A MAZE OF GREED

"But remember..."

Ruth waited patiently to hear him.

"If... you chose to stay then you will not only accept Edwin. You will also need to accept Edwin O'Dell- the werewolf leader." He told in a firm voice.

"Ruth, I wish I could make it easy for you, but unfortunately, I cannot. There is no third option because my wolf is an inseparable part of me. With my powers and title comes my duties towards my people.

And I will sacrifice anything but can never compromise with my duties. That is how an O'Dell should be!

If you chose me, you will choose my wolf, my world, my people, my burdens and... the dangers too. You will not only be Edwin's wife, but you will also be the Luna of the werewolf breed.

And always remember, with the title comes the responsibilities. You will need to be the mother figure for all of them, their guiding light. You may need to sacrifice many things even if you don't want it."

Ruth had not thought about it before. And listening to it all from Edwin made her stomach flip in nervousness.

"The O'Dell legacy is not easy to handle and inheritate. And if you are not ready to accept this fate then..."

Edwin could not bring himself to say anymore. He could not speak that dreadful possibility. He did not want to imagine him without her.

He desperately wanted to kiss her, show her how much he needed her, let her know how much he loved her. But he held himself back from doing so.

His yearning for her should wait until she decides what she wants.

Stepping back, he let go of her face, which made Ruth complain silently.

"Is there anything more you want to ask?" He crossed his hands behind his back as he stared at her with the mask of toughness covering his face.

He expected her to shake her head in negation as he could see how confused and overwhelmed she was then.

But she nodded her head in a yes. "Does Lady Theodora knows about all this?"

Edwin was taken aback by her sudden interest in his aunt, but then she must be trying to understand and perhaps, will learn from her example.

"Yes."

That much Ruth had figured out. Sensing her upcoming questions, Edwin told, "Uncle Augustus was always honest with aunt Theodora. He did not lie to her. He told her his truth on the very first night of their marriage."

Ruth was surprised to know that. "And she accepted everything easily?" She asked with raised brows.

Edwin smiled. "Yes, she did. She did not ask much, she did not get scared. She accepted uncle Augustus' reality open-heartedly. And that made our family very happy. He needed someone who could understand him, stand by his side and share his burdens.

And she did exactly the same. That is why she is well respected in not only the human world, but also in the world of supernaturals. Without her support and encouragement, uncle would not have been where he is today."

Ruth's fingers twitched in irritation upon hearing the gratitude for Theodora in Edwin's voice. Yet she managed to maintain a straight face.

"I would like to call it a night now." she finally said.

Edwin stared at her with some extreme emotions before nodding his head. Now he had no reason to turn away his face when he used the mindlink to contact Rees.

Ruth watched in fascination as his eyes turned darker, his shoulders straightened as he stared in nothingness.

Two minutes later, Rees was already there to take her back home.

She really needed to get used to all of this!

Edwin stood on his spot until he saw them disappear in the dark of the night. He had done his part, now only Moon Goddess would decide their fate.

*

*

*

The door opened and a pale man dressed in black entered inside. Reznor was reading some papers while scribbling the important notes simultaneously. His table was covered in a mess that not even an inch was visible of its metal surface.

The man waited for five minutes, yet the crazy wizard was engrossed in his task.

Annoyed, the man cleared his throat to gain his attention, yet there was no use of it.

"Reznor? Reznor?"

That finally made the old wizard lookup. He blinked twice before his mind finally came out of what he was doing previously.

"huh?"

The man pursed his lips in irritation.

"You called me. Do you need anything?" He asked dryly. He looked like he would have been anywhere but here.

Reznor was confused at first, but then he remembered why he called that man.

"Oh yes... yes!"

He rummaged through the mess on the table, which made the other man scrunch up his nose in disgust. The Vampires were known for their tidiness, and sense of hygiene and this man lacked both of them.

"Just a minute," Reznor muttered as he kept searching for something under the pile of a mess he had created.

In his attempt, he knocked down many things that made irritating loud noises. The man visibly cringed hearing those noises. His eyes began turning red in anger.

"Here it is!"

Finally, Reznor found what he was searching for. The man released a sigh in hope that now he could leave soon from there.

Reznor held the paper in the man's direction as he still sat in his chair.

Pursing his lips, the man walked towards him then took that paper from his hand. His eyes scanned the scribbled words on it.

"Another list?" He asked in surprise.

"Yes, get these things as soon as possible. Or this plan of your Master is just a waste." Reznor said as if he had recited those sentences over and over.

And he did!

"Hasn't it been what, like four days when we got you what you wanted?!" The man asked with a scowl on his face.

"Yes, but this is a different list," Reznor told, shrugging his shoulders.

"But-"

"Who is the great wizard here?" Reznor leaned in his chair before cocking his brows up in challenge.

The man was silent at first. "You"

"Then give me what I need for this experiment and do not ask me questions!" Reznor told darkly.

The man was helpless. He could not agree with Reznor more because he had no knowledge of magic. It was even his first time meeting a wizard. Naturally, he had to provide Reznor with everything he demands as that was the assigned duty for him by Darius.

"Alright! You will get all these things." He finally told.

"when?" asked Reznor.

"Soon."

Not waiting to hear more shit from the old wizard, the man left. Reznor closed his eyes as he rested on the back of the chair.

He had many things to do in such a short time!

*

*

*

That night Ruth kept tossing and turning after reaching her home in her bed. Mrs Payne was asleep, at least that was what she thought until she heard her asking, "Have you talked with him?"

Ruth lay on her back, her eyes fixated on the roof. She had her right hand on her forehead, and the left one rested on her stomach.

"yes. I have." She replied softly.

"Are you alright my dear?" Mrs Payne asked in concern.

Ruth blinked.

Was she?

"I guess, I am!" She replied as she did not want to put the old lady in a more worrying position.

A minute passed in silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mrs Payne asked.

Ruth was silent for some time, and Mrs Payne did not push her.

"Why it is so hard Mrs Payne? It is tiring you know?!" She whispered audibly, still staring at the blank ceiling.

"That is how life is my child- unfair, difficult, demanding, gruesome!"

Ruth breathed steadily, as at that moment she felt nothing but the numbness inside her.

"This feels like a dream. I wish I wake up and everything return back to... normal." Ruth said.

"Was it ever normal for you Ruth?"

Mrs Payne's question hit her hard. She was right Ruth had no normalcy in her life. She thought it was alright. The way she had lived, spent her childhood was like any other girl in the town.

But after discovering so much, she could see the underlined abnormalities in those 'normal' moments.

It was always difficult for her, hard and unfair with her. Yet she survived. She survived through all of it, she came victorious.

But what now?

Would she be able to do it again, this time too?

"Why me?" Ruth asked before realising that her eyes were moist.

Mrs Payne was silent for a minute. Only the sound of the night filled the gap between their conversation.

"That you need to find Ruth. Nobody can give you a better answer for that than yourself. Take your time, my child!"

They both did not say another word for a long time. Ruth turned her head to see that Mrs Payne had already fallen asleep. The sound of her light snores now came to accompany Ruth through the rest of the night.

Sleep was not an option.. And before she decides to find the way ahead, she had to be sure if she indeed was willing to fond it or not.