Ollie laid across the couch wearily, his body feeling heavy and his inner wolf sleeping on him. His mind was constantly turning its wheels, trying to find some hidden clue that he might have missed. As soon as he heard that Julie was missing, he searched all day and night for her on Dresden's territory. Her own family searched his lands. Andy and Rose had split up into teams, searching the entire property - even miles away. He was too tired to continue but he knew Dresden wouldn't stop until it drove him mad and Zach wasn't any different.
He felt bad for his brother. He was in horrible shape, barely sleeping and not eating at all. Ollie's had to use his Alpha status over him more than once already to keep him alive but Zach was stubborn, refusing to do anything until he found his mate. And now, his little sister was missing too. Ollie knew what it was like to have a sister missing - it was horrible. But to have his mate missing at the same time? He can't even fathom how Dresden and Zach were even functioning.
As the morning sun slowly came to a rise, Ollie found himself with a desperate need to sleep but the ability to do so was long gone. His eyes were heavy and bloodshot and he was starting to lose feeling in his hands and his arms. But his mind was far too awake to let him rest. He was starting to think, with it being nearly two weeks, that he would never see Trisha again.
"Ollie!"
"Zach!"
He groaned, not wanting to hear even more bad news, covering his face with his hand. His wolf woke up and he felt a nagging responsbility to go see what all of the fuss was about.
"Ollie!"
"Ollie!"
His pack members shouted, every one of them sounding desperate and exasperated but excited nonetheless. A few others ran from down the stairs, telling at him to hurry up with thrilled expressions over their faces. Ollie felt his heart race and he shot up off the couch and headed towards the back of the house.
"Zach! Ollie!"
He opened the door and every thought he had, all of his stress disappeared instantly. In front of him, Paul and Christine walked towards the house. They eached helped a very weak Trisha, supporting her as she limped towards her home. Her dirty blonde hair was dirtier than before, ratting in knots over her shoulders. Her hazel eyes were disguised by dark circles hanging under them and her tanned skin had paled greatly. From this distance, he could see a few bruises but nothing to signify critical injuries. She looked so weak and tired. He could see how much trouble she was having staying awake.
He took off, a new adrenaline flowing through him and immediately pulled his sister into a hug. She cried in his arms, holding him tightly and mumbling how much she's missed him and how she's happy to see him. Ollie sensed Zach behind him and without a second though, handed Trisha over. As soon as their faces met each others, relief washed over them and a new life entered their eyes. Zach squeezed her so tightly against him. Ollie thought he may just kill Trisha for sure as the pack cheered her return. Ollie stayed still, observing the tears in Zach's eyes that were threatening to fall. He couldn't even see Trisha's face but he could hear her cries as she gripped Zach's shirt tightly, her knuckles turning white.
"Where did you find her?" He asked Paul. Paul, looking just as exhausted, shook his head with a shrug.
"She found us," He explained. "It was weird. One minute, we weren't catching anything and the next, we could smell her a mile away."
"When we found her, she was just about to fall over." Christine added, looking at Trisha with concern. "Ollie, she hasn't eaten for days."
Ollie looked back at his sister and caught Zach's eyes who was staring at them intently, listening in. A new fire showed in him, a look of anger and absolute hate. He picked up Trisha easily, cradling her in his arms and carrying her back to the house. The rest followed after them. Ollie shouted out orders, demanding some water and crackers and extra pillows and blankets for his sister. Zach laid her on the couch, kneeling by her side. His hand gripped hers, refusing to let go of her for even a quarter of a second while Ollie stood by, thankful that his sister had such a good mate.
A glass of water came first and then some crackers. Trisha took it, slowly drinking the water and slowly eating the crackers, her mate helping her to sit up. She looked at him with loving eyes, placing her hand on his cheek as a tear fell from her own.
"I'm so glad to see you." She mumbled. Zach leaned forward and kissed her sweetly, assuring her that he would never let her out of his sight again. She smiled at him and then turned to her brother, her worry being the only thing to keep her awake. "They have Julie."
"We know," Ollie told her, whispering close to her. "Do you remember where they kept you? Who kept you?" She shook her head, her eyes turning dark as she bit her lip.
"Ollie, they were after Julie the whole time. She was their goal to get to their target." She argued. "I heard them - the ones who guarded me. They said their Alpha was planning on making her his mate to destroy their enemy."
"Who?" Paul asked, his eyebrows furrowing together.
"Dresden," Andy realized as he entered the room, hearing the entire conversation. "Julie's his mate."
