Brothers by Blood (Alec Lightwood twin)

Chapter 55

ALEC'S POV

"Heard from Mum. Max is on his way." I said as Izzy exited the elevator.
"Feels like just yesterday we were taking knives away from him." She replied as we walked together through the Ops Centre.
"Well he's lucky to have you as a tutor." I said. Izzy then stopped and turned to me.
"Alec. Maybe it's a mistake putting me in charge of him." She said. I could see the nerves emanating from her. I was shocked at her admission.
"Are you kidding? Izzy, you're the smartest one here. You're one of our toughest fighters." I told her. "You, Jace, and Ben are the only ones who I would put in charge of Max's training." I added.
"Thanks Alec." She said with a small smile. I sent her a smile back. I was about to say something in return, but I was interrupted when I heard Jace's voice echo through the Ops Centre.
"Shadowhunter down." He said. I looked up to see Jace and Clary walking towards us and then down the stairs.
"Milo Keytower." Clary added.
"What happened?" Izzy asked.
"From what I understand, his runes were carved out. Is that true, Jace?" Inquisitor Herondale asked, walking up to us.
"Yes. After he was attacked by a wolf." Jace replied.
"He had multiple bite and claw marks." Clary clarified.
"What kind of werewolf randomly attacks a Shadowhunter?" Izzy asked.
"One who's trying to send a message." I stated.
"And get the attention of the Clave." The Inquisitor added.
"We need to find them before this happens again." Clary said.
"Well, I think I have a pretty good idea who it is." The Inquisitor stated.

*An hour later*

JACE'S POV

We had Luke at the Institute and were questioning him about the recent Shadowhunter death.
"Are you questioning me or are you accusing me?" He demanded.
"A week ago, you demanded the destruction of the Soul Sword. A demand, which, of course, is impossible to even consider. Which leads me to wonder was this killing an act of revenge on the Clave?" The Inquisitor asked.
"You think that I would murder a Shadowhunter?" He asked.
"We all know about your temper, Lucian." She challenged.
"Does she really think Luke did this?" I heard Alec whisper in my ear. I was with him on this one. I thought it was absurd to even consider the possibility that Luke killed Keytower.
"Take my DNA. Test it against your evidence. I'm not your wolf, and if any one of my pack did it I'll kill them myself." He snarled, narrowing his eyes at her.
"Take him down to the lab." The Inquisitor ordered. Alec grabbed his arm and helped him up, leading him down to the lab. I began following everyone out, but she stopped me. "A word, Jace?" She asked. I stopped and turned to her.
"Luke didn't do this. I'm sure his DNA will prove it." I told her.
"That's the Herondale in you. We trust our gut and act accordingly." She said. She then leaned back on her desk. "You know, when your father died, I thought the Herondale name would end with him. But by the grace of the Angel, I was wrong. I see so much of your father in you. But those eyes." She said. She then leaned closer to me. "Those eyes you got from your mother." She said.
"What was she like? My Mum." I asked.
"Celine was beautiful. Golden hair, like yours. She was so smart, so headstrong. You definitely got your stubbornness from her." She told me. I smiled. She then got up and turned to face me. "If they could see you now, Jace they would be so proud of you. I will be heading back to Idris soon, and I will be appointing a new Head of this Institute." She told me.
"It should be Alec. He's a born leader. There's no better man for the job." I said immediately.
"Yes. Mr Lightwood certainly is one of our best and brightest. But I'm appointing you, Jace." She told me. Me? I thought in shock. It should be Alec. However, I knew that there was nothing I could do about it until she left. Once I was dismissed, I went straight to Alec in order to tell him before the official announcement. I didn't want to keep secrets from him. Keeping secrets never ended well as we had both learned the hard way.

*Finding Alec*

I walked up to Alec, who was on one of the computers.
"Alec, I need to talk to you." I said. He looked up at me.
"What's up?" He asked. He saw the look of guilt on my face and a frown formed on his. "What happened?"
"Inquisitor Herondale has just told me that she's making me Head of the Institute." I said reluctantly.
"Congratulations." Alec said, getting up and shutting down the computer.
"It should've been you. I told her that." I said. I felt really guilty that the Inquisitor would hand it to me purely because I was her grandson. Alec deserved it way more than I did. I followed him over to one of the tables.
"The Clave was never going to hand it to me. I'm dating a guy who's a Downworlder." Alec stated.
"Look Alec, I didn't want this, I swear." I told him. He sighed and looked at me.
"You're a Herondale. Get used to the perks." He said. At his last word the alarm started going off. We both looked up and then towards the doors where two bodies were being wheeled in.
"What happened?" I asked.
"We found Rosegreen and Penmount dead in the Bowery. Runes carved out." Clary stated.
"Just like Keytower." Lindsey added.
"Except Penmount's been drained by a vampire." Alec said.
"And Rosegreen was lanced by a Seelie Knight." I continued.
"It's not just a lone wolf. It's multiple Downworlders." Clary said.
"Luke was right all along. The Downworlders want revenge. This could be the start of an uprising." I said, looking at her, the Institute alarm still blaring in the background.