Thirty eight

"...I want your father back and as selfish as it sounds, I don't want to lose anyone I love ever again."

Ginger walked up to the fridge and snatched the only picture her mother had on the attribute. The girl seemed happy. The smile Olamide had while the photo was being taken seemed genuine and Ginger felt horrible acknowledging that. She had already done something unspeakable to the girl when they hadn't even met and now, She was going to be accomplices with her mother to kill the poor girl for whatever power resided within her. Ginger knew what it felt like to be hunted. Worse when it was her own kind doing the hunting. As much as the witch wanted to be reunited with her father, she didn't approve of the methods her mother was implementing to get the job done.

"And have you found this girl–the attribute?"

"Not really," Yasmin answered. "But I have no worries. She is here alright and considering this town is a beacon to every inhuman creature, She is definitely not leaving anytime soon. The relic, however, I've set my eyes on him. He is clueless about what he is. The poor creature believes he's a werewolf. He's easy pickings."

Ginger let out an uncomfortable laugh as she thrust the picture back on the fridge door. "Hypothetically," She began. "If we found both ingredients and we were successful, could we bring them back after the ritual?"

Yasmin poured herself a glass of water directly from the sink. Her eyes roamed around to avoid looking at her daughter's and it unintentionally confirmed Ginger's fears. Lives had to go for such a power to crown this world. Ginger hated it. Her mother sensed that guilt.

"I would do anything to exclude the shedding of blood but there is little I can do. This is the way of the universe. Revolution can only come through blood, the center of life and the beyond."

"Maybe..."

"No Ginger!" Yasmin cut in before her daughter could complete her sentence. It was almost as if she could guess what was on the girl's mind but it wasn't like she was wrong. Ginger had always been easy to read. "I will not let this opportunity pass. Yes, it might be unnatural but irrespective of whether your moral compass agrees with me or not, these two are going to die anyway because whether I chose to join Lilith or not, there is always another willing practitioner willing to get the job done."

Ginger Maplewood strode towards her mother. There was worry laced in every step. She wondered if spilling the secret would do good to her cause. When Ginger finally made it to where Yasmin stood, she decided to go with her guts. They had never failed her. Revealing the identity of the attribute would do some good even if it would be for a limited period. "The attribute... The attribute isn't just any random girl mother."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not certain but the girl in that picture bears an uncanny resemblance to Alpha Jason's rumored human mate."

***

TWO YEARS AGO

Ginger heard sounds – footsteps – coming from outside the room she was in. She tried to move but found her hands slamming into a metal barricade. She turned around only to hit the same barrier. What was happening, the girl asked herself. The last thing she remembered was walking home after a tiring day at school. A few seconds later, some door in front of her unlocked and swung open. Incandescent lighting from outside flickered inside almost blinding her. It took a couple of seconds for her eyes to adjust to the sudden flow of light. Her first instinct was to take in every detail of the room she was in. With the light, she took note of where she was. She was a birdcage. Except the cage that sealed her in looked like it was made especially for humans. The walls were made of cold hard concrete and when Ginger stared at the floor, she frowned in confusion when she noticed the heaps of straw beneath her feet. Where was she?

“The hay is comfortable, I assume. I try as much as possible to make my captives comfortable before they meet their waterloo."

Ginger's eyes were quickly drawn to the source of the voice. She glared at the man who looked fifty-something. He was shirtless but had a bloody apron covering his bare chest. A flash of recognition immediately rushed through Ginger upon seeing his face. The gash running from the top of his forehead to the bridge of his nose did the trick. He was the man she thought was stalking her and when she turned to confront him, her whole world had gone dark. He had to be the culprit.

