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

The kid was a royal pain in the ass, but he was my pain in the ass and if it meant using my body as a human shield to keep tall and creepy away from him, if it took my very life, then there was no contest. Keeping Lumen safe became my only priority. The protective need took over, stronger than if he had been of my own blood. He was my beebee.

/"My name is Kenai and I am going to need you to listen very, very carefully to what I'm about to say./"

The early morning sun hit the dying grass; steam seemed to rise, twirling like ghostly fingers. The bitter chill settled in the air in a thick, unshifting sheet, throwing out a thin breeze that rocked the naked branches; the demon trees seemed to howl in response.

I watched through hardened eyes as the stragglers of the pack composed themselves, heading home. Most had left at dawn when the moon's curse had lifted. Some had continued the hunt, foolishly trying to impress me.

Chapter36