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

/"I mommy sunshine. Daddy not./" Lumen stuck his tongue out. /"I scawe daddy?/"

/"No,/" I grunted. /"I'm not a pussy like Johno./"

/"Don't tell him off for saying bad words and then say them yourself,/" Jonathan chastised. /"Come here, Loulou./"

Snatching up his pacifier with a giggle, the little bastard was all knees and elbows, climbing over me like I was his favourite piece of equipment at the park.

Cuddles, for as lovely as they were, eventually had to end. Lou had made himself quite comfortable between us, his back against Johno's chest, forcing his arms around him, the wolf's head on his chin, and he had shoved his feet in my lap, trying to convince me to rub his bare feet because he had lost his sockies.

Lumen was disappointed, but Jonathan had the patience to run him a bath rather than force him to shower, so he got over it pretty quickly.

It wasn't our usual day. It was Friday.

Chapter81