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

I didn't answer. I studied his sleeping form, a redness having settled over his cheeks and his forehead.

/"He heard our conversation yesterday,/" I told Jonathan at last. /"He said... even if that asshole is his dad, he wants to stay here./"

/"Why wouldn't he,/" Jonathan murmured, his eyes holding mine. /"You're great with him, Star. I mean, you're a fucking Grinch, but your good. You make him happy and feel safe... did you look at those drawings he did? The way he paints you... you're his whole fucking world./"

I swallowed hard. I hadn't seen the drawings. Lumen had tried to show me yesterday but it had been when I was refusing to acknowledge his existence. I shook my head.

/"I don't know what I'm doing,/" I admitted. /"But... you were right. I don't think I could let anybody hurt him. Even if that means that I have to choose a pack within my pack./"

Chapter40