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

What had changed? It was a good question. A very good question, indeed. Something had, even if I couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe it was the realization that with whatever voodoo shit Asher was playing with, I could actually die, or maybe it was watching Clarke, the take-everything-in-his-stride puppy so loved up.

/"I don't want you as my Beta, Jonathan,/" I repeated. The headlights of Clarke's fuck-ugly Juke flicked around the corner, worming its way into an empty bay. I ignored it, holding my Beta's gaze. If I didn't know better, I could have sworn there were tears in his eyes.

/"Yeah, you said, asshole. Why do it now? Why ruin the kid's night? You couldn't have waited?/" His voice broke. Fractured so much that the last distorted and he had to cut himself off with a steep breath.

I reached for him. He didn't pull away. He didn't do anything. Just looked at me with bitter disappointment; the look hurt more than any wound ever had.

Chapter104