Page 31 of Clashing With The Grumpy Wolf

We both whirl around, Adrian moving at supernatural speed. But we're too late.

The heavy sound of the lock clicking into place echoes through the cellar, unnaturally loud in the cavernous space.

"No," I breathe, as the implications sink in.

We race to the door, our footsteps thundering across the stone floor. Adrian reaches it first, his hand closing around the ancient iron handle. He yanks, the muscles in his arm straining beneath his shirtsleeve.

It doesn't budge.

"Stand back," he orders, positioning himself squarely in front of the door.

I retreat several steps as he throws his shoulder against the wood with enough force that I feel the impact vibrate through the floor. The door shudders but holds firm.

Adrian tries again, this time with a kick that would have shattered a normal door. This one merely groans in protest, the ancient oak reinforced with metal bands that gleam dully in the dim light.

"Dammit," he snarls, slamming his fist against the unyielding surface.

"Someone locked us in on purpose," I say, the reality of our situation dawning on me with icy clarity.

Adrian pounds on the door, his voice rising to a roar.

"Hey! Anyone up there?"

His calls echo in the vast space, but I already know it's futile. We’re deep underground. The cellar walls are too thick, designed to keep the temperature stable for the wine. No one will hear us from upstairs.

I check my phone again, holding it up in various directions as if that might magically create a signal. Nothing.

"No service," I confirm, tucking it back into my pocket.

Adrian turns to face me, his expression shifting from anger to a grim resignation.

"It looks like we're stuck here for a while," he says, his voice strangely calm.

I lean against the cold stone wall, a shiver running through me that has nothing to do with the cellar's chill. We're trapped in the basement of a dragon manor, locked in by someone who clearly doesn't want us interfering with their plans. Someone who might be escaping with the tiara right now, while we're helplessly confined underground.

"This is my fault," I say, the words escaping before I can stop them. "If I hadn't followed that person down here…"

"Then we wouldn't even know there was someone suspicious in the mansion," Adrian finishes for me. He runs a hand over his face, stubble rasping against his palm. "You made the right call."

"So we could both be stuck down here?" I raise an eyebrow. "How is that better?"

A reluctant smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Fair point."

I wrap my arms around myself, the cellar's chill finally registering now that the adrenaline is wearing off. My thin dress offers little protection against the damp cold.

Adrian notices immediately, shrugging out of his uniform jacket and stepping toward me.

"Here," he says, draping it around my shoulders before I can protest.

The fabric is warm from his body, enveloping me in his scent. It immediately floods my senses, that intoxicating blend of pine, leather, and something wild that makes my pulse quicken despite our predicament.

"Thanks," I murmur, pulling it closer around me.

Our eyes meet in the dim light, and suddenly I'm acutely aware of how alone we are. How isolated. How the air between us feels charged with the same electricity that sparked when he kissed me in his cabin.

Adrian looks away first, his jaw tightening. He stalks across the cellar, movements restless and predatory, like the wolf inside him can't bear to be confined.

"The door's not an option," he says, his voice carefully controlled. "Let's check for other exits."