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

Jonathan was sat at the table, Lou cuddled up on his lap, his Pooh bear clutched in his arms and his pacifier in his mouth. They were playing some kind of game on Jonathan's phone and every so often Lumen would yell out 'BINGO', despite it being the wrong game.

He had turned up this morning the same way as he had most, and he had acted the same way he did every other way.

Except something had happened. Jonathan may not have been making a big deal about it, but I felt his eyes following me as I cooked Lumen his breakfast.

I felt a lump form in my throat every time our gazes met. I felt the feel of his lips against mine, the tenderness, the unhurried claim.

/"Star, can I-/" Lumen was cut off by a harsh sneeze.

Chapter39