True mates Book Two of Ozark Wolves

She was on the verge of tears. Was this is it then? She had to get away from him. To think. His intense gaze was drilling a hole into her. Seeing what was really there. A scared orphan with no where else to go. A frightened child wanting to be protected for the first time in her life. She reached for a rag on the back of the counter. "How do you know them?" She asked softly.

"Our parents tell it to us when we are in our teen years." Quincy answered. "Breathe, honey. You have much to learn." He shot William a warning, "You are going to set us back six steps if you are not careful, brother."

William sighed. "I would rather us not be used for comfort and protection." He stepped to the side to allow her to pass with her rag. "We have grown to care for her. I for one, would like to know the feeling is mutual."

"We would too." Rick replied. "But that will take time." Then added. "She knows nothing of the traditions of the wolf. Nothing of the prayers, rituals, or rites. Hell she doesn't even know the thankful prayer we recite at supper."

"Not only that but to force her to say the words now would put the council on the path to getting the ritual done in four weeks. They would not want to wait." Quincy added. "Are you that prepared to go through that?" He shook his head. "Because I am not."

"What ritual?" Alexandria asked.

"Kind of like a wedding." Rick replied. "Dad did exchange rings with Mom. But she was working with the humans at the time. He wanted a symbol they would understand marking her as his." Then he looked to William pointedly. "See what we are saying? She does not know anything. And you are putting her on the spot. Be happy with the choice no matter the motivations and move on."

"Once she is adopted. The parents can teach her the rites and rituals." Quincy added.

"Would I have to leave here?" She asked curiously from the dining room. She had made it halfway around the table. William had put the pan in the dishwasher and started it then grabbed a fresh rag to wipe down the counters and the microwave. He stopped in mid swipe of the counter.

"No. Your nightmares are not conducive to you living elsewhere." Rick replied. "We would expect you to spend as much as possible learning from your adoptive mother and father though."

"Why can't you teach me?" She asked trying to understand their point.

"Because that is called grooming." Rick replied shaking his head with disgust. "Not my kink thanks."

"Rick has a point. Teaching to you to swim or to fish is one thing." Quincy replied. "Teaching you what you should already know is different. A mother teaches her daughter."

Alexandria nodded and continued to wipe down the table. She and her wolf contemplating what they were saying. She did not blame William for not wanting to be used. That is cruel. She did not understand what Rick and Quincy were on about though. Grooming? She had been groomed her whole life. What difference did it make with this?

They were attracted to her. She wanted them despite her fear. Despite her not wanting to be hurt physically anymore. Their touch though. It was so gentle. Again she thought about everything that had come out as a lie. The beating and torment she had gone through could have just been a way to keep her from losing her focus. To keep her afraid of the three males.

A hand covered hers gently on the table. A body was close to hers. William. "I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings." He said behind her. His other hand gently caressed her bare arm. She had to concentrate to keep from pulling away. William. She kept repeating in her mind. It's William.

"You didn't." She said softly. "Quincy is onto something though. Are you really ready to be mated? To go through whatever the ritual is?" She asked. She had not thought of that. Had not even taken into consideration that the three had literally just begun their lives as adults. She had been responsible for so much since somewhere around twelve.

"There are two reasons my brothers and I have not tried to persuade you to share that bed upstairs. One of them is that you need to be comfortable with us. The second is that those words must be said." William confessed. "I will not lie and tell you otherwise. Neither will they." He turned her to look up into his eyes. Her breath caught at the intensity of his emotions in his eyes. "Moving you to another house would be like severing a limb. But keeping you here is torture of the sweetest kind." His voice had dropped a notch. The need and want in his eyes made her knees weak. Her head light with the sudden rush of her blood.

"It is, brother," Rick agreed from the hall to the kitchen and living room. "Are you done yet, love?" He asked Alexandria. She looked down at the the table. She had made her way around it. Had been so lost in her thoughts that she had completed the task and had actually started another round of it. She smiled sheepishly at Rick and nodded. Not trusting her voice. "Come along then," Rick turned on his heel and headed back to the living room.