There were so many questions Ginger wanted him to answer, so many curses she wanted to blurt out, but that would be a waste of her breath. She had probably fallen in the hands of a serial killer. One who was unaware of the persona he has kidnapped. Anyone else in her predicament and very limited mobility would have accepted that irking the captor would not be the wisest thing to do but Ginger was a goddamn witch. She looked at the hay scattered on the ground. It was everywhere and it was popular knowledge that hay was extremely dry and flammable. With murderous intent at the back of her mind, Ginger let the ancient power within her ignite. The power took hold of her very existence and guided her tongue.

"Burn!" Ginger commanded in an ancient language and a shriek immediately forked through the room. Except it wasn't the man, it was Ginger. A stabbing pain exploded from within her and Ginger felt the power backing her abandon her. Her body wriggled on the hay like a worm as she tried to breathe.

The man stalked close, eyeing Ginger from head to toe. There was a smirk plastered on his face as he observed her agony. In his eyes, there was hunger and Ginger didn't miss. He was a predator and Ginger was unfortunately his prey. She shuddered just thinking about it.

"Who are you?!" Ginger shrieked. "What are you even and what do you want from me?!” she asked, not certain if she ever wanted to hear the answer but everything was in an effort to calm her racing heart.

He thrust his hand into the cage and brushed a stray strand of Ginger's fiery hair so he could feed his perverse nature with her anxiety and downright terror. Ginger couldn’t help but flinch from even the slightest hint of his touch. Everything about him told her that he was dangerous.

"You just tried to conjure fire, didn't you?" He asked, not waiting for her reply before he continued talking. "Thank God, I inscribed a spell-breaking rune in this room. The last thing we both want is for you to escape my clutches."

Ginger recoiled. Runes? Those were the ways of the death knights. No common serial killer would have that knowledge. That meant this man was a Silverlaw.

"You are a Silverlaw..."

"You are correct Ginger witch." He leaned closer, his breath cool against her ear. "It almost pains me that I have to devour your heart."

A chill trickled down Ginger's spine. Her body shook as she met the man's gaze. "My heart!?" She repeated. "I'm just a witch. I'm just an ordinary witch and I haven't broken any laws. Why do I have to die?"

He chuckled at her statement. "You aren't just a witch." He began, holding a wooden rune up to her. The rune which looked like a simple circle seemed to hum upon getting in close contact with her. "You are definitely not a relic but you aren't just an ordinary witch. You are more. You are one of the beloveds of Hecate, the great tree, and that makes you perfect for my restoration."

"Restoration?"

A frown marred his features. "It is cancer. A horrible kind that seems to be eating into my flesh fast. Product of a witch's hex. If it wasn't for your kind, I would have been dead." He then proceeded to caress Ginger's pale skin. "With you, I should be able to last two years."

He began to head for the door, stopped by it to give Ginger one last stare before completely heading off. There was a rhythmic click-clack of feet as the man shut the door to get the tools needed to rip Ginger's heart out of her chest but quickly as the echoing started, it stopped. Ginger heard the man mutter something along the lines, "Who the hell are you?" It was then followed by the man screaming. The door before her banged open as swiftly as it was shut and Ginger observed in pure horror as the man wriggled towards her, fear in his eyes as he struggled to get close. A shadowy figure approached him from behind and Ginger watched as the man's head was raised and twisted like it was nothing but an insignificant Coke bottle. The fear in Ginger's heart intensified as she dared to look at the creature that just saved her life. Whatever stood before her might have saved her life but who was to say it intended to do so. Like magic, the creature seemed to shrink into a more humanoid form. The dark form approached her cage and only when it was close did Ginger notice it was indeed human. A shifter probably.

"Are you alright?" He asked, smiling at her like he hadn't just easily murdered someone. "Did he hurt you or something?"

Ginger could do nothing but affirm him otherwise. He continued to fondle with the padlock that kept her in the cage until he broke it. He swung the door wide open and helped her out. When Ginger stepped outside, she collapsed in the arms of the naked man and cried.

"It's alright," The man promised her. "You are safe now."

That savior would turn out to be Jason Crow, son of Alpha Lucius and the current Alpha of her late father's pack.