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>I didn't bathe him. I just dressed him for bed and tucked him in. I was getting better at changing the diapers. I wasn't sure if that was something to be proud of or not, and I was far from impressed when I ended up putting my hand in it when the little idiot squirmed, but it was still an improvement. His new room was still a work in progress, but the new bed we got for him, a long thin twin frame that Jonathan had insisted on buying side rails for so he didn't fall out, had been set up and the new covers put on.</p>

<p>I gave him his blanket and paci, throwing in one of the stuffed toys from the collection that had gathered along the window ledge. He was asleep before I even left the room. I turned on his paw patrol nightlight, leaving the door open a crack as I left.</p>

Chapter26