Matias' POV:

I'm pacing my room while Matteo sits on my bed, his annoying mate sitting behind him and holding my brother to his chest.

I've never been so nervous in my whole life, except for when I told Cody that I loved him for the first time. I'm sure that, wherever he is, Cody is forgiving me for falling for someone else... I know he would want me to be happy even though my life isnt with him anymore.

Even though I still cannot stand Emil, he makes Matteo happy and sometimes I need emotional support from my brother. That means that Emil has to tag along apparently, and constantly feel up my baby brother.

Sofia is also supportive, but she's on a small getaway with Antonio, so Matteo and Emil were my only options.

Emil by default.

"If you are this worried over that Omega, you are clearly obsessed with him, and from the way Matteo has described him, he seems to be in love with you," Emil says, his tone dry and lacking any emotion.

To be honest, he doesn't really show any emotion unless its directed toward Matteo or when I told him about the truth behind Cody's death.

"He's right, Matias," Matteo's melodious voice chirps, and I try not to gag when I see Emil making heart eyes at him while he talks. "Everest always gave those cute little smiles to you when you weren't looking. He is probably upset that you let the person who rejected him take him, but I know he really likes you."

I scowl. "But Henry-"

"All you need is to get his vote, and then you can convince Everest to stay. Unless Henry has marked him, he has no legal rights over Everest," Emil says, which soothes me a tiny bit.

Then again, I don't know Henry's true personality, and even if Everest is feisty, what if the dick forced Everest to accept his mark?! Then not only will I have lost Everest, but I don't think he'd be pleased with it at all.

"Well, you can sever a mate bond by killing one of the two in the coupling..." my wolf quips, and I hum in agreement.

"I do not like that evil smirk on your face," Matteo says. "It looks like you're planning on killing someone."

Emil just shrugs. "I truly cannot say that I would be any different if someone tried to take you away from me, my angel," he says, kissing Matteo's neck.

"Okay, stop that before you get horny in my room," I snap. "I don't want my room smelling like my brother and his asshole mate when they... wait, you two haven't had sex yet, right?!"

Matteo blushes and Emil gives me a cocky grin.

"Oh, I'm going to fucking kill you," I snarl, my wolf growling in agreement.

"I'm the one who asked him to..." Matteo murmurs, his cheeks bright red. "It's not his fault..."

"YOU ASKED HIM?!" I shout, but Matteo just chuckles and Emil is still smirking. "You better plan on marking my brother and not just fucking him and leaving him behind."

Emil's grin widens. "Oh, I will. As soon as he's in heat. Then you'll have mini versions of me everywhere."

"If you knock up my brother-"

The asshole cuts me off. "When I knock up my mate, you'll be the first person I call."

I growl at Emil, but he isn't fazed and Matteo is just purring and smiling up like a dork at the Alpha who is way bigger than he is.

"The meeting starts in a few hours time," Emil says, looking at his watch. "So make a choice over which suit to wear before you pace a valley into the carpet."

I sigh and look between my three options, trying to decide which one Everest would like the most. Since he isn't drawn in by money, I just choose the sleek grey one that will make me stand out in a good way but it's not too flashy or obvious that it's expensive.

"That looks nice," Emil says when I walk out of the bathroom, before he grimaces. "Are you going to do anything with that mop of hair?"

I scowl. "Matteo's hair isn't styled and it looks similar to mine!"

"My angel is cute enough to wear his hair without styling it, though it would look nice if he chose to," Emil says matter-of-factly, ruffling Matteo's hair wrapping his arms around his mate's waist. "You are not that cute, I apologize."

Irritably, I stomp back to my bathroom and style my hair so it isn't as uncontrolled and fuzzy, even though it's hard to keep the curls from flopping everywhere. Fuck Emil, I am adorable enough to wear my hair however I please! I'm not going to change it and put it back to how it normally lies because I've already styled it, but fuck that asshole.

He doesn't know anything.

I re-enter my room and find Matteo laying on top of Emil, the two making out and Emil's hands way too close to his ass.

"I thought I said not to do this shit on my bed," I snarl, and Emil scoffs, sitting up and cradling Matteo to his chest. "Don't you have to get ready for the meeting?"

Emil groans and stands up. "My clothes are in Matteo's room and I have about fifteen minutes before I have to get ready." He looks me up and down. "I don't need as much work... let's go use up that fifteen minutes, love."

Matteo giggles and grabs Emil's hand, ignoring my death glare as they leave the room.

The meeting will take place at Lorenzo's house, but it will be more of a dinner party, with the meeting taking place around ten o'clock tonight, a couple of hours after the party starts. It's a way for us all to reconnect, since many of the leaders are from out of the country.

It's when I should get to see Everest, but I won't actually be able to talk to him. If there is a chance I could upset Henry and get him to switch his vote, then this whole thing would go up in flames.

