Page 33 of Corbin (Wild Wolf Pack from the world of Gallize Shifters #2)

Towel drying his hair after an early morning shower, Corbin strolled over to where he’d deposited a small duffel bag filled with the few belongings he’d brought up from his bike after waking.

Eirene said she had stored casual clothes and shoes here to prevent having to visit her apartment first when she needed a couple hours of downtime.

Last night, Eirene had teased that she’d keep him safe. Sixteen seconds later, she’d fallen sound asleep. He chuckled over his thoroughly loved woman, then kept her next to him for the best night of sleep he’d had in years.

She whispered words to a song in her sleep. He’d never heard anything so charming.

He could hear her warming up her voice in the shower. He was learning so many things about her like the fact that she wanted to be loved at all hours. She’d awakened early this morning and poked him.

He’d jumped up thinking a threat was nearby until she leaned over and sucked him into her mouth.

He got hard again just thinking about it and muttered, “Down, boy. I can’t walk like this.

” Dropping onto a low back sofa too stylish to be comfortable, he put on the boots he’d left in his saddle bag last night when he opted for running shoes.

Glad to have a clean gray T-shirt, he had to figure out what to do today.

Propping his boots on a low glass coffee table supported by four large rocks, he picked up the mobile phone he’d left stashed in his tank bag when he followed Eirene to the warehouse last night.

Six in the morning should be a good time to call Adrian.

He punched the button.

Adrian answered, “Where have you been?”

Corbin pulled the phone away. He hadn’t had a mobile phone before now and realized he’d missed calls from Adrian. “Sorry. Last night was enlightening and almost deadly. I didn’t have my phone with me until this morning.”

“Hmm. Sounds like you need to fill me in.”

Corbin went over everything and cringed but admitted, “We came to a place Eirene said the theater let her use sometimes that fans didn’t know about. She hadn’t even told her trustee about this place. She wanted somewhere she could have some privacy.”

Adrian didn’t say anything, which had Corbin ready to squirm. How was he going to explain what a good job he’d done watching over Eirene? All night.

“Any idea who sent the jackal shifters?” Adrian asked.

“No. My guess would be SCIS, but those two had unnatural muscles and smelled like shifters my wolf and I have fought in the past that had been doing Jugo Loco. I had no choice but to shift and release Ares. He killed them but not without paying a price.”

“What about Eirene? Did her wolf help Ares?”

“No. Her wolf is not dominant. Eirene said her wolf can’t kill anyone, and neither can she.”

Ares hadn’t spoken all night, but piped up, Her wolf needs protecting.

Corbin couldn’t decide if Ares considered Pixie useless or if he meant ... that he would protect her. Interesting.

“You think that’s true, Corbin?”

“I know it is.” The minute those words left his lips, Corbin regretted the way he’d answered.

“Why are you so sure?” Adrian asked.

“She told me so, and I heard truth.”

“You don’t believe she’s involved in killing Beckham’s men?”

Corbin knew when he was being maneuvered into a corner.

In too deep at this point, he refused to play games or lie to Adrian.

“I knew Eirene when I was in high school. We were the only two shifters hiding among humans. Her father was very wealthy and had two human bodyguards who protected her. I wanted to be her friend. I left a message in her locker to meet me at a place where I’d located her scent.

She had planned to meet me that night, but her bodyguards saw me put the note in the locker and captured me. They handed me over to the Romanian.”

Adrian was nothing if not patient and fair, but his words came out loaded with disappointment. “You should have told me before coming on this operation.”

For all the joy Corbin felt at finding Eirene and having last night with her, he hated having broken Adrian’s trust. “I agree. I originally planned to keep my feelings to myself and finish this job. If she ended up guilty, I would have handed you the evidence you needed. If she had been innocent, I wanted to ask her why she’d ruined my life.

Neither happened. I’m sorry I broke your trust. I didn’t start out to do that. ”

“We’ll have to discuss this back at the compound. I’m neck deep with digging into the security team, and you have to stick with her because it sounds like someone’s trying to kill her.”

“I will not allow anyone to harm her,” Corbin declared. “What’s happening with her team?” Would Adrian let him push them off the topic of Eirene?

“Brody is a roaring pain in the ass.”

“That’s not new information,” Corbin pointed out.

“No. What I did learn was that the other two on his team don’t like him. They didn’t say anything specific. It’s more about what they didn’t say. Brody knows I’m a shifter, but he isn’t intimidated. I’ve let him think I’m Beckham’s yes man.”

Corbin snorted at that. “First rule in any conflict is to never underestimate those around you.”

“Very true, but I’ve kept my power locked down.

The minute I started asking questions, Brody got huffy and told me he ran security on site.

He wanted to know why he had not been informed of my coming in.

I told him my schedule was none of his business.

He carried on that Ms. Givenchy was his responsibility and that everything about her was his business.

