Adele had Georgie’s cake handled. She was the best baker in the pack, as decreed by Georgie and the twins when they were maybe eight years old. She had no need to defend her title, her bakery filled the air in every direction with the scent of fluffy bread and buttery pie crusts. The cake for Georgie’s twenty-first needed to offer enough servings for at least half the pack, what with her being the next alpha mate. At least, the only alpha mate they knew of thus far. It would be built of trays and trays of flat, rectangular sheet cakes lined up to create the perfect chocolate ground to sprout a fondant forest from.

It was not a cake check-up that had her dropping in to Adele’s temple of treats. She was in need of marble cake, a thick slice of it; the end piece, preferably.

The day was early enough that there were still plenty of racks of treats open for purchase, and Adele’s baking brigade were all hard at work behind the counter. Georgie didn’t recognise the wolves milling about, making their choices, but many noticed her, sometimes with nods and murmured words. Casey had opted against keeping his mate a secret. That was, the announcement had burst out of him like a breath he couldn’t hold. It would shock her if any member of Ivy Paw wasn’t aware of their future alpha mate’s name and face at this stage. It draped a light layer of pressure over her when out amongst them, to seem worthy and benevolent. A drop in the ocean that Casey and Cove were paddling in, she couldn’t complain. Georgie made her purchase, smiled sweetly to everyone who met her eyes, and hurried out.

Casey and Cove shared a bedroom, had done since birth, and it was still Georgie’s first stop in a search for them. After Georgie’s mate maturity, their separate suites should be finished. The original plan had been for them to be arranged after the twins’ mate maturity but… there was always something more important to get done in the pack. And they didn’t mind, what was a few more months on twenty-one years? It wasn’t like they ever fought or stepped on each other’s toes. Until Georgie’s mate maturity, neither of them had need for privacy either.

And that was why she was on the hunt. It was the day before her twenty-first birthday, and she and Casey wanted to share his bed for the big night. Not to do anything mature. To be cuddled up together as the day broke on the beginning of the rest of their lives together.

The room was empty. Georgie frowned in the doorway at the pair of double beds, one made neatly and the other clean but crumpled. The connecting bathroom door was open showing no alpha hiding in there either. She sniffed the air. Only old, embedded scents from years of passing through met her nose, nothing fresh for the last few hours. Taking time to lock their door again, she juggled her options: Alpha Calvin’s office, the scrap library, the kitchen, really any of the central pack building that held the alpha family’s personal quarters alongside official meeting and greeting rooms.

She skipped down the stairs towards the second floor and was halted at the sight of her target stepping up. Cove froze. He was most unimpressed with her appearance in his path and made sure she could see it plain in his face. Dusky pink lips pursed and lost their light colour. Georgie grinned. Cove kept his disapproval. Slow and cautious, she finished her descent. He stepped back and waited for her to pass him round the bend to the next set of stairs. Instead, she blocked the bottom step with another attempt at a big, winning smile. She held out her palms to him. Wrapped in brown baking paper, with a twine bow Georgie had added herself, was the marble cake slice. With a single sniff he knew exactly what she was presenting to him: his absolute favourite treat. Coffee and marble cake were Cove’s two weaknesses. He used to have three until his brother became her mate.

“I know Casey might have already asked-”

“You want to sleep over for your mate maturity,” he drawled.

“Please.”

“No.” He stepped back to retreat back the way he came.

Georgie followed him, pressing out her palms. “It’s one night. It’s the night.”

“No.”

She huffed her shoulders. “Wouldn’t you choose to wake up next to your mate on the morning of your mate maturity?” It was a genuine question, and it silenced him.

Maybe it wasn’t anger in his eyes. It was almost fear. Not that Cove had anything to worry about from little ol’ Georgie. There would be no revenge even if he stuck to his refusal.

“No sex,” he said finally.

“Of course not!”

“Even if you think I’m asleep.”

“Never!”

“Even after midnight.”

Georgie rolled her eyes and squeezed up her shoulders to plead her innocence. “Cove, please, I swear we would never do that.”

He looked down at the bribe again. With a sigh that stretched into a groan he lifted it from her hands by the bow-tied twine, not a ghost of a touch between them.

“Thank you!” Before he could brush her off, and taking advantage of his full fingers, Georgie dove in for a quick hug. Cove was a rock in her embrace. It didn’t make his scent any less comforting. It had been so long since he’d squeezed her like he used to. Even this was nice.

“Yeah,” he grunted. He didn’t move to remove himself from her, that was a win. There was also no twitch to touch her.

Georgie pulled back when even she could catch on that it was getting uncomfortable. Still, she beamed up at him all her gratitude. His regretful frown in reply drove her away, running too quick for him to change his mind.

―

“Was the gold… your choice?” Alpha Calvin asked, prodding at the pile of balloons that Georgie’s parents were puffing up.

Georgie laughed, it came out with a breathless snort. She’d run out of puff herself a few minutes earlier. “No, that was all Casey. I added the yellow to soften it all…” It all, her birthday decorations, had become a bright, burning display. Sunshine shades filled the room where her parents, and Alpha Mate Lara, were preparing for the big party tomorrow. Streamers and bunting and paper plates and cutlery – it all glowed.

“It’s… bold.”

The alpha’s mate chuckled. “How diplomatic, my love.” Her fingers were entangled in paper chains that the pups in the play centre had coloured with daisies and… possibly bright yellow bogies.

Alpha Calvin raised a gold banner, curved it into the air and lined it up with Georgie’s hair like a crown. “Shall we call you the Golden Girl for the day?” The structural integrity soon gave way and the paper pieces fell from his hands.

