With Addison looking after Olivia, Max slowly loped to the edge of Gage’s property, where woods took over, an expanse of lush green against the backdrop of dark mountains. His body was tense, his bear nearly out of control, and all he could think to do was to go for a run to attempt to clear his head.

His bed had felt empty without Riley in it, and he hadn’t gotten much sleep. The hurt on her face when she asked him about the text was haunting him, yet instead of talking to her, he had decided to keep his distance.

Riley had enough of her own problems, and there was no way he was about to drag her into this situation with Eve. That was too much to ask from someone he had only just met, mate or not.

No, actually it had been the fact that she was his mate, and that he had been falling in love with her ever since he had first seen her, that made up his mind about not getting her involved. This was his burden to bear, and he wasn’t about to give in to his selfish side.

Besides, he had to think of Olivia now, more than ever. There were no guarantees that after Max gave Eve the money, the woman would leave them alone. Maybe she actually did want Olivia back. He had to be ready for that battle.

More likely, though, Eve was in it for the cash. But what would happen once she burned through that? Would she be back, demanding more? Would he have to bend to her threats again?

With so much uncertainty in his future, and the fear that Olivia might be ripped away from him regardless of whether he was her father or not hammering through his mind, Max told himself he had made the right decision in keeping Riley in the dark.

She deserves to be happy, and I don’t know if I can give that to her right now.

Coming to a stop near the tree line, Max breathed in the familiar scents of the forest, forcing himself to focus on that instead. His bear was already impatient beneath his skin, needing to work out his frustrations in a physical way.

Letting his animal side float to the surface, Max felt his body begin to change. Giving himself over to the bear, he sank down onto all fours, bones snapping and realigning under his flesh. It was a smooth process, practiced and quick, but he could still feel every part of the shift as his frame rippled and took on a new shape.

Mouth turning into a muzzle, fur breaking out over his skin, Max let out a growl. Large paws now thudded on the dirt as he slunk into the woods, his huge grizzly casting a shadow in his wake.

Pushing himself into motion, he steadily picked up steam as he maneuvered around the tall trees, the scent of moss and smaller woodland creatures in his nose. Sniffing the air, he let his muscles work, propelling himself forward faster and faster.

Familiar sights and paths whizzed by, with him sensing nothing out of the ordinary for a long while. But as Max started to circle back, the smell of someone very familiar hit his nose. Slowing down, he followed the scent back toward the ranch, until he could hear a padding of paws, mirroring his own.

Gage appeared not long after, his hulking grizzly frame hard to miss. They looked at each other for a moment before continuing on with the run, this time together. Sometimes Max led the way, sometimes Gage took the lead, and by the end of it, they were both panting slightly.

They shifted back at the edge of the woods, the bears retreating to let the men take over again. Max rolled his shoulders as he got back on two feet, and watched Gage do the same.

“Something tells me you being here is not a coincidence,” Max commented.

“Just thought we could talk,” Gage shrugged.

“Did Addison put you up to this?” Max asked.

“She might have mentioned you royally screwed things up with Riley, but I’m here to get your side of things. What happened, Max? I know Riley is your mate, so we can get that out of the way right now,” Gage replied.

Letting out a sigh, Max rested his back against a nearby tree.

“She saw a text she wasn’t supposed to see,” he said. “So she made her own conclusions, and I didn’t dissuade her.”

“Why the hell not?” Gage asked.

“Because I’m not getting her involved in my crap,” Max insisted. “And before you ask, I’m not getting you involved, either.”

Gage rolled his eyes at him, but knew better than to try and talk Max out of his decision.

“You can be stupidly stubborn sometimes, you know that, right?” he asked.

“Now this is definitely a case of the pot calling the kettle black,” Max replied.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but I know you’re going to regret pushing Riley away,” Gage said. “And you might tell yourself you’re doing it for her, or because of Olivia, or whatever reason you can come up with. But at the end of the day, don’t let it be fear that guides your decisions.”

“Gage…” Max began to argue.

“I know Olivia’s happiness is the most important thing to you, but you can’t be the best father you can be if you’re unhappy yourself,” Gage cut him off. “That’s all I really wanted to say.”

With that, Gage took off, striding toward his house. Max was left to wonder if his friend had a point. Was he letting fear get the best of him? Was he throwing away his shot at a family with both his daughter and his mate?

Somewhere down the road, the guilt he had initially felt over not being a part of the first months of Olivia’s life had turned into a deep need to always put his little girl first. And while he would continue to do that, he knew he couldn’t let his life fall to the wayside.

Gage had hit on something very true – how could Max be the best dad to Olivia when he himself was miserable, regretting letting Riley slip through his fingers? And Olivia had already grown attached to Riley as well.

The more he thought about it all, the more frustrated he became. It didn’t escape him that he was letting Eve control his decisions, which he did not like one bit. Still thinking of what his next move might he, he stomped back to the guesthouse, weighing all the options.

When he got to the house, Olivia and Addison were nowhere to be seen. In their place was Riley, sitting on his couch, clearly waiting for him. Jaw set, there was a determination emanating from her that was difficult to ignore.

“We need to talk,” she said simply, and for a moment, Max was ecstatic she was even speaking to him after the disaster that had been last night.

“We do,” he agreed, things finally falling into place in his mind.

I can’t let Eve win. She won’t take Olivia from me, and she won’t take Riley.