𝕊ℍ𝔸𝔻𝕆𝕎ℍ𝕌ℕ𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕊

ᗰOᖇᑎIᑎᘜ ՏTᗩᖇ

Same Evening
Institute - Main Office

Alyssa and Lydia were still lying unconscious in the office.

The door to the office opened, and Alec and Magnus entered to see the two women lying unconscious.

"Lydia."

"Alyssa."

Both men rushed to the women, Magnus, to Alyssa and Alec to Lydia. Alec immediately pulled out his stele and ran it over Lydia's Iratze rune on her arm while Magnus used his magic on Alyssa.

"You're gonna be okay." Alec murmured. Lydia woke up slightly and looked to where the Mortal Cup had been and spoke weakly.

"Hodge..." She groaned, then slipped back into unconsciousness. Alec just looked at her, confused wondering what she was trying to tell him.

Main Room - Ops Center

Izzy was sitting at the computers while Jace and Clary stood behind her, all of them worried for Lydia and Alyssa, but mostly for Alyssa. Jace looked pained, clenching and unclenching his fists. They all looked up when Alec walked over.

"How's Lydia?" Clary asked.

"Better." Alec replied, exhaling deeply. "Magnus is doing what he can to help her but...it's bad."

"And Alyssa?" Izzy asked.

"She's also doing better. Her healing is already kicking, from both her werewolf side and from her Iratze. Magnus also helped her with his magic, so she's doing better than Lydia. Magnus says she'll be back on her feet sooner than we think. And the Cup is definitely missing."

"So is Hodge." Jace said, inhaling deeply and running his hand through his hair. He was barely holding up without Alyssa being around.

"Maybe he was attacked, too." Izzy said, turning to type on the keyboard and pull up the security cameras.

"Maybe he was the one who attacked them." Clary suggested.

"Hodge? No way. We've known him our entire lives. He would never do that to us." Izzy denied, looking for the right footage. She found it and clicked on it to replay.

They watched Hodge flung Alyssa into the wall, which made Clary gasp, and Jace, Izzy, and Alec flinch at the sight. Then they saw Hodge proceed to knock Lydia into the coffee table, knocking her out and then going for the Cup.

They saw that he turned to see Alyssa trying to sit up, and then he went over to her. She seemed to say something, and then Hodge threw her again into the wall on the side, and then he slammed her head against it, knocking her out.

All of them felt an ache in their chests, watching Alyssa get hurt. They all had unshed tears in their eyes. Only Jace had a few slipping from his eyes down his cheek. He clenched his fists tightly.

"I led him right to the cup...to Alyssa." Jace said, his voice thick with pain. Alec placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"We treated him like family. How could he do this to us?" Alec said, feeling angry. Izzy switched the footage to one in the infirmary, showing Hodge placing a ring onto his finger.

"That's how. What is that ring?" Clary said.

"Looks like he's talking to someone." Izzy observed.

"And I can bet who it is." Jace said angrily.

"Valentine." Clary spat. They all watched Hodge turned his neck to side, exposing his circle rune before it disappeared.

"Well, that explains how he deactivated his Punishment rune, but it doesn't explain where he got the ring." Alec pointed out.