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

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

“Are you crying?” Cove hissed behind him.

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

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

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

“It’s been at least two hours since the sun came up,” Cove murmured. Outing himself 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 his weariness.

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

Georgie rubbed his eyes with his fists and whimpered. Both alphas’ bodies twitched beside him. He 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 his sweaty bangs off his forehead and cooed, “I’ll make you up a nice nap spot outside.” The drag of his fingers was soothing, despite them being as warm as he was. “Blankets and pillows and a nice, cold drink…”

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

“I think…” The pause had Georgie peeking up to check on him. He 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 he answered. “We can’t go back to the pack like this.”

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

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

“Why?” Georgie giggled.

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

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

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

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

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

Georgie smiled, ignoring his own blush, and plodded down the hill, wobbly on weary legs, with his limited toiletries. At the edge of the water he flopped onto his butt, nightshirt flaring around him. Everything felt like ever so much effort. He tilted his head back and enjoyed the sunshine on his face and the chilly air on his bare arms. Refreshed, slightly, he brought his 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 him when only his feet had been washed. Georgie twisted at the waist and found Cove, covered only by night shorts, padding to the water. He followed him with his eyes until he was far enough out to be swimming laps. The muscles of his upper back roiled as he powered back and forth as though if he swam fast enough it would wash everything away. Georgie forced his gaze from him… soon enough. The lake seemed to go on forever ahead of them, but he and Casey had once made it to the end. The mountain tops in the distance brought him back to Lara’s words… to the possibility of mountain clans dwelling in the cracks and crevasses.

He finished up washing himself, leaving his hair and skin damp, and returned to Casey and the blob of bedding he was moulding for him. He flopped atop it face-down and groaned. Already the chill was setting in between the autumn air and his mini nightshirt. Casey was attending to the problem as quickly as Georgie’s body could acknowledge it. He stroked away water droplets with the corner of a fluffy blanket and then folded a dry one over him, he left his side only to top up the fire, and then crouched by his head for nuzzling kisses that transferred his 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, he rejoined them suspiciously speedily. Casey didn’t complain; his face told Georgie enough: he wasn’t best pleased.

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

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

“We need agreements,” Cove announced. He 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, his blinks feeling far too heavy.

“No fighting between us.” Casey wasn’t insinuating Georgie needed this rule, his 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. He knew Casey was right, he just didn’t like it. Casey let him sit with it as long as he needed. Finally, with a huff and a lean back, he 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 him into a stretch that tilted his head out of the nest. “No fighting and no telling.”

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

“Sleep well.” A kiss to his forehead.

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

Georgie fell asleep with his pout still upon his mouth.