Skinny Love ↠ Alec Lightwood ✓

Chapter Fifty Six ✓

HODGE BETRAYED US

"HOW'S LYDIA?" CLARY ASKED. Alec and I walked over to everyone hand in hand.

"Better. Magnus is doing what he can to help her, but it's bad." I frowned, and Alec rubbed my hand with his thumb. "And the Cup is defiantly missing."

"So is Hodge." Jace said. "Maybe he was attacked too," Isabelle said. "Or maybe he's the one who attacked her." I said. "Hodge? No way. We've known him our entire lives." "He would never do that to us."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. When Izzy played the video on the monitor it was Hodge attacking Lydia. I gasped. How could he do that to Alec and his family? How could Hodge betray them like that? I watched as he picked up the Cup, and my eyes widened. This is a major problem. "I led him right to the cup." Jace said.

"We treated him like family. How could he do this to us?" Alec asked. I squeezed his hand. Isabelle played another slide which Hodge was with my Mother in the room she was in. He was standing next to her. I saw him place a ring on his finger. "W-what's that ring?" I asked.

"Looks like he's talking to someone," Isabelle said. "I can bet who it is." Jace hissed.

"Valentine." Clary said. I nodded. "Well, that explains how he deactivated the punishment rune, but it doesn't explain where he got the ring." Alec said. "You think someone smuggled it past the wards?" I asked. "Maybe. Hodge was the only ex-circle member around here." Jace said.

"Look, I know I don't always see eye to eye with my parents, but I know they're not traitors," Izzy said as she turned around to look at Jace.

"Really? Isn't that what you just said about Hodge?" Jace said back, which made Isabelle turn around in her seat. "It'd have to be someone that we trusted. If there was an intruder inside the institute, we would have found it by now." "What about the Forskaken attack?" Clary asked. "No. we killed that thing. And I didn't see a ring." Alec said.

"He didn't have one during the autopsy, but.. maybe there's something in the footage," Isabelle said. "Go to the other camera," Alec pointed out. "There." Jace said. My eyes widened when Hodge took the ring out of the Forsakens pocket. What the hell? "So it wasn't a random attack." I jumped.

"He was just the delivery boy." Jace murmured. "If he gives that Cup to Valentine, he'll create an army of Shadowhunters," Alec said. I cringed.

"With that kind of power behind him, he'll kill thousands."

"He'll kill thousands just by creating the army. Most mundane's won't survive that." Izzy said.

"We won't let that happen," I said, shaking my head.

"I'm gonna make sure of it." Jace said.