“Thanks,” he said, eventually, glancing over at Nick. “I’m going to have to think that over.”
“Sure,” Nick replied, lazily. “You’ve got time.”
Savannah could hardly breathe. Dan, a member of the Northern Wind pack had just told Nick that he was going to think about leaving that pack and join his. She could barely believe it. Everything about Dan’s face and the way he spoke told her he was being honest. It told Savannah that it wasn’t just her that was seeing the big differences between this pack and the Northern Wind pack. It told her that this was serious and she was going to have to think pretty hard about her own choices. Her head filled with thoughts, tumbling over one another, making it difficult to think straight.
“Excuse me,” she mumbled, getting to her feet and making for the door. “I need some air.” Three pairs of eyes watched her as she left the office, stumbling out into the fresh air.
CHAPTER 15
Savanah walked into the woods, needing some time to calm her thoughts down. Everything was so confusing. Taking a deep breath, she slumped down and let her back rest against a tree trunk, closing her eyes. She let her mind drift, pushing away any thought of Tom and Dan or Lucas. Instead, she just listened to the sound of the birds chirping and the wind in the trees. The familiar sounds calmed her frantically thumping heart, and let her mind clear.
“Is everything okay?”
Her eyes flew open. Tom was standing right in front of her, looking down with confusion in his eyes. She’d not heard him come into the woods. The man knew how to be stealthy, that was for sure.
“Savannah?”
Tom watched as she sighed, her eyes closing again. Her skin was pale and he could almost hear the fast beat of her heart. Everything about her was telling him she was confused about something, but he didn’t know what. Was this the reason she’d run away from him last night? “Won’t you tell me what’s going on?” he asked, quietly, bending down beside her.
Savannah let out a long sigh. “I’m just a bit confused, Tom.”
His dark eyes flickered. “Yes, I can tell.”
She looked at him then, swallowing hard. There was no way she could tell him the truth about Lucas or Dan, as much as she wanted to be honest with him. “I’m sorry, Tom.”
He frowned. “What for?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “For everything. For running away from you last night.”
Sitting down on the ground, Tom looked deeply into her eyes. He wasn’t angry any more, not even frustrated. The way she’d walked out of the office, clearly upset, had made something break in his chest. She was hurting and he didn’t know why. He wanted to find out so he could help her. Tom knew he was beginning to care for Savannah, and that didn’t frighten him as much as it once had. She was the picture of misery and Tom felt his heart almost break for her. “Why did you run away, Savannah?” he asked, quietly.
“Because I was afraid,” she answered, honestly. “I’m afraid of what’s going on between us, of what I feel.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t meant to start falling for you.”
He frowned, not sure what she meant. Had someone warned her about him or was it just a something she had promised herself?
“I can’t help what I feel,” Savannah continued, her voice barely loud enough for him to hear. “I want to be with you, Tom.” Her eyes suddenly flooded as she admitted to herself what she honestly, truly, wanted. She didn’t want to be anywhere near Lucas, she wanted to stay here with Tom. In the few weeks she’d known him, he’d shown her how different things could be. There was no fear in this pack, no demands for respect or punishment for stepping out of line. Instead, there was respect and consideration. Tom would never hurt her, but Lucas wouldn’t hesitate to if she crossed him.
“I want to be with you too, Savannah,” Tom murmured, running his fingers down her arm. “I’m not going to lie, Savannah, I’m pretty scared too.”
“You are?” she asked, wiping her eyes hurriedly. “Of what?”
“Look,” Tom explained, dropping his head as a slight rush of embarrassment filled him. “I’m not the romantic type. I don’t do the ‘falling in love’ stuff. I mean, I never have before. I don’t know how to do this,” he continued, reaching for her hand. “That’s what scares me.”
