He Rejected The Wrong Wolf

Chapter 18

Brielle’s POV

The house finally started calming down sometime after dinner.

Most of the guests who had stayed overnight after the birthday gathering had spent the afternoon filtering out of the estate, and the constant noise that had filled the pack house since yesterday had faded into something quieter and more familiar. Staff moved through the halls carrying trays and decorations toward storage while distant conversations echoed softly from downstairs, no longer loud enough to feel overwhelming.

For the first time since the party, the house almost felt normal again.

Almost.

Brielle stood near the kitchen island rinsing out a glass while warm light from the hanging fixtures reflected softly across the marble counters. The scent of coffee and leftover food still lingered faintly in the air, mixing with the familiar sounds of family voices somewhere deeper in the house.

From the sitting room nearby, Wren was currently arguing with her mother about snacks for the trip with enough passion to make it sound like survival depended on processed sugar.

“We do not need six bags of chips.”

“We absolutely do.”

“You’re going for a few weeks, not preparing for a natural disaster.”

“You have clearly never traveled properly.”

Brielle smiled faintly to herself as she dried the glass with a towel. The normalcy of it helped more than she expected. After the last twenty-four hours, listening to Wren argue dramatically about road trip snacks felt strangely grounding.

Even if the restless feeling in Brielle’s chest still hadn’t gone away completely.

Tomorrow morning.

By tomorrow night, they’d already be in the capital.

The thought still felt unreal.

“You’re thinking too hard again.”

Brielle glanced over her shoulder as Wren wandered into the kitchen carrying a bag of candy she had very obviously stolen while her mother was distracted. She hopped onto one of the stools beside the island and tore the bag open immediately like she’d earned it through battle.

“That’s not a thing,” Brielle said.

“It absolutely is.” Wren pointed a piece of candy toward her accusingly. “You get this look on your face like you’re mentally preparing for tragedy.”

“My face does not do that.”

“It does. Alaric does it too.”

“That feels insulting somehow.”

“It should.”

Despite herself, Brielle laughed quietly under her breath before setting the towel aside. The sound felt easier now than it had that morning. Lighter.

Wren watched her carefully for a second after that. “You’re nervous.”

Brielle leaned back lightly against the counter, considering the question instead of brushing it off immediately. “A little.”

“That’s normal.”

“It still feels weird leaving.”

Wren’s expression softened slightly before a grin pulled at her mouth. “That’s because this is the first trip we’re taking alone.”

Brielle laughed quietly. “Without someone supervising every decision we make.”

“Exactly,” Wren said immediately. “Which means partying, terrible decisions, and probably boys.”

“That sounds concerning.”

“That sounds like freedom.”

“I heard that,” Wren’s mother called from the sitting room.

Wren didn’t even flinch. “You were supposed to.”

“No parties,” her mother warned.

“Define party.”

“Wren.”

“Fine,” she said dramatically. “Small parties.”

Brielle laughed before she could stop herself, the sound lighter than anything she’d managed since the birthday gathering.

The idea of disappearing into a city big enough that nobody knew her sounded more appealing the longer she thought about it.

No whispers.

No pity.

No awkward looks every time someone remembered Thaddeus had chosen someone else.

The thought made something tighten unpleasantly in her chest again.

Before she could stop herself, her attention drifted toward the kitchen doorway.

And froze.

Thaddeus stood there watching her.

Neither of them spoke immediately.

The atmosphere shifted so subtly Brielle might not have noticed it before yesterday. Wren noticed though. Of course she did.

Her cousin’s expression flattened instantly as she looked between them.

“Well,” Wren said slowly, sliding off the stool. “This feels uncomfortable already.”

“Wren—”

“Nope.” She grabbed the candy bag and pointed it vaguely between them. “Whatever unresolved emotional situation this is? Not my business.”

“You’re literally making it your business right now.”

“And now I’m leaving.”

Traitor.

Wren disappeared out of the kitchen before Brielle could stop her, leaving behind a silence that suddenly felt far too noticeable.

Brielle folded her arms loosely and looked back toward Thaddeus. “Did you need something?”

His attention flicked briefly toward the suitcase sitting near the hallway before returning to her face again.

“You’re leaving tomorrow.”

Not a question.

“That’s usually how trips work.”

Something flickered briefly across his expression at her tone, but it disappeared quickly enough that she couldn’t fully read it.

For a moment neither of them spoke. The kitchen suddenly felt smaller somehow, quieter except for the faint sound of voices drifting from another room somewhere farther down the hall.

“You should’ve told me,” he said finally.

Brielle blinked once, genuinely caught off guard by the statement. “Why?”

His jaw tightened slightly.

“Because disappearing for weeks without saying anything is a strange thing to do.”

A disbelieving laugh escaped her before she could stop it. “You rejected me.”

The words landed cleanly between them.

Not angry.

Just true.

“You don’t get to act like I owe you updates about my life now.”

Something unreadable crossed his face at that, gone almost immediately.

“I’m not saying you owe me anything.”

“It kind of sounds like you are.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean?”

Again, he didn’t answer right away.

Brielle looked away first, suddenly too tired for another confusing conversation with him. The tension between them felt different now than it had before the rejection, less sharp maybe, but somehow more complicated.

Which honestly just made everything worse.

“The capital isn’t like here,” he said quietly after a moment.

She almost laughed.

“That’s literally the reason I want to go.”

His gaze stayed fixed on her. “People notice things there.”

The comment made her frown slightly. “What is that supposed to mean?”

For a second it looked like he was actually going to answer.

Then footsteps sounded somewhere farther down the hallway, breaking the moment before whatever thought had been forming could fully surface.

Thaddeus glanced briefly toward the sound before looking back at her again.

“Just be careful,” he said finally.

The seriousness in his voice caught her off guard.

Brielle studied him for a second, confusion twisting quietly beneath her ribs. “You’re acting weird.”

A faint humorless smile touched the corner of his mouth briefly. “That’s probably fair.”

The honesty of it surprised her enough that she didn’t respond immediately.

Then he stepped back toward the doorway.

“Have a safe trip, Brielle.”

And somehow, watching him leave without trying to stop her felt worse than if he had.