"Stay behind me," I commanded, positioning myself between him and the oncoming threat. My transformation was swift, a seamless melding of human and beast as Shelly emerged in full glory, fur bristling with the promise of retribution. No rogue would lay a claw on him-not while my heart still beat with the fierce love that only a Luna Queen could harbor.

With a protective snarl that rumbled from the depths of my throat, I prepared to defend my son, my movements a dance of deadly precision. Every ...