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 found it hard to believe him, and he was seriously starting to exercise my patience.

/"I would say so./" His fingers found my hair. His lips brushed my cheek. /"I honestly don't think he would do anything to harm those boys. His love for them seems genuine./"

/"Will you do it for me? Please, Johno. I can't deal with anymore crying from him./"

And perhaps that was what tit-bitted me courage.

The way he held me, his arms wrapped around me, just holding me close, I couldn't remember anybody ever touching me that way. Even before, even the times we had sex or touched, it had never been as deep a moment as this was.

It was crazy, but it felt as though I was touching another person for the first time ever.

Chapter89