Chase (Chasing Tails Rewritten)

Sixteen - Accusations

 Julie woke the next morning. The sunlight that filters through the few windows are too bright for her. She's grown used to the dark room with its dark colors and the morning sunlight is shining through too much. She makes a noise of protest as her body fights her desire to sleep. Her eyes squint open and finds herself cuddling further on Dresden's side of the bed, her arms wrapped around one of his pillows while her face rests against it heavily. She can breathe in his scent. It's something that's grown on her even though she doesn't know what exactly it is. If she had her wolf, she could pinpoint many things about it but for now, all she knows is that it hasn't been long since he left.

"Julie?"

Julie opens her eyes back up. She remembers hearing Dresden sometime in the middle of the night and then she remembers waking up to find him so close. His expression was odd, somewhat blurry as if it was mixed with another. Perhaps it was all just a dream because that wouldn't make sense otherwise. Besides, she knows she went on a late-night adventure chasing her wolf once again.

Speaking of which, how did she get back? She doesn't remember anything after colliding with her wolf. Everything went black at that moment, her mind tired of dreaming up haunting scenarios. She sits up, not finding anything out of place. Maybe she was just dreaming really well. Maybe she didn't actually leave like she thought she did.

Lifting her shirt, her bruises are slowly fading away but they're still there and she's more than sure that it's not enough for Dresden to let her out of the room just yet. Giving up on the hope that she might escape the four walls, she heads for a much-needed shower. Dresden has a lavish bathroom and as she takes it in, she realizes it's one thing she'll miss about staying in his room. It's almost completely natural and her only fantastical escape from the bedroom but even then she knows it's just an illusion. Still, it's nice.

She notices in the mirror that she's not as pale as before. The bags under her eyes seem to stand out still but her skin looks healthier and that's a step forward. Maybe eating three full meals a day will actually help her and at the back of her head, there's a part of her that's thankful to Dresden for his attention.

The hot water does wonders for her. It scares the sleep away and makes her feel more awake than ever. Her stomach bruises only ached a few times. Her collar bone is nearly completely healed so it doesn't give her any problems. She feels energized, ready to take on the day and it's the thought that she's still guarded and still trapped in the bedroom that turns her mood gloomy. She takes her time dressing and getting ready and she tries to figure out something to do that might keep her busy to avoid going insane.

When she opens the door, she nearly jumps as Dresden looks up at her. He's sitting on the bed, looking like he's pondering over something serious and a burning curiosity rises in her. She knows better than to ask though and silently moves about.

"How did you sleep?"

Thrown off by the question, Julie frowns. "I slept fine. Did I wake you?"

"No, I was awake when you took off."

Julie's heart seemed to have pounded faster and there's a fear in her that maybe she did actually wake up and run off somewhere. Now, she'll have to suffer the consequences. "Took off?"

"You woke up and took off. You ran outside and I had to run after you." Dresden stands to tower over her, his dark, starless eyes studying her. Her hand shakes at her side, unsure of what he's thinking or how he's thinking. He has similarities to James though and there's a part of her that fears she might be punished harshly for running off. But then, she remembers Dresden hasn't given her any reason to think that. He comes across similar to James but he's his own Alpha.