Tainted Soul • Lightwood. [ON HOLD]

T H I R T Y

I would like to apologize in advance. Happy reading.

•••

The tension in the Institute was high. The events from the wedding still fresh is everyone's minds, especially in the Lightwood parents. As Alec was talking with his parents, Justin was left pacing the halls of the Institute to wait for an answer.

Alec finally appeared around the corner, a defeated look all over his face. Justin's face fell at his expression. "On a scale of one to ten... how unpleasant was it?" Justin asked. "Off the charts." Justin cringed at the answer.

"Yeah, I've never seen them so angry," Alec continued. Justin sighed deeply, taking a small step forward. "Just give them some time." Alec kept a straight face before walking again, Justin following quickly after him. "After what I  did... I don't think they'll ever forgive me."

"I'm not the best person to tell you this but... Don't underestimate your parent's love," Justin said. The redhead thought for a moment before grabbing Alec's wrist. "Alec, you don't regret it, do you?"

"Everything happened so fast. I didn't have time to think. I just wanna make sure Lydia's okay. Now I owe her so much," Alec answered. Justin wasn't sure what he actually expected as a response but he accepted his words anyways. "We owe her, actually. What she did was nothing short of heroic."

Both men sighed, looking at their feets. "Hey, look, maybe we can slow things down? This is really new to both of us so why don't we start with that date you owe me?" Justin proposed. "Yeah, let's do that." Alec smiled.

"I'm sure I can ask Magnus for some pla-" Justin's sentence was cut short wgen Alec sprinted into the office at the sight of a passed out Lydia Branwell. Justin felt her neck for a pulse, nodding when he felt the beat. Alec traced her iratze, the blonde woman gaining a bit of consciousness. "Go get help." Justin stood up quickly and left the room.

➰

Alec and Justin walked together to the main room, straight for their friends. Clary was the first to notice them, her attention instantly on the pair. "How's Lydia?" She asked.

"Better. Magnus is doing ehat he cab to help her, but it's bad," Alec answered. "And the Cup is definitely missing."

"So is Hodge," Jace added. "Maybe he was attacked, too," Isabelle said as she typed away on the computer in front of her. "Maybe he was the once who attacked her," Clary suggested. Isabelle quickly denied the accusation, fast forwarding the security footage. She paused it when Lydia's figure went flying to the ground, Hodge being the attacker.

"You were saying," Justin mumbled. "I led him right to the Cup," Jace whispered. "We treated him like family. How could he do this to us?" Alec wondered. "I can give you a hint," Justin grumbled out.

Isabelle changed frames, fast forwarding again, stopping when Hodge was in the same room as Jocelyn. The older hunter took a ring and slid it through his finger. "That's how. What is that ring?" Clary asked. "Looks like he's talking to someone," Isabelle said.

"And I can bet who it is," Jace growled out. "Valentine," Clary added. "Well thay explains how he deactivated the Punishment rune, but it doesn't explain  he got the ring," Alec said.

"What if someone smuggled it past the wards?" Justin questioned. "Maybe. Hodge wasn't the only ex-Circle member around here," Jace said.