“I told you,” Nick shouted, “Step forward one step then jump over the rope.”

“I did take one step,” Michael hissed back, fighting the urge to punch towards Nick’s voice.

“You practically leaped. A step is smaller than that. Now go back.”

Michael growled with irritation and stepped back, using his toes to gently nudge the criss-cross of ropes Nick had been trying to guide him over for the last ten minutes. So far they’ve only cleared one obstacle, and only because it was ridiculously simple. Now that Michael needed more detailed instructions, Nick the Dick decided to throw a stupid Alpha pride fit and wasn’t cooperating. He was always impatient. Even when they were kids. That’s why Michael hated playing with him and convinced his parents not to make them hang out anymore.

“Now what do I do?” Michael asked, his tone even as he tried to call on the patience he’d fostered all his life.

“OK, take one small and regular step forward with your right foot. Now, put your left in front of that one but more to the left. Not like that! Forward and left. That’s it. Fuck, you’re as bad at listening to instruction as you were when we were kids.”

“Funny,” Michael hissed, “I remember it was the other way around. I was trying to follow the rules and you always cheated.”

“I told you. It’s not cheating if you don’t get caught.”

Michael sighed in frustration, “Forget it. What do I do next?”

“That’s it. You’re doing great Kit,” Colt called out and Kit chuckled. 

Colt couldn’t help smiling at the proud look on the shorter Beta's face. Colt had been both excited and slightly worried when they’d been paired up. He’d seen how well Kit performed on the examination days. He’d been quick, both physically and mentally, and proved he was better than the bigger Betas. But at the same time, his expression had never changed, as if he didn’t care if he passed or failed. But Colt wasn’t fooled. Just like him, the other Beta was trying to prove his worth to people who probably dismissed him because of his height which was four to five inches shorter than most Betas. Colt knew he had no proof to back up his assumptions, but something about the Beta made him feel he was right. 

They were birds of a feather, trying to survive in a world that wanted them to fit in their perfect little cages.

“OK, you’re going to have to jump through a series of tires. I suggest you feel their size so you can guess how far and how big your jumps should be.”

Kit bent down and touched the tires for a few seconds then smiled triumphantly. “Piece of cake.”

Before he could even open his mouth to instruct him Kit leaped through the tires gracefully, alternating his feet and stopping exactly where the two column of tires ended. Colt couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping.

“How did you do that?” he exclaimed.

Kit chuckled and looked over his shoulder so Colt could hear him better, “Tires are pretty much all the same size in the military. I used the same ones at home. And they always use ten pairs of tires during training.”

Colt continued to gaze at Kit in shock, trying to comprehend all the information those few sentences revealed. Colt knew that Kit was athletic and agile, but not that he had trained for the military specifically. Otherwise he wouldn’t have known which tire size they use. And the fact that he knew how many showed strong observation and memorization skills, and how carefully he’d been cataloguing everything on the base since day one.

Who is this guy?

Suddenly, Colt started laughing and couldn’t seem to stop. Kit turned around to face him, his expression puzzled through the blindfold which made Colt laugh harder.

Finally, wiping tears from his eyes, Colt stood right in front of Kit and said the words that would change their lives forever. “Kit Kelly, I want you to be my Hawk.”

Colt saw Kit’s jaw clench but it wasn’t angry, just thoughtful. Slowly, Kit’s lips tilted up into a smile which continued to grow until it practically reached the bottom of the blindfold. “Colt Saunders, I want you to be my Wolf.” 

Colt barked at Kit’s arrogant tone and clapped him on the shoulder. “Deal. But before that we have to get through the rest of this course. Ready to show the higher ups what their new Wolf and Hawk team can do?”

“Hell yes,” Kit replied with relish, grinning confidently.