"Your wish Jacota, as promised," Angelette said with a soft smile but disturbed eyes. A lot of angels died through the night. Heaven was heaving with desolation. It was hard to stay strong and in control when her heart ached with despair.

Jacota stood up so fast; he almost made himself dizzy. His eyes were impressively large, absorbing the views of the woman with short blonde hair. "Uh," he glanced behind him. William hadn't noticed Angelette or her guest. Neither had Scott, and the guest was for him. "W-What's your name?"

"Maisie Jones," the woman said, beaming with a smile that would brighten even the darkest of rooms.

"Jones," Jacota whispered, turning around again when something smashed behind him. Scott had dropped the picture frame and stood so still; some would mistake him for a mannequin. His dad stared in their direction with no colour in his cheeks, open mouth, and trembling hands.

"Mai?" The word came out like a sore whisper, but Maisie heard and turned in Scott's direction. When their eyes connected, Jacota could see the change in their auras, fading towards each other like a mouth desperate for water. They were identical regarding shape and colour. Jacota knew Maisie would have a lot in common with his father, like most soulmates. Just by looking at her he could tell she was kind like Scott, loving like Scott, and would be an excellent parental figure.

The room silenced quickly. Eyes darted back and forth, staring at Scott, then to Angelette and the stranger.

"I think the elder angel gave Jacota a wish," Rayvon murmured into Luka's ear who nodded.

"Who did he bring back?" Luka whispered.

"My mate." Scott could have collapsed where he stood, but the adrenaline kept him on his feet. He took a step forward, expecting Maisie to disappear. Was stress making him hallucinate? But everyone in the room could see her. It wasn't just him.

"Mate?" William, with the same startled expression as his father, turned to stare at Angelette's guest. Then, he witnessed the joy on his brother's face. His little brother had always been a selfless character, putting a smile on other peoples faces, even when he struggled to smile himself. "Your wish?"

Jacota nodded. The astonishment on his father's face proved how much of an impact Maisie once had on his life. The God of lightning couldn't imagine a life without Hunter. He wouldn't want to keep living without him. How Scott managed was a mystery to the mentally stable.

A moment of silence fell between the people in the room. Scott stared at his mate; she stared back. Jacota was about to ask if Maisie wanted to talk with his father until Scott ran forwards. It was more of a fast shuffle as he trampled over the broken glass and into his mate's arms.

Her touch. To Scott, it was like touching a painting worth millions. His mate was art. beautiful, creative, imperfect in extraordinary ways, and alive. Her scent. To this day he hadn't forgotten the weak lemon and dried lily petals. He loved to smell her before she even entered a room. Her skin. As soft as a kittens stomach or a wolf's ear, pale like the sun hadn't touched it in years, and clear like she washed her face with liquified diamonds.

"Oh Mai," Scott sobbed, staining her neck with tears. Her warmth was everything his body longed to feel. He craved it more than he craved his favourite food or a hot bath after a hard day. "Why are- Why are you here?" His words were a blubbering mess.

Maisie rubbed his back, taking the time to comfort him and hold him. "Your son has a heart of gold. They both do," she whispered and felt him squeeze tighter.

Scott might have remembered her scent, but he forgot what it felt like to be hugged by a mate. He forgot how safe and calm he felt to have the love of his life at arm's length. Grace might have made him feel affection, but nothing could ever, and would never compare to the love emitting from someone who shared his soul.

"I granted Jacota a wish," Angelette said in her unusually bold voice. "He wished for his father's mate to return and be given the life she lost. That includes a reconnection of their bond. You will notice how Maisie Jones is older than when she died. She is at the age she would be if she continued to live, the age of forty-six, the same as Scott Jones."

As Angelette spoke, Hunter and his parents returned to the kitchen to see if they could help with cleaning. Hunter's eyes were red raw, his cheeks stained with too many tears. He heard everything Angelette said, and he felt jealous. His grandparents died, and Jacota had the chance to bring them back, but it was Jacota's wish, not his. Scott deserved his mate. Alfred and Flora had lived a long and fulfilling life. They wouldn't be happy with Jay if he wasted a wish on them.

While his father and Maisie continued to cling to each other like their lives depended on it, Jacota stared at Hunter until he got the message that he wanted him by his side. "Hey," the God whispered and kissed Hunter's wet cheek.

"Hey," Hunter replied, sniffing away more tears and coiling arms around Jacota's waist. "Can we go upstairs soon? I can't bear to be around people any longer."

