A MAZE OF GREED

Darius rode faster, sitting on the back of his horse. His face was hard, and his eyes red in anger. The moment he got the news, he left the Garfield mansion and picked the direction to his secret base.

He could not believe what he heard. And what if his father figured it out?

He had barely managed to agree with his father in giving him one chance, and if this was how things going to be, then Darius was a dead meaning in the hands of his father.

Leaving his horse behind, he entered his secret place. Walking down the slope, he entered the large space where his people were still working on his experiment. He would have gone to meet Reznor at any other time but not today.

He marched straight to the room where he knew he would find the person he wanted to see.

As expected, he found Mr Hilton sitting in a chair with lines of worry decorating his face.

"Would you explain what the fuck you have done?" Darius banged his fist on the table, startling the old man.

He knew he had to face this sooner or later. He tried approaching carefully.

"Darius please listen to me first."

"What the hell should I listen to? How did you try fucking up my plan? Or how you dared to pull this stupid stunt without my knowledge? What should I listen to?" Darius's booming voice shook the walls of that underground place.

Hilton dabbed the sweat on his forehead with his handkerchief.

"Darius, please! I was just desperate!!" Hilton cried.

"Despeate? This is your depseration Mr Hilton? I involved you in my plan because I know your desperation but you promised to be patient, didn't you? Is this how we are going to finish Edwin O'Dell?"

Hilton hung his head but not in shame. Although he agreed with Darius, nobody could understand what he was going through. Because none of them had lost so much because of Edwin O'Dell.

"What were you trying to do, huh? Testing if my experiment would work well? You know how difficult it is to control those wolves with Painite. We cannot go defeating and kidnapping those werewolf spies.

And now we have lost three of them! What the hell were you thinking?"

Hilton was silent at first. They knew how they made the werewolves believe that they had killed some of their spies. Instead, they brought them all here and used Painite on them first.

The fully grown-up werewolves were difficult to control. The effect of the Painite did not last long on them. And that was when an idea came to Darius.

Use of the werewolf cubs as they were easy to handle and not fully matured enough and thus could be under the effect of Painite for longer than the fully grown.

They used these spies to break through the securities of the werewolf packs and kidnap the cubs. The spies being well aware of the loopholes in the security of their respective packs, made the kidnappings easy.

"I... I am sorry!" Hilton avoided saying more and decided to apologise directly.

Five minutes of silence later, Darius finally managed to calm down a bit. He walked to Hilton and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I understand what you are going through. Even if you think that I can't... I still do! We are into this together Mr Hilton. I have promised you that we will take our revenge on Edwin O'Dell and I am not going to break my word! We just need to be more patient." Darius's voice came softer than before.

Hilton only nodded his head in understanding, trusting Darius's words.

Darius then walked towards the door of the room. But paused when his hands reached its handle.

"I wish I had a father like you!" He whispered, then left without looking back.

*

*

*

Mrs Payne came after discussing the matter with Lord Lester and Lady Elsie. She wanted to meet Edwin once, but he refused to meet anyone.

She knocked on the door before opening it into the slit. "Ruth?"

She got no response, yet she opened the door wide and stepped inside the room to see Ruth was crying, hiding her face in her palms.

Mrs Payne knew that it would happen, and she was prepared for it.

She walked towards Ruth then sat beside her. Running her hand on Ruth's head, she called her name again.

"Ruth dear, please look at me."

Ruth hugged Mrs Payne while crying. Mrs Payne let her have some time as she kept rubbing her back soothingly.

"M-Mrs Payne... he... he is a..."

"He is a werewolf leader, I know!"

Ruth stilled. Pulling away, she stared at the old lady with teary eyes.

"You... know?"

Mrs Payne nodded her head. "Yes. I knew it since the beginning."

That made Ruth angry. Was there a single person who did not know about it and thus empathised with her?

"You too? How dare you lie to me then? I can not believe you!" Ruth spat in anger, pulling away more from her.

Thea rushed inside the room after hearing Ruth's loud voices.

"Ruth you need to calm down and hear first!" Mrs Payne told with a serious tone.

But Ruth was not in a state of listening.

"No! I am so done listening to everyone. You all were lying to me all this time, making a fool of me. Did you enjoy me loving a man who can turn into a monster whenever he wants?

Is that what you wanted as my bright future, Mrs Payne?" Ruth glared at the old lady as the later one kept silent.

"And you! You called me your best friend?" Ruth scoffed. "You married a creature, then let me fall for his master. For what? For my happiness? Look at me... look at me!

Do you think this is my happy face?"

Ruth wiped her tears angrily with the back of her hand.

Shaking her head unbelievingly, she continued lamenting. "Actually, it is all my fault. I am the fool who blindly trusted every person around me. I could not see the signs when they were laid right before my eyes.

And to make it even worse, I... I fall in love with him! Mrs Payne Thea, I fell for a man I do not even know! Isn't it ridiculous?!"

Ruth hide her face again in her palms and cried, her shoulders shook as she made a way for her pain of betrayal.

Rees was standing outside the room, listening to their conversation. He wanted to run to Ruth, hold her in his arms and tell her that he was there for her like that every time in the past.

Yet he could not move. His heart shattered with every word she threw their way.

"Ruth please! We understand that you are hurt and think that we betrayed you by lying to you but you need to listen to us first." Thea tried.

Mrs Payne nodded her head in encouragement as she knew how much the women loved each other. Once Ruth was there for Thea when she was confused about her and Rees's relationship.

And now Ruth needed Thea to understand the newly discovered dimensions of her and Edwin's relationship.

Thea sat near Ruth. She was silent at first as she was not sure of the right words she had to use. But then she decided to let her heart speak.

"Do you remember the dinner at my parents' home when we thought Rees would break our marriage?

That was the night I saw who he is. And you know what Ruth?"

Ruth slowly looked up at Thea.

"Watching him in his real form... it made me realise that I never needed a prince charming. I only needed someone to love, care and respect me for who I am.

Wasn't it fair for him to expect the same? His wolf scared me, intimidated me. I am not going to lie about that.

But it also made me realise that no matter which form he takes, no matter how he looks or who he turns into... his heart still beats only for me and mine for him and him only!"

Ruth was astonished watching that satisfying smile on Thea's face. It was not a stretched, full-fledged smile. It was a kind of smile that one gives when they understood the core of life, the enlightened one, a wise one!

"Ruth", Thea then continued. "You once told me that love does not know boundaries of appearance, colour, beauty, intelligence, money and anything materialistic like that.

You do not choose to fall in love, it just happens. The love chose you!"

Ruth had stopped crying by now, although the tears smeared her face. But she was listening, trying to let Thea's words make sense into her mind.

"I am not saying that you should or must be with Master. No one is saying or expecting that from you... not even Master himself.

You are at your free will. You can decide for yourself, and nobody will blame you. You may choose to give him, your love, a chance or, you can choose to just... let go." Thea said, taking Ruth by surprise.

Weren't they all desperate for her to fall in love with Edwin and remain stuck by his side?

"But.... I would suggest you to at least listen first."