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- Sian

Jacota's mind was thrown all the way back to when he was seventeen, lived in a small house with his dad, mum, and brother. He used to get up early and go to college. He felt depressed, full of anxiety, and on the brink of self-destruction. Hunter talked to him in his head, but he thought he was going crazy. Werewolves didn't exist, neither did demons, angels, vampires, and other worlds.

The last time he saw his mother's face, she slapped him when the Rayson's invited Nathan over to their bonfire, and Jacota tried to confront her in front of their families. After that, Grace left a goodbye note and divorce letters for Scott.

Nobody had seen her or heard from her since, or so they thought.

The white wolf was spotted thousands of years ago on the edge of the Rason's territory and had been watching them ever since. Nobody knew it was Grace. Only Hunter, his pack, and Anthony had seen her, and they weren't familiar enough with her scent to pinpoint who it was, but they did recognise her smell.

After all this time, Grace Jones stood in front of her son after shifting from the animal she loathed. Her hair had lightened from years of being in the sun. It's length covered her front and stopped by her waist, hiding her topless body.

"Wait." Bren's voice sliced through Jacota's concentration, forcing him back to the present. "You just called her your mum. That's your mother?" His tone wasn't as snarky as it was before.

"Jacob," Grace said. Her voice hurt her son; it was too familiar.

"My name is Jacota." The God clenched his hands, but his voice was quiet and frail. His body wasn't sure how to react. Should he feel angry? Upset? Pleased that his mother was still alive? Disappointed in himself for buckling under her gaze? Fearful of her return? Jacota knew he should ask her questions, but his words lodged in his throat, unable to be said with confidence.

"That is not the name you were supposed to have," Grace whispered. Her heart was thumping. She told herself that if she ever got the chance to speak to her children again, Grace would say to them that she made a mistake. She would apologise and beg to be a part of their lives, but through the years, her family moved on and were happier without her.

"Grace, you're Jacota's mother?" Bren was now standing next to the God of lightning, staring at the woman with both uncertainty and curiosity.

"Yes."

"No," Jacota said forcefully. "She's not my mother, not anymore." The electricity bolts flickered around his hands. Bren felt the static atmosphere around him. "You walked out of my life so many years ago; I forgot what you looked like."

"Don't say that, please, I've been trying to get you back-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Bren stood between them with his hands up. "You," he said and pointed at Grace, "have been coming to the God's for thousands of years, feeding us information about Jacota and what he was doing to deem himself as unworthy to be our leader. From day one, you said you could prove that he was unworthy. If you're his mother, why would you do that to your son?" Bren pinched the bridge of his nose with a long and tired sigh. "Yeah I'm a horrible guy, and I'm not fond of Jacota, but you're his family."

"We were family," Jacota corrected. "She never wanted me to be a werewolf, let alone a God. Her parents were the most dangerous werewolf hunters in the country. For all you know, she could have been getting information from the Gods and plotting against you- this entire time-" Jacota's words slowed, and his eyes narrowed. "How are you a werewolf?"

Grace no longer looked him in the eye. She watched his fingers fidgeting with the wedding ring on his left hand. "You're confident now," she mumbled. "You sound like a leader."

"It took a while, but being away from you was all the therapy I needed." The longer Jacota watched her, the more she felt like a stranger.

"I did what I thought was best for you. Why did nobody see that? I loved you and William, but you turned on me the minute the wolves were in your lives."

"Are you forgetting how you treated me? You ruined me because you couldn't stand the thought of me being a part of the werewolves community and leading them. You thought that if I were so broken and afraid, then I wouldn't be worthy of being a God. What mother does that to their child?"

Grace watched him with the same eyes William used when he watched Sam. Pride, admiration, and a lot of love. Behind her motherly stare, there was a darker shade to her green eyes, a poisonous shade. He knew that somewhere in all the years she has been alive, the person she once was had turned sour. She might have once been a mother, a wife, and a daughter. Now she was nothing more than an inconvenience in a world that outgrew her.

"Now you're one of us," Jacota continued when she didn't say anything. "You're a werewolf. How? And why? You're an Alpha wolf which means you must have a mate. Do you have a pack too? Have you always been a werewolf?" If his anger were visible, it would be pouring out of his ears.

"You're a God, and you don't know how a human can be turned?" Grace scoffed. "Why don't you ask your father who lied to me most of your childhood. He was a werewolf the entire time, the previous God of lighting. How do you think that made me feel?"

Jacota looked up to the sky. The black hole loomed over them and dimmed the summer sun. The world started to look washed out, almost as if the colour was fading along with everyone's hope that they could fix the tear. "Dad lied to protect us from Reyana and gave me a normal childhood. You abused me to protect me from being myself. Do you see why it was easy for me to forgive dad? At least he was there for us when things got tough. You abandoned your family, mum. I thought you would eventually get in touch when you stopped acting like the victim, but you didn't." Jacota tried to control the emotion in his voice. "You left us like we meant nothing to you."

