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

/"Kenai,/" Axe said softly, waving his hand to the right of the room, dismissing the two other doors to the left, and the small area of total child-like anarchy that I had missed at first glance, tucked away in the corner where I had entered the room. /"Are you sure I can't offer you clean clothes, at very least? The seamstress will have something to fit you, no doubt./"

And fuck, if that wasn't the apple being offered to Eve in the Garden of Eden.

/"My Beta and Delta, they're being cared for?/" I demanded. Custer gave a small nod. /"And I can see them?/" Another nod.

/"Then give me a quick run down, and then I'll accept your offer. You can give me the detailed version once my Beta is here./"

Looking amused, those spooky fucking eyes seemed to shimmer. He gave a nod before waving to the right-hand side of the room again. /"And can I invite you to sit down or- /"

Chapter54