Savannah couldn't do anything except lean forward and kiss him. Tears fell down her cheeks as their lips met, as she finally let her emotions run free. There was something between her and Tom that was going to grow if she'd let it, something that might develop into love. That scared her, but Tom had just told her it scared him too. His honesty and openness had let her really see him for the first time – vulnerable but sincere. She couldn't stop her arms going around his neck as she pulled him closer, wanting to hold onto every inch of him.
“Savannah,” Tom growled, tearing his mouth from hers and looking into her eyes. “Don’t run away from me again.”
“I won’t,” she promised, as he gently brushed tears away from her cheek. “I won’t run again, Tom.”
Later that afternoon, Savannah was back at her desk, working hard. She and Tom had shared more than a few kisses out in the woods and had been on the verge of taking things further before Nick had begun shouting for them both. He'd been a bit worried, apparently, although Tom's growl had let them both know that he wasn't exactly happy at being called back.
Savannah felt a shiver of delight rush through her as she remembered the hopeful gleam in his eye. The next time they were alone, she wasn’t going to run. She was going to give herself completely to Tom, knowing that she’d made her decision. There was no chance of her going back to Lucas, not now. Savannah had made her choice, as she was choosing Tom.
“Savannah?”
Turning in her chair, Savannah gave Jo a quick smile.
“Listen,” Jo began. “Nick and I have to make a quick trip out of town. We won’t be gone long, it’s just to pick up some specialist parts.”
“Okay, no problem,” Savannah replied, feeling a quick rush of excitement at the thought of being alone with Tom.
“Dan will still be here,” Jo continued – as Savannah felt her excitement die away. She’d forgotten about him. “But Tom’s around too. If you like, I can put the lock back on the room. Dan won’t hurt you but I want you to feel safe.”
“No, no, I’ll be fine,” Savannah replied, quickly.
“Are you sure?”
Savannah nodded, her smile becoming a little strained. She was going to have to talk to Dan at some point and hope that he’d understand her reasons for not coming back to the Northern Wind pack. And, if he didn’t, she was going to have to tell Tom the truth. She couldn’t risk Dan attacking Tom, Nick or Jo.
“Okay, see you later,” Jo smiled, lifting a hand before she left the office.
Savannah let out a long breath, hearing the door to Dan’s room open as Jo’s car pulled away.
“Are they gone?”
“Yes,” Savannah whispered, fully aware that Tom was still outside working somewhere.
“Great,” Dan replied, limping over to throw his arms around her. “I can’t believe you’re here, Savannah! What’s going on?”
Savannah gave him a quick hug, before stepping back. “We have a lot to talk about, Dan,” she replied, sitting back down in her chair. “I’m not sure you’re going to like all of it.”
CHAPTER 16
Dan frowned, limping over to pull out another chair, before sitting down and stretching out his leg.
“So, what’s been going on?” he asked, frowning.
“I should ask you that first,” Savannah exclaimed. “Lucas told me you were dead!”
Dan’s eyebrows shot up. “He thinks I’m dead?”
“The whole pack does.”
“Oh.”
Savannah leaned forward, studying Dan. “What happened, Dan?”
He grimaced, sitting back in his chair. “Jo hit me with her car.”
“What?” Savann
ah gasped.
Dan shifted uncomfortably. “It was under Lucas’ orders. We were meant to try and kill Nick. I went for the death blow. She was only trying to save Nick – which she managed.”
Savanah stared at him, the blood draining from her face and turning to ice in her veins. Lucas had wanted them to kill another shifter? That was utter madness! For one thing, shifters didn’t kill other shifters and, for another, that would be murder. “Why?” she whispered, clinging to her chair as the world began to spin.
“He had his reasons,” Dan shrugged, his mouth set in a grim line. “And, as you know, we don’t always get to know what those reasons are.”
Taking great heaving breaths, Savannah waited for everything to stop spinning. At one point, she had thought that taking revenge on Nick or Tom had been the right thing to do, after what they'd done to Dan. Now, she realized, Lucas had been intending to kill one of them in the first place, without provocation.
“Lucas didn’t like it when they refused to join us,” Dan continued, quietly. “I guess killing one or both of them was the only way for him to assert his dominance.”
