the... the rituals after the wedding the other day. Do we... do we really need to perform them?"

Rees faced her and rubbed her knuckles with his thumb, he explained, "Yes. If we want to complete our marriage between a werewolf and a human then we must perform those rituals."

"What if we do not do it?"

Thea hoped to hear a positive answer, but her mind told her that there was none.

"Then... then I will need to live under a constant fear of losing you to death. And if that happens... I... do not know if I will be able to live. I will remain as a lost soul in this mortal world."

Thea moved her head away. Her eyes clouded with fear and the thought that she might die before Rees and left him live in agony and loneliness tore her heart in two.

Rees turned her head towards him. Looking in her eyes tenderly, he smiled softly.

"I understand that you are nervous about the rituals as it included blood, chants and many other things that you do not find comforting. But these rituals are important for us, Thea.

As a human, you have a much less lifespan than me- a werewolf. As you know, a human and a werewolf mate is not an unusual thing, but it is not very frequent too. The werewolf world does not see those rituals very often."

Thea listened curiously now.

"When was the last time this ritual happened?" She asked.

Rees thought for a minute, then shrugged. "I do not remember exactly. But it has been many years now. And it was not in Vincardine but was in some other pack. Master must be remember it."

Of course, Edwin knew! Thea recalled that as a leader of the werewolf breed, Edwin must be present at the time of the ritual.

"Rees, will Ruth and Young Master also need to perform these rituals?" She wondered.

"Yes. Ruth is a human and thus they will also need to go through the same."

"Then who will take Young Master's position during the rituals?" She had another question ready in her bag.

Rees pondered over the question then shook his head after a minute.

"This is the first time in werewolves history that a human mate is chosen for a leader. Even Master would not know what to do!"

Thea sighed. "I hope it will go well."

"Just like us!" Rees smiled.

Thea pushed the nervousness about the rituals to a corner of her mind. She decided to trust her mate and the fate written by the Moon Goddess.. For now, all she cared about was a man beside her, smiling at her that illuminated her whole world.