Strength of the Pack (43 page)

Sleep just sounded too damn good.

Lucas stood watching the gate to Combat Post Toscano open. Noah strode through first, heading right for Lucas. He waited impatiently, moving to press against Lucas’ back, as the pack checked in to confirm they’d made it back from the run.

Lucas was back to logging them all in his tablet. There were too many for him to remember just yet. He was still learning names and personalities. The post was at fifty-percent shifter staffing, and that meant close to twenty-five individual werewolves.

Upon their return, Captain Madison had informed them that every werewolf in the Corps was jockeying and maneuvering to serve with Lucas and Noah. Command had devised a list from which they were to make their selections. Noah made most of the choices; the rest was based on guess work and verbal recommendations.

Noah remained surprised that they hadn’t been reassigned somewhere more high-profile. Lucas suspected that leaving them in a combat position was good for morale. It was as if Lucas and Noah were leading some sort of righteous campaign.

Lately, Lucas had begun to wonder if he even wanted to remain in the Corps. Noah had opened his eyes to the potential that lived within their relationship. In this modern age, they couldn’t very well conquer nations or build an empire. What was very possible though, was for Lucas to move into politics and work to fix things he thought needed it.

Lucas had started out thinking too small, contemplating being elected to the U.S. Senate. Noah had smiled at him indulgently and said, “It’s a good place to start, Mr. President.”

Lucas thought about it for awhile. If Shiva could help Kali become a goddess, maybe Lucas becoming president wasn’t all that farfetched an idea.

He had plenty of time to think on it.

Lucas and Noah weren’t the only ones whose value had risen significantly. Tim Madison was quickly becoming the most consulted company commander in the Corps. His ability to successfully command and motivate the largest number of weres in a single command was bringing him to the attention of some very influential people. His first-hand observations of and experience with the Dominant and True Alpha were critical in reconstructing the wealth of knowledge that had been lost over time.

Noah and Tim had formed a truce of sorts. Noah’s wolf showed far less aggression toward their company commander. Noah himself teased Madison relentlessly, insisting that fate was hiding a werewolf who would someday prove to be Tim’s mate.

They all had two months left on their current deployment. Lucas had resigned himself to the fact they were doomed to administrative assignments upon their return home. Noah was still in denial, but he’d come around. Tim was probably right when he wagered they would all three end up revising military policy regarding shifters. Noah and Lucas would probably have some influence over strategic planning. Lucas almost couldn’t conceive of that.

As Noah had observed, there was no point in obsessing over the future, before they were even stateside again. Lucas also had to concur when Noah had quietly stated that their duty station didn’t matter, they would always be with each other.

With all the shifters checked in, Lucas handed off his tablet and turned to Noah. He fisted Noah’s fleece and began the always entertaining task of getting an aroused True Alpha werewolf into bed for the day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kendall McKenna’s first work of fiction was written at the worldly age of nine, and was a transformative work that expanded on the story told in a popular song of the time.

She tried her hand at vampire and cowboy fiction, winning high school poetry and short story contests along the way. It wasn’t until she discovered the world of m/m erotic fiction and found her stride with cops, Marines and muscle cars, that she felt inspired to share her stories with readers who enjoy the same things.

Putting herself through college by working in a newly-created HIV testing clinic in her local Department of Health, introduced Kendall to the gay and lesbian community. Understanding and empathy has made her a lifetime advocate of GLBT issues.

A brief bout of unemployment gave Kendall the time and focus she needed to finally produce a novel worth submitting for publication. Her first novel, Brothers In Arms, introduced the world to her authentic military stories and characters.

Kendall was born and raised in Southern California, where she still lives and works. A non-conventional relationship has kept her happy for the last decade. Her four dogs enjoy it when she writes, as she sits still long enough for them to curl up around her.

You can find Kendall on the internet at:

Website/Blog: www.kendallmckenna.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kendallmckenna

Twitter: @kendallmckenna

Email: [email protected]

TRADEMARKS ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Bell UH-1Y Venom: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Berettas: Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A.

Camelbak: CamelBak Products, LLC

Gatling guns: KBP Instrument Design Bureau

Hercules: Lockheed Martin

Hoppes No. 9: Michaels of Oregon Co.

Humvee: AM General

Hydra-70: General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products

Jeep: Chrysler Group LLC

Ka-Bar: KA-BAR Knives, Inc.

Kevlar: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

Maglite: MAG Instrument, Inc.

Post-It: 3M Company

The Dog Whisperer: Cesar Millan, Inc.

Town Car: Ford Motor Company

Under Armour: Under Armour, Inc.

MLR PRESS AUTHORS

Featuring a roll call of some of the best writers of gay erotica and mysteries today!

