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

We did lots of pictures, and Victor's nana gived us nice stuff. She make me my angel milk, and she give us cookies. She had been the nice lady that had done brush brush with my hair, too. She say I look so smart.

We had dinner. There were lots a people for dinner. There was Victor and Luca, and a mean man called Eric who made mean faces. And there was Mac who had super pwetty hair and he sitted by me and cutted all my food up for me and tell me that my poo is the cutest bear ever and he wanted one just as cute. And there was wemy. He give Mac kisses. And Luca had a daddy called Link. And he had a Papa called Aiden. I liked Aiden. He make me a king hat. He no talk cuz his voice was all broken.

I wasn't sure if Jojo was my mommy or my papa or my nana, or uncle or cousin. Victor and Luca had all those and I just had daddy. Clarke was already my fwend so he couldn't be one of those.

Chapter61