Chapter 52

Aria's POV

I had memorised every crack, line, curve and colour variation of the sickly creamy white walls of the hospital room in the pack house.

Thirty eight hours of sitting in the same chair, in the same place, by a hospital bedside left me a lot of time to study walls.

I never imagined I would fall in love.

I never even imagined I would live long enough to make a friend.

I thought my dad would kill me before I even got to live, and yet here we are.

He's the dead one.

Who'd have thought it.

It's finally over.

And yet, I get no relief.

Not while Forest is lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

It had been less then two days since the fight, and yet it felt like years, because he wasn't awake, he hadn't celebrated out victory.

He couldn't.

"Please wake up," I whispered.

Lucy walked in to check on him, she kept him alive until his werewolf healing kicked in to heal him, without her, he would be dead.

I was thankful beyond words.

"He's getting better," She told me, "He'll be awake soon,"

I just nodded.

I smiled at her as she walked out the room again, "Thank you,"

Atlas and Isla had spent most of the last 38 hours beside their son, but they had a pack to look after, and when the pack called, they had to answer.

"Forest please wake up," I whispered, thinking back to every book I read, where the character confesses her or his love for their unconscious girl/boyfriend and then they wake up after hearing the whole confession.

"Forest please wake up, your parents need you, your friends need you, your pack needs you, I need you," Time for that boyfriend waking confession of love, "Please Forest, I love you, please wake up,"

And...........

Absolutely nothing.

Forest still lay motionless on the hospital bed, dead to the world.

Why can't my life be a story, heaven knows I've gone through enough hell.

Actually, my whole life story is a cliche.

"God dammit Forest," I exclaimed, "Wake the hell up,"

He blinks, "Stop shouting woman," He whispered hoarsely, "I've got a splitting headache,"

"Forest!" I screamed, smiling as he winced.

Not because I enjoyed seeing him in pain, but because it further solidified the fact he was awake and wasn't dead.

His eyes suddenly shot open, "What happened!" He gasped out, sitting up, "The last thing I remember is the rogues attacking you,"

I smiled, smoothing the hair off his forehead, "I'm fine, it's you who has been unconscious the last 36 hours,"

"Only 36?" He asked with a grin, "Those rogues were weak,"

I could help but laugh at his terrible joke, "you shouldn't be joking about that,"

He just shrugged.

"So," He said, changing the subject, "How are my parents? Ash and Skye?"

I held up my phone to show him I'd sent a text, "On their way."

-----------

Not 30 seconds later the door came crashing open and Isla came flying into the room, followed by Atlas, who had settled on a brisk walk in the place of a tornado.

"Never do that again! You scared the life out of me," Isla scolded Forest lovingly, "I thought you were gone for good,"

Forest smiled at her reassuringly, "Never, you can't get rid of me that easily,"

"I'm sorry we couldn't be here when you woke up," Atlas said with a sad smile, "Pack duties called."

Forest laughed, "It's fine, I woke up to Ari here yelling at me to wake up, or else,"

I smiled sheepishly, "I tried asking politely, but you wouldn't listen,"

That made Atlas and Isla laugh, and it was nice to see the lines of worry from the past day fall away.

---------

After Ash and Skye had flown through the doors and gushed over Forest being alive, we all had tea round the kitchen table.

We caught Forest up on everything he missed in the last day or so, mainly about the end of the fight and the clear up afterwards.

Surprisingly for everyone, we hadn't lost anyone in the fight, the rogues were inexperienced and we vastly outnumbered them.

We also had werewolf healing and Lucy keeping those injured alive long enough to heal.

So we were all very lucky.

"Where is Lucy?" Forest asked suddenly, "I haven't seen her recently,"

"She was there just before you woke up," I answered, "But I haven't seen her since."

"Here I am," She said, appearing randomly in the spare seat at the end of the table.

I jumped.

Spilling the water from the full glass I was drinking from all over me.

"Why!" I exclaimed, "Why can't you warn us before you appear!"

"How would I do that?" She asked, "Should I just go invisible and yell in your ear 'I'm about to traverse, just a warning?"

I shook my head, "Just leave it. Where were you?"

"Checking the borders, the cult is fully destroyed, you shouldn't be having anymore problems with them anymore."

I smiled in relief, "That's good."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

-----------

The evening was full of celebration.

Most of the pack had already met me, so I didn't need a formal introduction.

We all partied late into the night.

It was over.

I gazed out at the sunset, enjoying the feel of the slight breeze on my exposed arms.