Georgie shook her head with a smile. “No, thank you, Alpha. I’ve had quite enough of the attention already.”

“And you’re not even an alpha mate, yet,” Lara reminded her. “You’re blessed to have this preview.”

“Blessed that Casey couldn’t keep a secret if it threatened to kill him,” Georgie corrected. Not that she would have preferred they kept it a secret. It had been nice to be welcomed even deeper into his family than before, to prepare herself for their lives together, and to have the alpha and his mate throw her such a big party for her own mate maturity. The whole pack was invited. It was almost more of a pack party than a birthday party, a celebration for everyone that their next generation’s alpha had found his mate.

Casey’s parents shared a laugh at the memory of their son’s immediate exclamation. They had been thrilled at the reveal, as had Georgie’s parents. They’d all grown up together – what could make a better match? If only Cove could be so lucky, Lara had lamented at the time.

“It’s getting late,” the twins’ mother hinted softly. “I think Georgie should enjoy her last evening while us mature folk finish the decorating.”

No one disagreed with the alpha mate, although only Alpha Calvin had the right to even try to anyway. Georgie’s bashful slinking from the room was followed by the adults’ laughs. Once out of sight she upgraded to a dash.

“You’re running the wrong way!” Casey snatched her up from behind and swung her by the armpits for a circle and a half. “I’m right here, my mate!”

“You should be waiting in bed for me with the covers pulled back a bit!” Georgie demanded through her dizzy giggle.

Casey smooched around the edges of her face until she turned to face him. Then he kissed her hard, walking her back into the wall behind, long fingers finding their way under her top. He broke the kiss only to rub his neck into hers, spreading his scent liberally.

“I thought you’d at least wait till morning,” Georgie laughed, muffled by his shoulder. He’d got his unique brand on her plenty of times before, not so sloppily. A few strokes now and she stank.

“This isn’t the half of what I’m gonna give you in the countdown to midnight.”

“Then please get us somewhere more private,” Georgie begged, dopey grin still in place. Tonight was the night and she wanted to be tucked up in her mate’s bed! Almost-mate. In just six hours he would be.

“You left your stuff up there already?”

“Yup.” An old t-shirt of Casey’s to wear as pjs, toothbrush, fresh undies, all the good stuff.

“Then hold on!” Lifting her by the backs of her thighs, Casey hiked her up his body. Georgie wrapped her arms around his neck and clung on when he ran through the building and up the stairs, all the way to the twins’ suite.

They tumbled inside, giggling into each other’s mouths. Casey’s bed was further from the door and he carried her straight past Cove’s (with the man himself draped over it) and dumped her onto his duvet with their tongues still locked. Casey did have the manners to pry free one arm to wave a brief greeting to Cove. Georgie couldn’t do the same, she was utterly squashed under what felt like a half-tonne of alpha.

She wriggled and giggled until a growl against the corner of her mouth stilled her. A shock of arousal flooding her. She hadn’t reached the age for this yet! So close, but not yet!

“Lemmeup!” Georgie garbled.

Casey backed up, letting her sit upright with great reluctance.

She pushed him a little further. “I need to freshen up.”

“I disagree.”

She ignored him and slid off the end of the bed, snatching her bag from the floor. The little bathroom attached to their bedroom had a shower but she opted for a sink wash. As much as she wanted to be immaculate for the special night… she was also eager to lie down and close her eyes and hurry along the morning. This must be how humans felt on Christmas Eve.

Georgie returned, a little cleaner and dressed only in Casey’s t-shirt that fell to the tops of her knees plus the necklace he’d given her. She pretended it was a nightdress, an old-timey one that hung off her like she was a doll. She hoped she looked more cute than creepy to Casey. He watched her approach from his bed, already in his own pajamas.

Cove was a dark force on the opposite side of the room. He glowered at the book gripped between his hands. There was no way to turn the page when he was squeezing it so hard. Still, Georgie smiled at him as she passed. It wasn’t returned. As expected. It hurt. As expected.

“Get in,” Casey chuckled, holding back the covers. Georgie dove under. The toasted scent of her favourite alpha surrounded her until her head popped up to the pillows. Casey awaited her there, his own head propped on his elbow. He kissed her crown, then smushed his cheek along hers with more overt scent-marking that, with Cove so close by, was a little mortifying. Under the blankets, his hands were cupping her throat, stroking her underarms, rubbing her belly, coating her. Georgie squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed the whiny noises that were trembling in her chest.

“Cut it out,” Cove growled. Georgie’s eyes startled open.

Casey didn’t stop. His fingers traced Georgie’s creases down and down until he was at her groin. He wasn’t allowed beyond that… Still, the tingles his touch brought on snuck deeper between her legs. “I want my mate to wake up mature and scent-marked.”

“And I was promised no sex in here tonight.”

“It’s not-”

“Where are your hands?”

The red hands retracted. Georgie didn’t need to look back to know Casey’s smile would be sheepish beside her. He waved them in the air for a moment, proving his innocence at least for now.

Cove tossed his book to his night stand and smacked the switch on the wall between their beds. “Go the fuck to sleep.”

With a sigh, Casey curled around Georgie’s back. “I guess that’s good night, my mate.”

“Good night,” Georgie whispered. “And to you too, Cove.”

Cove made no noise in response. Casey nuzzled the back of her neck comfortingly with his nose and settled for sleep. Georgie followed. The sooner she drifted off, the sooner her mate maturity would arrive.

Before she closed her eyes for the last time as a girl, she was certain she saw Cove watching her through the darkness. Grim-faced. How she missed his happiness...