Bren had backed away from their argument, feeling awkward.

"I loved you and William with all my heart, which is why I had to leave. I couldn't be the mother you wanted because I couldn't learn to love you like I once had. You became a werewolf, and I couldn't love a monster."

Jacota flinched at her cold tone.

"But you're a werewolf-"

"Bren," Jacota growled, wishing he would leave them to talk alone as a loud screech hurt everyone's ears. A crack opened up above their heads, and it was the biggest one Jacota had seen. "Why have you been trying to turn the Gods against me?" he asked quickly, knowing the only place he should be is with his family.

"You and Scott ruined my life. After I left, I had nothing. My parents were arrested and spent the rest of their time in your werewolf prison. Nathan hated me. I had nobody to turn to, and I've spent the majority of my time alone. I wanted revenge. You all started living like I didn't exist and it hurt."

Jacota could no longer see the mother she once was. It shocked him to see her, but he was over the fact that he ever had a mother. Scott has been the only parent he ever needed. "Bren," Jacota said calmly, "come with me and bring Clare. Panuleon will mend her, and we will fix the tear." He turned to catch the fire God's hesitation. "Don't you see that everything Grace made you believe is a lie? She's being spiteful and turning you against me."

"I... I have questions," Bren said, ignoring Jacota and walking up to Grace. "The longer I think about this, the more I regret trusting you. How did you become a werewolf? And have you been plotting against us all this time?"

"I was turned, but that's irrelevant-" Bren grabbed her hair, making Grace gasp. Jacota didn't move an inch.

"Who, changed, you?" he growled. "And have you been plotting against us all this time? Did you use me because you knew my family had a history of clashing heads with the God of lightning? If your parents were werewolf Hunter's, I don't doubt that you were."

"I've known about the war for a long time, which has given me enough time to build my army. I may be a werewolf, but I hate every inch of myself."

Bren let go of her with a frown, irritated that she wouldn't give him direct answers. "An army of werewolf Hunters? Interesting. I bet they're all human and we'll plough through them like smoke. Jacota your mother is an idiot."

"You trusted her for six thousand years. I think you're both idiots." Jacota checked his watch. They had been talking for too long. "Look, whatever your planning," he said to Grace, "don't bother. We have bigger problems than-"

"I doubt that." Grace's lip quivered as she crossed her arms, finding it harder to hide her emotion than her son. "I have spent six thousand years studying the Gods, looking for everyone's weaknesses. I know what will bring everyone crashing to their knees."

Bren and Jacota made eye contact, realising that the angels were only one part of their problem.

"What's mine?" Jacota asked, knowing she was going to say either his mate, William, or his dad.

"Me."

Jacota's humourless laugh wasn't what Grace expected. "I don't care about you. We all thought you probably died and I wish you did." Bren raised a brow. He didn't expect Jacota to be confident, especially not when Grace painted a picture of someone so shy and timid. He has seen that side of the God, but when Jacota needed to shine, he did, and bright. "Bren, get Clare and come with me. We're running out of time."

Bren tapped his chin. "Hm, I'll think about it."

Jacota turned slowly. His eyes had a deadness, an eerie stillness. His patience was about to snap.

"Your weakness is Clare," Grace said to the fire God, only looking at Jacota. "I'd go check on her if I were you."

Bren's throat closed up, and a rush of worry tingled the back of his mouth and watered his eyes. He couldn't hear his mate's thoughts. Bren turned and sprinted through the trees to where he left his mate. Jacota was then stuck with a choice. He could either follow Bren or keep an eye on his mother. Grace knew he needed Bren more than her as she changed into a wolf and backed away.

"Don't be stupid. If you do anything to threaten my family, I will stop you." Jacota couldn't bring himself to say that he would end her life.

Grace watched him for a moment longer. Her assertive eyes were running up and down him as if to remember what he looked like, and then she turned to gallop through the trees.

As soon as she was gone, the hardened shell covering Jacota's face broke, and the sadness seeped through every pore. His heart was heavy, and his mind clouded with thoughts of her. He was getting better at making people believe he was the mighty leader of the Gods. On the inside, he still struggled, he was just better at hiding it now.

"What's happening?" Hunter asked. His voice was like a lifeline for Jacota these days. It was the one sound that made him force himself not to fall apart.

"Mum's still alive."

Hunter's thoughts paused, and for a moment, Jacota heard nothing but the fabric between the worlds ripping apart. "You're not Jacob. Remember that."

Jacota nodded, knowing nobody could see him. "I have to go get Bren-"

"Jay," Hunter thought. His voice was as soft as an angel's feather. "You'll get back to me soon, won't you?"

Jacota closed his eyes and rested a hand on his heart, knowing Hunter was doing the same thing. "I will if I love you." He could picture Hunter smiling to himself, even if chaos surrounded him.

"I'll see you soon then."