Strength of the Pack (31 page)

Marines appeared from all directions, weapons raised, shouting questions and instructions simultaneously.

“I’m fine,” Lucas shouted, climbing to his feet.

Noah’s attack calmed. He stood over his victim, growling menacingly. The man gasped wetly and cradled his arms to his chest.

“All the vehicles are clear, sir,” Sergeant Rodriguez said, keeping an eye on Noah. “We secured several prisoners. The wolves have a bunch more, several yards out.”

Lucas nodded that he’d heard. “Sergeant Hammond,” he said sharply. “Let him be. It’s over.”

Noah turned and stalked toward Lucas. He was a frightening sight; his muzzle, chest and forepaws covered in blood. He gasped when Noah drew close but held his ground, heart racing.

“Secure the prisoners in the back of my truck,” Lucas ordered his Marines, Noah’s need for contact with him screaming at him through the link. “Have Doc tend to all the wounded and prep them for transport.”

Even as his Marines moved to carry out his orders, Noah circled Lucas. Noah’s nose was cool on the back of his hand. Lucas stood as still has he could as Noah walked circles around him, sniffing at the hollow of his throat, his underarms and the small of his back.

“I’m okay, Noah,” he said quietly. “Can you calm down a little?”

Noah’s answer was to run the length of his entire side along Lucas’ back. He stroked his muzzle up and down Lucas’ arm. When he started licking the back of Lucas’ hand, Lucas lifted it to watch the large pink tongue curl around his palm and fingers.

“We need to get you cleaned up,” he mused, once again taking in the blood that matted Noah’s brilliant white fur.

Noah sat down on his haunches, pressing himself against Lucas’ side. Lucas received a clear sense of relief from Noah, coupled with grim satisfaction as they watched Marines carry off the limp body of the man who had attacked Lucas. The darker side of Lucas wondered what Noah would be capable of in the event Lucas was ever harmed by another person.

He needed to update the sitrep with Captain Madison. Lucas keyed his radio mic. “Combat Post Toscano; Fox-two-actual.”

“Go for Toscano,” a Marine at the base answered.

“Hostiles are neutralized; we’ve sustained no casualties,” Lucas reported.

“Solid copy. What’s your ETA to RTB?”

“We’ve taken several prisoners we need to secure. A few are wounded, and HM3 Brennan is seeing to their injuries. Break.” Lucas un-keyed his mic and took a deep breath, adrenaline still rushing through his system. “Once they’re ready to transport, we’ll step off.”

There was a long pause before the response. “Can you advise the nature of the injuries?”

Lucas smiled to himself. “Most are combat wounds. There is at least one severe wolf mauling.”

“Copy that. Advise when you’re oscar-mike. Captain Madison says we’ll keep a light on and the coffee hot. Toscano out.”

Lucas started toward the cluster of their Humvees. Noah was right beside him, matching his pace. He walked so close, his fur brushed against Lucas’ arm.

“Don’t you have some werewolves to look after?” Lucas asked.

Noah gave a violent shake of his head that spread to his entire body. He didn’t break stride and stayed at Lucas’ side.

Reaching the Humvees, Lucas saw that all the werewolves were there, standing over a group of prisoners. Some were bloodied, but most were in good shape.

“Everyone okay to make the trip in the truck?” he asked Doc.

“Affirmative, sir.”

“Interrogative, Lieutenant,” asked Sergeant Viejo. “With the prisoners in the back of your victor, how will the wolves get back to base?”

“They’ll run,” Lucas replied, surprised to be speaking with Noah’s knowledge, not his own. “We don’t have to worry about time anymore; they can RTB at their own pace.”

“Isn’t that a long way, sir?” Viejo was incredulous.

“Not for wolves. They can run at a slow and steady pace almost all day.” It amused him that that was actually his own knowledge.

“Yes, sir.” Viejo was apparently satisfied.

Noah was sitting against his side again. Lucas glanced at him and found Noah watching him steadily, amusement and pride leaking through the link.

