Neither alpha would give in and get up for the day, and Georgie could sense they were both as awake and exhausted as she was. On her side, she faced Casey. At her back, she could feel the heat of Cove’s glowering without needing to see her doing it.

Cracking an eye, she found Casey squinting at her, as though she intended to quickly pretend she was still asleep if Georgie caught her. Only, she did, and she didn’t. Casey’s smile was sad, cheek smushed into pillow and brows crumpled. The idea that she was even still trying to reassure her with her good nature scalded her heart. She tried to smile back and her lips wobbled, she sucked them into her mouth, sniffed, and tried again.

“Are you crying?” Cove hissed behind her.

Georgie swung a cold look over her shoulder. “You got a problem with that?” she croaked.

“Leave her alone, Cove,” Casey grumbled, propping her head up on her hand and squeezing her eyes closed for a moment. They were dark underneath, and the whites bloodshot when they opened again.

Georgie rolled to her back, squishing herself up against them both, refusing to reduce the space she took up. She had every right to touch them. The contact tingled. “What time is it?” she asked the tent’s top.

“It’s been at least two hours since the sun came up,” Cove murmured. Outing herself for being awake the entire time between.

“So… nineish?”

Casey yawned instead of agreeing.

“Don’t you two need to head back for work with your dad?”

“I’m not leaving,” Casey huffed, suddenly recovering from her weariness.

Cove was just as quick to add, “If she’s not leaving then I’m not leaving.”

Georgie rubbed her eyes with her fists and whimpered. Both alphas’ bodies twitched beside her. She pretended not to notice. “I’m so sleepy but it’s already getting too hot in here…” And rich with the scent of alpha. Overpowering, almost.

Casey stroked her sweaty bangs off her forehead and cooed, “I’ll make you up a nice nap spot outside.” The drag of her fingers was soothing, despite them being as warm as she was. “Blankets and pillows and a nice, cold drink…”

Georgie’s eyelids fluttered closed, enjoying the idea of her plans before they had even arrived. “When do we have to head home?”

“I think…” The pause had Georgie peeking up to check on her. She was looking to Cove, uncertain. “I think with what we’re dealing with we can justify staying out here as long as we need.”

Cove took a few long, uncomfortable moments before she answered. “We can’t go back to the pack like this.”

“Okay…” Georgie scrunched her knees to her chest and let her hips stretch, rocking side to side. “I’ll follow your lead then, alphas.”

Casey shot up. “Stop that,” she laughed painfully, climbing free of the tent in the hurry of a woman who had to pee.

“Why?” Georgie giggled.

Cove sighed and followed her, climbing out less clumsily. “You can’t be saying things like that to alphas unless you want to get stuffed full of knot,” she said under her breath. She left the tent flaps un-toggled behind her.

Georgie remained in the tent, cuddling her knees, flushed from the weather and her embarrassment. She was tempted to shout after her that that was exactly what she wanted. It probably wouldn’t help the current awkwardness. And… might start another fight. She still hadn’t taken one… and she hadn’t mated with Cove at all. She lay there a little longer, wondering when she would. Her imagination perhaps running a little… wild. A light breeze shuffled the entrance, summoning her to it. She leant her head out and sighed.

“Let me bring all of that out here,” Casey said, encouraging her all the way out with an offered hand. Georgie laid hers over it and let her lift her from the ground.

“M’kay. I might go wash up…” She looked to Cove; perhaps she would offer to accompany her. Cove eyed her with a dark expression. Hopefully she was just tired and not furious with her… Georgie wasn’t picking up any special sense from her, but she hadn’t worked out a grip on it just yet… “Can you pass me-”

Casey was already on it, handing her the flat, zip-up pouch from her pack beside her. “I’ll have your nest ready when you get back.”

She smiled, ignoring her own blush, and plodded down the hill, wobbly on weary legs, with her limited toiletries. At the edge of the water she flopped onto her butt, nightdress flaring around her. Everything felt like ever so much effort. She tilted her head back and enjoyed the sunshine on her face and the chilly air on her bare arms. Refreshed, slightly, she brought her gaze back down. Pinkish shell-like shards littered the bank. Georgie picked at the pebbly sand, seeking a perfect piece. A whole one, maybe. Trinket-worthy.

The crack of a branch snapping underfoot startled her when only her feet had been washed. Georgie twisted at the waist and found Cove, covered only by night shorts, padding to the water. She followed her with her eyes until she was far enough out to be swimming laps. The muscles of her upper back roiled as she powered back and forth as though if she swam fast enough it would wash everything away. Georgie forced her gaze from her… soon enough. The lake seemed to go on forever ahead of them, but she and Casey had once made it to the end. The mountain tops in the distance brought her back to Lara’s words… to the possibility of mountain clans dwelling in the cracks and crevasses.

She finished up washing herself, leaving her hair and skin damp, and returned to Casey and the blob of bedding she was moulding for her. She flopped atop it face-down and groaned. Already the chill was setting in between the autumn air and her mini nightshirt. Casey was attending to the problem as quickly as Georgie’s body could acknowledge it. She stroked away water droplets with the corner of a fluffy blanket and then folded a dry one over her, she left her side only to top up the fire, and then crouched by her head for nuzzling kisses that transferred her intense body heat in affectionate bursts. It had to be an alpha thing, Georgie reasoned, because Cove too carried an internal campfire.

Speaking of Cove, she rejoined them suspiciously speedily. Casey didn’t complain; her face told Georgie enough: she wasn’t best pleased.

Georgie rolled to her side, rubbing her face into the softness. “So… how do we go back to the pack like this?” she asked, repeating Cove’s earlier admission.

Casey dropped to her butt beside her, letting her knee rest against her nest. “A good night’s sleep would have helped.” She scrubbed her brows with the heels of her hands and yawned, showing off pearlescent canines. Georgie restrained herself from trying to prick her finger on them.

“We need agreements,” Cove announced. She sat on the log on the opposite side of the fire, watching them through it guardedly. “For one, we don’t fucking tell anyone.”

Casey sighed. “Agreed.”

Georgie nodded, her blinks feeling far too heavy.

“No fighting between us.” Casey wasn’t insinuating Georgie needed this rule, her stare was locked to Cove. “This is a tough enough position for us to be in, and I’ll have some words for the Goddess under my breath the next time I’m at the temple, but we can only make it worse by fighting each other.”

There was a strained pause in which Cove looked everywhere but at Georgie. She knew Casey was right, she just didn’t like it. Casey let her sit with it as long as she needed. Finally, with a huff and a lean back, she said, “Yeah.” It felt triumphant to Georgie.

“Anything else?”

The twins sat, and Georgie lounged, in silence.

“I guess not,” Georgie said before an enormous yawn that drew her into a stretch that tilted her head out of the nest. “No fighting and no telling.”

Despite the nods of agreement, neither alpha relaxed or fell back into their old sisterly sass. Georgie hadn’t the energy left to attempt to encourage it. She let her stinging eyes shut and wriggled and scrunched until she was perfectly comfy and warm in her mate-made nest. “’m gonna nap.”

“Sleep well.” A kiss to her forehead.

“Don’t snore and scare away our lunch,” grumbled Cove.

Georgie fell asleep with her pout still upon her mouth.