A MAZE OF GREED

A piercing scream left Ruth's mouth when Rees put his hand on her shoulder from behind.

"Ouch! My ears!" Lester rubbed his ears with both his hands. His face scrunched. His wolf was also present and thus his hearing capabilities were sharper than the average human being.

But Edwin... he didn't flinch because of her loud scream. Instead, his wolf got angry watching another man touching her delicate body. He wanted to take control and pounce on Rees to shred him into pieces.

Out of shock when Ruth was about to fell on the ground, Rees held her securely in his arms. That action stirred a deep and raw emotion in Edwin's chest. It was unfamiliar to him yet was so deeply rooted that it intimidated him for a moment.

His wolf was losing its control, trying to break free of the restraints that his human form had put onto him. His wolf was not only furious but was also pained when he saw Ruth's fear-stricken hazel eyes peering over to Rees.

Edwin wanted to be in Rees's place. He wanted to be there in front of her. He wanted to hold her, console her, tell her that she was safe with him by her side, scold her for being in the woods and take her back to her safe abode.

But he couldn't. He shouldn't! Why should he? It was his only second encounter with her. He had not even clearly seen her face yet.

Edwin O'Dell was not known for showing compassion or harbour any feelings for another person. He had his goals to achieve. He had his mindset on important things. His path was not easy and he didn't need any distractions.

She was no one to him... she was a stranger!

"Rees!" That was the first word Edwin heard coming from her sweet mouth.

Hearing her voice made his heart run faster a bit. He had imagined how her voice would have sounded on many occasions. And hearing it now felt like a melody to his ears.

But a part of his heart sank thinking it should have been him instead of Rees. She should have taken Edwin's name instead of Rees.

Edwin watched her clutching Rees's hand tightly in hers as tears rolled down her eyes. "Thank God, you came! I-I was so scared and..."

"Shhhh... it's fine. You are safe now." Rees comforted her.

Rees and Ruth, both didn't move from their position except him rubbing her back to make her feel secured. Edwin's hands shook, they itched to grab him with the neck and throw him far away from her.

Edwin had successfully managed to close his mind link to not let Lester or Rees know what turbulence was transpiring through his head. But Lester's curious green eyes were fixated on his friend.

Lester was trying hard to break through the block that Edwin had put in his mind link. With his distracted mind, Edwin didn't realise what Lester was trying to do. If he had realised then he wouldn't have let Lester off the hook so easily.

And the tales Edwin's face and restlessness spoke were something that Lester didn't want to believe. He hoped against hope that what he had in his mind after watching Edwin's first reaction to this woman named Ruth would be wrong.

"Edwin. Are you okay?" Lester asked in a low voice.

Not opening his mouth to answer him, Edwin only nodded his head. But Lester could see clearly through his lie. Edwin was not fine. If anything his insides were churning with anger, pain, frustration and confusion.

But he couldn't tell his state to anyone. There was no one to understand his feelings. And how could he explain others when he was confused with his state himself?

After some time, when Ruth calmed down, Rees helped her to get her back on her feet. But she again crouched down to pick up something from the ground.

Edwin couldn't contain his wolf anymore as it was not approving of Rees touching Ruth for this long. Unable to keep it at bay, Edwin's wolf opened the mind link and growled indignantly in a warning.

Rees stiffened at the loud noise that echoed in his mind. He immediately pulled his hands away from Ruth as if her touch had burned him. He was shaken at the amount of anger and command that growl held. Even Lester flinched after hearing it and looked at Edwin with wide eyes.

It was a rare sight that Edwin had ever expressed himself in front of others. His wolf was always under his control. Though short-tempered, he had not let his wolf take control in a long time. Then why now?

~"Edwin, control your wolf. He is on the edge."~ Lester warned.

~"Rees, hurry up and take that woman to her home."~ He then commanded Rees.

~"Yes, milord!"~

Ruth was too distracted to notice this sudden change in Rees's demeanour.

Before she could notice anything Rees's dam of patience burst. "Would you care to explain what the hell you are doing in the woods in the night?"

Edwin didn't like the tone Rees used while talking to Ruth. But it was better than how he would have handled the situation. He was sure that if he was in Rees's place then the woman would have felt safe getting lost in the middle of the woods rather than standing at the receiving end of his anger.

"I- I was here to collect this." She showed the parcel in her hand.

'What could be that?' Edwin thought.

"I- I am sorry. It's not mine. This parcel belongs to my neighbours, Mr and Mrs Payne." Ruth answered with a quivering voice when Rees asked her about that parcel.

Edwin couldn't believe her reasoning. 'Did she put her life at a risk just to help her neighbours? What kind of woman is she?', he thought. Her answer was unsettling with him but he couldn't do more than listening to everything silently.

He started following them along with Lester, making sure to not make any sound. They took shelter in the darkness of the night and the grown-up trees to hide. But the real task was to not make any sound while walking.

"But what are you doing here? How did you know that I am here?" She gave Rees a questioning look.

Now Lester was worried to hear her suspicion. They hadn't thought about it when Rees went to help her. But Edwin trusted his bodyguard to come up with some believable excuse.

Rees looked troubled for a moment but he stared straight into the distance with a straight face.

"Thea informed me." Came his short reply.

Lester released a sigh. ~"He is good at this."~ He commented to Edwin.

Rees was reprimanding her actions when Ruth abruptly stopped walking. She stared at Rees with undeciphered expressions and asked, "Were you worried about me?"

The hopeful look in her eyes twisted Edwin's heart. He sensed how much vulnerability her voice held. He felt like she was not asking that question to Rees but him. Was he worried about her when he first got to know her presence in the woods? The answer was definitely yes!

But why?

He had no idea!

It was not only Rees but him who was worried to death after smelling her fragrance in the air. He wanted to tell her that. But couldn't!

Edwin was so lost in his thoughts that his mind didn't register their afterwards' conversation. When it stabilised a bit he heard Ruth asking, "Do you know that there are wolves in these woods? I was not aware of it till now."

Wolves!

Her voice held curiosity along with fear.

Did she see anything? Edwin's heart raced at the thought. He was sure that there was no way she would have seen anything because they made sure of that.

She shouldn't get to know about this secret of the originators or... no! He couldn't even imagine the repercussions she might have faced if she discovered the truth. No!

Rees also knew what would happen if their secret was revealed to Ruth or any human for that matter. After an effort, he managed to dodge her question saying there were no wolves in Vincardine.

"Edwin... see, she is fine now. I think we should go back to the manor or Lord Augustus will roast us alive for staying in the woods for this late." Lester tried to make his friend understand. He knew how strained Edwin and Augustus's relationship was and he didn't want it to worsen.

"No, Lester. If you want to go then you can. I am not preventing you." Edwin didn't spare a glance in his way.

His eyes didn't move from the woman who was walking at some distance from him. The way her body moved swiftly while dodging the branches and the rocks in the path, the way her toffee brown hair moved along the direction of the wind, the sound of her every word and the rhythm of her beating heart.

Everything about her was enchanting to Edwin's senses and he didn't want to miss any of it even for a second. He didn't want to lose her sight fearing something bad would happen to her in that split of the moment.

He trusted Rees for his capabilities to defend and save her with his life but he was also aware of the severity of the dangers they were facing for the three months. He didn't want either of them to face any kind of harm.

"Edwin, please.. I am not going without you."