my scarred mate

Chapter 13- Pack and wolves

I looked from Forest to Atlas and Isla and they all wore the same shocked expressions, then again, I did run away a few days ago because of the whole werewolf thing, and they didn't know about my meeting with Layla.

Isla was the first to recover, "Of course you can come, I can get Forest to show you around the pack and to introduce you to a few people."

Forest gave me a small smile and I returned it, I wanted to know more about mates and I suppose Forest will know much more than I do.

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"And this is the pack school," Forest said, showing me a large brick building, red in the sunlight. It looked inviting and had much more character then my school. We had been walking around the pack grounds for a few hours and there was so much to see. But wait, why does Forest go to my school when he could go to one full of his pack? I wrote down my question and watched as his face took on a slightly faraway look.

"A wolf will often know when their mate is near and will tell you to do things to help you find them. My wolf told me to change school and to sit next to you, he knew you were my mate and wanted to find you." He answered, a small smile on his lips.

Just then a bell rang and our ran a swarm of little children, rushing up to Forest, "Forest, Forest, come play with me." They all yelled. I was terrified of all the small children swamping us, but Forest just took it in his stride, playing tig and skipping, going from one child to the next, making them all welcome in whatever game he played.

On one side of the playground there sat a little girl. She had long brown hair, tied in bunches and green eyes. She reminded me of myself when I was little. She looked sad and lost. So, I was to her what I needed then. A friend.

Walking over there I decided how best to talk to her without frightening her. I sat down next to her and just watched the view for a bit before handing her my note pad. "Hello, I'm Aria, what's your name?" I had written.

The girl looked at me with tears flowing down her face. She sniffed before answering in a small, timid voice, "My name is Fern."

"Hello Fern," I wrote, "Why don't you join in with the others?" I asked, watching as her face fell.

"My mum's ill. I'm worried she will never get better. I thought maybe if I didn't play she would get better, but all the others said to give up." She was so much like me. I had the perfect advice for her.

"Never give up. Every cloud has a silver lining and there is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow if you look hard enough." I wrote, it had been the saying that had got me through each and every beating my father and brother had dished out. It was my life line and I hoped it would help her too.

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After the children had gone back inside me and Forest walked back home. We sat in the sitting room and sat in thoughtful silence, "Where did you get that quote from?" Forest asked, breaking the silence.

I thought for a minute before writing my answer, "My mum used to say it to me when I told her I had a bad day, I repeated it to myself whenever I considered ending my life, when I thought no one loved me and I would be better off dead.

I had tears rolling down my face when I finished telling my story to Forest and he pulled me into a tight hug, holding me tight. "You are so brave Aria, I will never let them hurt you again. You are safe now. You are loved."

He held me tight and I stayed in the safety of his arms until we heard his parents come back home.

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After tea I went up to bed and got changed before walking to Forest's room and climbing into his bed. He looked surprised to see me, but I didn't have my note pad, so he didn't ask me any questions, he just held me tight and we fell asleep.

In the middle of the night I woke up after a nightmare. I couldn't remember what it had been about, but I woke up to Forest shaking me, "Aria, Aria it's ok. It was a dream. I've got you, I promised you I'd keep you safe and I always keep my promises."

I turned so I was in his arms and he held me tight, stroking my hair. I rested my head on his chest and breathed deeply, calming my racing heart. I just stayed in his arms and listened to the beat of his heart. A lullaby to my ears and before I knew it I was asleep again.

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The next morning me and Forest walked down stairs to breakfast to see Isla and Atlas already around the table, drinking coffee and eating cereal.

"Hello, you two, do you have any plans today?" Atlas asked, putting down his cup while Forest reached for some bowls and I grabbed the cornflakes from the cupboard.

"I thought we would meet up with Skye and Ash, they wanted to meet Aria again since she now knows about werewolves." Forest said before turning to me, "If that's ok with you?" I nodded my head, I wanted to meet up with Forest's friends again too, they were nice, even if they were slightly unnerving.

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After breakfast I had a shower and put on some black jeans and a red jumper, before heading to the car. Just as I got there Isla came up to me, "Aria do you want to move into Forest's room, since you are mates. Most wolves move in with their mate when they find them, but it is up to you."

"I'd like that," I wrote, surprising myself. But as I thought about it I would like that, because I have fallen in love with Forest, slowly and without realising it. I have fallen deeply in love. I love Forest, as my mate, best friend and my love.