Page 10 of Corbin (Wild Wolf Pack from the world of Gallize Shifters #2)

Jaz’s mate gave Tarski a sympathetic smile. “Sorry about your jeans.” He watched her for a moment more, then he nodded before Tarski continued to the house.

Adrian announced, “Listen up. We’re still eating dinner together tonight on the back deck, and there will be beer.”

The guys shouted a cheer.

Corbin asked, “Why?”

“Shut up, dickweed,” Hammer snapped. “Can’t you take a win and say thank you?”

“I’m asking so I understand for the future.”

Lifting a hand to stifle the conflict, Adrian explained, “Fair enough. It’s because you all learned a valuable lesson today, even Badger.

We realize many of you have trouble with your wolves.

Our goal is not to punish you or put down your wolf but to offer incentives to work on your control so we can train you.

Eventually, you’ll all be able to work individually or as a team as Corbin and Ladrón have recently.

We’ll assess your abilities when the time comes.

Jaz asked me to make it clear that this is not your prison. ”

That confirmed Corbin’s belief about those two speaking telepathically even in mixed physical forms.

Adrian continued while he had the floor. “Once we feel you can be trusted outside this property, and we believe SCIS won’t grab you for acting out of control, you can have a real life. You show promise. That’s enough for today.”

Corbin expelled a long breath. Another day of being safe in the middle of nowhere.

He craved this freedom with a yearning that only someone with his past could appreciate.

As for leaving the property, let the others go out in public when they wanted.

He’d do whatever work Adrian asked of him, like mountain climbing.

Still, he’d absorb everything he could from Adrian every day.

Only a fool would believe that this could last forever. Adrian was teaching him new survival skills, unlike the ones he’d learned on his own while under Vlad’s control.

Adrian walked over to Badger’s wolf and calmly ordered, “Shift back.”

The scarred wolf let out a pained whine and started a slow shift, which sometimes happened when a wolf fought against an order to change.

Corbin had enjoyed all he could stand of Badger and headed toward the shade trees surrounding Jaz and Adrian’s front porch on his way to take a swim in the compound lake deep into the property.

Wind rushed along the ground, rearranging fallen leaves, then swirled through the ancient oak trees with limbs stretched over the front of the house.

As he neared the porch, Jaz stepped out dressed in a red T-shirt and jeans.

Her wild black hair, no more tamed than before, fit her free spirit.

She looked out of place against the gentle country style, but she seemed content in her skin regardless of the surroundings.

She called out to Adrian, “G is waiting on the phone.”

Adrian ended whatever he was saying and ran to the porch, thanking her before he leaped up the steps. He rushed inside. The screen door thwacked shut.

Jaz spent that time giving Corbin an odd look.

He told himself to keep walking and stare ahead. Don’t engage .

“Corbin.”

At the sound of her quiet order, he stopped and turned back to face her with his arms crossed. He could do polite and evasive but found being direct saved everyone time. “Yes, alpha?”

“Why’d you scrap with Badger?”

See? Questions he did not want to answer, and she’d hear a lie. Lifting a shoulder, he said, “Asshole pissed me off. We’re all tired of dealing with him.” Truth, but he hadn’t answered the question she’d asked.

The longer she took to say what she thought, the more he realized she didn’t believe him. Again, he decided on as much truth as he could share. “It was all I could do to hold my wolf back after Badger’s taunting. I don’t need him poking at my beast.”

Ares argued, You the beast. I am best. She knows you lie. You lie, lie, lie.

How had Corbin ended up with a magpie wolf?

Jaz admitted, “True. At least the last part.”

Corbin shut his mouth to turn off the backhoe before he dug a hole to China. If Ares would give him peace for a little while, he could manage to keep them in this place. Corbin was dominant, too much for his own good, but he dropped his gaze to the ground.

She snorted. “Just don’t. You’re no more submissive than I am.”

He hadn’t intended to draw her attention. That’s exactly what he’d managed to accomplish. Thanks for no help, Ares.

Not my fault. You the one talking.

Jaz shrugged, then said, “That’s all I need for now.”

Good. Corbin turned around, ready to make his getaway when Adrian called out, “Corbin. Don’t leave yet. We need to talk.”

Corbin sucked in a deep breath. What had happened?

Resigned, he headed back to the porch where Jaz had moved close to Adrian. Adrian and Jaz were talking softly. Whatever Adrian said pissed her off based on the flat line of her lips.

By the time he climbed the steps, the two of them turned to Corbin with a united front.

Leaning against a corner roof support, Corbin folded his arms. “What’s up?”

“My boss needs me to handle something over in Spartanburg. To do this, I’ll need someone with me.” Adrian scratched the back of his neck. “I want to leave Bosse and Ladrón to work with the rest of the pack, so I’m taking you with me.”

Stunned, Corbin enjoyed the second moment of relief today, but he also sensed the offer might have a bearing on Jaz’s mood change. “Uhm, I don’t know what to say.”

Jaz spoke up. “Say thank you because I would normally be going with him, but someone has to be here to keep this group from killing each other.”

Corbin doubted this would be like the kidnapping job where no public cameras were around. If he hesitated now, this newfound trust on their part would shift to suspicion. Trying to sound interested, he asked, “What exactly would this entail?”

Adrian half-smiled when he explained, “We’re going to insert into a security team to observe them. Their superior thinks something odd is going on and needs me to review their operation.” He paused with a thoughtful expression. “Are you worried about the Romanians you said were hunting you?”

