William paced his bedroom, wearing down the floorboards. Jacota remained seated and stared at his father, trying to process his secrets. Surprisingly, Jacota took the news rather well. If Scott tried to tell him when he first discovered that he was turning into a God, the information might have tipped his sanity over the edge. Before, Jacota needed a father, a regular and simple human. Maybe Scott knew that.

"I have more questions," Will said, not stopping to see his father nod in response. "I don't get your ageing process. If you were seventeen in the twelfth century, why are you not only seventeen now if one thousand human years is one year for all of us- "

Scott cleared his throat to stop his son, wanting to answer one question at a time.

"We aged a lot faster back then. The ageing process has changed to sync with the war. I don't doubt that the angels had something to do with it. Heaven will be heavily involved, and they want the wisest, fittest, and the strongest on their side."

William sat by the window, ready to carry out his interrogation. The summer breeze filtered through his dark brown hair.

"Why didn't Reyana recognise you? And are you not mad? She killed your mate."

"In the Enchiridion, it says Gods can only see other Gods when it matters. I only saw Reyana once, and that was when she tried to kill me and killed my mate. I would have died if I had you boys at the time, but the power couldn't leave my body because I had nobody to pass it onto, so I lived. Also, I'm older now, so maybe she thought I was a human relative," Scott said, smiling through the sorrow. Jacota wondered what kind of horrific pain his father went through after losing a mate. He couldn't imagine losing Hunter; his heart would shatter. "For a long, long time, I wanted to find Reyana and kill her for what she did. My dad had to physically hold me back some days, and even comfort me when I was struggling with the heartache. It has been a long time now and what kind of person would I be if I was still revengeful?"

"Was it hard seeing Reyana again?" Jacota asked.

"Yes, it brought back a lot of unwanted memories," Scott said truthfully and diverted his eyes to the ground, finding it hard to look them in the eyes after lying to them for so long. "I feel like a terrible father. You boys deserved to know the truth from the beginning."

William walked over to the bed. "But you were protecting us, right? That doesn't make you a bad father."

"It's the lying. You deserve to feel confident when putting all of your faith into a parent. My life is a huge thing for me to keep a secret and it changes everything about me."

"It doesn't change you, though," Jacota said quietly. "It is a bit weird knowing you're actually hundreds of years old." The thought would remain strange for a while.

"Come here, both of you." Scott laid on his back and stretched his arms out, leaving space for his sons to lie close on either side. He wrapped his arms around them like he did when they were little. "I'm not a God anymore. I don't label myself as anything other than your father. You boys are the most important people in my life, and you are both my number one priority. Just because I have told you my past, doesn't mean it changes anything except that I'll be able to help with your God duties Jacota and help with your curiosity for the subject, William."

Will chuckled and the brothers hugged him tighter. Scott released a content breath, and the internal panic subsided.

"We love you, just please, no more secrets. I can't keep up with them all." William propped himself up on his elbows, itching to ask more questions.

"I promise that this is everything, and it feels so good for you to know who I am." The time caught up with Scott. His sons, both on their way into adulthood with the Godly powers passed on through generations. Seeing the powers in Jacota reminded Scott of his father. Their grandfather would have been so proud to see Jay thrive like he has, and William as he soaks up the world of the wolves with a big heart and educational eyes. "I love you both so much."

The Jones' laid together for a while, all lost in their thoughts, yet feeling closer now that the secrets were open and shared as a family.

"Did you write the Enchiridion?" Jacota asked after explaining everything to Hunter through their mind-link.

"I did," Scott said. "I knew you would need it in the future in case I wasn't here to help you myself."

"The God of wisdom wrote the last few pages. Is that after Reyana tried to kill you?"

"Yes. The God of wisdom was a huge influence in my life. She came to me when my mate was killed and helped me through the grieving process. She knew I was going into hiding and I asked her to finish the Enchiridion if anything happened to me. I guess Reyana got to her just before she could finish."

William shook his head and gripped the duvet with angry fists. "I know revenge is not your thing, but how can you let Reyana continue to live a normal life? She ruined yours."

