Chapter 6
Revelations
Part 1
a/n- To all my readers. Chapters 2 - 6 part 1 have been modified to enhance this story. A great deal of time and effort has gone into these modifications. If you have already read these chapters, you may wish to read them again. If this is your first time reading, enjoy!
Alec woke to the sound of muffled shouting. Jace shouting to be exact. He sat up in the big luxurious bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Glancing around the room he saw nothing but jewel tones and beauty, fresh flowers in vases, comfortable looking chairs and coffee table in front of a gorgeous emerald green hearth, and what must have priceless antiques displayed on shelves. Soft sunlight filtered through the ruby red curtains. He looked down at the silky linens pooled around him. He would have sworn the night before they had been gold. Now they were the same shade as the ruby red curtains.
Something crashed against the wall outside the door, followed by more shouting. With a heavy sigh Alec climbed out of bed. By the Angel he hurt! With the silent, graceful steps of a skilled Shadowhunter he made his way to the door.
As Alec stepped through the door, he ducked just in time to avoid getting knocked unconscious by a flying vase of red roses. Taking a quick glance around he saw Magnus and Jace in what appeared to be a standoff. Jace was beet red in the face, and raging, a low growl emanating from his chest. He had never seen Jace so enraged, outside of battle. Magnus stood there calmly, watching the goldened haired teen destroy his home, annoyed but not obviously angry. He hadn't noticed Alec yet. Izzy, Clary, and Simon sat stunned and wide-eyed on the couches. Broken furniture and shattered glass were everywhere. 'By the angel, how had he slept through this?' he thought.
"What in the angels name is going on in here?!" Alec shouted.
Magnus turned with the speed of a demon. Well, technically he was half demon.
"Alexander, you're awake. I'm so sorry, love. I should have thought to put a silencing spell around the room." Magnus said, taking a step towards Alec.
"Don't you fucking move, warlock. You don't go near him!" Jace snarled.
"Jace, just calm down please and tell me what the hell is going on." Alec said gently, trying to soothe his raging brother. He tried to never raise his voice at his siblings. They got enough of that at the Institute.
"What is going on here," Jace spat, "is that this filthy warlock has latched his talons into you."
"Woah, stop right there." Alec commanded. This was Alec in commander mode. He could rival any alpha any day. "You will NOT, and I repeat, WILL NOT speak to him or about him that way. You know just as well as I do that downworlders are not filthy. And you yourself fought beside hundreds of them in the Dark War. Magnus may be a warlock, but he has not latched his talons into anything." Alec chastised.
Jace visibly paled at Alec's tone, having been scolded by his older brother. Magnus was impressed, arching a perfectly shaped eyebrow. An omega ordering an alpha. His mate was something to behold.
"Don't you get it, Alec? We came to him for help, to find you. YOU, being the only male omega in centuries, and magically you turn out to be his mate? You seriously don't see anything wrong with this picture?"
Alec sighed, scratching absently at his neck. Sweat was forming on his brow.
"Hold that thought, blondie." Magnus ordered. Taking up two vials he went to Alec. "Here, darling. Take these. You're a little overdue." Pressing them into Alec's palm he gently caressed Alec's thumb.
"What are those?" Jace demanded.
Magnus rolled his eyes and turned with a deep sigh. "They are potions. One is to suppress Alexander's heat symptoms, the other for pain. Without them he would be in constant physical pain and emotional distress." Turning back to Alec he said "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Had this little encounter not occurred I would have gotten these to you sooner, before your symptoms started to return."
"His name is Alec. Not "Alexander". Jace snarled. "Only his parents call him that, and he hates it."
"Jace, shut up." Alec said as he downed the first potion. "Why are you acting like this? Are you trying to start a brawl between two alphas? Because from what I'm seeing, Magnus is seriously holding back, he could very easily kick your ass." Alec said, swallowing the second potion.
"Kick my ass? Yeah right. You trained me, remember? So tell me, how's he going to do that?" Jace asked with a smirk.
"Alexander may have trained you in every form of combat available to him, however, he did not, I'm sure, train you in magic. Had I wanted to, I could have simply blown you to bits already. But that would have upset my mate." Magnus said, matter of fact.
"So cheating then?" Jace asked.
"I have lived more than 800 years, blondie. Do you honestly think that I haven't mastered most every form of physical combat known to man?" Magnus asked with a tilt of his head.
"Jace does have a point on one thing." Izzy spoke up.
"Yes Isabelle? Please share." Magnus said cordially. He liked his mates sister far more than his adopted brother.
"Can you see where this might seem a little odd to us that Alec would just happen to be your mate? Omegas find their mate before their first heat." Izzy said.
"Oh, how little you nephilim know. So much has been kept from you, especially you, Alexander." He said, raising Alec's hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss against it. A lovely tingle ran down Alec's spine. Alec held back a pleasured sigh.