“Not exactly. I don’t believe I left a trail here, so I don’t think they can find me unless my face is photographed or filmed in public.” He added, “But before I escaped them, I’d kept my head and face shaved as often as possible. Didn’t get a lot of baths back then.”

Jaz eyed him. “Is that why you won’t let me cut your hair any shorter and you keep a thick beard?”

He’d shown up with the sides of his hair shaved short with the top longer. These days, his scraggly, dark brown hair stayed almost shoulder-length. “Yes.” There was an honest answer for her.

Adrian explained, “You should be okay, then. The security team is primarily at a location outside metropolitan Spartanburg where an old theater is being refurbished. Not an area flooded with traffic cams. I don’t see any reason you would be photographed as long as we’re staying in the background.”

“In that case, thank you for this chance.” He looked up at Jaz and added, “Thank you, both.”

“I’ll fill you in on more details on the way tomorrow, but this team handles bodyguarding and security for a shifter celebrity.”

“Who?” Corbin asked. The Romanian had kept him away from the civilized world for so long that Corbin doubted he would recognize the name.

Adrian smiled, drawing a narrow-eyed look from Jaz. “You might have heard of her in Romania since she’s getting big in countries outside the US. She’s Eirene Givenchy, the famous female shifter singer.”

A fist clutched Corbin’s heart, but he kept his face neutral and said nothing.

Looking at his phone that had chimed with a text, Adrian grumbled, “Not enough hours in the day.” He lifted his gaze back to Corbin.

“We roll at 0500. Jaz will have more clothes for you, plus a pair of tinted glasses. I want you to wear the glasses until I feel your eyes won’t give away your shifter status to the humans.

Plus, they’ll help hide your identity. Any other questions? ”

“No, sir. I’ll be here ready to go in the morning.”

“Great. Looking forward to getting one of you out in the field again.” Adrian headed up the steps and paused next to Jaz. He dipped his head in acknowledgement and went in.

Jaz came down the steps. “This is a big opportunity. We both see promise in you.”

Corbin stuck his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans. “I’m hearing a but at the end of that sentence.”

“You’re right. I’m not crazy about you backing up Adrian while you’re still hiding something from us.”

His gut clenched. “What are you talking about?”

She hit him with a hard stare. “When I healed you, I sensed something foreign in your back. You never mentioned it. If it’s a tracker and you’re really done with the Romanians, it makes me wonder why you wouldn’t have me take it out.”

He could smooth this over. “You’re right, and I’ll explain it, but why did you wait until now to ask me about it?”

“We’ve been watching to see if anyone unexpected showed up.”

He considered how to play this. So far, being straight had worked best with them. “Would you have handed me over?”

She snorted at that. “You should know by now that no one touches one of ours.”

“Sorry, but I’m not used to anyone standing up for me.”

“Understood. Now tell me what’s in your body.”

He let out a breath and nodded. “I have an electronic unit inserted into my back. To be honest, I never considered that it could be a tracker because I’ve never had an opportunity to escape before this one time.

” He scratched his head. “I don’t think it’s a tracker or they would have found me by now. ”

She quirked an eyebrow at his explanation but couldn’t call a lie when he’d been truthful. “What is it?”

“They used electric shock treatments to train my wolf.” His chest hurt just thinking about all the painful times he and Ares had suffered.

The Romanians had screwed up both of them.

“They starved me from the beginning. Then, when I was begging for food for my wolf, they’d use a trigger to activate that unit in my back.

It shocked the hell out of me and would stun me long enough for my wolf to break free, and they’d feed the wolf.

Do that enough times, and the wolf will blast out of your body just to get fed.

Then they trained him to track humans on their command. ”

Her face didn’t soften, but she no longer looked as if she wouldn’t trust him to take out the garbage. “Was that all they taught your wolf?”

It was futile to dance around Jaz. He had no choice but to give her the entire truth. “For the whole time I was with them, we hunted human gangs, drug smugglers, black-market weapon dealers.”

She cocked her head. “Were they some kind of Romanian law enforcement?”

“Hell, no. The Romanian ran a black ops mafia group that took on underworld contracts no one else would touch.” He hated to admit this next part.

“Once they had a way to unleash my wolf, they taught Ares that he mattered more than me. The next step was teaching him to attack a human target even if it was no threat to us. Every time he killed one, he got better food, and they treated him like a coveted weapon. I hated every minute of my time with that bunch. When my wolf was exhausted, I could take the body back.”

She didn’t say anything at first. Her face shifted with a flow of thoughts before she asked, “Can you control your wolf?”

“I will be honest. I couldn’t until we escaped.

It’s not easy now, but we’ve been doing better since you and Adrian took over the pack.

I’ve made it clear to my wolf that if he breaks free and attacks anyone and survives, I’ll accept death in human form.

I will have to live with the memories of the humans who died when we were captured.

They were all scum of the Earth, but I will not kill anyone who does not try to kill me first. If the other pack members don’t shift, I can keep my wolf inside.

If one of them snaps and shifts, I might not be able to hold control. ”

Sighing heavily, she said, “If it were up to me, none of you would back up Adrian, but he spoke highly of how you and your wolf rescued that young girl.”

That vote of confidence sent chills up his spine. Should he do this?

Screw it. He’d made a commitment and had to start building a new life. “I hear you. Is that all?” Please say she was done with him.

“No. One more thing.” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Executing the assignment is Adrian’s responsibility. Watching his back is your priority. Don’t get starry-eyed over some pretty shifter celebrity and not pay attention. See you at dinner.”

After that warning, she disappeared into the house.

She thought he’d get starry-eyed over Eirene-The-Queen-Givenchy?

That’d be a white-out snow day in hell.