True mates Book Two of Ozark Wolves

William rolled to his side for the hundredth time. Rick was not even in bed. Had gone to the couch to do notes on his sessions earlier. Quincy had given up an hour ago on sleep and was running numbers for the pack accounts. Catching up anything he may have missed in the last few days.

He and Rick both had one earbud in. Keeping an ear out for Alexandria. So far no nightmare. The music really seemed to help. This brought a pleased smile to William's face. "We need to sleep, brothers." William commented. The other two looked at him like he was nuts.

"Yeah, and how?" They asked.

"The lights from your electronics are shining on the ceiling in my room. What is the deal?" Alexandria asked from the top of the stairs. "It's three a.m. Don't you sleep?"

"Sorry," Rick and Quincy saved what they were doing and shut down their systems.

"Just catching up on some work, love." Rick said sheepishly. Hot damn. Her hair was messed up from her sleep and the shoulder of her shirt hung just a little too low. He had to stifle a groan.

"I respect that but seriously. You should be as exhausted as I am." She said gently. "What is the deal?" she repeated. She knew that William was a light sleeper and Rick snored which normally kept Quincy awake but this was ridiculous. They were not even attempting, well okay William was, but the other two.

The three looked at each other and Rick blushed. Quincy looked quite uncomfortable. She could not see William past the top of the stairs since she was standing on the landing to her room. She threw her hands in the air. "Fine. I am cold anyway." Which wasn't a lie. She had been shivering for some reason in her bed. And realized she missed the warmth of them. Those five hours of not having them close had really screwed with her body and head. She had woken up shivering. She turned and marched back to her bed. Crawling under the covers.

The brothers shared a look of disbelief then scrambled from their places to the stairs. William in the lead since he was closest. Pulling on a pair of sweatpants he kept for the colder winter months. He replaced her pillow with his stomach stretching width wise across the bed. Quincy and Rick took her left and right. She had still been cold and shivering until that point. There was a contented male sigh that escaped the three and she immediately warmed and relaxed. William's hand started playing with her hair in soft caresses. Rick and Quincy were caressing her arms, avoiding the small cuts from the ritual. She fell into a blissful, dreamless sleep. The brothers joined her listening to the soft lullaby of her breaths.

A hard knock on the door downstairs woke them all. Rick and Quincy rolled off the bed landing on all fours this time. Springing to their feet. Alexandria was already sitting up and William was following his brothers down the stairs. "Hey, you awake in there. Got a special delivery." Ford called through the door. The brothers immediately relaxed and slowed their movements. Dropping their knives on their beds. Alexandria and rolled off the bed pulling on pants.

"Hey, Ford give us a second. You woke us up." William called below. Then up the stairs. "Go and get dressed, sugar." Alexandria grabbed her clothes and beelined for her bathroom. Not wanting to be seen in just the night shirt by unfamiliar men. William, Quincy and Rick were all dressed in record time. William opened the door for the government agents. Ford and Carter were their assigned names. What their real names were was anyone's guess.

"Your mother had mentioned a party last night. The adoption of Alexandria. That is wonderful news." Ford said. The man was getting old. He had started this particular assignment twenty-five years ago. Had been in close contact with Marcus and Margarette for twenty-three. He had been thirty. His balding hair then was almost gone. He now wore reading glasses and his eyes were duller. Carter had been twenty-five when he had been given Ford as his partner. Time had been a little kinder to him. Though he had put on a few pounds over the years. He blamed it on the junk food that they ate on the road.

"Yes, it was quite a night." Quincy replied. "Come on in. How long have you been here then?"

"Since seven. Your mother plowed us with pancakes and sausage. Asking us to give you all a little more time to rest." Carter responded. "She makes the best pancakes."

"That she does." Rick laughed. "Then you don't need any coffee while you wait for Alexandria to get dressed?"

"No thank you." The two said in unison and took up seats on the couch. The men small talked about how things were going at the office at least what the agents could say.

