Tom had thought he'd find peace back at the mechanics, but the scent of Savannah was still there. He was going to have to get used to it, that was for sure. There was something about the way she smelled that threw all kind of sensations at him. He'd been longing for the dinner to end, so that he could run into the woods, but he had to check on Dan first. Dan had eaten his food with relish and taken the next lot of his painkillers without complaining. His leg would be better soon, to the point that he'd be able to walk, so they'd have to tell Savannah about him soon.

Now that Dan was sleeping, all of Tom’s emotions hit him at once. He was confused over Savannah, and the way his bear was reacting to her. He didn’t want to be attracted to her, but he couldn’t get the way her honey brown eyes had looked at him out of his mind. Slamming open the front door, he ran outside and across the field, the darkness surrounding him completely.

His bear ripped out of his skin so fast it pulled the breath from his body, forcing him to take a couple of deep breaths. A growl tore from his throat as he let the wildness of the bear take over immediately, running deep into the woods.

His whole body was rippling with anger, his teeth bared as his paws ate up the ground. Jo had been trying to push him and Savanah together, even though they’d’ only met today – and that made him mad. He didn’t want to be pushed. Didn’t want to have any kind of feelings towards Savannah. Why couldn’t Jo just leave him alone?

Suddenly, he stopped short, his sides heaving as he took in great gulps of air. He could smell something. It was Savannah.

What was she doing out here, in the middle of the night? Tom was forced to take her home earlier that evening, although their ride had been mostly silent. He’d made sure she was safely home, thinking just how badly run down the place was. Had she really come out into the woods for a run around? Or was she meeting someone?

Immediately suspicious, he walked forward, sniffing the air. There was water nearby, and Savannah’s scent was all around the outside of the deep lake that was in the heart of the woods. A slight splash caught his ears, and his eyes narrowed. Savannah was clearly enjoying the water. Tom shrank back into the trees, his eyes catching sight of her. She hadn’t run off or gone back to the pack, she'd gone swimming. Guilt flared, and he blew out a quick snort of frustration.

Are you going to come in?

His eyes flaring with surprise, Tom walked out of the trees, his paws making no sound on the grassy earth. He hadn’t thought she’d seen or heard him.

No.

The water’s lovely.

He sat down on the bank, letting the water trickle into his back paws. I’m fine.

Savannah swam over to him, her paws moving effortlessly through the water. She’d been terrified when she’d become aware of him, but had forced herself not to panic. She needed to act normal, pretend that everything was okay. All she was doing was swimming. Why are you here?

Tom looked away, unwilling to answer.

You don’t trust me.

No, I don’t.

Savannah pulled herself from the water, shaking her fur. Looking at him, she took in his huge bulk, and the way his gray eyes were staring at her, unblinking. He was an alpha bear, in every sense of the word. There was an air of authority about him that had her ready to bow her head in front of him, recognizing his power. He could protect himself, she was sure of it.

Had those big paws been the ones to kill Dan? The thought shook her to her core. She never thought of that before, a wave of anger rushing through her and forcing a rattle from her throat.

Tom snorted, pushing the air from his lungs. I’m not going to hurt you, Savannah.

Savannah quietened her anger quickly, knowing she couldn’t put herself in danger. Then why are you here?

He turned his head and looked up at the moon that shone through the trees. I needed to run.

And I needed to swim.

Tossing his head, Tom began to turn away.

I can see that.

Beginning to walk away from her, Tom forced his bear not to stay. The bear was happy with her beside him, and his awareness of just how honey brown her eyes were had shaken him completely. They were almost golden. The bear’s eyes were just a slightly different shade from her human eyes, but they still made his senses swim. This wasn’t the peace he’d been looking for. He needed to leave Savannah behind.

Savannah flung herself back into the water, throwing the water up everywhere. If Tom wanted to walk away, then she’d let him. Words weren’t going to convince him that she could be trusted, but maybe her actions were. She just hoped Lucas wasn’t going to appear out of nowhere and blow everything up. If Tom caught even the slightest hint of Lucas’ scent, then there would be no way out.

You’re not exactly graceful.

Tom’s words came into her head, but she didn’t respond. Choosing to ignore him, Savannah carried on swimming across the lake, letting her bear enjoy the water. The only reason she’d come into the woods was because she was unable to sleep, especially since she wasn’t used to being in her human skin for so long. It was funny how Tom had reacted to her human form, though. Savannah hadn’t missed the way he’d looked at her, although clearly he wasn’t exactly looking to make friends with her. Was that the way to get him to trust her? Reaching the bank on the other side of the lake, Savannah pulled herself up and watched as Tom’s alpha bear walked off into the woods, leaving her alone again.