The Institute was alight with the crack of dawn seeping through stained glass windows. Alec tilted his head back, bathing in the warm glow of sunlight in the nave, a feather touch as the Angel watched over them.
The elevator rattled as it came down and opened to reveal Robert. He ran a square hand over his bald head with a sigh and stepped out of the elevator. The Lightwood patriarch frowned at the sight of Jocelyn and Clary, gagged and bound to wait for the Silent Brothers.
"I'll have to contact the Clave about this. Hopefully they'll let your mother go," he muttered to no one in particular.
The soft neigh of a horse breezed in from the front steps of the Institute and Alec glanced outside to catch sight of the sleek black carriage that awaited the Fairchilds. Alec could face the white horse now, unlike the night when he received his first rune and had craned his neck to look at the beast. But the horse barely paid him any attention, standing still as the Silent Brothers threw Jocelyn and her daughter inside the carriage.
"The boy didn't mean any harm," Alec mumbled as Robert reached for Jonathan.
"It's better this way," his father replied.
The door slammed shut and Robert headed back inside, not waiting for the carriage to disappear in the busy streets of New York. The city never slept well, but Alec was tired and eager to get some rest.
He ducked inside with that in mind, smiling when he found Magnus on one of the pews. The warlock shuffled his feet, glancing at Alec's siblings every now and then. Alec wondered if Isabelle and Jace had been staring at Magnus since the Silent Brothers had taken the Fairchilds with them.
Jace and Isabelle had yet to say anything about his wings. Alec stopped near Magnus, touching the warlock's shoulder. His wings blushed against the open sides of his hoodie, in full display for Alec's siblings to see. But Isabelle did not even look at his wings, narrowing her eyes at the proximity between Alec and Magnus instead. She stomped forward and jabbed her finger at his chest.
"So 'patrolling' really had a name! And you never told us!"
"Izzy this is Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn," Alec introduced the other man with a shrug.
"Nice to meet you dear, I have to say your battle gear is much more fashionable than I thought possible."
Izzy beamed at Magnus' praise and with that, all her animosity was forgotten. She glanced at Alec's wings once and huffed, hugging him like nothing had changed. Alec's hand came up to wrap her in his arms and his wings folded to accommodate her, Isabelle was almost as tall as him in her heels. She sighed, nuzzling into his chest and from the knowing look on Magnus' face, Alec had an inkling she enjoyed winged hugs just like Magnus did.
Jace stepped forward next, once Isabelle had let go of Alec. The eldest Lightwood shuffled his feet, words on the tip of his tongue. They spilled without his consent.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Magnus earlier."
"Why did you… you could have told us about the wings," Jace cut in.
Alec frowned, surprised by his parabatai's lack of interest in Magnus. He glanced at the older man, feeling guilty but the warlock brushed it off with a grin and chatted to Isabelle about boots and makeup. Jace waited patiently, although not without huffing and Alec turned to the blond again.
The parabatai bond was more flexible than usual and bounced back and forth with Alec's guilt and Jace's feeling of betrayal. It was rocky at best, but Alec was glad for the sheer presence of the bond.
"Mom always thought we would be in danger if the Clave heard about a winged shadowhunter… looks like she was right, I don't want to imagine what they would do if they knew about your visions."
Jace seemed to consider it, tilting his head to the side. Blond strands of hair fell in his amber eyes and he tapped his foot a few times before reaching out. He poked Alec's wings and Alec jumped with a shriek. Jace lunged after him, merciless after the discovery that Alec was ticklish.
"Stop it!" Alec struggled to say, giggling and trying to bat Jace's hands away.
"You deserve it!" the blond growled.
Isabelle dragged Jace away from Alec with a chuckle and the eldest Lightwood slumped on the pew next to Magnus, catching his breath. He watched Jace intently though, paying attention to the bond stretching freely between them for the first time since the bonding ceremony.
Jace had liked Clary, genuinely liked her. Clary's betrayal and Alec's lies had yet to sink in. It was only a matter of time before the shock faded and the consequences of Jace's shattered trust hit full force. Alec intended to be there for his parabatai and help Jace through every thing that would come their way.
Alec could not forgive Jocelyn and her daughter.
Even though Valentine's wife had been protecting herself, trying to save her children, Alec struggled to relate. He had lied to his siblings but Alec would never have used them the way Jocelyn had used her children to keep an eye on him. She had caused too much damage, just like her husband, and killed too many people for Alec to find empathy or understanding for her. Not when it cost Luke his life and might have led to Alec and Jace's deaths too.
Jocelyn was a mad woman and really, was it that surprising, knowing that she had been married to a maniac?
She was locked away in the City of Bones though. There was nothing to fear and only one thing to do: wait for the Clave to release Maryse. The New York Institute had gotten rid of a threat to the Shadow World as a whole. The Clave could not hold onto Alec's mother any longer.
Sitting with Magnus and his siblings, Alec allowed himself to relax.
The city was safe once again.