Derek Adams

Z. Allora

Maura Anderson

Simone Anderson

Victor J. Banis

Laura Baumbach

Helen Beattie

Ally Blue

J.P. Bowie

Barry Brennessel

Nowell Briscoe

Jade Buchanan

James Buchanan

TA Chase

Charlie Cochrane

Karenna Colcroft

Michael G. Cornelius

Jamie Craig

Ethan Day

Diana DeRicci

Vivien Dean

Taylor V. Donovan

S.J. Frost

Kimberly Gardner

Kaje Harper

Alex Ironrod

Jambrea Jo Jones

DC Juris

AC Katt

Thomas Kearnes

Sasha Keegan

Kiernan Kelly

K-lee Klein

Geoffrey Knight

Christopher Koehler

Matthew Lang

J.L. Langley

Vincent Lardo

Cameron Lawton

Anna Lee

Elizabeth Lister

Clare London

William Maltese

Z.A. Maxfield

Timothy McGivney

Kendall McKenna

Tere Michaels

AKM Miles

Robert Moore

Reiko Morgan

Jet Mykles

William Neale

N.J. Nielsen

Cherie Noel

Gregory L. Norris

Willa Okati

Erica Pike

Neil S. Plakcy

Rick R. Reed

A.M. Riley

AJ Rose

Rob Rosen

George Seaton

Riley Shane

Jardonn Smith

DH Starr

Richard Stevenson

Christopher Stone

Liz Strange

Marshall Thornton

Lex Valentine

Haley Walsh

Mia Watts

Lynley Wayne

Missy Welsh

Ryal Woods

Stevie Woods

Lance Zarimba

Mark Zubro

Check out titles, both available and forthcoming, at

www.mlrpress.com

GLBT RESOURCES

RAINBOW ROMANCE WRITERS

Raising the Bar for LGBT Romance

RRW offers support and advocacy to career-focused authors, expanding the horizons of romance. Changing minds, one heart at a time. www.rainbowromancewriters.com

THE TREVOR PROJECT

The Trevor Project operates the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Every day, The Trevor Project saves lives though its free and confidential helpline, its website and its educational services. If you or a friend are feeling lost, alone, confused or in crisis, please call The Trevor Helpline. You’ll be able to speak confidentially with a trained counselor 24/7.

The Trevor Helpline: 866-488-7386

On the Web: http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

THE GAY MEN’S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROJECT

Founded in 1994, The Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project is a grassroots, nonprofit organization founded by a gay male survivor of domestic violence and developed through the strength, contributions and participation of the community. The Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project supports victims and survivors through education, advocacy and direct services. Understanding that the serious public health issue of domestic violence is not gender specific, we serve men in relationships with men, regardless of how they identify, and stand ready to assist them in navigating through abusive relationships.

GMDVP Helpline: 800.832.1901

On the Web: http://gmdvp.org/

THE GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION/GLAAD EN ESPAÑOL

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

On the Web: http://www.glaad.org/

GLAAD en español: http://www.glaad.org/espanol/bienvenido.php

SERVICEMEMBERS LEGAL DEFENSE NETWORK

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT).The SLDN provides free, confidential legal services to all those impacted by DADT and related discrimination. Since 1993, its inhouse legal team has responded to more than 9,000 requests for assistance. In Congress, it leads the fight to repeal DADT and replace it with a law that ensures equal treatment for every servicemember, regardless of sexual orientation. In the courts, it works to challenge the constitutionality of DADT.

SLDN Call: 800-538-7418

PO Box 65301 or (202) 328-FAIR

Washington DC 20035-5301 e-mail: [email protected]

On the Web: http://sldn.org/

THE GLBT NATIONAL HELP CENTER

The GLBT National Help Center is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that is dedicated to meeting the needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and those questioning their sexual orientation and gender identity. It is an outgrowth of the Gay & Lesbian National Hotline, which began in 1996 and now is a primary program of The GLBT National Help Center. It offers several different programs including two national hotlines that help members of the GLBT community talk about the important issues that they are facing in their lives. It helps end the isolation that many people feel, by providing a safe environment on the phone or via the internet to discuss issues that people can’t talk about anywhere else. The GLBT National Help Center also helps other organizations build the infrastructure they need to provide strong support to our community at the local level.

National Hotline: 1-888-THE-GLNH (1-888-843-4564)

National Youth Talkline 1-800-246-PRIDE (1-800-246-7743)

On the Web: http://www.glnh.org/

e-mail: [email protected]

If you’re a GLBT and questioning student heading off to university, you should know that there are resources on campus for you. Here’s just a sample:

GLBT SCHOLARSHIP RESOURCES

http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/tell-us-about-an-lgbt-scholarship

Syracuse University