"Good morning." Alexandria said shyly as she left the bathroom. Hair dripping from a shower. "I needed a shower I apologize for keeping you waiting."

William approached the bottom of the stairs with a cup of fresh coffee for her in his hand. He kissed her forehead as she took it from him with one hand touching his cheek affectionately with the other. "Thank you."

"Good morning, Alexandria." Ford and Carter stood at her approach. "I am Ford. This here is my partner Carter. We are part of a special force for the packs in the USA."

Alexandria looked to the brothers. The government knew of their existence? She had been told that the government experimented on their kind. Hence the need for the facilities. "I am confused." Alexandria replied softly.

"We pay taxes, love." Rick explained. "We do not hide that we exist. Just keep living like productive members of society. This particular branch was put together during our parents' childhoods. For cases like yours. They know about Malcolm and the things he is doing but cannot touch him or find him. He changes facilities every ten years."

"I cannot help you." Alexandria responded defensively stepping back from them.

"We are not here for that, Alexandria." Ford assured her quickly. "We figured that out early on. We are here with identification for you."

"Yes." Ford said holding out the manilla envelope he had in his hand. "Congratulations on the adoption by the way. This makes us at the office happy. We do not like the idea of losing any of you in the cracks."

"Why?" Alexandria asked still uncertain taking the envelope from Ford.

"It is hard to see people who we could have helped end up dead because they did not want to trust us." Carter said sadly. Alexandria looked at him perplexed. "Yes you are nothing but people to us." Carter smiled. "Skud is dead by the way. He somehow managed to find his way to Kansas City. We are not sure what happened there. Gotta go and check it out."

"Damn. I did not like the guy but he was no issue in town. Kept to himself doing odd jobs to survive. Dad offered him a job a few times but Skud refused each time. Dad finally stopped asking." William said regretfully. The other two brothers nodded their heads.

Alexandria felt light headed. Rick grabbed her just above her elbow. "Come one, love," he escorted her to the couch so she could sit.

"There were questions I still wanted to ask him." Alexandria said.

"I know, honey." Quincy said gently as he joined her and Rick on the couch. Each with an arm around her shoulders and a hand on each of hers.

"Do you want any information we get?" Ford asked confused.

"No." Alexandria replied. "He ran away so he did not have to answer for his lies." Ford and Carter nodded and headed to the door. William following behind them.

"We are sorry if this upset her. We didn't know." Carter said in low tones. William nodded.

"Any information would be appreciated. Just in case. I do not think it had anything to do with her. But we would rather be in the know." William replied back. The agents nodded and left.

"Why would that have anything to do with me?" Alexandria asked cautiously.

"I do not think it does." William assured her as he approached her still on the couch with Rick and Quincy. He sat on the coffee table across from her. "But he lied to you. Which means that he did know something about you. I had known he had left town but he does that on occasion. Going to the smaller surrounding towns for odd jobs. I did not know he had made it to Kansas City."

"What does Kansas City have to do with down here?" Alexandria asked. Meeting William's concerned eyes.

"That is why I asked for the information. I do not know. There is a small pack up there but they are like the Amish. Off the grid for the most part. They attend the meetings and have a member on the Main Council like we all do." William answered. Concern for her in his and the other brothers eyes.

"Open the envelope, love." Rick said caressing her hair with his index finger of the arm around her shoulders. "Let's see what they brought you." Wanting to get her mind off Skud and his demise. That shit was of no concern to her. She did as he said. Pouring the contents into her lap. A birth certificate, social security card, passport, and driver's license spilled onto her lap. She looked at the birth certificate.

"They just copied what was on the one Malcolm had given you. But this one is official as opposed to the other which was not. There is a specific watermark that is on all government documents nowadays." Quincy explained as she looked over the names. Quentin's name was not on her birth certificate. Michael was the name for the father. Rebecca was for her mother.

"Your adoption into the pack does not change these documents. That is more for pack records and is shared with no one but the council members." William explained.

"Did Andrea have to be adopted?" Alexandria asked.

