Savannah watched as Tom threw his arms up in exasperation. Her shoulders slumped. This wasn’t going well.

A slight sound suddenly caught her ear. Frowning, she listened hard, sniffing the air. Her bear instincts began to go wild, as the sound came again. Was someone coughing?

Slowly, Savannah got to her feet, forgetting all about Tom for the moment. Someone else was here and she had no idea who it was. Lucas had told her that there was just Tom, his twin brother Nick and Nick’s human mate, Jo. So who was it making that sound?

Walking slowly towards the back of the waiting room, Jo paused, sniffing hard. Her chest rattled but she managed to stop a single sound coming out. Her bear was nervous and wary.

The front door was suddenly thrown open, slamming hard against the wall. Savannah shrank back as Tom strode in, realizing that all her instincts had been trained on the noise she'd heard instead of watching or listening for Tom.

“What were you doing?” he growled.

Savannah shrugged, moving back slowly towards the chair she’d been sitting in. “Nothing.”

Tom glowered at her, hating that she was going to stay. He didn't want her here. He didn't trust her. Jo was far too easily trusting, probably because she wasn't a shifter, and Nick - well, he was just easily swayed by Jo. On top of that, he didn't like the way his bear was feeling about her. It was trying to force him into looking out for her when his human mind was telling him to stay away from her, since he didn't know anything about her. His bear had never reacted like this before, and Tom wasn't sure what to make of it.

Savannah sat back in her seat, only just managing to meet Tom’s gaze. She knew what was going to happen, it was clear on his face. She was going to be thrown out. Lucas was going to be furious with her; she’d failed before their plan had even started.

“You’ve got the job,” he said, his face set. “Congratulations.”

Savannah gasped in surprise, getting to her feet at once. “Really? Oh, wow. Thank you.” She stepped forward and held out her hand, waiting for him to shake it.

Clearing his throat, Tom gave her a quick handshake before folding his arms again. He ignored the sparks that flew up his arm at her touch, reminding himself that he was now her employer. “Can you start tomorrow?”

Thrilled that she'd managed to get the job - and relieved that Lucas would have no reason to punish her, Savannah spread her hands and smiled. "I can start today if you like. I'd love to look around the place a little more." She felt as light as air, and not as intimidated by the man in front of her. Briefly, she wondered what he would look like if he smiled, but he just continued frowning at her.

Tom could hear the sound of Jo and Nick’s conversation coming closer, and knew they were going to be coming in behind him. He didn’t want them to hear his conversation. “Uh – I’ll let Jo and Nick congratulate you and then I’ll show you around, I guess.” Telling himself that it was just because he wanted to keep an eye on her, Tom turned around and walked behind the counter. “Just let me see to a couple of things back here, and then I’ll be right with you.”

“Thanks.” She smiled again, catching a brief spark in his eyes before he turned away. Perhaps this was going to be easier than she’d thought.

Just as Tom left, Jo and Nick walked in, but Savannah didn’t take her eyes off Tom. She watched him as he walked out of the waiting room and went into a small room. She heard the lock slam into place as he closed the door firmly – and a sudden scent hit her nostrils.

Savannah shook her head, trying to sort out the different smells. There had been raw meat of some kind, that was for sure, but there were at least two more scents that she wasn’t quite able to pick out. Was that where the coughing had come from?

A shudder ran through her body and the bear began to growl softly. Swallowing hard, Savannah managed to quieten it, knowing that she couldn’t change now even though she desperately wanted to. Even though her sense of smell was already heightened, her bear’s would be even better and she wanted to work out what the confusing scents were.

“Are you okay?” Jo asked, walking over to her.

“I’m fine,” Savannah replied, giving herself a mental shake. The last thing she wanted to do was have Jo guess that she was a shifter. She didn’t even like the idea that Jo knew about Tom and Nick, but Tom had promised not to share her secret. At least he respected her that much.

“So, Tom’s told you, then?”

Savannah nodded. “Uh…yeah. I get the feeling he’s not too happy about it though.”

Jo smiled. “Don’t take it personally, he’s just trying to keep us all safe, in his own way. He’ll come around eventually.”

Savannah tried to smile past the knot in her throat.

“You’re okay to start work, then?”

“Tom’s going to show me around in a minute.”

“Is he?” Nick grinned, sharing a look with Jo.

Savannah nodded, her stomach churning with anxiety. They seemed so nice and friendly but she had to remember that Lucas wanted her here for a reason. Whatever that reason was, she didn’t know, but she was certain it wasn’t going to be good. She couldn’t be friends with them, couldn’t even like them. So why did she feel a rippling sensation drive through her core and into the very tips of her fingers when Tom came out of the back room and looked across at her?

“Ready for the grand tour?” he said, gruffly.

Savannah nodded, and followed after him, ignoring the chuckle she heard come from Nick. They obviously knew something she didn’t, but she was pretty sure it was directed at Tom and not at her.

Walking outside, she let her eyes linger on Tom’s form. He was tall and strong, and she could just imagine the kind of bear he was. This pack was already so obviously different from the Northern Wind pack. She wasn’t afraid here.

Reminding herself that she was doing what Lucas wanted so that, somehow, they would get revenge for Dan's death, Savannah was forced to recognize the stab of guilt in her heart. Why did this already feel so wrong? With a heavy heart, Savannah followed Tom into the workshop, trying to focus on what he was saying.