"A meeting encounter between an omega and their mate can happen at any time. During a heat cycle, when the omega pheromones are at their strongest, attracting their mate. Or before an omegas first heat, therefore triggering the first heat cycle. Then you have situations like Alexander's where an omega suffers through their first heat after age presentation. Or several heats until they find their mate. While I do understand your concern, Isabelle, I can't help that Alexander happens to be my fated mate. I knew the moment I scented him, just as he knew he scented me, that we were meant. Alexander and I may not know each other very well, but that will change in time. As far as his heats, I will provide him with the suppression potion for as long as he wants or needs it. I've waited over 800 years for him. I assure you I can wait a while longer." Magnus said, lifting Alec's hand for another gentle kiss. Alec blushed, cheeks turning a soft pink. "What was this man doing him?' he though as a wave of foreign pleasure passed through though his body.
"Perhaps we should all sit down to discuss this further. As Jace has expressed some concerns regarding Alexander's omega status and us being mates, perhaps a little history will set all of your minds at ease. It would benefit you greatly considering your severely lacking knowledge of omega nephilim history." Magnus said.
"Fine." Jace conceded, dropping into a chair.
"Alexander, would you like some coffee?" Magnus asked.
"Alec drinks tea." Clary supplied. "Earl grey if you have it." She said with a small smile and wink for Alec.
"Earl grey it is then." Magnus said. Snapping his fingers a teacup and saucer appeared in his hands, tea still steaming. "Sugar, love?" He asked Alec.
"Blacks fine." Alec said, taking the offered tea. "Magnus, your apartment. It's a wreck." Alec said, dismayed.
"Don't worry yourself about that, love."
Magnus snapped his fingers again, returning every bit of broken glass or piece of upturned and damaged furniture back to its rightful place, completely restored. The vase with the red roses that nearly knocked Alec unconscious was sitting beautifully on a side table, not a petal out of place.
"Better?" Magnus asked. Alec could only nod, speechless.
"Here, come sit down." Magnus said, guiding Alec towards an oversized plush chair. Taking a seat of his own he began to speak.
"Before I start your true education on this matter, please, tell me what you've been taught." Magnus said, addressing the group at large.
"Other than the nasty shit we've heard at the Institute since Alec presented, only that there hasn't been an omega Shadowhunter in the last two hundred years." Izzy answered.
"Did they tell you why?" Magnus asked, a small frown tugging at his lips.
"The race died out." Jace replied sullenly.
"If that was true, how would it be possible for Alexander to present as an omega if the omega race 'died out' over two centuries ago? Where did his genetic makeup come from?" He asked the group.
For a moment there was silence. "He had to have received the omega gene from somewhere." Magnus said.
"It could have lain dormant in one of his ancestors?" Jace asked, honestly curious.
"Very good." Magnus said. "Alexander, do you know of any omegas in your family tree? Magnus asked.
"No." Alec said, eyes glued to the floor.
"Not that either of our parents would have told us, if they even knew." Izzy chimed in.
"Alexander? Look at me." Magnus asked, worried that his mate might be distressed. "Are you alright? Your trembling, sweetheart."
"I'm fine. I was just thinking that all we know is what's been said about me since I presented. And none of it was informative or pleasant." Alec said, head snapping up.
Magnus nodded, unsure. He hesitated before he spoke again.
"Please, go on." Alec prompted.
Magnus eyed his mate, taking his measure. He seemed tense. He had stopped trembling, but otherwise seemed fine.
"Ok. Well, I can tell you of a few omega Lightwood's that I've known. I guess we'll start with Gideon. Gideon Lightwood." The Shadowhunters gasped, Alec dropping his teacup where it shattered on the hardwood floor.
"Alexander? We don't have to do this now if you're not ready for it." Magnus asked, rushing to his side.
"No. I'm fine. It's just…my middle name is Gideon. I was named after my father's brother." Alec said.
Magnus gently ran a hand through Alec's hair, trying to soothe him. Alec audibly sighed at the touch, relaxing just a little. 'Hmm. He likes this' Magnus thought, storing the information away for later.
"When did you know him, Magnus? Please, you have to tell us everything." Izzy pleaded, moving to her brother's other side, wrapping him in a one-armed hug.
Magnus had to struggle to hold back a growl. Another alpha was touching his mate, twin sister be damned.
With a snap of his fingers the shattered teacup was gone and a fresh one replaced it on the table at Alec's side. He reached out, gently brushing a stray lock of raven hair from Alec's eyes.
"Are you sure you want to hear this now, darling? Heat cycles can make one very emotional and overly sensitive." Magnus asked Alec softly.
The loft was quiet for a moment, a gamut of emotions playing across Alec's face as he deliberated.
"I think I do. I think I have to." Alec finally answered.
