In the silvery waterfall of moonlight, Jonathan Aztec, my second in command, holding rank as Beta of the Northridge pack, was something to behold. His powerful shoulders seemed to carry the waning gibbous, and the shadows that devoured the vast grounds of Battleridge manor granted him a wide berth.
He was a superior specimen. He was a male worthy of the ranking he'd been bestowed. But like all creatures, he wasn't born perfect, and his character flaw was a fault that bled out into the night like a severed artery: Concern.
It charged the air between us, a thick blanket that settled against the lungs like a boa-constrictor's loving embrace.
"What did you find?" I asked. The perverse silence that had entombed the dilapidated courtyard, screaming so loud it rang through my ears like a twisted lullaby, was shattered upon his approach. His boots smacked against the waterlogged ground, echoing in a way that spoke of his failures before he'd even opened his mouth. 
"Nothing,"
.......
"Until I can figure out what's going on, nobody finds out about the boy. Understand?"
"Understood."
"You're not going to ..." The pause that followed dragged out. "He's just a baby, Sterling."
"You're dismissed."

The Littlest Light

<p>The shadow kissed world held the potential to be quite frightful. With an encore of wild, gnarly trees that were slowly starting to lose their coats, branches becoming taunting images once night fell, and a whole lot of nothing but space, and the feeling of being watched, it was hard to say why I insisted upon freezing my ass off. Yet, beneath the dying canvas of a sky, speckled with faded glitter for stars, I couldn't quite bring myself to go back inside.</p>

<p>Cold had set in a long time ago, and at first, shivering had been a response that my body had kicked it to, but after a while, it had adapted, calming. Parts of me were numb, but unfortunately, not the right parts. No brain freeze in the world seemed to be enough to solder my thoughts shut. Or the bothersome emotions that they stirred up, poking awake from their dormant slumber.</p>

Chapter17