"Sure." Jacota wrapped an arm around his shoulders, bringing their bodies closer.

Maisie pulled away from Scott and cupped his face. She stared for a long minute, inspecting every detail that had changed. Darker skin, more wrinkles, a grey patch in his short stubble. His brown eyes were much wiser than before. She could tell he had been through a lot, and she knew he had been through a lot. Her paradise in heaven was reliving their memories together and guiding him through life.

"My Scotty," she whispered. When she died, Scott was still known as Jacota, the previous God of lightning. She had been watching him for a very long time. Maisie knew everything about his life.

Scott smiled big, his eyes gleaming with pride and admiration. He looked at his mate with so much love, even Margo found herself smiling, despite her shattered heart.

"I can't believe you're here." Scott pressed their foreheads together, chuckling at how he was crying in front of everyone. "I can touch you. I-I can feel you." He rested a hand over his heart. The bond was almost complete. His soul had been lonely and incomplete for so many years; he forgot what it was like to feel whole. Maisie rested a hand over his and Scott kissed her.

William blindly reached out, and a hand held his. Sam shuffled closer until they felt one another. He too was beaming at such an endearing moment.

After witnessing and living through something so horrendous and traumatising, true love never failed to make things better. Scott's passion for his mate was balancing the horrors of the war.

Jacota stared at Hunter until a hand pulled him away and he was engulfed in a hug. His dad now clung to him like the world ended around them.

"Thank you!" he cried. "Thank you so much! I don't deserve you boys. I really don't!" Scott rubbed his eyes and motioned for William to join the hug too.

The Jones' embraced with heads together and throbbing hearts.

Jacota glanced up to see Maisie radiant and glowing. She watched them with a trembling chin. Her wavering lips curled into a proud smile. For a moment, Jacota thought it was directed at him. It was only when Maisie tilted her head, he knew it was. Grace had never looked at him like that; like she would inhale the ground he walked on and thought he could do no wrong.

Scott patted their shoulders before turning and releasing his breath when his mate was still there, in the flesh and holding arms out for him.

Jacota knew it was time to leave them to bask in each other presence and look after his own mate. His husband. Hunter didn't say a word when Jacota guided him through the kitchen and up the stairs. Each step felt like individual mountains. Every fibre of Hunter ached. He was weak and needed a warm bed and Jacota as a pillow.

Jacota closed their bedroom door, stripped himself and Hunter from their muddy clothes and fell into bed. They would shower when they could stay awake for longer than five minutes.

Hunter buried himself under the duvet and immediately rested his head against Jacota's shoulder. "You're so pure. Please never change."

Jacota didn't realise how heavy his head felt until he rested it against a cushion. His eyelashes felt like they were getting tugged to close. He had no problem with shutting them. "I love you," he whispered, tracing a soft finger against his mate's arm.

"I love you too." Hunter snuggled his head until he was comfortable and closed his eyes too.

"I hope you know they're happy." Hunter felt Jacota's voice vibrating through him. "Your grandparents will be peaceful in heaven. Angelette said that they're assessing Flora's soul to see if she's capable of being an elder angel. I think they'll want her. She was the God of wisdom. Who wouldn't?"

Hunter shot up, cramping his neck. "What?" His heart suddenly thumped in his chest. "But that would mean that maybe I could see her again!"

Jacota stared through his eyelashes. His eyelids were too heavy to open fully. "Maybe. I think elder angels have rules about visiting earth, but it's possible."

Hunter felt like the world had lifted off his shoulder. He knew his Nana better than Margo. Flora would become an elder angel; he did not doubt that. If she wanted to visit him, she would break all the rules to do so. He was so confident about it that he laid back down, feeling like he might be able to sleep. "You should have said that earlier. I need to tell mum!" He tried to sit up again, but Jacota grabbed his shoulders and pinned him to the sheets.

"You need to rest first. I didn't tell you because Angelette said that it was rare for souls who were not made as angels to become one, but Flora is capable of anything I guess."

"She'll be one. I know she will." Hunter watched Jacota lie down and felt their fingers slip together. "I'll see her again."

"We'll all see her again one day," Jacota said, closing his eyes again and curling up against the werewolf.

Hunter then watched until the Gods breathing deepened and his body felt heavier against him. They both needed rest. Everyone who was a part of the war needed to sleep and regain their strengths.

Those who came from the vampire world had to figure out how to get home, those who lost a loved one had to mourn, and those who had a special someone had to be together to heal their minds, bodies, and souls.