By the time Nick and Jo arrived with Dan, Tom and Savannah were sitting in the lounge area, each drinking a cup of coffee. Anxiety written on her face, Jo rushed over to Savannah, with Nick and Dan not far behind her. “What happened?” she asked, crouching down to look into Savannah’s face.

Savannah shook her head. “It’s a long story, but I’m fine, Jo. I promise.” Remembering that Jo didn’t know she was a shifter, Savannah sent an uneasy glance at Tom. “Uh, I should probably tell you that - ”

“You’re a shifter, yes, I know,” Jo replied, with a quick smile. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Her mouth falling open, Savannah stared at Jo for a long moment as a slight rush of embarrassment sent color into her cheeks. “You know?”

“Yes, of course I know,” Jo replied, allowing Nick to pull her into a seat. “Savannah, I’ve known since the first day you arrived!”

“How did you know?” Savannah asked, still surprised.

Jo grinned. “Savannah, I live with two shifters - three, if you include Dan!”

“What she means is,” Nick interrupted. “Is that I told her.”

“Oh,” Savannah murmured, as laughter echoed around the room. “Right.” Suddenly, she felt a little foolish, but Tom’s arm around her shoulders soon settled her again.

“If it makes you feel any better, I kept it a secret for all of 5 minutes before he bluntly told her,” Tom joked.

“Oh, that was supposed to be a secret? Sorry,” though he said he was, Nick was not sorry whatsoever.

“Anyway, Let me tell you what happened,” Tom began, giving them a quick rundown of the events. Savannah felt her face grow hot as Tom told them the truth about her, but a quick description of Lucas and what he’d done to her brought nothing but sympathy and a flash of anger to their faces.

“So this isn’t over,” Nick mused, once Tom had finished.

“No, it’s not,” Dan replied, shaking his head. “Sorry if we’ve made things more difficult for you all.”

Nick grunted, his hand tightening a little around Jo’s one.

Savannah braved a glance up at Tom and saw him look back at her, his eyes dark but a smile on his face.

“Savannah’s going to join our pack,” he said, still looking at her but speaking to Nick and Jo. “She’ll stay here with me.”

Jo let out a whoop of delight. “I’m so glad! Finally, another girl to talk to.”

“What about you, Dan?” Nick asked. “There’s not exactly a lot of space here but we could always use an extra pair of hands. Maybe train you up?”

The relief Dan felt was evident on his face. “Thanks, Nick. I’d really appreciate that. I don’t really have anywhere else to go.”

“Then you’re welcome to stay,” Nick announced. “You too, Savannah.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, leaning over and resting her head on Tom’s shoulder. Finally, she’d found a home, a place she could make her own. It was here, with Tom. There wasn’t any fear or doubts, only love and a sense of security she’d never had as part of the Northern Wind pack. Tipping her head back, she looked up at Tom who dropped a quick kiss on her lips, making her smile.

“So, now that we’re officially a pack,” Nick began. “Reckon we need a name.”

“Not the Brewer pack, then?” Tom grinned, inciting a groan from Jo.

“No,” Jo said, emphatically. “Definitely not that. We’ve already got Brewer Mechanics and this pack isn’t just about you boys anymore.”

Silence ran through the room for a few minutes, as everyone thought hard.

“The Alliance?”

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at her, as Tom’s chest rumbled in agreement. Nerves filled Savannah for a moment, before she realised they were all beginning to smile in agreement.

“Suits us, I think,” Tom agreed. That’s what they were. Different shifters, from different places, with a human as well! Tightening his hand on Savannah’s shoulder, he pressed a quick kiss to her temple, smiling down at her.

“Sounds like something you'd read in a comic book,” Dan laughed, his eyes twinkling.

“Don’t you like it, then?” Nick asked. “After all, you’re going to be a part of it.”

Dan shook his head, the grin still on his face. “Like Tom says, it suits us.”

“The Alliance,” the others agreed, as a new sense of purpose filled the room. They were going to have to put a stop to Lucas and his dark intentions for their new pack somehow. Now, with Savannah and Dan in their pack, they were stronger than ever before, with a new bond between them all. Nothing was going to break them apart.