Alfie checked his phone for what must be the thousandth time that day. Nothing. Which left him more than a little confused.

Everything had been going great when Marion visited the garden center yesterday. His mate had been excited about the prospect of opening her own business making and selling handmade soaps, and then she had left.

Just like that.

She’d blamed it on Charlie needing her, but Alfie sensed that was just an excuse. But why?

You must have said something, his bear accused.

You tell me since you heard the whole conversation, Alfie replied.

His bear grumbled to himself as he paced back and forth in the back of Alfie’s mind.

But whatever the reason, Marion had not replied to his texts with more than one-word answers, which made it plain she was putting up a barrier between them. But why?

Daisy came into the greenhouse, where he’d hidden himself away, not wanting to speak to people as he dissected his last interaction with Marion.

“Why don’t you go over there and talk to her?” Daisy asked.

Alfie slipped his phone back into his pocket and sighed. “Because I don’t think she wants me to.”

Daisy came to stand next to him. “Are you sure you aren’t reading more into this than you should?”

Alfie shook his head. “No, something has changed. Something happened.”

Maybe something really did happen with Charlie, his bear suggested, and they need time alone.

Alfie pressed his lips together. You might have a point.

Which means Daisy has a point, too, his bear said with a little more hope. Maybe we are reading too much into this.

Alfie placed his hands on the shelf where row upon row of seedlings sat doing their thing. Plants were so much easier to understand than people. Give them the right soil, enough water, and sunlight, and they grow.

But people…

Perhaps if he knew why they had moved to Bear Creek for a fresh start. It would be so much easier to understand Marion’s actions if they knew the truth about what happened to make Charlie so withdrawn, and Marion so untrusting.

“Alfie,” Daisy rested a hand on his shoulder, “there’s no point brooding here. Go for a run, or something. Let off some steam.”

A run! his bear said. That might help.

Alfie looked around. The garden center was quiet; there was only another hour to go until they closed. “Are you sure?” he asked Daisy. “I seem to have been leaving you in charge a lot lately.”

Daisy nodded. “We’re a team. We help each other out. Like you helped me out when I had that...scare.”

Alfie placed his hand over hers, recalling those awful weeks when Daisy had found a lump in her breast. He’d told her to take all the time she needed.

Instead, Daisy had buried herself in work, getting in early, and staying late, until she eventually simply stopped. It was as if she’d simply hit a wall. Alfie had found her curled up on the floor of the greenhouse, unable to move.

He’d sat with her, held her, cried with her. Then he’d taken her home and stayed with her. The next day he’d organized a schedule, so she was never alone unless she wanted to be.

Then when she got the all-clear, he’d celebrated with her. And planted a buddleia bush with her. The same one that attracted the butterflies at the center of the garden center.

“You’re right,” Alfie said, squeezing Daisy’s hand before letting go. “A run is exactly what I need.”

Daisy nodded approvingly. “Go on, then. Clear your head. The garden center will still be here tomorrow.”

Alfie hoped the same could be said of his mate.

She won’t leave town without telling us, his bear insisted.

I hope you’re right. Alfie grabbed his keys from the office and headed out to his truck. He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, deliberately turning away from the direction of Marion’s rental house.

Even so, as he drove through Bear Creek’s main street, he could sense her, feel that invisible thread between them tugging at him, telling him exactly where she was. Both she and Charlie were at home.

He could feel their presence like a beacon, which made his bear stir restlessly.

Just a quick visit, his bear suggested. Just to make sure they are okay.

No, Alfie said firmly, gripping the steering wheel tighter. If she wanted to see us, she would have responded to our messages.

So Alfie headed for the mountains, following the winding road that led deeper into the wilderness. The higher he climbed, the more the tension in his shoulders began to ease. This was what he needed—wide open spaces had always helped him gain some perspective when things got hard.

He pulled off at a familiar overlook, parking his truck in the empty gravel lot.

The view stretched out before him. Bear Creek was nestled in the valley below, surrounded by endless forest and rugged peaks.

Somewhere in that tiny collection of buildings was Marion, the woman his soul had recognized instantly as his mate.

The woman who was now pulling away for reasons he couldn’t understand.

Alfie stepped out of the truck and stretched his muscles, which were tight from hours of work and worry. But it was time to let go of his fears. It was time to let his bear run free.

As Alfie let go of the world, the air around him popped and crackled with energy as his human form disappeared, replaced in an instant by his bear.

His bear huffed with satisfaction, shaking out his thick fur. This was what they needed. No more overthinking, just movement, and instinct.

He set off at a loping run through the forest, his enormous paws silent on the pine-needle floor.

On and on he ran for miles, through dense forest and open meadows, along ridgelines, and across valleys.

The physical exertion burned away his frustration, leaving only the essential question: what did Marion need from him right now?