"Karma will catch up with her. Falilo, the God of wisdom, said that someone so cruel would wake up and see their destruction, but by then, it is too late, and the damage is done. When that time comes for Reyana, I hope the guilt hurts for the rest of her life." Scott said, then shrugged. "Either that or she'll die a horrible death in the war. I'm fine with both."

"But dad, she killed your mate and your friends!"

"I know that son, but my life would have ended a long time ago if I fell victim to the resentment. I moved on knowing that better things would find me, and here we are," Scott smiled, climbing off the bed and stretching. "I know you've already told Hunter," he said to Jacota, "so I'll go and tell the rest of his family. Thank you both for taking this so well."

The brothers watched their father leave before turning to one another, expressing the same emotions.

"Well," William sighed and flopped onto his bed. "At least it'll never get boring being in this family."

* * * * *

Hunter felt the summers breeze drop in temperature as the sun disappeared behind the trees. His body, as still as a sculpture, was processing the information about Scott. If anything, himself and Sam, who sat quietly by his side, was surprised by how well Jacota took the news.

"Honestly," Sam spoke, disturbing the peace, "I'm not that shocked about Scott. I mean, he's always so calm in any situation, and he knew way too much about werewolves and the Gods to not raise suspicion."

"Yeah. Now that I think about it, it does make sense for Scott to be the previous God of lightning."

"He fits the character so well because he's like a billion years old and acts so wise."

Hunter smiled and crossed his arms.

"I bet nana knew."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Hunter shifted on the wooden bench, finding it uncomfortable now that he had sat for so long. "Flora knows everything about everyone."

"That's very true," Sam chuckled, nudging his shoulder. "How has your first day of heat been?"

Hunter rested the back of his head against the bricks with a dramatic sigh.

"It's so hard. I can't wait until Jay feels it too."

"I can't even imagine how tough-" Sam paused when the front door opened and Jacota looked around, smiling when he saw them.

"Hey," Hunter beamed and moved closer to his Beta wolf so his mate could join them. Jacota's scent ached his heart, and the warmth of his body felt almost too hot to touch, but of course, Hunter melted into his side anyway and fought the urge to change into his wolf and howl with excitement.

Jacota noticed his battle with the affection and took his hand, holding it tightly.

"Dad's telling your parents about his past."

"Now?" Hunter asked, distracted by how beautiful Jacota's brown eyes looked as they reflected chocolate coloured marbles, glossy and shiny.

"Yeah. I hope they don't get too angry at him for lying."

"I think my parents would lie about their lives too if Reyana were out to kill their entire family."

When Jacota rested his head against Hunter's shoulder, Sam stood and edged towards the door.

"I'm gonna see how Will's doing."

Hunter watched him leave, making a mental note to ask Sam about how he is coping with the rejection of not only Will but his parents too. Sam puts on a brave face, and Hunter praises his determination to make every day a happy one.

He sighed and rested an arm on Jacota's shoulders.

"Our families are crazy."

The God nodded against him.

"After this, it will take a lot to shock me."

"Me too," Hunter chuckled, hearty and cheerful at his unintended pun. "Scott can now help you understand your powers and what else you're capable of doing. He can talk you through your responsibilities and teach you how to be a good God."

"Do you think I'll have many responsibilities?" Jacota asked.

"I'm not sure, but I know you'll be able to handle them."

Jacota lifted his head with a small frown.

"Are you sure? What if I can't?"

"You can. Don't be so quick to doubt yourself."

"What if it's too much?"

"Then Scott will teach you how to deal with the pressure. It'll be fine." Hunter kissed his temple, keeping his lips against his skin for longer than usual. "Come on, let's go inside. I want to see how my parents react to Scott. Also, did he tell you that Piper's dad is his Beta wolf?"

"Really? Wait, do you think Piper knows any of this?"

"How could she not? Shouldn't she be hundreds of years old too?"

"No. I mean, if we're not, maybe Piper's not either."

Hunter hummed with thought as they entered the house and made their way to the kitchen, hoping the atmosphere would be gentle, but the werewolf knows how his father reacts to secrets. Anthony will be hurt that Scott kept this from them. They trusted him the most.