The following morning the announcement was made to the pack as a whole that there had been mountain clan sightings, that everyone should be on alert for anything amiss, that the alpha and the guard teams had this all under control. Looking over the pack, its future guardians were stoic. Georgie caught Casey’s eye and smiled her silent encouragement. He returned a grin and their audience softened. Who could worry when there were three alphas facing them with confidence? Well, Cove was unshaken in appearance, that was good enough.

Wolves meandered from the room, gossiping and speculating, and Georgie and the alphas watched them leave with their assurances. Only once the last had left did they vacate the stage.

“I want you both working closely with the guards, together they make up our first and last line of defence.”

“Yes, Alpha,” the twins chimed together.

“And any of those little slip-aways you like to do with Georgie, you keep your eyes on the mountains.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“And Georgie?”

Georgie started. “Y-yes, Alpha?”

“You be extra careful. While I still don’t think the issue is as dire as Wild Mew would like me to believe, it never serves to let your defences down.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“Why would Wild Mew exaggerate something like this?” Cove questioned.

“They want our reinforcement. Or, more exactly, they want us to declare ourselves as their reinforcements so they look like they have a much larger force at their disposal.”

Casey asked, “What if the mountain clans really are harassing them?”

“Then, we help our neighbours.”

The boys mumbled a chorus of, “Yes, Alpha.” They didn’t check each other’s faces but Georgie could sense they wanted to. Looking to their brother for their reaction was instinct.

“I won’t get in your way,” Georgie hinted, stepping away from the trio. “Let me know if there’s any need for recon out there, though.” She grinned at Alpha Calvin. “I’d love to do my part for the pack!” The alpha chortled and moved to ruffle her hair before thinking better of the action. She was a woman now, and her mate would not appreciate such gestures. Still, she couldn’t think of herself as an adult the way Lara or her parents were… she and the twins were in some in-between space still. Figuring it all out.

Casey caught Georgie by the waist before she could leave them to it. “What will you do today?” he asked poutily.

“I was going to take a walk in the forest, do some journaling… then Lara invited me to join her in the library to help a group that Missie formed to mend items and offer them to others.” Goddess forbid anything ever got thrown away, ever. Georgie wasn’t particularly handy, unless it was for wilderness wandering, so she expected to be darning a whole lot of socks.

“Bring back something for the suite,” he said softly.

Georgie laughed, “I’m not sure you want anything I’ve tried to fix!”

“I heard most of the junk they get just needs a good scrub.” A rare, grunted, comment from Cove.

“Yeah, give it some elbow grease, Georgie,” Casey teased, his grin wolfish.

“I would honestly prefer that to being trusted with any kind of needle or nail.” She backed away, taking her humble leave.

Casey chased her for the first two steps to kiss the crown of her head in between his farewell words. “Enjoy the walk. Howl if you see anything amiss. Don’t glue your fingers together. Love you. Bye.”

She finally escaped his pecking and ran out the door, giggling and waving behind her at Cove and Alpha Calvin.

With her journal and her crayons, and tea supplies in a bag tied around her waist, she plodded past the boundary line. She was going off the beaten track somewhat, and the trees were much more grabby. Twigs tacked to her clothes as she ploughed on, determined to stay on two feet. She’d only managed to take two rubbings when one snagged her top before she could slow. Georgie pouted at the rip in her sleeve. At least she knew where she could get help mending it later today…

She moved to continue, only, she had a sense that someone was watching her. Without her own lumbering noises, she focused on all she could hear around her. A branch snapped and she spun. Metres from her, her mate trekked through the undergrowth.

“We have perfectly good paths, you know,” Cove grumbled.

“I wanted to explore.” Georgie tucked away her supplies. “Get some rubbings from trees I might not have met before.” Turning her wrist, she evaluated the tear. “I don’t think the trees here like me, though...”

Cove sighed and thrust his hand beneath her nose. “I’ll sew it up, hand it over.”

Without considering the consequences, Georgie yanked her top off by the bottom hem and gave it to him. Cove’s lecherous look had her scrabbling to cover back up. All she had were her hands, she wrapped them over her chest and scowled.

“I’ve seen them plenty of times, my little half-twin.”

“It’s not about you seeing them, it’s about how I feel when you look at them.”

Cove’s cocked brow and sly smile proved her point immediately. Her nipples pinched and puckered beneath her wrists. Touch them, pull them, suckle on them.

He ignored her pathetic lust, and that was exactly why she didn’t like to put herself in these positions. She was the one who was unable to hide her arousal. The tin in his pocket held a number of survivalist items that he kept ready for any of their many minor disasters out in the woods. From it he plucked a needle and thread and took to stitching together the two sides of the tear.

“Thank you,” Georgie mumbled.

“Don’t thank me yet, you haven’t seen how crappy it’s going to turn out.”

“You can’t make it any worse…” She trailed her boot toe through the dirt, scuffing up the leaves into lines.

“You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

“Yes, I do.” The energy between them was suddenly charged. It wasn’t intentional, and she blinked above the blush at her own accidental innuendo. Her nipples ached. “I mean-”

He shrugged her words off, turning his attention back to the sealing magic his sewing was working. “I know.”

Goosebumps prickled up under her fingers, reminding her of the chill in the air. She pretended not to notice. If she was that cold she could shift, but she didn’t want to. It was hard to sketch without thumbs…

“There you go.” If only the tree had snagged it deeper… “And where’s your jacket?”

Georgie blinked stupidly. “Don’t have one.” She was a wolf, she didn’t need a jacket.

“Take this, I have to head back anyway.”

Reflexively, she opened her mouth to refuse. Then… she wondered why. Cove was just as much her mate as Casey, and if anyone asked it was easy to believe his brother would be looking out for his mate. What kind sibling wouldn’t? She put out her palms and toppled forward a little when his hoodie flopped upon them.

“You won’t stay for tea? I don’t mind sharing.”

It wasn’t intended as a dig, but she realised immediately that even saying ‘the s word’ had agitated him. He turned away, no goodbye, and stalked back through the trees.

―

Allowing Lara’s naturally nurturing nature to soother her, Georgie attempted to settle into the tasks at hand. It almost drew her into a new melancholy – wonderings of when was the last time she sat beside her own parents and took part in a family activity. She hadn’t officially moved out, and they weren’t pressuring her towards taking herself to Casey’s suite permanently yet. There were no nights she could remember that she hadn’t slept over with him recently, now that she thought about it… Maybe they would if she offered them more than a passing few minutes of her time. Perhaps she could admit she feared what they had to say if they caught her. Mostly a fear of being questioned over the expected mate ceremony. She glanced at Lara’s kindly face and wondered if she had bumped into her mother at the temple recently; if they had discussed dates or lamented the lack of gumption their children were showing to get tied together under the Goddess’ gaze.

“What do you think of this jumper for Casey?”

Georgie tilted her head, sizing up the woolly item. “It might just fit him. Does he need more clothes, though?”

“Well, he must not have enough to share with you, hm?”

“Oh!” Georgie awkwardly laughed and stammered through her explanation, “I was out on a walk in the woods and ripped my top and Cove saw me and offered his hoodie because it’s cold and-”

“Georgie,” Lara chuckled. “I’m only teasing you.”

Georgie blew out a long breath through pursed lips. “Please don’t, my stress levels can’t handle any more.”

Lara’s look was curious now, but she said nothing more, returning to her felting. Georgie cleaned the crevasses of old toys and tested plastic wheels and hoped the rest of the room ignored her.