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 can have breakfast nuzzlies, instead, rat,/" I told him. /"How about we get you changed and then we can have some cheese and jam./"

Magic words, Lumen's face lit up like 1000 watt bulb. Then it faltered slightly. /"No need changey, daddy. Lou no baby./"

Baby or not, it didn't excuse the fact that he needed changing.

/"No, you're not,/" I reassured, pushing him away slightly so I could pick up the objects that he had carelessly disregarded. /"But we still need you nice and dry. We have to do lots of driving today, Lou-king, so we're not going to learn to use the potty today, but we'll start tomorrow, like a big boy, alright?/"

I had yet to tell him about his sleepover plans. He had been awfully clingy since coming back, and I wasn't so sure how he would react. Seeing his new friend may have something he wanted, but I wasn't so sure that the cost of being left without us would be worth it to him.

Chapter78