The Alpha's Only Choice

12. Balconies and Bullheads

That evening, after dinner at the pack house, Kiara opened her balcony door hoping to find her usual company there, she told herself she wasn't disappointed to find his cousin waiting instead.

"Oh hey! You guys still do sleepovers? Aren't you a bit too old for that?"

"I was waiting for you" Matt said without preamble "I know you guys meet up in the evening"

Kiara raised a brow "You know?"

"You are visible from down the road" he pointed out. Kiara followed the general direction of his hand but all she saw was darkness, "We have better night vision" he responded to her unsaid confusion.

"Okay, so you lurk around the street in the middle of the night. Great hobby"

"We have patrols" he said defensively.

"Patrols. Like the police? Now you are a cop too? How many jobs do you have?" Kiara huffed, leaning against the rail "You are practically drowning in jobs while I stand here in a desert. And you are so much younger too. God! I am such a loser"

"I am not that young"

"Yes you are. When did you graduate?"

"Umm......last year" he hesitated.

"See?" she emphasized "You graduated last year and you have three jobs. I graduated five years ago and I have no job and I live in my parents' attic. A capital L loser"

Matt winched "Patrolling isn't really a job. It's more similar to community policing that humans do. Also, you had a job. It was terrible and didn't match well with your morals. So you quit. You will find a better job. One that makes you happy and not miserable"

"Jobs don't make you happy. That's just childhood fantasies"

"I love my job"

Kiara snorted "Which one?"

"The one I have at the Alpha's office. I love uncle Henry but honestly, I am not much of a desk job person. And even though my dad has terrible teaching skills and no patience, I kind of like everything about the job"

"Why do you keep working with uncle Henry then?"

"Because grandpa thinks that a modern day Alpha needs management lessons more than fighting skills" He scrunched his nose in distaste.

"He sounds like a very intelligent person"

"He is different"

"You don't sound very excited about that" Kiara nodded, realizing Matt's inability to accept anything out of the traditional werewolf norm most certainly didn't come from his grandfather.

"Don't get me wrong, he is amazing. His years as the Alpha was so game changing that he got called in to be a councilman as soon as he retired" Kiara assumed she would know more about the council she keeps hearing about someday, "But he isn't without flaws. Neither is my dad. I just want to take the best they both have to offer and hope I inherit none of their flaws"

"It's impossible for a person to be without flaw" Kiara told him.

"I could try"

"You try too much. Have you ever thought about taking a break"

"A break from what?"

"Bluewood. It's still your father's burden to carry"

"I will inherit her one day. I have to be prepared"

"You may be too tired that day. Have you thought about that? You are only twenty, you...."

"twenty-one" he corrected her immediately.