Colt tapped the tip of his pen against his notebook thoughtfully as he listened to Captain Miller talk about the various ways to deal with a hostage situation.

“Remember, the first thing you should look into when you first hear of the situation, is to identify the gender of the aggressor. Whether it’s an Alpha or Beta determines how that individual will behave and how you will react. You can start planning how to infiltrate from there.” 

Colt raised his hand and Miller sighed, “Yes Saunders, I know there are exceptions as you like to remind us. But we are going based on knowledge built on hundreds of years of research and observation. We can’t prepare every contingency with the possibility that we might run into that odd Beta or Alpha. Or Omega as you like to remind us. Therefore, we go with what we know.”

Colt slowly lowered his hand, ignoring the snickering Alphas around him, his lips tightening. He angrily brushed aside a lock of brown hair from his green eyes.

Arrogant, short-sighted Alphas.

It was those sexist assumptions that usually led to mistakes and deaths. Only last month an Omega robbed a store. Everyone assumed because of an Omega’s gentle nature he wouldn’t actually shoot and stormed the place quickly. The bloodbath that followed revealed how little gentleness actually existed in that Omega and it had cost them the lives of the store owner and her husband as well as two other officers before the Omega was subdued. If they had taken the time to negotiate first and investigate, they would have quickly realized the Omega was volatile, and had a history of violence. It would only have taken two minutes, two precious minutes that could have saved the lives of four people.

“Guess there aren’t as many freaks as you out there,” Nick muttered loudly from across the room. The other Alphas chuckled.

“Shut it, Chambers,” Miller drawled routinely with no heat. Colt couldn't blame him. It must have gotten old after a year of telling off the immature Alpha. 

“Sure thing.” Nick twisted around to smirk at Colt before diverting his attention back to the front.

Colt’s lips twitched with irritation, eyes burning at Nick’s blonde hair which was cropped so short it barely rustled, just like everyone else’s in the room. Yet, another reason Colt was different, as if being a Betas wasn’t enough. On the first day, Miller tried to get him to cut his hair, but when Colt pointed out there wasn’t a rule about hair length, none of his instructors addressed it again. But his Alpha classmates used it as just another reason to point out that Colt didn’t belong. 

He was too Beta. Too short. Too weak. Too dumb. Too arrogant. Too wild. Too emotional. Too annoying. Too everything. 

You need to know your place. 

Colt gripped his pen tightly, as he recalled the familiar words that had been thrown at him since he was a child, willing himself to release his anger. 

Ten, breathe, nine, breathe, eight, breathe, seven, long breath…six.

Colt felt the tension leaving his body and sat back, trying to focus on the class again.

He’d always been great at calming himself down. At a young age, his parents had recognized the anger that always burned within him and gave him several coping techniques. Counting down was one of the basics and usually did the job. He was proud when he was able to calm himself before he hit five. If he went further, usually it meant he had to start humming his favorite songs, allowing the melody and lyrics to flow through him. If he really couldn’t let his anger go, if he reached his limit, he’d have to go to his room and start drawing. It was rare but it happened sometimes.

Colt still remembered the last time he’d had to draw to calm his rage. It was the day he’d met Nick.  After rigorous testing, written, oral, and physical, he’d made it to the Wolf team. He’d been so excited and full of determination. The other Alphas all just stared at him, resentment written across their faces and coiled in their body language, but Colt ignored them. He was used to it since he had been challenging Alphas pretty much his whole life. But then, Nick walked up to him.

“What’s a Beta like you doing here?” Nick growled, his voice full of Alpha.

Colt’s skin prickled with annoyance, feeling the effect of the Alpha presence. He heard it wasn’t as bad as what happened to Omegas, but it still packed a punch.

He dismissed it and smiled instead, “I passed the test, just like everyone else here. Well, the ones who actually took the test.”

Nick growled and stepped forward, invading Colt’s personal space, but Colt refused to budge, smiling wider and refusing to give way to the domineering Alpha, despite his survival Beta instinct screaming at him to back down.

“You don’t belong here,” Nick hissed. “The Wolf team is no place for a Beta. Alphas only.”

“There’s no rule against Betas joining. It just hasn’t been done before. I have every right to be here, same as you.”

“There’s a reason no Beta has tried before. Because they know they can’t handle it. Being on the Wolf team means that you’ll be in charge of the military in the future. You’ll have to be able to make quick decisions, possess complete authority and force people to listen and follow you. You really think you can handle it?” 

Colt smirked back, cocking his head up confidently, “I’d rather inspire, than force people. Only insecure man-babies need to force others to listen. Without an ounce of respect behind the ‘obedience.’”  

Suddenly, a wave of angry Alpha overwhelmed him and Colt instinctively stepped back, his arms raised defensively. And just like that, the scent was extinguished. Nick grinned, full of triumph. His point made, Nick turned around and simply walked away while the other Alphas smirked and jeered.

Colt had hurried to his room and sat there drawing for hours before he was able to collect himself. The last time an Alpha was able to affect him that way was back when he was fourteen and still couldn’t figure out how to handle their scent and presence. He’d trained for months before he’d faced that Alpha again and been able to stand his ground. And just like that, in seconds, Nick had shattered his years of training and hard work, as well as his resolve and pride in being a Beta. Nick had tried the same tactic a few times since then and Colt had barely managed not to flinch.

He shuddered at the idea that one day, he might not be able to. Because he swore to himself on that first day, if any Alpha made him cower, he’d resign and leave the military. Nick may be an ass but he was right. 

The military had no place for weak Betas.