"Alright. But anytime you want me to stop, if it becomes too much, just say the word." Magnus said gently, pressing a kiss to Alec's forehead. With one last look into Alec's beautiful blue eyes he turned, returning to his seat.
"I met Gideon Lightwood a little over a century ago. The Gideon Lightwood I knew wasn't your uncle but your great, great, great grandfather. I met him at a ball. He was his parent's pride and joy. At four years old he was an adorable kid. Extremely smart and talented for his age."
"If it was a Shadowhunter ball, how did you get in?" Jace asked.
"By invitation of course. I was The High Warlock of London back then. It was common for prominent families to invite me to elaborate affairs. One never knew when they might need assistance that only a warlock could provide. So why not go to the top?" Magnus asked. "Anyway, fourteen years later, as you can probably guess, he presented. Not as the alpha his parents were expecting him to be, but as an omega. Female omegas were revered by the Shadowhunters. They tended to bare more children than alpha or beta Shadowhunters. The more female omega Shadowhunters there were, the more Shadowhunter children there would be. And Gideon presenting as a male omega was a shock to the Shadowhunter world. He was the first male omega Shadowhunter in centuries, as far as the Shadowhunters knew. He was considered an oddity. Unless you can access the deepest, darkest, most secured archives of the Clave, to the Shadowhunter world, what I'm about to tell you never happened."
"What do you mean, never happened?" Simon asked.
With a deep sigh Magnus looked Alec square in his beautiful blue eyes.
"What aren't you telling us, Magnus?" Clary asked.
"Where do I even begin?" Magnus asked himself, unable to tear his gaze from Alec.
"Please Magnus, just tell us. Whatever it is." Alec pleaded.
"Are you sure, love? It's going to be really hard to hear." Magnus said.
"I'm sure. Please just get one with it." Alec said, clutching Izzy's hand in his.
With one last look in his mates eyes Magnus made his choice. His mate had a right to know.
"Gideon Lightwood was, to the Shadowhunter world, the first male omega to present in centuries. But male omegas have existed for a very long time. Only the Clave has kept that information from the Shadowhunters."
"Why?" Clary asked, confusion in her bright green eyes.
"To the Clave, long before Gideon's time, male omegas were seen as abominations. Men shouldn't be able to bare children. They should present either as alphas or betas. Omegas were meant to be women, a blessing from the angels to keep the nephilim population growing. The Clave also didn't tolerate homosexuality. They considered it unnatural and ungodly. That, as you know, hasn't changed much. Back then, Shadowhunters that were found to be homosexual were executed for no other reason than their sexuality."
Magnus took a deep breath before he continued.
"Later, as the male omega population began to grow as more and more male omegas started to present, the Clave decided that since male omegas were so 'unnatural and ungodly', despite them being skilled and valuable Shadowhunters, to execute the male omegas as well as their mates and children. That was the start of what the downworld refers to as The Purge. Once the Clave realized that not all male omegas had been executed, and that more had presented, The Purge continued. The Clave decided then that instead of just executing both the male omegas along with their mates and children, they would execute the omega and children and force the omegas mate to watch while their family was brutally murdered before their eyes, helpless to stop it. Then, the surviving Shadowhunter was deruned, being forced into exile in the mundane world, where they would live everyday with the pain and knowledge that their mate and children were gone, having been cruelly taken from them. The loss of a mate is devastating. The loss of a mate and children was beyond torturous."
Magnus sighed deeply before continuing.
"In my own opinion, as cruel as this may sound, I think they should have just killed them all instead of torturing the deruned Shadowhunters as they did. As Shadowhunters, they knew what went bump in the night. And without their angelic runes they no longer had the sight to see a threat coming. Most demons and downworlders can smell nephilim blood. A deruned Shadowhunter could walk right past a greater demon or an angry downworlder and never know they were there. And if they were attacked, without their runes, they were as helpless as the mundanes they were born to protect to defend themselves. They usually didn't survive in the mundane world for long. Most were captured by beings they could no longer see. Several were taken prisoner where they were fed on by vampires craving the high of angel blood. It's most intoxicating. Others were captured and used as slaves because of their superior strength. Others were sold to other demons or downworlders, usually to be beaten into submission as slaves until the wounds, blood loss, or shattered bones and internal injuries became more than the body could bare and they died. Many were just killed in cold blood for no other reason than that they were born nephilim. Those were the lucky ones."
Magnus looked at his mate before continuing.
"Homosexuality is not exclusive to the Shadow World. It occurs in every human species that walks the earth. This next part is some of the worst I've ever known in my 800 years. Some of the exiled nephilim were brutally raped by their captors, countless times. Some until they lost their minds from the torture. Others were literally raped to death after so much abuse and damage to their bodies, having been sexually abused so many times. Eventually they all died horrible deaths."
Comments, suggestions, and feedback are always welcome! Hopefully I will have Chapter 6 Revelations
Part 2 done within the next few days.