The Stray

Surprises

"Good. Noon tomorrow."

"At the training grounds."

I nodded even though I didn't know where the training grounds were. Jack would tell me. I didn't move as Jack's dad left my home. Once he was gone from my range of hearing, I relaxed into a standing position.

"Lacey-"

"Don't. I don't want to talk right now, Jack." I grabbed Garret's hand and pulled him toward the front door.

"Where are you going?" My mom asked me quietly.

"The zoo," I answered with a smile.

My mother looked confused, but Garret looked proud. Without another word, I left my house and loaded up in my jeep. Garret sat in the passenger seat and said nothing. He was constantly glancing around to make sure that nobody saw him. He felt threatened in my territory...

I focused my mind and spread it wide open. Tons and tons of voices sounded in my head, and the they immediately became silent when I entered their every thought. 'Any Danes pack member to even glare at the Torque traveling with me will answer directly to me. Is that clear?'

A chorus of 'Yes, Alpha' and 'Okay' answered me before I closed my mind again.

"Do you know what you just did?" Garret asked me quietly. I shook my head, so he answered, "You bypassed the pack link and entered the thought of every pack member. Even the ones that were blocking you out. You're pretty powerful."

I felt like I should be surprised, but I also liked the fact that I had the ability to pick out traitors should they ever arrive.

We arrived at the zoo after a drive filled with a low hum of music and comfortable silence.

"Which animal should we see first?" I asked innocently.

With a smirk, he said, "Lions, tigers, then bears."

"Oh, my." I teased. We reached the tiger pin first because it was closest, and the male was standing next to the fence as if he was expecting me. I approached him at a steady, confident pace. And then I realized that I had no idea what I was doing.

'It's okay, young one. I know why you are here. The question is, do you have the trait needed to accept my spirit?' The tiger gazed at me with its large, deep eyes.

'I took the, uh, spirit of a stag. What was the trait for that?'

'I am not a stag, so I do not know. What is a stag beyond all other things? Noble? Strong? Wise? It is for them to pass to you. But are you here for a lesson, or my spirit?'

'I am to challenge a powerful man for my rightful place as alpha. I need the strength and determination of a tiger.'

'You've just passed the test, young one. What does the tiger spirit possess? Strength and determination. You understand it and when it's needed, so you have it. You may take my knowledge and spirit.' As the tiger finished speaking, a golden mist seeped from his nose with a sigh. I inhaled, and felt it travel to my soul. I now felt the knowledge of tigers.

'Thank you, Diago.' I'm not sure how I knew his name, but he nodded and walked off to take a nap.

I turned around to find Garret staring at me. "Did you...?" I nodded at his unfinished question before walking back to him. The next closest on the current list of three was the lions...

I woke with a start when the light of day touched my face. After a long day at the zoo yesterday, Garret left to go home and I found Jack waiting at home for me. We talked of my abilities and of our... Relationship. We weren't sure why he thought we were mates, but it was probably related to the fact that he was bonded to me as my guardian. The possessiveness may have been overprotection. He promises to not reveal my abilities to anybody, and I believed him. I could sense the sincerity in his mind.