The Failed Rejection
Chapter 71

Penelope pov

The plane touched down on a Wednesday mid-morning and despite Brax’s objections Penelope immediately went back to her classes. Brax went with her as he was worried about her health and she hated to admit it but she was still weak. That didn’t mean she didn’t have classes to get back too. Penelope had missed over a week of classes and even students who showed up everyday still struggled.

Penelope showed up ten minutes late to her third class and the professor wanted to call her out until he saw the stitches that were still running down her forehead and bruises along her face. Koko was healing her, but that’s how badly she was injured. Koko had focused on her internal injuries first and apparently there had been a lot.

Penelope attended her two classes and spoke to her professors afterwards and then went to meet with the others about what she had missed. They were all helpful except for one, but she was able to get what she needed from some of her classmates. Her classmates gave her weird looks as her mate had been hovering behind her the whole time. Penelope ignored the looks and got her she needed.

The couple didn’t make it back to her apartment until late that evening.

“What do you want to eat?” Brax asked as they walked through the door.

“I’m not hungry,” she responded and went to her desk and got all of her stuff out to study. Penelope had been so exhausted and sore, but she was overwhelmed by class today. She needed to get back into her groove and that meant studying.

She immediately got in the zone and didn’t notice Braxton leaving her apartment telling her he was going to get food.

The door to her apartment two hours later, she quickly glanced up to see Braxton with an arm full of things and she immediately went back to studying.

“I got tacos, and groceries,” Brax stated. Penelope ignored him and she continued to read her Biology assignment she missed. A bag of tacos from the food truck were slipped into her perephial vision. Penelope couldn’t resist tearing open the aluminum foil and tearing into the deliciousness as she did her calculations.

“I got the essentials cause we are out of everything.” Penelope jotted down a few numbers as she polished off as taco. Wait, that wasn’t the right number, she miscalculated. She furiously erased what she wrote and started to definite the calculations. She couldn’t believe she wasn’t getting this right!

“I also picked up your favorite cereal,” Brax continued to chatter on and Penelope was still not getting this right because she couldn’t concentrate.

“Would you just be quite!” Penelope finally snapped.

“Sorry,” Brax said quietly and she looked up at her mate who looked hurt at her outburst. Koko whined in her head but she went back to work. Braxton finally left the room and went to take a shower. Penelope worked on her school work until past midnight. She climbed into bed next to Braxton who was already snoring huddled on his side. Her wolf whined, wanting to cuddle up against him, but she refused and turned away from him and fell into a restless sleep due to both her soreness from the accident and the strain on the bond.

…

It was Saturday afternoon and Penelope hadn’t been able to get out of bed. She continued to go to school and study every day since she got back, except today. Penelope didn’t know why, but today she just couldn’t move today. It was like something in her had stopped working. She should be studying as she has so much to catch up on and honestly she was lost in her classes, but she just couldn’t move. Koko was curled up in a ball whining.

“Please stop whining Koko, your giving me a headache,” she cried out.

“Pup,” is all her wolf said and finally became silent in her mind but curled herself up in a tight ball. She rubbed her stitches absently and knew they were due to come out soon.

“Do they hurt?” Her mate asked her and Penelope just shook her head no.

Braxton was hovering over her like a mother hen and it was frankly getting on her nerves. Penelope couldn’t help but feel the smallest kernel of resentment and anger over what happened start to form in her heart and it had been since she woke up.

She knew she shouldn’t feel this way toward her mate and things just happen, but it didn’t change how she was just so mad at him all the time. Penelope knew Brax had to feel it through the mate bond and knew it was hurting him. She truly didn’t know where to go from here. Penelope was lost herself.

Braxton had left an hour ago, he begged her to get out of bed, to eat something. She ignored him and stayed in bed despite needing to catch up on everything she missed. She was going to flunk out of med school at this rate. Penelope stared at the blank tv her eyes not really watching anything at time slowly ticked by.

The door opened an hour later and instead of Braxton smell of wintergreen Penelope was hit with a feminine smell of flowers. Penelope whipped up her head knowing she couldn’t deal with it right now, but all she saw standing there was here sister. She was relieved to see her but then she looked for the babies and started to cry again.