The party was still going beneath me, downstairs, but I was tired and Forest needed some more rest to recover so we had headed off the bed early.

I was standing on the balcony, staring off into the distance.

Not seeing.

Thinking.

Thinking about how much my life had changed, and how lucky I was to have found Forest.

I felt him wrap his arms around my waist, "Come on," He said, "It's late, let's get to bed."

I didn't resist as he pulled me into our bed and I relaxed into his arms, "I love you," I whispered, "You know that, right?"

He smiled down at me, "Of course I know that, I love you too,"

I fell asleep, safe in his arms.

----------

I woke up the next morning late, it was about 2 PM, and I usually wake up at like, 8 AM, so that was really late for me.

But I could.

And that was the best feeling in the world.

The feeling of no commitments.

I had no cults to destroy.

No family members trying to kill me.

I wasn't being held captive by an idiot.

I was safe.

I was free.

And if I wanted to sleep all day I could.

But staying in bed all day is boring.

So I dragged Forest out of bed and downstairs, where there was a pile of pancakes waiting for us.

"Nice of you to finally join us," Atlas said with a smirk, "What does this count as? Breakfast? Lunch? Or an early tea?"

I smiled sheepishly, "Maybe a bit of all three?"

He laughed and pushed the Nutella over to me, "I suppose you need this then."

I nodded.

Nutella is amazing.

----------

After breakfastlunchtea, or bruna as I like to call it, we spent the rest of the day on the sofa, watching a movie and not much else.

Until the doorbell rang.

I grumbled as I sat up, muttering under my breath about people ruining my laziness as I opened the door.

But what was on the other side made me stop mid grumble.

"Mum?" I asked.

She pulled me into a tight hug, but my arms stayed stiff by my side.

She nodded, "Can I come in,"

I just stared at her, "What are you doing here." I demanded.

She didn't answer me, instead she turned her attention to the person behind me, "Hello, I'm Teresa, Aria's mother," She said, offering her hand.

I looked behind me to see Atlas staring my mum down.

He wasn't the friendly Atlas I'd grown used to, Forest's father, he was in Alpha mode, trying to figure out the purpose of the woman on his doorstep.

"Alpha Atlas," He said, ignoring her outstretched hand, "I suppose you should come in."

"Who is it?" Forest called from the sitting room, but instead of answering we just walked in.

Forest sent me a grin when I walked back in, a grin that froze when he saw who was following me, he sat up straighter, "Dad, who is this?"

Isla came in from the kitchen, coming to see who it was at the door, who had just entered her house unannounced.

"Why are you here," She asked harshly, "Why now?"

"Mama? Who is this?" Forest asked, confused.

Even I was confused by Isla's words, did she know my mum?

"Forest, this is my mum." I hissed out, going to sit next to him on the sofa.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" My mum asked as Forest pulled me closer to him.

"No," I stated. "Not until you tell me what your doing here."

She sighed, then fixed a bright smile on her face, "Isla and Atlas contacted me, told me you were here,"

I looked over at them, "That was six months ago," Isla spat out, "Why now? Why do you turn up now?"

"I wanted to see my daughter, and meet her in laws, is that so wrong?"

I read the hidden meaning in that, and from the look of disgust on everyone's faces, I guess they did too.

"You left me. You left me, knowing he would hurt me, you didn't care. You left me for your mate you didn't care about me then, why now?"

I knew the answer to that before I asked.

She didn't turn up for me.

She still doesn't care about me.

She just heard I was mated to an Alpha's son and wanted something.

"I think it's time you leave." Forest said calmly.

"No," She screeched, "You're my daughter, and you're under 18, I'm your legal guardian, I'm your blood."

I laughed.

"You are no blood of mine. You gave up the title of my mum when you left me. Forest saved me, Atlas and Isla took me in, they're my family. You. You're nothing to me. Bye Teresa. Now go. Go and never come back." I hissed.

I had said everything I needed to.

I stood up and walked up to my room, Forest squeezed my hand reassuringly from beside me, reassuring me I'd done the right thing.

I heard Atlas send my mum on her way, telling her to never come back.

Good.

I don't need her.

A few years ago, I was wished every night for her to come back, but that was then.

Since then I've found a new family, a better family, one who loves me for me.

They filled the gap in my heart.

They saved me.

They fixed me when I was broken.

Saved me when I was lost.

Made me feel better when I was hurt.

They are my true family.

We chose our family, blood ties us to people, but they are only our family if we want them to be.

We chose our family, and I know who I chose, who I will always chose.

Every time.