I needed to see him.

Needed him more than I needed air. The flight had cleared my head just like Rose said it would. Up there in the clouds, I could see what my real priorities were. And they just so happened to include my omega mate. 

I rushed back toward the bed and breakfast, hoping that Will was feeling better. I'd hated to leave him looking so sick like that. I knew I was probably being over cautious but we were so new, so freshly mated. If anything happened to him, I didn't know what I would do.

The hill fell away as I took the steps two at a time, even breaking a light sweat in the chilly air. When I wrenched open the front door and made a beeline for wills room, I had a gnawing, sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. 

Nerves. Just nerves.

But when I threw open the door and found only an empty bed, I knew it was more than that.

"Will?" I called through the house. My voice echoed through the long twisty hallways and came back to me. "Will? You in here?" I peered in the nearby rooms. The kitchen. The bathroom. Nothing.

Maybe we'd just passed one another. Or, I told myself, finally he decided to go back to his place. He hadn't really packed any clothes or supplies for over here, after all. He must have been wanting some clean clothes and a shower. There was nothing to worry about.

Except I worried about everything anyway. My mate was out there, and I needed to talk to him. I needed to make sure he knew how I felt, before it was too late.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Will's sparkling scarf still hanging on the rack near the door. Why would he have left that, unless he was in a great hurry? He'd seemed to like it so much.

I tilted my head, considering the warm, soft stitches. It reminded me of him already. His smiles, his warmth, his thin, sprightly body spread out beside mine. Even his faint, spicy cinnamon scent. 

And here I thought that returning to Vale Valley would be depressing. I'd thought it would be a quick in and out kind of trip, but now I wasn't quite sure of anything anymore. Did everyone go this crazy over their mates?

Cause I sure felt like I was losing it over mine.

The phone rang in my pocket again, shaking me out of my thoughts. What the hell? That was the third time today! I'd told everyone at the office not to bother me, and I had no idea who else it could be, but if they kept calling...

I sighed, sat down, and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Dude, where the hell have you been?" The impatient voice crowed at me instantly and I jerked the phone away from my ear.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. What's going on?" I still held the phone at arm's length. Getting shouted at was the last thing I needed today.

"I've been trying to get in touch with you forever."

"And?" Spit it out already.

"There's been a...change." He spoke the next words carefully, delicately. "The deal that you signed off on, before you left. It...ah, didn't go through." 

I sat bolt upright, eyes wide. "What?" 

"The other party turned us down at the last minute. And I mean the last minute, man. We were all set, due diligence done, everything. We'd spoken to their lawyers and were assured it was airtight, but then..." I could almost hear the helpless shrug over the phone. "I dunno, man."

I scraped a hand down my face and through my hair. That deal was supposed to be our big break. Without it, we would be...

"So you know that this means."

I squeezed my eyes shut, praying there was another solution. Another way. 

"I know you said not to bother you while you were on your trip, but we were really counting on that capital." He paused for a moment. Sighed. "I need your authorization to seek out bridge funding."

I winced again. "So soon? I thought we had plenty of runway left." 

"Remember those holiday bonuses?" He reminded me. "Maybe not such a good idea after all. And we can't exactly ask people to un spend their Christmas money." 

"Fuck," I breathed, leaning back in the chair. I stared at the ceiling and tried to think of some way out of this. How had we fallen so far, so quickly? I mean, I knew we were playing a high risk high reward game, but everything seemed so certain. So stable. And then this. Losing our biggest client meant we were gonna be hard up for cash, and soon.

"What should I tell the team, sir?" His voice remained cool, businesslike, but I knew this situation was anything but. I wanted to be a good manager. A good business owner. I wanted to make my people happy, and built something together. Now all of that looked to be in jeopardy, and it was all my fault.

"I..." I stammered, sighing. "I don't know. Buy me some time. I'll think of something." 

A pause hung on the line, the tension thickening. 

"Hope you're well," the man said finally, his words clipped. "And my condolences about your mother."

"Thanks," I mumbled, but my brain was already elsewhere. 

"I'll call you back soon," I promised. "Don't do anything drastic." With that, I pressed the 'end call' button and buried my face in my hands.

I guess I really couldn't have my cake and eat it too. The more I thought about things, the more the two paths diverged in front of me. I could go back to New York, damage control, save the day. But in doing so, I'd have to leave Will. I wasn't under any delusions that he'd want to come up to the city with me, even if we were mates. He was a soft, gentle soul that much preferred peace and privacy. As much as I wanted him around, I knew the fast paced life of NYC would only stifle him. 

And the other option? I wasn't sure I was ready to do that either. So here I was, once again stuck at an impasse. Only this time, it wasn't a difficult logic puzzle or a hypothetical business school case study. 

It was real life, and the decision I made here would have a very real impact on not just my future, but my team's. And my mate's.

I stared at Nellie's will, laying on the coffee table next to the armchairs and the fireplace. I remembered Rosemary's words. Her ultimatum. 

It wasn't too late. I could still give up the Dozing Dragon. Put it on the market. Sell the place. 

It would give me the influx of cash we needed, and I wouldn't have to break the bad news to the team. It was almost a perfect plan.

A perfect plan for old Sebastian, anyway.

For this new guy? Hell, I didn't even know.

I paced back and forth in the living room, chewing my lip and trying to think. 

To sell, or not to sell? 

To stay, or to go?

Will's scarf warmed in my hands. I glared at it and back to the fireplace. Had it gotten too close and caught fire? No, that wasn't right. There was something happening to it.

Love in every stitch, I remembered the sign at the market stall. I'd thought the man was just talking up his creations at the time, but this was Vale Valley, after all. Was there a chance that it could actually be magic?

It will always help you find your way home, he'd told Will with serious eyes.

Did it help if even I didn't know where my true home was? I was torn between two worlds. Two lives. 

So I did what Rosemary had been telling me to do all this time. 

I took a deep breath, let it out, and let go. All of my worries and fears went into that scarf, all of my love and concern and care. I hoped, no, prayed with every fiber of my being that I would make the right choice. And that it would show me the way.

The fibers began to glow, casting a warm yellow light around me. I watched it, unbelieving, as the thing began to move.

It's working, I thought breathlessly. It's actually working! 

I wrapped the scarf around my neck and opened the door, taking the first step toward my destiny.