“I came alone, you need me,” her sister stated as her eyes wandered. Then it happened. She lost it and started bursting into violent sobs that she couldn’t contain. Lili rushed over to her and just held her as she cried. Penelope felts arms wrapped around her.

“It will be okay Penne,” her sister soothed her. Penelope could do nothing but cry over what she had lost due to her mates selfish need for revenge.

…

Braxton pov

Pain. That’s all he felt as he sat on outside the door as he listened to his mate break down. Braxton hated the way Penelope had been reacting to him the last week. She had become a robot and he had no idea what to do. He knew Penelope was in pain both physically and mentally, he just couldn’t help her.

Braxton hated to do it, but he finally broke down and called her sister Lili. Liliana was beyond outraged that no one had informed her what had happened. Braxton had listened to Lili scream at her mate for a good five minutes before he tentatively asked. ‘Should I hang up?’ Lili responded negatively and suprised the hell out of him with that she would be here on Saturday. When Braxton tentatively brought up the babies Lili assured him that she would come alone. He felt guilty, but he was also relieved.

Braxton was out of his element here. Penelope was so mad at him and he deserved it. He had his second chance with his mate, but he couldn’t let go of his past despite everyone telling him too.

Yes now he had closure, the man who was responsible for his first mate’s and cub’s death is gone, but at the expense of his current mate. Braxton relived every minute spent in the dungeons hating himself thinking he was sparing his family pain. He laughed out loud as self-loathing filled him. He was every bit the dumb werebear that the shifter community made him out to be. How could he think his brave and feisty mate would leave him. Penelope always saved him and this is what he did to her. To their cub. Listening to Penelope’s cries Braxton couldn’t help the tears that rolled down his own face. Goddess he hated himself.

Penelope pov

It took awhile for her to calm down and finally be able to talk to her sister.

“You want to tell me what happened? I only got the bare minimum from Brax,” Lili said to her as she wiped her eyes.

“I lost my baby before I even knew I was pregnant,” Penelope said tears still streaming down her face.

“I can’t pretend to know what your going through, but why are you pushing your mate away? He lost a pup too?” Lili asked with a small smile on her face.

“It’s his fault!” Penelope yelled for the first time and she knew Braxton could hear her. Liliana gasped outraged.

“Penelope! Why would you say such a thing?!” Her sister was getting mad at her and Penelope quickly explained.

“He just had to seek out revenge! And I had to go and save him! I should have just stayed here at school and let him to rot there! But no I had to go save him and feel the pain of what they were doing to him for days!”

“Penelope! Now I love your more than anything and I know you are hurting but he is hurting too,” Lili interrupted her tirade.

“You think I should forgive him?” Penelope asked affronted and laid back on the bed. Lili sighed, she thought a moment before she finally spoke.

“I think if you let this hate fester in your heart you are going to ruin the best thing that ever happened to you,” Lili stated bluntly. Her sister never pulled any punches and always caused fights when they were younger.

“Ouch.”

“He loves you and is miserable, you don’t have to forgive him right away, just like I didn’t forgive Nathan when his first mate waltzed back into our life and I was a second thought. I made him do some serious groveling if you know what I mean,” Lili said with a wink.

“Barf,” Penelope said with a fake dry heave and Penelope heard Brax chuckle outside the door. Lili looked to the door and smiled as well.

“How long are you here for?” Penelope asked knowing it wouldn’t be long.

“Tomorrow night, but then mom will fly out on Wednesday to see you,” Lili told her as she decided to get under the covers with her.

“How is mom?” Penelope asked her sister. Their mother mental health still wasn’t well after their, well her fathers death.

“She’s doing a lot better,” Lili said as she grabbed the remote. “Well that’s what the doctors tell me anyway.” Penelope didn’t comment and just watched the episode of Supernatural her sister put on.

Braxton walked into the room ten minutes later looking hopeful and she couldn’t stand to say anything hurtful. He sat on the floor next to Penelope as they watched the show.

It was halfway through the episode when she felt him reaching for her hand. Penelope let Brax grab her hand and hold it. Penelope didn’t feel so much rage at him, so that had to be progress, right?