Page 40 of Corbin (Wild Wolf Pack from the world of Gallize Shifters #2)

Eirene forced bile back down her throat to avoid drawing that horrible Romanian’s attention.

He carried his bulky body around on two short tree-trunk legs.

Black hair slicked back over his blob-like head looked unwashed.

His narrow eyes looked black above a bulbous nose.

Garlic odor oozed from his skin. She was thankful that for a moment, he ignored her and Corbin while talking with his men.

Being naked didn’t bother her as a shifter.

No, it was fear for Corbin. After Vlad, the Romanian Corbin had told her about, had announced his presence, he’d opened his fisted hand to reveal a small red device.

Corbin had leaped off her the second he saw what that evil man held. One quick press of the button and Corbin arched into a hideous shape. His body contorted with pain. He yelled in agony.

She screamed, “ Stop hurting him! ”

Her words meant nothing to that pig.

It was all over quickly, leaving Corbin sucking in air.

Something must have been put in his body that could be activated by a remote device. What kind of horrors had he and Ares suffered at that man’s hand?

Pixie shouted in Eirene’s head, He hurt Ares too.

Sighing in despair, Eirene said, I know. I wish I had a way to stop that monster.

Ares had a rough day in the water, Pixie fretted . He proved he could do it, but this man will destroy the nice Ares who does not scare me.

Eirene hoped that would not be the case. We can’t shift and save them, but we will find some way to help Corbin and Ares , Eirene told Pixie. I hate this too. Try not to panic. I can think better when you’re calm.

Not calm, but I will be quiet.

Thank you.

One of the armed men held out what appeared to be a satellite phone to Vlad. “The call you have been expecting.”

Vlad took the phone and stepped away from everyone, deeper into the forest. His men followed him, arrogantly sure she and Corbin would not move. Corbin struggled to sit up next to her. She moved her hand slowly to cover his fingers, which felt like ice.

He barely spoke, his words only loud enough for her to hear. “Can you swim as well as Pixie?”

“Yes. I’m good.”

“Please listen to me and do what I ask. I don’t have much time. Vlad rarely talks long on the phone.”

She squeezed his hand. “Go ahead.”

“Be ready to scurry to the water when I distract them.”

“No!”

“Please, babe. We’re running out of time. You’re my only hope.”

She heard truth, but he held back something.

He continued, “I will always love you, and Ares wants Pixie to know he’d be thrilled to have her as his mate too. For my wolf to make that admission is amazing for me.”

“Pixie wants Ares, too, and is upset that he is hurting. We want both of you.”

Turning his hand to hold hers, he squeezed her fingers to give her comfort as his world crashed down on his head. “I will only get one chance at this. You must leave, or our misery will be ten times worse if we can’t save you both.”

He’d given her an impossible task. She didn’t want to leave him, but if she could not save him here, then she’d do as he asked on one condition—that she could free him of this man. “I’ll go only so I can find a way to save you.”

“No.” He shook his head. “If you make a peep, the Romanian will find you. You won’t be able to save Pixie or your females.

Don’t toss your life away when you can’t stop these people.

Don’t destroy your reputation with the public finding out you’ve been with a lone wolf because, without the pack I had, that’s what I am.

I won’t drag them into this hellhole either.

” He licked his lips, which looked dry. “But don’t worry, Ares and I will find a way to escape again. ”

Her heart shattered. His last sentence had been a blatant lie.

He expected her to leave and forget him.

That was not happening.

His breathing hitched, and he gritted his teeth.

“I want to kiss you so badly, but any move I make will bring them back over here. You only have one chance to escape. Get ready to hear me say stuff I’d cut my arm off before I’d say for real.

Stick with my plan. Don’t look back for any reason.

Make it to the other shore, shift, and run. Please do this for me.”

Tears ran down her cheeks.

Corbin stared ahead, blinking hard. “None of these humans can keep up with you. Always know that I love you so much that I can’t even put it into words.”

He was telling her goodbye. She couldn’t do this.

Then he grimaced.

“What?”

“Ares said he doesn’t want to lose Pixie. I understand, but I reminded him how Vlad abuses the female shifters he traffics. Ares is hurting but said he wants Pixie to be safe too.” He tensed. “I hear Vlad ending the call. Get ready.”

She couldn’t believe she was going to leave him here.

What could she do if she stayed? Make him watch them do awful things to her? She would only add to his suffering.

This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be.

She had no choice, but that wouldn’t stop the feeling of having her heart ripped from her chest.

When Corbin eased up into a crouch, she told Pixie, We’re going to swim faster than we ever have and go for help.

Corbin whispered, “Now.” He shoved up fast and ran through the armed men facing their boss. He rammed into Vlad, knocking him backward.

Crying, Eirene hurried to the water and dove in with the smoothness of a knife’s blade. She stayed underwater, sparing her from hearing Corbin’s voice scream at being hit by that red device again.

When she’d made it as far as her lungs could take, she eased up to break the surface and spun. She’d reached halfway across the river.

Out of the chaos, Vlad shouted, “Where is the female? Get her!”

Corbin was not in sight. He had to be curled up on the ground shaking.

Two guards took off into the woods.

A third ran to the bank and lifted his rifle.

She gulped air and dove at an angle, going deep. Bullets zinged through the water, but they were to the left of her. She continued swimming until she could put her feet on solid ground and slowly pushed up to peek again.

The same guard still held the rifle pointed at where she’d gone under.

Looking around, she spotted tree limbs overhanging the water on the bank near her.

She swam slowly underwater again until she came up by those branches and pulled herself through them, gritting her teeth at the deep scratches and jagged cuts over her bare skin.

Yet she made it out of the water with that one guard still searching the surface.

Once she’d wiggled her way through the thicket to a more open area, she stood and held onto a tree to catch her breath.

I will heal us , Pixie said.

Eirene’s wolf was hurting as much as she was and wanted to do her part. Thank you, Pixie. We will rest for one minute, then shift. Starting now, the only thing I care about is saving Corbin and Ares.

I agree.

If Eirene were discovered to have joined up with a lone wolf, SCIS would come for her. Leszek might not be able to stop them. Worse yet, Leszek would use that scandal to turn the courts and the fans against her unless she handed him her future.

She’d never find her father’s killer.

Nothing mattered more to her than Corbin’s freedom.

What she had in mind would likely blow up in her face, but she was done playing defense.

Corbin and Ares had no one else but her and Pixie.