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

/"Why the fuck are you still here?/" I demanded. /"The doors there. Walk the hell out of it, boy. Ain't nothing here concerning you./"

Lumen jumped to his feet, spinning on his heels to jab that pokey little finger in my direction. /"Bad, bad daddy. You havesta sit on bad boy step and say, /"Supa sowwy I make your lillys awll ouchie, Dr King Lou. I a bad puppy. And den mommy just have to say sowwy, no corner cus mommy make me eggs./"

Everything else forgotten, I gawped at the little twerp. /"You're telling me that he gets preferential treatment just because he makes you eggs?/"

The little bastard had the audacity to nod, his face as solemn. /"Dey nice eggs, daddy./"

Chapter84