Pacing around his house, Pierce couldn’t help the growl echoing from his chest. His bear was not in a docile mood, and neither was he. As soon as he had weighed all his options and come to the conclusion Bonnie had to be the one behind all his troubles, he had barely been able to contain himself.

It had taken all he had not to go and confront her. But he had to be smart about it. He needed to get Tory to believe him, and he needed Bonnie for that. There was no assurance his plan would even work, and a good chance it might even make things worse between him and Tory.

But he had to try. He would do anything to make things right with his mate.

The text he had sent Bonnie nearly twenty minutes ago had told the woman that he needed a friend to talk to, and asked her to come over. After how they had left things, he wasn’t sure she would even reply, let alone agree to meet. But given what Bonnie had done to keep him and Tory apart, there had to be feelings there.

Time ticked past with excruciating slowness, and the animal inside Pierce thrashed and roared. Finally, he couldn’t taking just standing around anymore, and walked over to the back of his house. The forest loomed not far away, lush and green, full of familiar smells.

With steady purpose, Pierce strode over to the tree line, feeling his muscles tense and relax. Tapping into the primal power inside him, he let his bear float closer to the surface, until the barrier between man and animal became nonexistent.

His body began to ripple, his bones realigning with practiced ease. He could feel his frame stretch and widen, his mouth twist into a muzzle as he dropped onto all fours. All together the shift didn’t take more than a couple of seconds, the change flowing over him in a wave of released energy.

Pierce was still himself, his mind maybe a little more wild than usual, but he was still in charge of all of his faculties. Anyone who might spot him would only see a huge grizzly in place of a man that used to stand where the bear now sank his huge paws into the dirt, but they were one and the same.

Shaking his brown fur, Pierce padded into the forest, sniffing the air as he went. With the thud of his paws and the sounds of the nature around him in his ears, he picked up speed, until he was dashing through the trees, the wind on his face.

His mind began to clear as he let his instincts take over, focusing on nothing but the way his massive body cut through the dense wilderness at breakneck speeds. Circling back, he caught the scent of a rabbit, and tracked it for a while, just to put his senses to the test.

When his house began peeking out though the trees once again, he slowed, pulling back on the strength surging through him. His bear, pleased to have been let out, didn’t resist when Pierce pulled it back, reversing the shift.

Within moments, he was solidly on two feet again, with his thoughts clear and his determination unwavering. His plan would work, he would make sure of it. He would accept nothing but success.

* * *

When Bonnie had replied saying she would be over at around eight, Pierce had been both relieved and apprehensive. He had called Tory right away, giving her the update. Reluctantly, she had agreed to come over at seven, before Bonnie could get sight of her.

It was clear she still didn’t fully trust him, but at least she was playing along. That would do for the moment.

After his run, the hours to seven had passed a little faster, with Pierce trying to focus on the best-case scenario, instead of the worst one. If he just got Bonnie to admit what she had done, and have Tory hear it for herself…

But Pierce had no idea why Bonnie had even agreed to meet, or what she was expecting of the encounter. And if she was truly unhinged enough to break into his apartment, who knew if he could ever get any semblance of truth out of her?

Pierce was very aware of the exact moment the clock hit seven. Perking up his ears, he hoped that Tory was actually going to show up, and hadn’t agreed to just get him off her back. He wouldn’t put it past her.

His heart nearly skipped a beat when he finally heard footsteps approaching, and he rushed to the door. He opened it before Tory could even knock, startling her for a second.

“Oof,” she huffed, staggering back from the door.

“Sorry,” he quickly said. “Come in.”

Hesitating at the front step for a moment, there was still a healthy amount of skepticism in her gaze when she stepped inside, crossing her arms in front of her as he shut the door behind her.

“Hi,” Tory said through pursed lips. “So she’s coming?”

“In an hour,” he replied.

She arched a brow at him.

“Then why am I here so early?”

“Because she might come early and I didn’t want her to see you,” he replied.

“Oh, okay,” she nodded. “Makes sense.”

He led her to the couch, double-checking that all the curtains were drawn. She plopped down, avoiding his gaze and fiddling with her hands. Clearly she wasn’t keen on small talk, and he wasn’t sure if saying anything would make things better or worse.

It pained him that her trust in him had been shaken, and that Bonnie had managed to drive a wedge between them. Things had been so easy before when her laughter had filled his house, instead of this awkward silence. How he wanted her to look at him like she had before, with that spark in her eye that told him she felt the same as he did.

“Can I get you something? Water, coffee, wine?” he asked.

“This isn’t a social call,” was her curt reply.

She seemed to catch herself a moment later, biting her lip.

“Water would be great,” she said quietly.

He fetched a glass and filled it, handing it to her, but knowing better than to sit down at her side. She gulped it down in huge sips, handing the glass back empty.

“Thanks,” she muttered.

“No problem,” Pierce replied.

Time passed in silence, almost half an hour, while he busied himself with running through all sorts of scenarios regarding Bonnie. He knew he had to be prepared for anything, and so did Tory.

“Look,” he started, breaking the silence. “I don’t know what’s going to happen when Bonnie gets here. I don’t know what she’s going to say. But if you can, please be patient. I don’t expect her to admit to anything right out of the gate. Just try and trust in me a little while longer.”

Slowly, Tory turned to look at him, and it was then that he could see the hurt in her eyes. Gone was the anger she had tried to hide behind, and Pierce wasn’t sure what was worse – seeing her in pain or seeing her act like she hated his guts.

“I’ll try,” she replied.

Pierce searched for something else to say when a rhythmic click of heels caught his attention. He listened for a moment, gauging where the footsteps were heading.

“She’s here,” he whispered, making Tory’s eyes widen.

“She’s early,” she replied in hushed tones.

“Go, go,” he ushered as she got to her feet. “Stay in the bedroom. Leave the door open a crack.”

Tory rushed away as he gathered himself. A part of him just wanted to throttle Bonnie, to ask what the hell was wrong with her. But that probably wasn’t going to get him very far. He waited for her to knock before going into the hallway.

His hand hovered over the door handle.

Here goes nothing.