, this is the epilogue of MSM, I know it's late, I've been busy and was trying to get everything I wanted for this story written down, I hope you enjoyed reading this story and for the last time, (for now at least,) please comment, vote and enjoy!!

Epilogue

Aria's POV

It was Friday.

And like every Friday, I sat on the bench by the school, next to Forest waiting for the children to come out and play.

It had become our routine, and the children loved it as much as we did.

Every Friday we would wait for them in the playground at break time, we would play with them, then we would all go back inside and listen to them read, or help them with their maths.

Fern was such a happy child, her mum had now fully recovered, but she still remembered what it was like, so was always there for the other children if they wanted to talk.

So was I.

I loved helping the children, it made me feel I could stop what happened to me, happen to them, I kept my eye out for any signs for abuse, and the children knew they could talk to me if they wanted.

Nothing was too small, even if their third favourite fish had died, I made sure to listen, because if you listen to the little things, they will come to you with the big.

I made sure to always listen to the little things.

Since I first came to the school things had changed a lot, for a start I spoke now.

I joined in the children's games of tig, hopscotch and skipping, I had never played most of the games when I was little, I was too scared my dad would hurt me if I had fun, so playing with the children was like reclaiming the childhood I never had.

I also loved learning, so if the children had a problem, I helped them.

All children are smart, but everyone learns in different ways, so if someone is having trouble with their reading, or maths, or anything, I help them learn it in another way.

This is the part of the story I'm supposed to say how my life is perfect, how Forest changed my life and everything is just dandy.

I'm not going to say my life is perfect now, for every bit of good comes with some bad, but bad comes with good as well.

Forest did change my life though.

He didn't get rid of all the ugliness, I still have scars from my dad, and many nights I wake up shaking, plagued by nightmares of the past.

But when ever I wake up screaming, he's always there for me, ready to talk about it, or just hold me until I can fall back asleep.

My life feels like such a cliche, one where the main character is abused, and no one notices or cares, then this boy appears. He notices and sooner or later he'll save her life and change her whole world for the better, he'll fight off her demons and scare off her nightmares.

But maybe, the whole reason it's a cliche, is because it works.

I can't tell you everything will be perfect now, that we'll all live happily ever after, because I can't see the future, well not fully....

I can't see what's coming in ten years, twenty, thirty, so I suppose all we can do is live in the present, be thankful for what we have and not live wishing for what we want, but cherishing what we have.

I have a wonderful family now, one who cares for me.

They may not be related to me by blood, but they love me, and that's all that matters.

I have a great family, I have good friends, I have an amazing life.

In fact, I have a life.

Full stop.

I'm alive, I'm not dead at the bottom of an ocean or whatever my dad was planning.

Who knew the day my dad tried to kill me, would be the day my life really began.

Like every Friday, once we had finished at the school, I went to help Isla around the pack house.

I smiled at Forest, giving him a quick kiss before he went to his dad's office to help him with some paperwork.

I got the better deal here, I got to go around and talk to the pack, while he was stuck in the office all evening.

Every Friday, when I went around the pack with Isla, I was surprised by how quickly the pack had accepted me, and how happy I was with my new life.

As we walked around the pack so many people greeted me, smiled at me, saying hello as we passed.

I felt so grateful for how quickly the pack accepted me, how they didn't care about my past, or how what happened to the pack happened, because of me.

After we had gone round the pack my day was finished, again.

We all sat round the table for dinner. Back when I lived with my brother and father, we never sat together, in fact I never really got to sit at the table.

But now, we always sat together, talking about our days and laughing over silly jokes.

Bliss.

After dinner I walked upstairs, into my room, and out onto the balcony, looking out over the pack lands and watching as sun set over the hills.

Forest came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

In that moment, I felt happy, (now I know what you're thinking, happy, how bland, that's a terrible descriptive word, and maybe content would be better or jovial or jocular, but those words are complex and the kind of thing you would write in your English paper and at that moment I was feeling that kind of happy that just sits in your insides, warms you up and that kind of happy is so simple, but sometimes it's the simpler things in life which are best, so I'm going to stick with happy.)

The warm, blessing kind of happy.

here.