The Wolf Within Me by Cheree Alsop

Author:Cheree Alsop [Alsop, Cheree]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-10-07T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“You should be a wolf for this.”

I glanced at Alden in surprise. He was busy running his hands along the walls near the stairs, checking for cracks.

“Why’s that?”

“Your nose should be better. You could smell the air coming through or his trail or something.”

I gave him an appraising look. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Alden smiled. “That’s why I’m here, to point out the obvious and make you feel stupid.”

That brought a laugh from me. “Well, thanks. That’s invaluable.”

He chuckled and continued searching the wall.

The thought of phasing back into a wolf was too much, but I took Alden’s advice and stopped searching with my hands and my eyes. I leaned close to the wall and sniffed instead. I felt foolish at first, but Alden acted as if it was perfectly normal. I walked the entire length of the hallway sniffing for anything that was different. I had gone two steps down the stairs when a different scent touched my nose.

“Uh, Alden,” I called. “I think I found it.”

He ran quickly to my side, his grin huge at being right.

I sniffed down to where the crack met the stairs. There was definitely a panel there, wallpapered with the rest to look as though it fit in with the red and cream stripes that lined the staircase.

“Right here,” I told Alden.

He followed it to the other side of the narrow panel and ran his finger up the crack.

“There has to be a way to open it,” he muttered quietly, pushing on several places. “It wouldn’t be of much use if it was only one way.”

We started feeling along the panel and the frame around it, pressing, hitting, and tapping the surface in the hopes that we could trigger something. But nothing worked.

Alden finally shook his head and leaned against the opposite wall. “It makes no sense. There has to be a way to open it from here.”

I stood next to him and crossed my arms to ease the pressure on my ribs. I studied the wall in frustration.

“What if it opens by counterbalance?” Alden suddenly said.

He looked up at the ceiling, then moved to study the wall we had been leaning against. I stepped out of his way and watched him move slowly along the wall.

“There,” he said beneath his breath. He pushed something where I couldn’t see any difference.

A click sounded. I spun to face the panel as it pivoted inward.

“You’re a genius!” I told Alden.

He smiled so wide it amazed me. “I just don’t know when to give up,” he replied.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I told him.

I ducked into the opening.

Alden grabbed my arm before I was halfway inside. “Are you sure we should go in there?”

I looked back at him. “I didn’t go this far to turn back now.” I gestured toward the unburned hall. “I risked my life up here. I need to figure out what happened.” I gave him an out. “You can head back to our room if you want.”

He hesitated, then shook his head and stepped into the passage as well.

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