A MAZE OF GREED

"In one eventful battle... the queen died!"

Ruth had anticipated something unfortunate, yet the fact did not fail to stun her. The tension in the room was decorated with sadness. Although none of them had ever got a chance to see the queen or speak with her, the tale of her valour and sacrifice had established their distinct connection with her.

"She was never their target. They were furious at us- at George O'Dell Sr. That attack was meant for him but..." Edwin's voice came thick with emotions. That story always made him feel a plethora of emotions, and it was the first time he was sharing it with someone.

"She got it on her in order to save the werewolf leader." Ruth completed his sentence while staring at the queen's picture.

She did not realise how hot her body had become. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins. Ruth had never felt so deeply affected and inspired by someone she had never met in her life.

"She died, leaving behind a deep wound and guilt of lifetime for Sire George along with a rivalry that was to last for centuries to come.

When the King got the news of his wife's death, the hell broke loose. In a feat of rage, he shook his hands with the other side."

Both Ruth and Thea gasped in shock. "What? But then... how did you win?"

"We won because the King could not let his anger overpower his sense of right and wrong. He helped the other side with weapons and a band of his best warriors. But when he realised the amount of destruction it brought, he quit their alliance.

He could not see the dead bodies of his people, laying on the ground for a purpose that was only driven by his personal ambitions. He could not be unfair with his people as they did not have anything to do with the war." Edwin explained.

A minute passed in silence which everybody used to let it all sink in them.

"Then how is it connected to us... me?" Ruth asked, still not understanding the purpose of this conversation.

Edwin gazed at her for a long minute. She sensed how uneasy he was. His obsidian eyes held her captivated, trying to communicate secretly with hers.

But she was done communicating with eyes. This time, she needed verbal answers and physical proof to know what was written in her fate.

The clock hit the evening hour, yet nobody was ready to give up on this conversation.

"Ruth" Edwin began with heaviness in his voice.

"The king did not only help against us... the moment he saw his wife's dead body, he cast a... curse on the O'Dell family."

Ruth could hear her heart beating frantically in her chest. "Wh-what curse?"

As Thea knew about it, she instinctively placed her hand on Ruth's knee as a fragile attempt of supporting her.

"He was devastated and enraged by the loss of his wife. He blamed Sir George because he was the one who asked for her help, and she died protecting him. So the King wanted him and every man of his family to go through the same loss and pain as him.

He cursed that every man in the O'Dell family will lose his mate after marrying her. Without a mate, we are emotionally weaker and... it also shortens our life span as every day feels like torture without the love."

Edwin kneeled in front of Ruth, closing the distance between them. He held her hands in his while his eyes peered in hers with utmost affection and the acute fear in them.

"Ruth this is the curse with which every man in my family has lived. After losing his wife, Sir George had lost the light in his life even though he won the war. He held on only to establish an order that benefitted every breed as it deserved.

And then he was left with no hope in his life. He died after a couple of years. And since then, my family is bearing the consequences of that curse, and there was no exception."

Ruth saw moisture gathering at the brim of his eyes as they have now turned back to their cerulean blue colour.

"I have lost my parents, Uncle Augustus lost Aunt Agatha. I have seen my grandfather suffering every day of his life after he lost my grandmother. Finding a solution to this curse was the only motive that kept him going for long.

My father too tried finding the solution, and in that attempt, both of my parents lost their lives. Now you know how much aunt Theodora means for us because she kept uncle Augustus strong. But..."

Ruth looked at him with teary eyes but with a blank face. Others watched the exchange between the two of them with paining hearts. They wished they could do something for them. Alas!

"But I... I am not that strong Ruth. I am not strong enough to survive a single day without you. Even if I pushed myself to do it for the sake of my people, they will never get the leader they need and deserve.

Without you, I will just be a hollow shell with no light and no hope. I don't want to live that life. Now tell me... how can I marry you knowing I will lose you forever?"

A tear streamed down Ruth's cheek as she focused on his words.

"I can not do that Ruth. I was ready to push you away from me than accepting you and marrying you. At least by that way, I would have been rested assured of your safety. And I tried.

I tried to refuse you after knowing the truth. I thought I could live just by watching you from afar. And I tried."

Edwin shook his head, trying his best to not break down then and there. He tightly held her hands which still rested on her lap.

"I may control the human in me, but what about my wolf? He does not understand these things as he is too emotional. All he cares about is his mate, her presence and her acceptance. He thinks he will protect his mate from any danger.

And that was the mistake my ancestors did. They gave up on the need of their heart and the confidence of their wolf. But none of them could change fate. No one!"

Edwin could not meet Ruth's eyes. The disappointment and shock in them were too much for him to bear.

"M-Master, there must be some solution. The Centaur king was the one who put out the curse. Why don't we ask them for its removal or something?" Thea asked the question her best friend was unable to speak.

"No Thea." Lester came to Edwin's aid as he knew his best friend was not in a state of answering.

"Edwin's ancestors tried that, but after the war ended, the King isolated himself. He lived in that state of seclusion until the end of his time. He was deeply hurt by the loss of his wife and thus kept himself away from the world, or else he was not sure where his pain would have taken him.

They also tried with the next generations of the Centaurs but had no luck with them. Even to this date, every Centaur is wary of the werewolves. Instead of helping us, they would rather ask for more misery to this family who caused a dark phase in their history." He explained.

Now Ruth felt more hopeless. For the first time, she did not want to utter a word or ask any question. Her curiosity had left her side leaving her alone to deal with the pain.

She looked down at her hands which were covered tightly by Edwin's. She wanted him to hold her like that forever.

Now she understood why he was so hesitant at the idea of marriage. She now knew why the werewolf leader tried finding the pleasure at the wrong places because he was sure to not have it at the right place.

She understood the reason for his coldness, his careless behaviour, his defensive walls. He was guarding his heart all this time.

And then she came stealing it under his nose!

But then what now?

Was Ruth ready to spend her life with Edwin without establishing an official relationship between them? And even if she did, would the world accept it?

No!

They would call her a slut, a gold-digger, an opportunist!

Perhaps that was why Theodora was so sure that Edwin would not marry Ruth or anyone at that matter. She was so confident that he would never find his mate, and even if he did, she could never be an obstacle in her way.

Ruth had so much going on in her mind. With every pair of eyes pitying her and Edwin's state on the verge of breaking down, Ruth could not think clearly.

She needed a breath of fresh air, or her brain would explode in pieces.

Edwin tensed when he felt her hands moving under his. Ruth slowly removed her hands from under his before saying,

"I need to go."

She did not wait for others to react and was already hurrying out of the room. Edwin sat there staring at the place where she sat not a minute before.. His shoulders hunched down, his eyes reddened with suppressed tears, and a shadow of defeat lingered on his chiselled face.