A MAZE OF GREED

To Edwin's disappointment Lester and he had to get back to 'the great manor' before Augustus got to know about their disappearance. No matter how much Edwin's wolf complained there was his sane and rational part that overpowered his confusing feelings.

"Thank god, you both are back!" Elsie ran to her elder brother as soon as she spotted him walking along with Lester in her direction.

The dinner time was long gone and as expected Augustus was not pleased with the fact that Edwin and Lester were absent for the dinner. He asked Mr Wright about it but the man had no idea.

It was Theodora who came to help and feed Augustus with a lie that Edwin and Lester were hungry after a long practice session of sword fighting and hence finished their dinner earlier than the others.

When Elsie got to know about this, she tried to reach Edwin through the mind link. BUt since Edwin had blocked anyone to reach him through the mind link, she had no other way than reaching to Lester.

Only Lester knew how difficult it was for him to drag Edwin back to 'the great manor'. All along the way, he was grunting and complaining and looked like he was ready to diminish anything that irked him slightly.

Edwin was in a sour mood and didn't give his warm smile to his younger sister like he always did. Elsie's face fell at his indifferent behaviour. She was about to ask him about it when Lester stopped her with a signal by his eyes.

~"Don't, Elsie! He is not in a great mood."~

Edwin didn't wait for anyone to say one more word to him and marched straight towards his chamber. He didn't want to think about anything else, talk with anyone or even eat dinner because his mind was clouded with the thoughts of only one person. Ruth!

"What's wrong with him? Did something happen?" Elsie asked in concern while staring at Edwin's tensed retreating form.

"Lester, answer me, please." She called again when Lester didn't answer right away, he was lost in his own thoughts.

He looked startled at worried Elsie. "There is nothing to worry, Elsie. He is just in a bad mood after the meeting with the Council."

But Elsie didn't look convinced with his answer. "I know my brother very well, Lester. It must be something else and important if he is acting this way. No matter how sour his mood is, he never failed to smile at me."

Lester sighed not knowing how to calm her. He took her hand in his, gently stroking it. "I am telling you the truth,Elsie. You know what a grouchy sac your brother is. He gets ticked off even if someone looks in his way." Lester tried to lessen her worry.

But his attempt backfired at him as Elsie narrowed her eyes at him. She removed her hands from his. "Don't say such things about my brother. He is not a grouchy sac!"

Lester was amused at how fast a worried Elsie turned into a warrior to defend her brother. "Really?" He cocked his brows at her with a hint of a smile on his face.

It was no surprise that Elsie got offended when Lester made fun of her brother. She was always fond of him and no matter what the world thought of Edwin, her heart always believed that he was a good person. She loved her elder brother wholeheartedly.

"Yes. It's just that people don't understand him. Anyone could get angry when people aggravate them." She said defensively, justifying her brother.

"But that doesn't go with you, does it?" All humour on Lester's face got replaced by a serious look.

His eyes bored into hers intently. Elsie knew what he was trying to imply. She pulled her gaze away from his, not able to match his gaze.

During his stay at 'the great manor', Lester had witnessed how Elsie let her elder sister Eloise walk all over her. It angered him that Elsie didn't stand for herself but he didn't want to create any misunderstandings between the two sisters by intervening in their personal matters.

"What doesn't go with my dear sister?" Eloise strutted to stood beside Elsie.

The discomfort was clearly written on Elsie's face at the appearance of her elder sister.

"Hello, Eloise. What brought you here?" Lester asked trying to sound polite.

Eloise ignored her sister and smiled at Lester. "Where were you? You didn't come for dinner."

"I was with Edwin."

"What kept you engaged that you missed dinner?"

"Nothing that you should worry about." Lester's words though forthright came amiably.

Eloise huffed. "I was just curious because father was asking why you three were not present at the dining table?"

"Three?" Lester asked in confusion.

Eloise looked at him strangely. "yes. You, brother Edwin and Elsie. Weren't you three together?"

Lester looked bewilderedly at Elsie who was trying to avoid meeting his eyes. It didn't take long for Eloise to realise her mistake of mentioning it after watching the surge of emotions in Lester's green eyes.

'I shouldn't have said such a thing', she fumed inwardly.

Without wasting more time, Lester held onto Elsie's wrist and started walking towards the dining room. "Thank you for letting me know Eloise. Good night!" He said without turning back to spare a glance in Eloise's way.

Elsie followed Lester not having another choice as she knew that getting free from Lester's hold was impossible. She just prayed the moon goddess to bestow with the strength to bear Lester's wrath.

*

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*

Edwin paced tensely in his chamber. His unruly coffee-brown hair fell on his forehead losing its well-kept look after running his hands through them several times. His nerves were still agitated and his heart... it was filled with a mixture of various emotions.

He couldn't believe he had to let the woman in his dreams go without experiencing her skin against his fingers or having a dialogue with her. She was there... right in front of his eyes but all he had to do was watch her with another man.

Hundreds of questions swirled in his mind but he got no answers to any of them even after pondering over them for hours. Who was she? And why did she had such an obscure effect on him?

What he was experiencing was unnatural, unreal and exciting. The way his heart pumped faster at a mere sight of her, the way his nerves calmed after hearing her soothing voice it was baffling in every way.

He had never experienced such things in his entire life before. Then what made this change in him?

After mulling over every possibility, his mind narrowed down to reach only one. And that terrified him. If it was what his mind was leading to then he had to do something before things went out of hand. He couldn't let it happen... never!

With grit, he opened his mind link to reach Rees. ~"Where are you?"~

Rees's face hardened and his eyes turned a shade darker while he stared into space. ~"In town."~ This time he made sure to keep walking at a steady pace to not attract Ruth's attention.

~"Is she with you?"~

~"yes, master."~

~"Come and meet me right now."~ Edwin ordered.

~"But master, we are at the Eastern side of the town."~

~"Leave her near her house and come meet me right away. Don't worry about her. She is safe in the human world."~ Edwin said with finality not leaving room for further argument.

Ruth watched with narrowed eyes and furrowed brows not understanding why Rees suddenly zoned out. She had watched him like that after their Sunday breakfast. Thea had also mentioned his strange occasional behaviour.

Rees thought that this time he would manage to hid his behaviour from her but he clearly failed.

"Rees"

"Rees, are you ok?"

Suddenly he was broken out of the trance. He blinked twice then looked at baffled Ruth. Her hazel eyes tried to peek inside his mind through his brown eyes.

Rees realised the invisible question mark lingered in her eyes. But he couldn't answer it. At least not yet.

"You were saying?"

"What's wrong with you? Your eyes were-"

Rees cleared his throat that left Ruth's sentence incomplete. "I have to go now. Here." He gave the parcel back to Ruth.

"And don't repeat this again, Ruth. I am warning you! Please, if you consider me as your... umm... just be safe, okay?"

Ruth was startled to see the amount of concern in his eyes. She had seen it in Thea's but Rees... Ruth was not sure how sincere he was when he asked to be her friend.

What she just witnessed was mysterious. But the truth that Rees came looking for her in the woods and brought her home safely couldn't be ignored. He was there to help her when she needed it. And that was enough to gain her trust.

"Yes. I am sorry to bother you this much! I will take care of myself, dear friend!" She tested his reactions.

His eyes perked up at the endearment she used for him and soon a wide smile etched on his handsome face.

"Good night, Ruth!"

Ruth smiled and waved, "Good night! See you around!"

She turned to head towards her home. After walking some distance, she remembered that she should tell Rees to inform Thea about the incident. 'She must be worrying for me', Ruth thought.

She turned to call Rees but found nothing but an empty road.

"Where did he go?"