But no answer came.

What he needed was advice. From someone who had experience of troubled pasts.

Dougray, his bear said as he headed toward his cousin’s place.

Ten minutes later, they headed down the trail that led to the cabin Dougray shared with his mate, Tammy, and their adopted son, Finlay. Their home was an extension of Tammy’s Uncle Gavin’s cabin.

It’ll give us ideas of how we can extend our home, his bear said, still confident that one day—and one day soon—Marion and Charlie would come live with them.

Alfie wished he could share his bear’s belief that everything would work out all right.

It will, his bear replied.

Alfie shifted back into his human form and almost immediately, the cabin door opened, and Dougray appeared. “Alfie! What brings you up this way?”

“Just needed to clear my head,” Alfie replied as he approached the porch.

His cousin tugged his brows together. “Problems?”

Alfie nodded. “Do you have time to talk?”

“Always,” his cousin replied. “Come in. I’ll grab us a beer.”

Inside, the cabin was warm and inviting, with all the trappings of a family home.

You mean it has a woman’s touch, his bear said.

Yeah. Alfie ran his hand over the patchwork quilt draped over the back of a chair while his eyes rested on the jumble of shoes by the door.

Dougray grabbed two beers from the refrigerator and handed one to Alfie. “So, you found your mate?”

“You heard?” Alfie said.

“Are you surprised?” Dougray clinked his bottle against Alfie’s. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Alfie grinned despite himself. “You heard it was one of Finn’s mix-ups?”

“Oh yeah,” Dougray chuckled, but then he grew serious. “But you are not here to talk about Finn.”

“No, I am not,” Alfie said, and then took a long drink.

“So, tell me why you are here,” Dougray said as he led the way to the living room.

“Well, I met my mate,” Alfie began. “Her name is Marion. She’s raising her nephew, Charlie.”

“And?” his cousin prompted, settling into an armchair.

“And something’s wrong,” Alfie said, sinking onto the couch. “Everything was going great—we even kissed—and then suddenly she’s pulling away. Barely responding to my texts.”

His cousin nodded thoughtfully. “And you don’t know why.”

“No, all I know is something bad happened before they came to Bear Creek.” Alfie took another drink. “And I need to know how to help them.”

“Ah, I see why you came to me,” Dougray said.

“Yeah, I thought you might have some wisdom to share,” Alfie replied. “Charlie…something traumatic happened in his past. The day I met him I could see it in his eyes. There was this haunted look… And then there’s the way Marion watches him like she’s afraid something bad is going to happen.”

His cousin’s expression grew serious. “It sounds like Finlay when he first came to us.”

Alfie nodded. Finlay had been older than Charlie when his cousin and Tammy first found him.

He was an orphan on the run after he shifted for the first time…

with no clue that shifters existed. Injured and alone, he’d been withdrawn at first. But slowly, Dougray and Tammy had helped him overcome his trauma.

“How did you handle it?” Alfie asked. “The withdrawal, the mistrust?”

His cousin leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Time,” he said simply. “And patience. So much patience. And understanding that none of it was personal.”

“Not personal?” Alfie echoed.

“That was the hardest part,” his cousin admitted. “When Finlay would push us away, or have a meltdown, or accuse us of not really wanting him, it felt personal. But it wasn’t about us at all. It was about what happened before us.”

Alfie thought about Marion’s sudden withdrawal. Was it possible that something had triggered old fears, old wounds?

“The thing about trauma,” his cousin continued, “is that healing isn’t linear. There are good days and bad days. Progress and setbacks.”

“Charlie was doing so well,” Alfie said quietly. “Opening up, getting excited about plants and bugs.”

“That’s great,” his cousin smiled. “But it doesn’t mean there won’t be steps backward. And Marion, she’s probably carrying her own trauma, too, plus the responsibility of helping Charlie through his.”

Alfie nodded slowly, understanding dawning. “So what do I do?”

“Be there,” his cousin said simply. “Not pushing, not demanding, just…present. Let them know you’re not going anywhere, but give them the space they need when they need it.”

“That’s the hard part,” Alfie admitted. “She’s my mate. I want…need to protect them.”

His cousin nodded. “Yeah, I get it. But sometimes the most protective thing you can do is step back.”

Alfie nodded, those words resonating deeply. “I need to let Marion set the pace.”

“Exactly,” Dougray said.

“I can do that,” Alfie said.

“You can,” Dougray agreed. “Because once you come through this, when you get to the other side, you will be stronger. Together.”

“Thanks for the advice, Dougray,” Alfie said, leaning back on the sofa.

“Anytime.” Dougray grinned. “So… Finn…”

Alfie chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t ask me how he did it!”

But boy, was he glad his brother had. Even if the road to happiness was a whole lot bumpier than he’d ever imagined.