“Ready to go?” Lucas asked.

Noah padded forward to Lucas’ truck door. As Lucas approached it, he had the distinct feeling that Noah would hold the door open for him if he could.

As they set off across the desert, the wolf pack settled into their own pace. They fell behind the faster moving Humvees. Lucas reduced their speed so the pack could catch up slightly. It was a balancing act. They needed to RTB ASAP since they were targets the longer they were outside the walls of the post. Leaving the pack behind left the wolves vulnerable.

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief when they rolled through the main gate. Corporal Branch parked the truck, and Lucas looked up to see Noah sitting patiently just outside of his door. Captain Madison approached, issuing orders as he walked. Lucas climbed out of the truck.

“All of the prisoners are in the back of the truck, sir,” he told Madison. He turned to lead the captain to the rear of the vehicle and nearly walked right into Noah.

Doc Brennan was supervising the unloading of the wounded. Sergeants Viejo and Fowler stood by to oversee the offloading of the rest of the prisoners.

“Good work, Lieutenant,” Madison said. “And everyone is all right?”

“Affirmative.” Lucas gave a sharp nod.

“I had some men gather up the uniforms of the werewolves,” Tim told him.

Lucas turned to follow the captain. As he took a step, something beneath his foot moved. Lucas stumbled, reaching out to steady himself. His hand landed on a furry shoulder. He realized he’d nearly stepped on Noah’s tail.

“Sergeant, can I get a little space, please?” he asked.

Noah didn’t budge from his side.

Madison chuckled. “I don’t think that’s going to happen until after he shifts.”

Lucas sighed in annoyance. “Thank you for seeing to the uniforms, sir. I should have thought of that.”

“You had more important things to worry about at the time,” Tim replied, waving a hand negligently. “I had Sergeant Hammond’s uniform put in your room.”

“I appreciate that, sir.” The sounds of play and scuffling grabbed Lucas’ attention. When he tried to look at the wolves who were the source, he found himself once again blocked by Noah. Impatiently, he elbowed Noah back out of the way. The solid mass of muscle and fur moved reluctantly.

Lucas watched his wolf pack tussle and play, stopping occasionally to lick at the blood that still covered some of them. As he watched, Noah sat down beside him again, leaning in so close that Lucas nearly lost his balance.

“Why do I get the feeling your after-action is going to give me gray hair, Lucas?” Tim asked.

“I’m fine,” Lucas said, barely reining in his frustration. “Not a scratch on me.”

Madison snorted derisively. “Judging by the behavior of the big white wolf nearly sitting on top of you, you came damn close to having more than just a scratch.”

“He’s overreacting,” Lucas said impatiently. “Sergeant Hammond, go join our pack, and let them help you get cleaned up.”

There was less blood on Noah now. He’d either cleaned himself or let the pack assist him at some point, but he was far from clean. Lucas imagined Noah could shower after he shifted, he also knew that Noah needed comfort and physical contact.

Noah’s large head swung in the direction of the pack before turning back to Lucas. His eyes were intense. He sensed strong reluctance from Noah. He wanted to join his pack, but the thought of leaving Lucas made him anxious.

“I’m fine, Noah,” he said quietly. “We’re home, and we’re safe. I have work to do; go be with our pack.”

Noah looked over at his pack and gave a soft whine.

“You need to look after our pack now, so we’ll have the time to look after each other tonight,” Lucas said, playing a hunch.

Noah glanced at him one more time before trotting across the compound to join his wolves. Lucas nearly lost his balance again, not realizing he’d been leaning into Noah’s body.

“Nicely played,” Tim said. “Now, let’s see about getting your prisoners secured.”

It took well into the evening to secure their prisoners safely, get them fed and work out a schedule for guard duty. The prisoner transport team from FOB Whiskey wouldn’t arrive until the next morning, so they had to make it through the night safely and humanely.

Noah made his presence known frequently. He sought out Lucas every so often, circling him and sniffing in the usual locations. Lucas nearly tripped over his tail once, so he took to simply shoving Noah’s huge body out of the way when he got too close.

