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

Tall, blonde, and looking ready to tear all our throats out if we so much as blinked funny, the woman that opened the door jabbed a finger at me. /"Get up. You're to come with me./"

/"See, Johno. Charm. I usually have to buy them a drink first,/" I whispered to my Beta, before struggling to my feet. It wasn't easy. My limbs felt heavy and dense, but also brittle, like they were ready to shatter. I was running on almost two days no sleep, was best buddies with hypothermia, and with every step I took, my shoes squelched.

Yup. First impressions were definitely in my favour.

/"You're not going alone,/" Jonathan grunted, forcing himself to his own feet. The ground was damp from where we had been sitting, and though our clothes were no longer leaking water, as they once had been, it was only then that I noticed the way Jonathan's shirt seemed to steam. /"I'm his second. Where he goes, I go./"

Chapter52