“I can’t believe this,” Savannah whispered, blinking a few times to orient herself.
Dan sighed. "I've had a lot of time to think, Savannah. These shifters aren't all bad if you can believe that. I know Lucas has said lots of things about them, but I'm beginning to realize that they're not all bad."
Savannah could only nod, feeling exactly the same thing herself.
“How long have you been working here for?” Dan asked. “I’m assuming that Lucas has sent you here for whatever reason.”
“I’ve been here a few weeks,” Savannah replied, miserably. “Lucas sent me here and just told me to get them to trust me, that’s all.”
Dan grimaced. “So you don’t know what his plan is, then?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
Studying her for a moment, Dan let out a sigh. “Doesn’t look like you’re happy about it, Savannah.”
“That’s because I’m not!” she exclaimed, her voice suddenly loud. “I don’t want any of them to get hurt.” She watched as Dan’s eyebrows rose but carried on anyway. “I know we’re part of the Northern Wind pack, and we’re meant to be loyal to Lucas but I can’t do what he’s asking me, Dan. I’m not sure what Lucas is planning, but he’s going to use the trust between me and Tom to his advantage and…I’ve decided I won’t let him.” Her breath began to come a little more quickly as she waited for Dan’s reaction. To her utter relief, he gave her a wry smile.
“You don’t need to be afraid of me, Savannah. I’m not planning to run back to Lucas any time soon.”
She looked at him, surprised. “You’re thinking about taking up Nick’s offer of joining this pack instead?”
He nodded, slowly. “I’m thinking about it.”
Savannah blinked twice, completely surprised. Dan had been one of Lucas’ most loyal supporters, so she was stunned that he was thinking about leaving the Northern Wind pack.
"I was furious with them at first, don't get me wrong," Dan continued, as if he could read her thoughts. "I hated being here, hated them. But slowly, I realized that they were just defending themselves against an unprovoked attack. I realized that we had been told to kill one or both of them, and I'd just agreed without asking any questions." His mouth twisted. "I’m not sure if I want to be a part of a pack like that anymore, Savannah."
Savannah stared at Dan, understanding him completely. Finally, everything she’d been struggling with made sense. The fact that Dan was struggling with his own loyalty made her feel a bit better about her own. She’d been right. There was something different about this pack and, it was so different, that Savannah knew she didn’t want to go back to the Northern Wind pack. She didn’t want to be told when she could shift and when she couldn’t. She wanted to be able to ask questions and to be respected in her own right – and she would have nothing like that with Lucas. In fact, if she so much as opened her mouth to question something he’d ordered, there would be immediate consequences. A shudder ran through her, as she closed her eyes to block out the memory.
“You’ve been struggling, huh?”
She nodded, opening her eyes to see Dan's sympathetic face. "I thought you were dead, and that they'd killed you in cold blood. I didn't realize…." Savannah shook her head. "I care about these shifters, Dan. And about Jo too, even though she's not a shifter. I want to stay a part of this pack. I don’t want to go back to Lucas.” It would mean finding a new place to live in town, somewhere safe, but she could do that. Now that she had a job, there was no reason to keep living at Lucas’ old place.
Dan grinned broadly. “Then it’s settled. We’re staying. Both of us.”
A wave of relief washed over Savannah. Dan was alive and he wasn’t going to go back to Lucas. He was going to stay and so was she.
“We’ll have to tell him.”
Her stomach dropped. “No, we can’t. It’s too dangerous.”
“We have to,” Dan insisted. “Lucas has to know, Savannah. If we go together, then there’s no chance he’ll attack us. Not by himself.”
Savannah shook her head. “I can’t,” she stammered, beginning to panic. “I don’t know when or where I’m going to see him next and – ”
“Don’t worry, Savannah,” Dan interrupted. “We’ll work this out together. I’m not going to be able to shift for a couple more days anyway.” He tilted his head. “Are you going to tell Tom the truth?”
