A MAZE OF GREED

The romantic mood that had settled in Green's house had turned into tense one in an instant when Thea noticed the bloodstains on Rees's shirt. Her hand that was encircled around his neck slowly slipped away from him and her body turned stiff as rock.

Her face was set in shell shock but her eyes... her eyes were clouded with worry and fear. ​​

"Thea..." Rees slowly called her name but she didn't react, her eyes were glued to the crimson patches on Rees's shirt.

"Thea, love... listen to m-"

Suddenly she startled and hurried to get out of Rees's lap.

Rees watched with hurt and was about to take her hand in his, but she stepped away from him, leaving his hand outstretched in midair.

His jaws clenched, and he reluctantly pulled his hand down to his side.

He cursed himself for not paying attention, for not being cautious. How could he walk all the way to meet his mate with a blood-soaked shirt on his body?

How was he going to explain now? How was he going to answer her questions now?

How could he tell Thea that what a cruel monster his master hide under him?

"I..it's bl...blood..." Thea's body shook in horror, for she had never seen such a large amount of blood before.

Her eyes turned misty at the thought that Rees might have been injured. But before she could ask him that question, he answered it.

"Thea... it is not my blood, love. Look, I am totally fine! Don't be scared, please!" He got up from the couch and took a step towards her, but she reacted by taking a step back from him.

Her actions spoke her thoughts loud and clear because her voice got stuck in her throat at the frightening sight.

"Thea, listen to me, please!" Rees tried again, but she was shaken to the core. She didn't know what to do or say to the man in front of her.

Rees's heart ached at her resistance, but first, he had to do something to calm her down.

Without saying another word, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt and then removed that bloodied cloth from his body.

Thea averted her eyes from the sight of his bare chest. It was not because of embarrassment, but she was afraid that her eyes would meet gruesome wounds on his body.

She couldn't have tolerated that sight, and to protect her fragile heart from that, she closed her eyes tightly, her breaths became ragged, and her heart beat faster.

"Thea, look at me." Rees said slowly.

But she was too afraid to open her eyes and look at him.

"Thea, I said look at me!" This time his voice came demanding and firm.

But she didn't.

Inhaling deeply, Rees crossed the distance between them and gently put his finger under her chin to turn her head towards him.

"Open your eyes."

"I... I d-don't want to." Thea stuttered as tears rolled down from her closed eyes.

"You have to, Thea. Trust me, and open your eyes for me. Please, love!"

Believing in his words, Thea slowly opened her eyes to meet Rees's brown ones. They had changed back to their original colour.

Rees's face softened after watching the vulnerability in her doe-like eyes that were now clouded with fear.

"See... I am not hurt anywhere. That blood is not mine, Thea."

Her watery eyes slowly descended down to meet his bare chest and then his abdomen which held no marks of any injury.

Her heart felt relieved that Rees was not hurt and the blood on his shirt was indeed not his.

"Then who's blood was that?" The question left her mouth that made Rees's face hardened.

Soon her eyes widened in shock when a thought crossed her mind. "Did you... did you kill-"

"NO!" His voice boomed in the small room that made Thea jumped in fright.

Her body trembled at the sudden change in his behaviour and now that his eyes had again turned a shade darker, she knew that she had messed up.

Rees's body shook in anger. He was not angry at her but he was angry at himself. Tonight had been a tough night for him.

First, he had to do something at his master's command that he never thought he would do. That guilt was eating up him from inside.

Then like a fool, he came to meet Thea with a blood-stained shirt. The fear in her eyes tore his heart into pieces.

And now, she was thinking that he had come to stand in front of her after murdering someone.

-"Thea can not understand until you make her understand it."- Edwin had said that to him after he revealed his secret to Thea.

Taking deep breaths to calm his wolf, Rees passed a minute without saying anything. He had shut his eyes closed to keep his wolf at bay.

Thea watched the way the waves of anger radiated from his body, how taut his body had become and how pained his face looked.

She wanted to do something or say something but didn't know how to. She couldn't get over the thought that Rees had someone else's blood on his shirt.

And the amount of blood indicated clearly that whoever the victim was must have been walking the road to death. That sole thought shuddered her but she kept quiet to give Rees some time to cool down.

She straightened up her body when she heard him say, "I am going to take a shower."

He didn't wait for her reaction and marched straight to her bedroom and all Thea could do was just to stare at his naked back with a frenzied mind.

She heard the sound of closing the door of her bathroom and then she slumped down in a chair with more tears in her eyes.

She covered her mouth with her hands when a loud sob threatened to escape. She didn't want to upset Rees anymore.

While Rees cleaned his body of the stains of blood and his mind from all the thoughts, Thea's mind took her back to the night when Rees and Edwin came to had dinner with her family.

After Rees's argument with Ruth, he walked away from there. Thea chased after him and asked him to give her another chance. She had told Rees that she didn't want to marry him because she thought that he was hiding something.

But she soon realised her mistake and asked Rees to trust her one more time. She told him that she was ready to listen to him, to understand him and to accept his truth because she loved him wholeheartedly.

And the unfolding of truth after the kiss that they shared which was full of sincerity, her whole world turned upside down.

*** "Are you sure about this, Thea? Because once you know my secret, there is no way for you to turn back." Rees's gaze pierced through her soul in an attempt to know her thoughts.

A resolve flashed in her teary eyes. "I am sure about this because I don't want to turn back anymore!" With that said, she rose on her tiptoes and captured his lips into hers, sealing her promise for once and all!

After pulling away from each other, Thea looked into Rees's eyes and to her shock, they had already turned a shade darker. They had changed their natural brown colour to a brownish-black one with the black rim of his iris.

"Rees... y-your eyes."

"Come with me!" Rees didn't let her protest and held her hand into his tightly.

Not questioning him and after deciding to be patient, Thea walked by his side while peeking to look at his eyes time and again.

"You don't need to steal glances at my eyes. I know they have changed and you can watch them for all your life if you want." He had not turned to look at her. His strides were long with his gaze focused ahead on the path.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to. It's just that.. it's..." Thea trailed off knowing that it was useless to lie.

She was shocked to see his eyes changing their colour and that only warned her that whatever Rees's secret was would blow her mind away for sure.

Soon they left the houses of Vincardine behind and walked into the north.

"Rees!" Thea's steps halted at the sight in front of them.

This time Rees turned to look at her and she gulped down nervously because his eyes were still brownish-black in colour.

But not pointing out that, she gave a sceptical look to her surroundings. "Why are we here at this time? You know that no one is suppose to enter the woods especially in night."

Rees picked up the fear in her voice. But to reveal his secret to her, he had no other place better than the woods even though they were dangerous.

"I know. But you don't have to be scared because I am with you."

Looking at Rees felt like she was looking at a different person altogether but the way his eyes bore into hers, the way his touch sent tingles all over her body felt familiar.

"But-"

"You don't believe me?"

Shaking her head, she replied. "It's not about that Rees. I just don't want you to get hurt."

A small smile crept his lips hearing her sincere words.

He suddenly lifted his face to stare into nothingness. It was like he was present there physically but not mentally.

Thea had witnessed this strange behaviour of his before and Ruth also had mentioned it to her.

"What did you do?" She asked slowly after he relaxed a bit and was out of his trance.

"I informed my men that I am entering into the woods and be ready if I need help."

Thea blinked in puzzlement. "What? But how? You didn't even say a word. Is there someone else here? I-"

"Thea, look at me. I will explain everything now. I will not let any harm come into your way, my love! Just trust me!"***