Noah invited himself to inspect the facilities where the prisoners would spend the night, letting them all see him clearly. The implication was clear. There was a big, white wolf to contend with if any of them caused trouble.

It was early evening when Lucas noticed the first of the werewolves had shifted. They were dressed and on their way to the mess. Both gave Lucas, and Noah sitting next to him, respectful nods of the head.

Lucas’ stomach growled, and he remembered he hadn’t gotten lunch. He watched as the pack quieted down from their rambunctious play, curling around one another and licking at whatever fur they could reach. Three wolves separated themselves and trotted inside. Lucas imagined they were going to shift and dress.

Noah’s sides heaved as he sighed audibly. Lucas felt a strong wave of fatigue roll through him and knew it had come from Noah. The wolf stood, pressed his nose to Lucas’ neck and slowly padded inside.

Noah seemed more sedate than he had previously when he’d become a wolf. He knew how to handle the aggressive, possessive Noah. This quieter Noah was confusing.

Lucas waited a few moments before he approached the door to their room. He wrapped his knuckles on the outer wall. “It’s just me. Do you need help with anything?”

“I’ve got it under control,” Noah called. “But you can come in.”

Lucas ducked under the tarp and found Noah standing in only his uniform pants and dog tags, running a baby wipe over his hands. His shoulders were slumped, and he looked wrung out. The sight confused Lucas.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Fine. I just burned a lot of energy today. I’m even too tired to get a hard-on tonight,” Noah replied dryly.

Disappointment tightened Lucas’ chest, and he quickly pushed the inappropriate response aside. Noah lifted his head and studied Lucas with narrowed eyes.

“I hadn’t given that any thought,” Lucas replied. “I’m concerned for your privacy.”

Noah gave a tired smile. “I don’t need privacy from you. I don’t hide anything from you, Lucas.”

Lucas grew uneasy. He didn’t hide anything from Noah. He protected him from the darker, baser side of himself, but he didn’t hide things. “Can I help you with anything?” Lucas asked carefully.

Noah handed him the tub of baby wipes. “Can you make sure I got all the blood?”

Lucas remembered that first night in the desert. His eyes dropped reflexively to the front of Noah’s pants and saw he really wasn’t hard. Lucas took the baby wipes, wondering if Noah was really as tired as he claimed or if it was something else entirely.

Noah had gotten most of the blood but Lucas spotted some on the side of his neck and under his ear. He stepped in close to wipe it away and caught Noah’s scent. His body reacted like he’d been shocked. He swallowed hard and focused on getting Noah clean. He sensed confusion in Noah, and it surprised him.

As he scrubbed at Noah’s skin, Lucas felt Noah’s face press against his temple. Without thinking, he leaned into the touch. He heard Noah breathing deeply. This was what he was familiar with, this was what he’d come to expect. The tightness in Lucas’ chest loosened.

“As much as I’d like to strip down and just crawl into bed, right now,” Noah murmured. “I’m fucking hungry.”

Lucas chuckled. “Well that works out, because so am I.”

Noah finished dressing, and they walked to the mess together, a comfortable silence settling between them. This time, it was Lucas who led Noah through the line, casting into their link for clues and answers as to what should be piled high on Noah’s tray.

Even as he shoveled down his food, Noah began to slump over his tray. Lucas wondered if he was going to have to carry Noah to bed. As he watched, Noah finished eating, sat back in his chair and rubbed his hands tiredly over his face.

Lucas pushed back from the table. “Okay, let’s get you into bed.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Noah replied without humor.

Lucas helped Noah to stand with a hand under his arm. “Come on, big guy. You can ravish me if you can keep your eyes open long enough.”

Inside their room, Noah collapsed heavily on top of the bed and began unlacing his LPCs. Lucas leaned against a wall and did the same. Despite his exhaustion, Noah folded his uniform carefully and set it aside, just like the well disciplined Marine he was.