Heat crept up her neck and into her cheeks. “I don’t think I can.” The trust they’d built between them would be shattered in an instant. She didn’t want to see the look of betrayal on his face. Better that he didn’t know. Besides, now she’d made her decision, there was no need for the truth to ever come out. They could just carry on as they were.
“I think you should.”
She tensed, her muscles jumping underneath her skin. “I can’t, Dan,” she replied, quietly. “I don’t want to talk about this again.”
Dan, seeing her expression, nodded in understanding. There was more going on between Tom and Savannah than she wanted to admit to, but he understood. “Don’t tell me you’ve picked him for your mate, Savannah!” That just complicated things all the more.
A low rattle came from her chest, making Dan hold up his hands in defense. "Fine, fine," he muttered, looking away. "We won't talk about Tom."
Her shoulders slowly relaxed. “Good, thank you.”
"Just be careful," Dan replied, quietly. "If he's your mate, Savannah, then you can't hide the truth from him forever. Otherwise, you can destroy everything you've built."
Opening her mouth to reply, Savannah’s ears suddenly pricked up. The sound of Tom’s whistling was getting closer and it sounded like he was coming this way. Shooting Dan a warning look, she turned around in her chair and began to leaf through the documents.
“Hi.”
Giving him a quick smile, Savannah tried to act nonchalant. “Hi. Jo and Nick went out. Something about going to pick up some parts.”
Tom narrowed his gaze slightly, seeing Dan and Savannah sitting so close. "Everything okay here?"
“Fine,” she mumbled, bending her head to look closer at one of the documents in her hand. “Dan and I were just chatting.”
“Getting to know each other a bit better,” Dan said, cheerfully. “I’m looking forward to shifting again soon.”
Tom nodded, trying to stop his body from tensing. There was something strange going on between Savannah and Dan, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was. Mentally shrugging, he walked over to the coffee machine. “Can I get anyone else a coffee?”
Ending up pouring them all a fresh cup, Tom heard Dan push himself up from the chair. Muttering something about going to sit outside, Dan left Tom and Savannah alone – although whether that was deliberate, Tom didn’t know.
“Savannah?” he murmured, putting down her cup of coffee beside her. “Is everything okay?” Brushing
her hair away from her neck, he saw her tense.
“Everything’s fine,” she murmured, catching her breath as he pressed gentle lips to the curve of her neck. “Tom, I –”
“How about I cook for us tonight?” he interrupted, his voice barely above a whisper as he made his way down towards her collarbone. “And you can stay late.”
A delicious shiver ran through her, as Savannah closed her eyes and tipped her head back. She couldn’t resist him and, now that she’d made her decision to leave the Northern Wind pack, everything felt right. She was free to make her own choices, and her choice was Tom.
“Sure,” she whispered, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. “I’d like that.”
“Great,” Tom growled, his own body already reacting to her. “I can’t wait.”
CHAPTER 17
Tom waited impatiently for Savannah to come back to the shop. This time, there was no going back, not for either of them. What they’d talked about in the woods had brought them both closer. She was afraid and, as he’d admitted, so was he. There was something exciting and terrifying about having such a strong and deep attraction to another shifter.
“We’re heading off.”
“Right,” Tom mumbled, as Nick and Jo began to leave the shop. “See you later.”
“What about Dan?” Jo asked, hurriedly. “I know you said you were cooking, but were you planning to cook for Dan too?”
A stone lodged in Tom’s stomach. He’d completely forgotten about Dan.
“I mean, we could take him up to the cabin for dinner, if you like,” Jo continued, innocently. “But if you’d rather he stayed here then, -”
“That would be great,” Tom replied, trying to keep his face and voice calm. “Thanks, Jo.”
“No problem,” she grinned, with a twinkle in her eye. Walking back to the now unlocked room, she began to talk to Dan, leaving Tom and Nick alone.
“Don’t start,” Tom warned, as Nick opened his mouth.
Nick snorted. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”
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