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

/"Bingo,/" Lumen called out. His face had lit up with joy as he clapped his hands together, the alien dummy that had been in his mouth falling to his bedroom floor.

A piece of paper lay between us, a small grid that was decorated with a series of crosses and circles.

/"We're playing noughts and crosses, Lou,/" I sighed, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. /"Not bingo./"

/"Bingo,/" Lumen insisted, jabbing his finger at the messy circles he had drawn; they were somewhat deformed, not as close to an O as I had hoped but I had given up trying to get him to focus.

/"BINGO,/" Lumen yelled, throwing his head back.

Chapter31