The Stray

Black, White, and Gold All Over

Waking up without a sore throat is an accomplishment. I ignored the fact that Jack was pressed against my back, and I ignored the fact that Paul was snoring in a heap on the floor. Today... was a new day. And I was probably sick. I don't do mornings (who does?), so how could I possibly be happy about waking up? Oh, right... Training.

I shot off of the couch and up the stairs, still ignoring Jack, who sat up and frowned at the sudden movement. Before he had a chance to voice his complaints, I was upstairs in my room brushing my teeth and warming up the shower. I wasn't bloated from the two gallons of soda I drank last night, I wasn't sore from the Just Dance tournament I had with Paul, and my throat wasn't bleeding and raw from the sour candy I consumed. I freakin' love being a werewolf. I grinned and hummed as I rinsed my mouth and jumped into the shower. I rushed through it, knowing that I would be taking another one after training and getting all sweaty. Training. The thought had me grinning again. Jack agreed that when I took the alpha position, I would need to know how to fight and defend my title. Not to mention that I needed self-protection against the big bad wolf (ha) that had it out for me. Garret Torque wouldn't know what hit him. Tingles ran through my body as I thought about meeting the Torque's future alpha. He had the advantages of time, power, and knowledge. I was not only new to this, but I wasn't even sure if I was fully a werewolf yet. Could my mother's blood prevent me from shifting? What would Jack say? Would he be ashamed and leave me? 'Of course not,' my inner voice scolded me. He says he's my mate, and mates don't do that... Do they? I thought having a mate was love at first sight. I thought it meant that there were fireworks whenever they touch. I didn't have that with Jack... Or did I? Maybe I'm just over-thinking it. Maybe it'll change when I shift for the first time. I sighed as I pulled on my Nike shorts and an old t-shirt. For now, I'll worry about training. I exited my bathroom to find Paul and Jack sitting on my bed. "You ready?" They asked at the same time... Freaky.

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My breathing was labored and I was shaking in anger. "Lacey, I didn't mean it-"

"Take it back! No, wait! Please give me the pleasure of shoving it down your throat." As I screamed in frustration, I lunged in Jack's direction. That's right, I lunged at him. As a training exercise, he insisted on pretending to be a Torque. Rules: no claws, no biting, no pulling hair. Everything else was fair game, and he took advantage of it. Sure, it was just a training lesson to help me, but the taunting and making me angry was too far. I'm all for a good fight, but every time I ran at him, he dodged me and pushed me to the ground. He wouldn't even hit me back. Well, that implies that I could hit him in the first place. He teased me about it too. "I thought only dogs dig in the dirt. Hmm, maybe there's an exception for some werewolves." and "What, you can climb a tree, but you can't walk on the ground? How do you expect to beat a Torque?" For my first training lesson, I figured that was a little harsh. And I was pissed. I fumed on the ground silently. Rules or not, I was going to hit him, and I was going to hit him hard.

I stood and didn't bother brushing the dirt off of my butt. I crouched with my right foot poised behind my left. My eyes were squinted, and my hearing was minimal. My breathing slowed back down to normal, and my muscles relaxed slightly. He smirked at me in complete amusement, and I didn't find it cute. Not. One. Bit. "Lacey-" I cut him off with a snarl. It sounded beastly and mean, and I was proud. His eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed in anger. His green eyes turned to yellow. What the- "You do not disrespect me, Omega." Oh, hell no. His wolf (because apparently it's its own entity) was controlling him. And it called me an Omega. For anybody that doesn't know, Omegas are the bottom of the chain. The lowest in the pack. He insulted me. A burst of some pure emotion spread through my body before a voice entered my mind. I knew immediately what (or who) it was. My wolf.

He has crossed his boundaries. Shall we? I grinned at my wolf's appearance. I finally had my power. My posture suddenly became more feral, and Jack and I circled each other. My lips tugged into an evil snarl, and his face was of steely determination. He thought he could take me. He didn't know that I now had my wolf to guide me. I faked a forward lunged and spun to the right, grinning inwardly when his defensive block told me that he wasn't expecting it. Keeping with the flow, I lowered into a crouch, swept out my leg and swung it into the back of his knee. His left leg hit the ground and he grunted. Without hesitating, I moved behind him, shoved him face-first towards the ground and held him there. My face was inches from the back of his neck, and my teeth were bared. Dominance. I knew how wolves worked, and I knew how they fought. My position as alpha demanded dominance, and I would hold it over my beta, mate or not. Sensing my seriousness, Jack titled his head, baring his neck to me. Satisfied, I turned and walked towards Paul, who sat silently and watched from the tree-line. He smiled at me proudly and nodded. "Good job, Lacey! I'm super impressed. You bested a beta that was trained since almost birth."

"Too bad that she only had to eat dirt to do it. An alpha has to work hard at all times to be the best. This isn't the end of your training. It's only begun." I knew he didn't mean it as a threat. I knew that Jack was in coach mode, training me for battling the Torques to the best of my abilities. But that was too far. For him to insult my father's decision to hide the life from me-... It was too far. My anger before was child's play to what I felt now. It burst from my pores. My wolf howled in anger and my fists clenched in determination. Frustration and anger welled within me so strongly that I had tears in my eyes. I was so upset that I actually thought I would explode... And then I did. The transformation was flawless. The cracking of the bones, the tearing of the muscles. I'm sure it hurt. The look on Jack's face told me that it was supposed to hurt. But my anger blocked it out. Adrenaline rushed through my veins and I was on four paws. I had shifted. Into a wolf. Two days ahead of schedule. Surprise shone on the brothers' faces and I was suddenly embarrassed. I was so emotional that it caused a premature shift. Was that healthy? Without stopping to think I darted away into the woods, running to the only place that made as much sense as this whole werewolf ordeal. My tree. My paws were solid black, but I was pretty sure that there was more to it. Glancing behind me, I discovered that I was correct. I had white markings. Personally, I thought it was beautiful. Maybe it was weird for werewolves though.

I entered the clearing, and relaxed. I knew that Jack wasn't following me, and I was grateful to Paul for holding him back. I heard a snuffling come from the opposite end of the clearing and my ears perked in the direction. A stag stood elegantly in the light, and it stared at me calmly. I walked slowly towards it and tried to convey a calm message. It was beautiful, and I wanted to be closer. I stopped when I was a foot away, and we stared at each other in awe. It's big brown eyes were filled with simple acceptance, and my size allowed us to stare eye to eye. I must've been huge.

The stag leaned towards me, and a golden smoke leaked from its nose. It smelled heavenly, and I watched as it flowed into me through my nose and mouth. A knowledge of this animal became known to me. Almost as much as I knew I was a werewolf, I knew that I had stag in me, too. It was almost as if-

A screech of pain broke the silent, beautiful moment, and the stag was tackled to the ground. Swiftly and cleanly, a white wolf with grey markings killed the animal. My soul wept for the loss, but my heart knew that it was a respectful death. The stag was noble enough to respect a hunter such as this one. The wolf stared at me in confusion before, suddenly, it wasn't a wolf any more. In front of me stood Garret Torque, and only one thing ran through my mind, and it was the same as the thing running through my wolf's mind... Mate.

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AN: AHHHH! Surprise, surprise! Did you guess? I'm so excited. I've been dying for this chapter. Hopefully it's exciting enough to bring all of my old readers back as well as invite in some new ones. I'll be making up the cast as well as adding in some pictures and videos for ya'll to enjoy. :) Hope ya liked it! Leave feedback please!