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 missed you so much! I was so freaking worried. You have no idea how angry and upset I was, and how badly I tried to find you all. Oh, Lumen? Is he okay? He was asleep when I saw him and I didn't want to wake him up./"

Pushing the kid back, which was a feat because his grip was like iron, I was struck by a most bizarre realisation. I had missed him. Like Jonathan and Lumen, over these last few months, he had become another pain in the ass fixture in my life. Barely a day was spent without seeing him.

/"He wanted to see you earlier,/" I said, jerking my chin towards Lumen, who was still out cold. Jonathan had risen to his feet, but was frozen in place by the way Lumen's arm had snaked out, wrapping around his foot. /"But didn't want to wake you guys./"

/"You should have woken us,/" Clarke denied, shaking his head. /"I waited and I waited so I could see you guys when you woke up, but then I fell asleep and I missed it./"

Chapter133