I found that amusing since not one of those three had tried to follow Givenchy when she left the theater. ”

Anger climbed up Corbin’s neck at whoever had been protecting her before him. “No shit. All three are worthless.”

“Archie is still in a deep coma,” Adrian continued.

“The hospital staff told Beckham that Brody keeps trying to get in to visit Archie. They won’t allow anyone in while he’s in a coma.

The police are first in line to talk to him.

I wonder if he was behind the deaths of the first two team members.

If so, was it ego-driven to reach the top, or does he have some other ulterior motive? ”

“I don’t know, but too many details are starting to point at him.”

“Hold on.” Adrian spoke to someone who let him know two men were at the theater to repair the damage, and it would take three hours.

Adrian gave him the okay and got back on the phone.

“Well, damn. I spent last night on the roof watching in case someone showed up to go inside. No one came by. I haven’t seen Brody and his two people since they realized they couldn’t find Eirene yesterday.

He stormed over to me this morning, demanding to know your name and where you were. ”

Corbin thought about the overbearing guard. “I wondered if Brody had anything to do with the shot fired last night from the top of Eirene’s apartment building, but I don’t see the reason anyone would try to kill Eirene.”

“Was it meant for you?”

“I’m considering that. I’m causing a kink in someone’s dirty machinery.

I wonder if the same person who ordered that shot sent the jackal shifters after me, but I haven’t figured out how they found us at her warehouse.

From all I’ve learned, she’s been doing a good job keeping it secret.

If I had not been tasked with keeping up with her, I wouldn’t have taken off on foot to follow her.

I know I wasn’t tracked. Those jackals arrived in a car. They didn’t track us.”

“Shit fire!” Adrian grumbled. “If you’ve got a target on your back, we need to take you out of the field.”

Corbin sighed. Guess he had to disappoint Adrian again. “Please don’t ask me to leave her side. I can’t do it.”

Adrian cursed under his breath. “You do realize how unprofessional that sounds, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“What’s really going on with you two?”

Time to come clean. “She’s the woman I want as my mate.”

Adrian started saying, “Are you, uhm ...” Noises came through that sounded as if he banged the phone on something. Then he came back. “Are you sure or are you only saying she’s special?”

“I’m sure. She’s special, and she is the one for me.

I believe she feels the same way, but we haven’t had a chance to discuss the future, plus with everything going on in each of our lives.

I never expected to have a mate once I ended up with the Romanian, but now that I’ve found Eirene again, she’s all I want. ”

Sighing loudly into the phone, Adrian said, “I’m starting to understand how much grief my Gallize brothers gave our boss. Okay, we’ll table that discussion for right now, but I understand your position. Can you follow orders that don’t conflict with Eirene being your potential mate?”

“Without question. What do you want me to do?”

“Stay put until I get back to you.”

He could do that. “I appreciate all you and Jaz have done for me, Adrian. I made it my mission to impress you on this job. Sorry I failed you.”

“Listen, Corbin. You’ve done a great job so far, but .

..” Adrian paused for a few seconds. Was he going to admit he’d made a mistake with Corbin?

Sounding bone tired, Adrian said, “I had no plans to separate us and leave you to watch our client alone, but I knew I could trust you to keep her safe even while she was a suspect in this operation.”

Corbin felt that compliment deep in his chest. “I intended to even when I thought she’d thrown me to the Romanian.”

“Jaz and I watched what you did for Badger. He’s a crazy loon and a misery to deal with most days, but he is salvageable.

You stepped in and kept him from shifting and attacking me or Jaz.

That might have ended in his death. We want to give everyone in the pack a chance at a real life.

I’m good at sizing people up quickly. I knew when I brought you with me that you would have my back and follow orders.

You have. We’ll take that into consideration when I debrief this operation with my boss.

He’ll have the ultimate say on your future. ”

Corbin had only wanted somewhere to hide until he came up with a new plan for how to evade the Romanian. That changed when Adrian showed faith in Corbin. At that point, he’d wanted a place in this world and that loony pack.

To have a home and others he could count on.

The eagle shifter boss was not Adrian.

All Corbin’s plans for him and Eirene had no more support right now than a house built with tissue.

“They’re calling me over for something to do with the repairs,” Adrian complained. “If Brody doesn’t show soon, I’m going out to hunt for him. Don’t leave where you are without letting me know.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If you can’t reach me, call the second number in your phone. That’s Cole.”

“No worries, Adrian. I’ve got this.” He did his best to build back a little faith with Adrian.

Corbin ended the call and listened for singing. It had stopped. Was she dressed yet?

Footsteps pounding toward him brought his attention all the way around to where he found her wearing a long-sleeved green T-shirt, jeans, and running across the room in clean white sneakers, barreling toward him.

She shouted, “ We have to get out now! ”

What the hell?