Emmerdale‘s Bear Wolf will find an unlikely ally in Aaron Dingle next week, as he continues to blame himself for Ray Walters’s death. Aaron is reminded of his own traumatic history and tries to help Bear come to terms with his abuse.

In this week’s episodes, guilt-ridden Bear heads to the police station to confess to killing villain Ray. Adamant to protect his son Paddy Dingle and Dylan Penders, he insists he was alone during the incident.

However, Bear’s account leaves the police with more questions than answers as his story doesn’t quite add up. He is officially charged with manslaughter, and while his solicitor maintains that he acted in self-defence, Bear is determined to plead guilty – much to Paddy’s horror.

In next week’s scenes, fragile Bear suddenly goes AWOL again as the pressure continues to mount. He is found by Aaron who manages to bring him home.

As the pair chat, Aaron gently alludes to his own experiences of abuse as a child, at the hands of his dad Gordon. His vulnerability encourages Bear to open up about being forced into slavery by Ray and Celia Daniels.

Sympathetic Aaron tries to help Bear understand that he was a victim and shouldn’t blame himself. But Bear is reluctant to listen as Aaron doesn’t know the full story about his ordeal.

Will he tell Aaron everything that happened with Ray?

“Aaron hasn’t had much to do with Bear’s story so far,” notes our Emmerdale source. “But he’s been aware of the situation from the sidelines and picks the best possible moment to step in.

“While Aaron and Bear’s experiences are very different, Aaron sees similarities in the way that abusers of all kinds can be manipulative. Could he be the confidant that Bear needs right now?”