Page 18 of Corbin (Wild Wolf Pack from the world of Gallize Shifters #2)

Eirene watched through the sedan’s rear window as Ivarson drove away.

That was Corbin. He never admitted it, but she knew his scent. She asked Pixie, Did you recognize his scent?

Yes. He was the boy you knew in school. Where do you think he went after the night he didn’t show up?

I don’t know. I’m more concerned right now with why he was at the theater and following me. Eirene had realized by the time she jumped into her sedan that something was off. Why would someone from her past, the only shifter she’d known in high school, be here now?

What do you mean by him following you? Pixie asked.

I’m worried someone is going to find a way to blame me for the deaths of those two security guards and Archie’s injuries.

Why would Beckham send shifters when I said only humans?

I think he’s being pressured to prove the accidents have nothing to do with his human people.

That could be why he called in shifter investigators, which points at me.

There is no evidence of you harming anyone, Pixie argued .

That’s true, but shifters are treated differently than humans.

Eirene swallowed hard. Why would the boy who had been so kind to her in school return after all this time to work with people trying to hang these deaths on her?

Her damaged heart couldn’t take many more hits without giving up completely on people.

Maybe she was misreading everything.

Corbin had surprised her in the woods, but ... he had not tried to manhandle her or act inappropriately.

Why had he kept his eyes hidden behind sunglasses?

Not that hiding his eyes mattered. She could be blind and recognize his scent. Wherever the shy young boy had gone, he’d returned grown up with a muscular build and overflowing with confidence. His tanned arms had bulged against the snug short sleeves of his gray button-down shirt.

When he’d kept her from falling and pulled her up to him, she’d leaned against a powerful man, no question about it.

Pixie often sat back until she had something to say. That man’s wolf is strange and powerful.

Eirene sent back, When we were in school, you told me you feared his wolf. Do you think they are dangerous?

Not the man. He was angry, but he did not act aggressively. I would be careful around his wolf.

Eirene considered her wolf’s observation. She hadn’t sensed any danger from Corbin, but she had never met his wolf. She trusted Pixie’s observations, especially when it came to a shifter’s animal.

Corbin had scared her in that instant when he’d caught her and stopped her fall.

Oh, not in the conventional way of being frightened.

She’d felt a pull toward him as strong as she had in high school.

Her body came awake with the first contact with him when other men had come and gone, their presence barely registering.

Even during her dark days after her father had been killed, she’d taken off with a human male to get away from a difficult life that no longer had an anchor.

The only man she’d ever truly trusted had been killed in a vicious attack.

Then she found out even her father had betrayed her.

She shook her head, thinking of the worst decision she’d made at that point when she ran away. The human male lover she’d taken had been sexy and fun for a week, then she woke up one day and realized no one outran their emotions.

Lost and with no idea what to do, she’d hung out with him for a few more weeks until he asked her to marry him.

She’d laughed. Marry a human or anyone else for that matter?

She’d believed she had met her mate for life in high school. That had turned out to be a foolish girl’s dream. One that still punched her in the solar plexus when she thought back to the last day that she’d seen him.

Just before her human lover stormed off, she discovered he’d wanted to marry her for fame and fortune.

If he had stayed any longer, he would have been appalled to find out she intended to live frugally and save every penny she could to help desperate female shifters. Not the life of luxury he’d been expecting.

That had been her reality check.

She’d blamed men for her problems for too long. The time had come to face what she’d lost and the fallout from her foolish actions. She accepted that she had to buck up and become an adult if she wanted to be treated like one.

Losing her sole female friend gave her a purpose in life greater than being fawned over as an entertainer.

She’d had her emotions under control since then.

Then why had meeting Corbin again left her ... struggling to sort out emotions she’d tucked away in a corner of her heart? How could he still affect her after all this time?

Maybe because he was no longer a young boy.

She couldn’t get over how sexy he’d looked with that filled-out body, his dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, and his beard. Hot motorcyclist for a fantasy dream.