"By fall we will be ready." William said. He lifted his hand from hers and backed a step away from her. Though the loss of contact with her left him feeling cold. "Hopefully you will too." He bent and kissed her forehead softly. Inhaling the scent of her hair. "You smell delicious."

"William." Quincy called with a chuckle in his voice. "Give her space to breathe. Her heart is going to explode."

The feel of his lips on her forehead had been delightful. Her heart had skipped a beat. She wanted to raise her face enough to catch his lips with hers. To feel a kiss. A true kiss. Instead she held herself as steady as she could. Wishing for him to break the spell he was weaving. But also wanting him to pull her under so far she would never be able to find her way back out. He reached slowly for the rag in her hand. "Go to Rick. He is being impatient." He smiled slightly at the look in her dark green eyes. She was wanting more. Wanting to explore. Her eyes said it all. She wanted them. She looked away first and stepped around the table to the hall that Rick had retreated down.

She joined Rick on the couch. Her new laptop and IPOD with stickers were on the coffee table in front of him. "I will show you how these work and then you can decorate how you wish." He said. His own laptop on his legs. He walked her through step by step on how to access the browser and writing programs. He boasted proudly that he had been able to design and put in place sixteen firewalls to protect the residents and businesses of the town. He showed her how to access the Missouri High School Equivalency website so she could sign up and begin classes. "Your new papers make you legit should be here either tomorrow or Tuesday." Rick explained. "But feel free to get used to the site and how it works."

"You were serious then?" She asked trying to understand. They wanted her to get an education. To be more.

"Of course." The three said in unison. Rick picked up his own laptop while she toyed with hers for a few minutes. Then kissed her cheek and got up from the couch.

"I have a client meeting in five. Have fun, love." He nodded to his brothers."Those two knuckleheads can help you with the basic questions. I will be done in an hour." He wandered off out the front door to the porch.

"Overachiever," Quincy smiled after Rick had closed the door.

"How do you mean?" Alexandria asked. She set her laptop aside. Not finding much use for it right now since she could not get very far on the website.

"He just got that website up and running. Already has a client. Who he will charge three hundred an hour to listen to them whine about their lives." Quincy laughed.

"It's a bit more than that." William replied. "We do not downplay the fact that you do people's taxes and take care of the pack's expenditures."

"While William over here," Quincy pointed to his brother's back at his drawing board. "Had a commission three weeks before gradation."

"Four weeks, brother." William corrected. "Four weeks before graduation."

"Oh excuse me." Quincy grinned. "Four weeks."

Alexandria was impressed actually. They were doing exactly what they had set out to do. She turned the IPOD on and flipped through the apps that Rick had downloaded for her. Touching each one to bring it up. The one that read Spotify already had music in it for her. She put her earbuds in her ears and pressed play. A smile of delight on her lips as she pulled the stickers out of the package and began decorating the laptop and the IPOD.

William and Quincy put in one earbud each and set to doing their own thing. Letting the silence of the house hang like a blanket of warmth. Both had a little smile on their lips. She was becoming increasingly comfortable. They could sense her relaxation and calm. Contentment. That was the feeling. They would glance at her on the couch once in a while to make sure she was doing alright.

Rick stepped inside an hour later. Exhausted but happy. That had been productive. He had been anxious about this first meeting. Uncertain about how it would go. Usually as a get to know you. How do you feel with me? I want you comfortable enough to speak about your issues so I may offer you help. No matter who it was on the other side of the screen he was nervous as hell. One fuck up on his part and he could lose the client and become a pariah in the counselling world.

Alexandria was asleep on the couch. A small smile on her lips. both earbuds still in her ears. She had curled into a ball on a cushion in the corner of the huge leather couch. Her head on the arm of it. "Did no check on her?" Rick asked before he started to gently remove the earbuds from her ears.