Ollie immediately pulled out his phone, dialing Dresden's number as quickly as possible. He didn't have a high hope of the Alpha answering and when he didn't, he settled for Jack. Jack answered almost immediately, his voice frustrated and angry. Ollie told him the good news and then explained what he had found out and Jack hung up before he could finish. Ollie turned back to his sister, feeling a pressure being lifted off of his chest. She had fallen asleep comfortably with Zach watching over her, brushing her hair away from her face.
"She said that Ian isn't the Alpha but the beta." Paul told him as they stood over and watched the scene. "She has no idea where she was kept. They knocked out there and when they let her go."
"Also, she thinks Ian is the one who can hide scents." Andy added. "She couldn't stay awake to explain why so everything will have to wait. She needs some serious rest." Ollie nodded, agreeing.
"Zach," He watched as Zach's head whipped back to look at him, drawing out of his own daze. "You're in charge of her. Do not let her do anything until she's fully rested. Andy and the rest of us will worry about Julie." Zach mumbled his thanks, looking extremely grateful and turned back to Trisha.
Ollie, not relieved that his sister was in good hands, ordered everyone out of the room and into the backyard to make further plans. He knew Zach needed a break and with Trisha being safe again, he was free to relax. Ollie would make sure that Julie would be taken care of. But for now, he knew he needed to wait for Dresden to return so he could share this new information and discuss the possible culprits.
Dresden had returned to the pack house as soon as he heard Sheila calling him - a sign that Jack had something important to tell him. His body was worn and tired, lacking both sleep and energy. He didn't dare eat, he didn't dare lose himself to dreams. He couldn't think of anything but Julie right now and the fact that she was gone sent into a dark abyss. He wanted to drown in her scent, to look into her eyes until his death day. His body remembered too well of how she felt and how she sounded. Her ghost was haunting him every where he turned. He needed to find her and he needed to find her soon.
As soon as Jack saw him nearing the pack house, he ran up to Dresden desperately - nearly completely healed. His expression told Dresden that there was urgent news but not good news. His Hell would last another sleepless night.
"Trisha's back," He reported and Dresden stopped, staring at him in disbelief.
"Well, did she say where they kept her? Did she see Julie? Is Julie alright? Did they find Julie too?" He panicked but Jack shook his head, desperately trying to get his Alpha to listen clearly.
"Dresden, she heard them talking. Their target had been you the entire time. They're using Julie to get to you."
Dresden instantly knew what kind of business they were dealing with. His heart stopped and his mind was thrown back into his past, his darkness clogging him. He tried to make sense of it, tried to figure out where he went wrong but he couldn't. He just knew this wasn't about power or territory. It was revenge. Someone just as dark as him, more warped and twisted, was pulling the strings and they had planned a serious of torturings for Dresden.
"Damn Fenrir!" He cursed loudly, slamming his fist into a nearby tree. His own wolf reverted back to before, challenging Dresden for control. He wanted to rip his teeth into something and tear it apart. Anything would do - a squirrel, a dog, a cat, a witch, a wolf. He didn't care about holding down the beast anymore. He wanted to free his inner demon, to let the real nightmare out - as long as it meant killing what should already be dead and finding what was his to protect.
"Who do you think is capable of this?" Jack stuttered. He watched as Dresden's eyes turned darker than before, a hint of red in them and he knew that Dresden was starting to let himself go. He begged Fenrir for Julie to show up immediately or he will most likely face his death this time, trying to calm his Alpha down and protect the pack from his rage. As beta, he ordered everyone to stay clear of Dresden and report only to him. He did not want anyone to risk their lives by asking a stupid question at the wrong time.
Dresden paced, his wolf characteristics showing as his power boiled over his limits. He felt the dark energy surge through his veins, making his muscles stronger powered by hate. His own nature was being released and this time, he wasn't going to keep it locked up. The key had disappeared and until he found her again, no one would be able to stop him.
He'd have to heartless and rebellious to take someone else's mate. He'd have to know who they were messing with and how to execute everything perfectly for this to work out well. He'd have to know how exactly Dresden worked, how he thought. And there was only one person who knew Dresden well enough for that.
"My brother," Dresden snarled. "Darren."
Author's Note:
For those of you who are alone now or in the next hour or so, who just read this and can see there isn't another part up yet and is screaming with anticipation: just wait. I have a serious headache and I need food. So I'm going to make some.
I'll be back with more soon. :)