Flipping back around, she slumped next to the door. Guilt dug a hole in her chest. She had good reason to be angry with Corbin, but what were the police going to do with him once they discovered he was a shifter?

Would they call in the Shifter Criminal Investigation Service?

Please tell her that would not happen.

“Are you alright, Eirene?” Ivarson asked, his face filling the rearview mirror again. As usual, he had already slid the curtain to the side after she left the car.

“I’m fine.” She had a question for him too. “Why did you call the police?”

“Because I had no idea where you had gone after I dropped you at the dress shop. I have never invaded your privacy, but I swore to your father I would do all in my power to keep you safe. You did not hit the button that indicated you only required a ride. You sent the message to come get you quickly.”

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. She’d screwed up. Pushing the wrong button had made Corbin appear to be stalking the local wolf shifter celebrity. She had never wanted to be a celebrity, which meant having to constantly question everyone’s motives around her.

Look what a mess she’d left him in.

She’d been angry so long she didn’t know how to function otherwise. Mistreating a person, human or shifter, had never been her. She had to get out from under Leszek’s thumb so she could rule her own life and think straight.

If Corbin was one of Beckham’s people, which he must be since he hadn’t lied, she owed him an apology. She felt lower than the sole of her shoes for overreacting.

Could things be any worse?

Ivarson cleared his throat. “I’ve had two conversations.

One with Brody on the way to pick you up.

He said they’ve taken Archie in for surgery, and his chance at recovery is not encouraging.

Also, Mr. Moore called and was anxious over not hearing from you.

He wants me to bring you to his office right away. ”

Yes , the universe replied. It can get worse.

By the time Ivarson drew near Leszek’s building, Eirene had swiped the curtain in place again, removed her hat, fixed her hair into an upswept do, and freshened her makeup. Her pants had a bit of dirt which couldn’t be brushed away and her blouse sported a tear.

She might be able to hide that from Leszek if she were lucky.

Ivarson maneuvered the sedan gradually through dense traffic in the financial district of Spartanburg as he neared the building for Leszek’s office. She hated coming here and humbling herself to appease the man pulling all the strings in her life.

Even worse, to bow down to the man she believed had her father killed.

The day she controlled her own money and life, she’d find the evidence she needed to put him in prison forever, but that would not be today.

She reached for her black Louis Vuitton tote, glad she had not scratched it today. She’d purchased the bag new six days ago and made a mental note to auction it off online this week under her secret account. That trick was one of the sneaky ways she generated money for her vulnerable women.

Leszek hated for her to spend so much on accessories. She smiled at being able to flaunt this bag in front of him before she sold it.

The mobile phone she used only for business played a depressing jingle.

Leaning back against the seat, she answered, “I have a bone to pick with you, Beckham.”

“Hello to you, too, Eirene.” The man in charge of her security sounded tired.

“Sorry for the lack of manners, but this day has sucked. Now, I’m headed in to meet with Leszek to plead for money once again.” She would not hide the disgust in her tone since Ivarson could hear nothing.

“Huh. I’ve had no trouble getting paid by the label.”

Of course, Leszek paid any other bill presented to her record label, especially Beckham’s.

His men sent a daily report of every move she made.

To many people, Leszek Moore personified a dignified businessman who managed her record label and finances with the same deft ability he’d used to build his medical empire.

Leszek had plenty of accolades. None of them impressed Eirene these days the way they had when she’d been a na?ve child, one he still believed her to be.

When her trustee’s building came into view, she hurried the conversation along. “If you’re calling about the new men you added to my security team, you’re late. You also broke our deal of humans only.”

He made a grumbling sound but ignored her jab. They were both tired of arguing over how she hated having anyone dog her every step. “I’ll keep this short, Eirene, so you won’t be late for your meeting. I need these two men to—”

“ No! ” She stopped herself from ranting and lowered her voice to a more civil tone. “I do not want any more people getting in my way all day.”

“You agreed to this, but the humans-only part is not working,” he replied in a flat, stop-giving-me-a-hard-time tone.