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

/"You are mine,/" he snarled. /"And ally or not, if he touches you, in any way, I will slit his fucking throat and feed them to his kid./"

I was starting to realize that when it came to Sterling, even his sweet moments boardered the line of being utterly disturbing. Not that I cared at that moment.

I was his; the words had left his mouth as a husky growl.

He had claimed me. Whether he realized it or not, those three words, he had officially claimed me as his mate.

/"Yours,/" I agreed. /"But believe me, he doesn't want me. I'd be more worried about that lady Beta of his. He was sure interested in her last night./"

Chapter96