Chase (Chasing Tails Rewritten)

ThirtySeven - James

 "Darren is the one behind all of this then?"

Dresden tries not to snarl out every time Rose opens her mouth but the she-wolf is infuriating and with his mate gone, his patience is thin. He doesn't care if she's a sister or a friend anymore. Right now, she's just someone getting in his way instead of helping him search for Julie.

"What does he want with you?"

"Apparently," Ollie says, giving a sideways glance to Dresden that the latter tries to ignore. "He tried to kill him but didn't succeed."

"Oh," Rose turns her blank, angry stare at him. "Way to go, Amateur Alpha Number One. Brilliant. Just what my sister needs. An angry brother-in-law!"

"How are we so sure it's his brother?"

"Trust me," Dresden snarls out at the she-wolf's beta. "I know Darren. He plays games. He exploits vulnerabilities. I know how he works."

"Because you used to work that way too?" Rose taunts. "This is all just getting more and more perfect. What's the game plan then? Obviously, you're too unreliable to track down any scent of Julie's not to mention Trisha's before she showed up and the poor girl is so traumatized she can't even begin to go into details without breaking down."

"Rose," Ollie calls her out, scolding her instantly. "Not now. We need to reorganize. Dresden, tell us what you know about Darren. Anything might lead us to him."

"He's going to torture me," Dresden explains. "First, psychologically. He's already started by marking Julie, telling me he has her in his hands and holding her safety against me. Then, he'll go after me mentally. He'll wait until I'm insane enough for him and he'll lure me out. Last, he'll attack and attempt to physically destroy me."

Rose raises her eyebrows. "That's all you know about him?"

"Rose..." Phillip calls her, setting his hand on her shoulder. She shoves him off.

"No, my baby sister is out there with some creep, marked by the same creep when her mate should've been the one to protect her. I turn away from you for one damn minute and this is what happens..."

Dresden twitches, his claws digging into his skin. There's nothing more appealing right now than to make her shut up. He'd do anything to get her to leave. He doesn't need her if she's just going to throw his actions in his face. He knows what he did wrong but there's no point sulking about it. Julie's life is in danger and he's not going to sit around for much longer so that Rose can feel informed.

"We know he has a witch on his side," Jack interrupts before his Alpha can leap over and attack the she-wolf. "Finding her scent won't be easy. Tracking him down won't be either."

"He'll be in a cave," Dresden tells them. "He's a follower of nature."

"Oh, great," Jack rolls his eyes. "Let's go see the only cave in the area then. I'm sure it'll be easy to find them then."

Dresden ignores his beta's sarcasm as one of Julie's brothers leans across the table. "Why take Trisha then? What was the point of that?"

"For information," Ollie realizes, glancing up at Dresden to confirm his guess. "When she didn't hand him anything, he handed her to his mutts."

"Mating season got the best of them, Ollie."

"Don't you fucking dare!" Ollie snarls out at Rose. "I don't fucking care if they weren't in control of themselves. It's just a pathetic excuse!"

"Enough," Dresden finds himself saying, tired of pointless arguments. What he needs to do is resume his search. If Darren wants him, Dresden will be sure to make it easy to find him. Surely, his brother wouldn't resist the challenge. His ego wouldn't allow it. "Julie is fighting right now. She hasn't fully accepted his mark or I'd know. Darren isn't a patient man. It won't be long before he takes it farther."