Listening to his front door close and a car drive off, Gage cursed under his breath, his shoulders tense and his bear thrashing beneath his skin. Why hadn’t he stopped her from leaving? All he’d had to do was go knock on her door…

And say what, exactly? Would you mind leaving your career and life and staying with me here in the middle of nowhere?

Pacing around his bedroom, Gage rubbed the back of his neck, the growl in his chest growing louder and louder. He could still smell Addison’s scent, imagine her skin beneath his hands, recall every freckle on that beautiful face of hers…

He had to admit – his brother’s words had gotten to him, or at least fanned the flames of his own secret doubts. What if Addison agreed to stay, only to grow to resent him for effectively ending her career? The thought of him being the cause of her unhappiness was unbearable.

But as a sense of unmistakable anguish started to take over, he realized – just letting her go without a fight was even more unbearable.

Now that she was actually gone, that fact hit him like a ton of bricks. She was his mate, and he had let her walk out the door, too scared to even face her, because he knew if he had watched her go, there would have been no way he wouldn’t have just scooped her up and carried her back inside.

Fucking coward, he snarled to himself.

But it wasn’t too late. Addison and Reid might have had a head start, but he had his own tricks up his sleeves. So there was a good chance she would tell him to fuck off after he had messed up so colossally. Not to mention Gage suddenly realized he had let his brother of all people interfere and get in the middle of everything, even after he had been telling himself for years he didn’t care what his brother thought of him, or anything really.

With frustration taking over, and his animal side already close to the surface, he rushed down the stairs, throwing the door open and letting the shift fall over him. Spine curving, he sank down onto all fours, feeling bones realign and muscles expand.

The smell of the earth around him became more distinct as his hands turned to paws and fur-covered skin stretched around the new frame of his body. Within seconds, the man he had been was replaced by a huge grizzly, sniffing the air impatiently.

He knew Addison and Reid would be headed to the airfield just outside of town, where a small plane would take them to a bigger airport. This early, the traffic would be sparse, and the trip short.

Just his luck though, he knew a shortcut.

Pushing his huge body into movement, Gage dashed toward the woods, propelled forward by his powerful muscles and unrelenting determination to get to Addison before she left Black Oak for good.

Leaves rustled and dirt sank beneath his paws as he ran, dodging trees as he went. Adrenaline was taking over, making his vision even sharper and his reactions quick. Despite his size, he was fast, and he knew the woods like the back of his hand.

Steam had to be pouring off his fur as he sprinted across hills, leaping over roots, the thud of his paws hitting the ground loud in his ears. A roar ready in the back of his throat, he focused on the image of Addison in his mind to push himself to be even faster.

He really had no plan as to what he was going to do once he caught up with her. One thing was for sure, though – this time, he wasn’t going to hold back or second-guess things. She needed to know the truth. After that, whatever decision she came to would at least be made with her knowing all the facts.

As the woods up ahead began to thin, Gage knew he was getting close. Once he broke through the tree line, he would be at the far end of the airfield. From there, all he had to do was reach the plane before Addison did.

Huffing, with leaves and branches giving way as he bolted past them, he focused his attention on the horizon, and the worn asphalt starting to peek through the green. He could already smell fuel and metal, and the scent of several people.

Seeing that the airfield was empty except for the plane, Gage slowed down, carefully stepping onto the field. People around Black Oak were used to having bears freely roaming around, but people visiting the airfield might not be local, and could very well freak out seeing a grizzly run out of the woods.

Head on a swivel, he approached the plane, keeping an eye out for any movement. Down by the hangar, he caught sight of one of the pilots, a man named Todd who he was friendly enough with to share a beer or two at the local bar.

He could see Todd turn to look at him, brow raised, then sniff the air, give him a wave and go back to whatever pre-flight preparations he had been in the middle of. Only in Black Oak could anyone be that blasé about a bear hanging out at an airfield.

Well, to be fair, he was a man in the body of a bear, but from an outside perspective, that was a difficult distinction to make. Lucky for him Todd was a member of the clan, and could recognize him as a friend by scent alone.

Perking up his ears, Gage could already hear a car approaching. The shine of black metal appeared from behind a curve in the road not long after. Gage just stood there as it approached, parking near the hangar.

There was a moment of stillness before the doors swung open. Reid and Addison stepped out, both of their gazes fixed on him. Gage padded toward them, his animal instincts on high alert.

With his bear this eager and restless, he had to focus more than he regularly did to pull back the change. The bear was slow to leave him, his frame morphing and rippling gradually, the process unhurried.

Getting back on two feet, he relaxed his muscles and shook off the last of the shift, while Addison looked at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. Reid just scowled, looking disappointed and inconvenienced.

Gage walked over to Addison, knowing this could very well be his last shot to make things right and explain himself.

Here goes.