Meret returned home, her body still buzzing from the controlled growl earlier that day. Every muscle seemed alive, humming with residual power. Her wolf’s energy lurked just beneath the surface, reminding her that she had barely scratched the edge of what she could do. She knew Lisa and Bruce had pushed her deliberately, testing her limits and she had risen to the challenge.

The house was quiet. The dim light from the lamps stretched long shadows across the walls, and for the first time, ...