When I finally feel as though I look nice enough, I leave my room and meet with Emil and Matteo in the entry way. I try to not to feel irritated when I see how pink my brother's cheeks are and how messy his hair is. Emil just looks smug and is supporting my brother as he walks, since the little brat seems weak in the knees.

"Are you ready to go, sir?" Anthony asks me as we reach the car. He's still nervous around me, but he deserves to be, if I'm perfectly honest.

I cannot wait to kick his ass to the curb and send my father to prison.

"Yes," I respond, sitting in the back right side. "Let's get to this dinner party and get tonight over with."

I cannot wait to get this night over with.

Lorenzo greets me when we arrive. "Your father knows of the meeting, but he does not know it is him who is being sent into retirement."

"Is Henry here?" I ask, and Lorenzo nods.

"Yes, he and Everest arrived about fifteen minutes ago. They were looking for you."

My jaw drops and I feel a sense of dread overcome me. "I can't speak with them!" I exclaim, trying to keep my voice hushed but finding it difficult and switching to Italian so neither of the two Americans here can eavesdrop. "If I piss Henry off, he could switch his vote. Where are they? I don't want to see them."

Lorenzo shakes his head in disbelief. "I thought you wanted Everest?"

"Of course I do!"

"Ignoring him may not be the best way to go about it. Just make small talk because if you blatantly ignore Everest, he may feel as though you do not care for him."

I sigh in defeat, but I have no choice but to agree. Of course I don't want Everest to think that I don't care for him, but if I see him, I may just run forward, hug him, and break down begging for forgiveness.

To give myself something to do, I walk around the house and grab myself a glass of red wine, since it is not my favorite so I know I'll drink it slower than I'd drink other beverages.

There are a lot of rich, well known people here, so I am stopped a lot to reintroduce myself. Since my father is well known and those who have voted in my favor are here, I have to speak with them to keep the peace and my image.

When I go to have a bite to eat just to hold myself out, my wolf starts to go haywire in my brain.

"Mate, mate, mate!" he exclaims, and my nose begins to pick up the most amazing scent.

How is this possible?

My mate is dead and it's clear that Everest, the man whom I've fallen for, is not my mate and he still has a bond with Henry. It's near impossible to get a second chance mate, and I have no clue who my wolf is talking about.

I turn toward the scent and find Everest staring at me, the same shock on his face that I'm sure mirrors mine.

"How?" I ask myself in a whisper, and I see Henry, to my shock, is smiling.

"Mine!" my wolf chirps, sounding extremely excited and trying to push me forward. "Give me my mate!"

Henry approaches me, making my wolf growl in my head because a bit of Everest's scent is on him.

"May I borrow you for a few minutes? Alone?" he asks me, much more polite now as opposed to the first time I spoke with him. "Don't worry, Everest will be there, too."

I dont know why he's trying to reassure me, but I accept it and follow him to one of the many rooms that is not in use, Everest following us at a distance.

"What is going on?" I ask Henry, not even looking at Everest.

Henry smirks. "I officially rejected Everest, and he rejected me." He nods toward Everest, who is picking at his cuticles. "He moved on, and it was my mistake to let him go, but I cannot hold him from the man he's fallen for just because I want him." 

"My wolf came back as soon as we officially rejected each other," Everest says, his voice a bit shaky and he sounds as nervous as he did when he thought I'd leave him during his heat. "And he said that you're our home... and it seems as though our wolves have decided that we're mates."

I stare at him. "You can sense it too?" I ask, not daring to reach out and touch him even though that's all I want to do.

"Yes... have you ever heard of that before?" Everest asks, to which I shake my head.

Henry interrupts mine and Everest's silent staring contest. "I have heard of this. When you create a bond with someone else after you've either lost a mate or don't have one, if your wolves accept each other, it can create a bond as strong as a goddess given mate bond, and the feelings are very similar. Such as the sensing them, being able to connect with them... it's basically the same."

"Why didn't I feel this before?" I ask Henry. "I fell for Everest before I ever sent him away."

Henry sips from the wine glass in his hand. "Because I didn't sever the connection with him, not fully. So when we both decided to reject each other, it opened the connection for Everest's wolf to truly connect with yours and now that you're together... well, you can figure out the rest.

I stare at Henry, who doesn't seem bothered at all. "And you are alright with this?"

"No, it's hard to let him go, but I cannot force a connection with someone who I hurt. Even if it upsets me, Everest deserves someone who makes him happy, and that's you. I want him to be happy, I trust that you still have my vote."

I reach out and shake his hand. "Thank you."

Everest punches my arm as soon as I let go of Henry's hand. "What if I don't fucking want to be with you?!" he growls, and my heart drops.