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

/"No. Luca won't be able to say that. He'll say 'Wow! Lou, you're such a big boy. Teach me how to be a big boy!'/"

A dimpled grin and a shy giggle was the response. Pulling the vest over his head momentarily hid that, but it was still there when I was done.

/"Daddy?/" Lou asked when I brushed his feet off to put his socks on.

/"Victor haves a mommy and a daddy and a nanny and a cousin and a unca. Is Jojo Lou's mommy?/"

Freezing, sock halfway up his right foot, I glanced up at him.

Was Jonathan his mother? Jesus! This kid seriously needed a biology lesson.

/"What makes you say that, Lou?/" I asked softly. To know how he came to that conclusion would dictate how I answered.

Chapter70