"Yep. Joseph and Laura are her adopted parents." Rick said with a smile. He removed his arm and patted her hand. "We have plans today that does not involve dwelling on things that cannot be changed. You still need a swimsuit and really need those damn pajamas." Alexandria smiled.

"You really do not like the shirt?" She asked teasingly.

"Nope. You need something with pants." The brothers groaned. And stood to collect their shoes, wallets and knives while she ran up to grab her shoes. She slid the birth certificate into a drawer in the desk. She was wearing the summer dress that Rick had bought her so she grabbed the sandals she had purchased with Quincy. Remembering that she now had a purse to put her license and social security card.

She met them at the door and they all filed out of the house. They went around the house and to a second garage. "Truck?" William asked.

"Yep." The other two said. In the garage were three more vehicles under tarps. William and Quincy pulled the tarp off the biggest one. A huge black Ford F250 Super Duty hauler with dual wheels on the rear. It was also an extended cab. Rick opened the passenger side for her while William and Quincy did rock, paper, scissors for the keys. William won. Quincy groaned and crawled into the back behind him.

"Why did you not play?" Alexandria asked Rick as he climbed in behind her.

"Because driving means I cannot sit here and play with your hair, love." Rick said as he ran his fingers through her soft tresses.

William started the huge engine. It roared to life with a throaty growl. It almost sounded like William when he was upset. She smiled. William turned so he could use the back window to reverse the truck out of garage and caught her imp of a smile. "What?"

"Your truck sounds like you." She giggled. "That growl you do when you get frustrated."

"She has a point." Quincy put in. William shot him a disconcerted look.

"Yep," Rick agreed. His fingers still playing in Alexandria's hair. Quincy had grabbed her left hand and pulled it to him. Resting it on his leg. Once they hit the highway going in the opposite direction of Springfield toward Branson William put his right hand on her seat next to her leg. Not sure if she would allow that. He glanced at her and she took her right hand and put his hand on her leg. Patting it. He grinned and relaxed back for the twenty minute trip the first Walmart in Branson. They would need to grab food there too.

Rick glanced at his watch as he ran his fingers through Alexandria's hair. "Brothers it is eleven. Did anyone notice if John's truck was still at the lands?"

"No," the other two groaned.

"Quincy hand your phone to Alexandria with John's number pulled up. She can let him know we will be late." Rick ordered.

"Why mine?" Quimcy asked with indignation in his voice.

"Because Will is driving and my hands are busy." Rick replied shooting a grin to his brother.

Quincy rolled his eyes and handed the phone to Alexandria. "Just explain about Ford and Carter. Not that we overslept." Quincy cautioned. She gave a questioning look and took the phone.

"Good morning, daughter. We know. Saw Ford and Carter. Tell them thrity extra minutes." John said with a chuckle in his voice. "And sunscreen they tan after they turn into boiled lobsters."

"Thank you, Father." Alexandria said a bit of a thrill running through her. "See you at twelve thirty."

She hung up and grinned. "Don't forget sunscreen." She handed the phone back to Quincy. "Why did I have to make that call?"

"Your his daughter. He will be more understanding than with us. It's only natural." William replied. "Different set of standards. Females are held to a different one than males."

"Especially us." Rick put in. "Alphas and mates to his daughter are a totally different ballgame. I don't feel energetic enough to do fifty push ups before we even hit the water."

"Amen." The two agreed.

"Divide and conquer." William suggested.

Quncy and Rick exchanged a glance. "It is your turn. Send us pics. I will get food." Quincy sat back folding his massive arms across his puffed out chest. William grinned and glanced at his brother with a wink in the rearview mirror.

Rick rolled his eyes. "I will get the ice chest, fishing gear and suncsreen that is all on the other side. We will meet at the fitting rooms." Then grinned at Quincy. "Bet you a hundred I am done and waiting before she even gets out of the fitting room with the first suit."

"Two says I get there first." Quincy countered.

"Done." Rick agreed. It was William's turn to roll his eyes.

Alexandria was enjoying the banter. T