"I looked over at her a minute ago." Quincy said rising to his feet from his computer. William put his pencil and ruler down. Both filing down the stairs to help his brother get her upstairs. Quincy grabbed the laptop and charger. Rick picked her up in his arms amazed at the lightness of her. The petite softness of her. William grabbed the IPOD and charger. Rick started up the stairs first then William, followed by Quincy.

"Should we change her or just put her to bed with her shoes off?" William asked uncertain. The other two shrugged. What would her reaction be if she woke up not only in bed but in her nightshirt?

"Let's just take her shoes off." Rick ventured. "That way we are in the clear." Tomorrow was going to be difficult enough if the council decides to go through with the punishment as the three expect them to. William untied them, Quincy and Rick removed them.

William put them in the place she usually kept her shoes. Her daisy sandals already there. They were cute. He should have let her pick them instead of pushing her for more sensible shoes. Quincy had filled him in on just how much his time with her the previous day had set the tone for Quincy's outing with her. He was pleased and ashamed. Please that she had gotten what she wanted. But ashamed that she had been afraid to even ask for them. Moon, he could be such an ass.

As the three reached their landing Quincy asked, "Do you think that she will have a nightmare tonight? She seemed pretty out and content with the music."

"No telling," Rick replied on a sigh of resignation. "These things are unpredictable at best."

The three shrugged and returned to their occupations. Rick had notes to put in for the session he had just conducted. Three more to schedule for the following afternoon. All new. He was content with that. He printed off the receipt for Quincy for the charge of the session.

Quincy was adding in the expenses from the day into his spreadsheet. He took the receipt from Rick to add to Rick's section on the account. Quincy stretched and then changed tabs to his own personal website for his CPA/CFO business. He handled accounts for other businesses and also for the pack now. Theresa the former CFO of the pack had mated last year to a beta in another pack. So it was now on Quincy to do it all. Not that it bothered him. He was a whiz with numbers.

William stepped back from the final draft of the blueprint. Done. Two weeks early and he was done. The final touches had been the lighting. "Success." He said softly pride and a sense of accomplishment filled him.

"Two weeks early, good job." Came the unified response. "Shall we call it a night then?"

"Yes. It has been a rather productive but eventful day and the next is going to be longer. Did we think that coming home was going to be boring?" William asked as he put his tools away. Pulled the copies of the blueprints off the board, rolled them up, and stuffed them in the cylindrical holder so they would be ready for his meeting.

"We did. But we also were not anticipating our mate falling into our laps so soon either." Rick said with a yawn.

They each took turns changing in the bathroom. Then climbed into their beds. A thought occurred to William as he was settling in his bed. The first night he had spent in it since she had come into their lives. It seemed small and cold without her head in his lap. Her hair tickling his thighs. Though sleeping against the headboard had been less than comfortable it had been pleasant with her. "Should we consider building a new pack house?"

"How so?" Quincy asked on a yawn of his own as he settled into his own bed. Moon this felt so good and so bad at the same time. She had felt so good against him.

"There is no room for a new nursery for one." William pointed out. Quincy shot up from his back where he had been trying to get comfortable and looked at William like he had lost his mind. "It will happen eventually."

"Hopefully not for a while." Rick put in coming out of the bathroom. "Are you prepared for fatherhood then, brother?"

"Of course he is. Being the more serious of the three of us." Quincy groaned. "Not yet. I want to get things squared away with the pack. She needs to at least get her GED and some college under her before we saddle her and ourselves with the possibility that she may not have just one."

"Not to mention that yes a new pack house would be nice. And her education of the pack. Being a Luna. Her own career. Her choice in the matter. Have any of us even asked if she likes children?" Rick put in.

"She does actually." Quincy replied. "I am going to encourage her to go into teaching after she gets her GED. I think she would love it."

"Early education. She could start her own daycare here. The other females would love that. The career females have complained in the past about not having a place to take their little ones under six years old that does not want an exuberant amount of money." William replied. "Father and I could build a facility for her."

"Sounds good. I suppose a new pack house would be in order." Rick conceded. "Right now I would really like to get some sleep before Joseph beats the shit out of us tomorrow."

"Agreed," the other two responded. Lights went out.