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

/"So proud,/" I assured. /"I think I would have cried so much if I got hurt like that./"

/"Lou big boy./" Giving a nod, and the weakest smile, he pulled his drooly fingers out of his mouth and pointed at Ember, who sat on the Lion's knee, opposite, looking down and out miserable. As he should have. /"I save brudda. I stop munsta eaty him. Nae say 'good boy. Gotta tect your ittle brudda'./"

/"It's not your job to protect anybody,/" I informed him. The anger I felt towards Ember was unjustified. I was mature enough to recognize that I was angrier with myself for allowing Lumen to get hurt, but it seemed easier to blame the boy who had been with him and walked away unscathed. /"It is mommy and daddy's job to protect you. And Clarke. He's not completely useless./"

Chapter86