Chapter Three

They went over Ragnor’s research for another hour and a half before Alec’s phone chimed. A quick glance at the message had him groaning. 

 

Magnus raised an eyebrow. “Everything alright, Alexander?”

 

“Just a reminder from Simon about missing game night tonight. I’ve blissfully found myself busy the last three months and have managed to miss it. I promised I wouldn’t miss the next one to get my siblings off my back…Izzy, in turn, promised to hog-tie me and drag me there if I even thought about making an excuse. With a serial killer and a possible demon on the loose, I’m sure they’d understand,” Alec explained as he unlocked his phone and prepared to dial his sister.

 

Magnus’ hand covered Alec’s gently. “Just go. Don’t break your promise to your siblings. We’ve been working on this all day. A few hours won’t make or break the case and it is getting late.”

 

Alec shook his head. “I shouldn’t. We still have barely made a dent in the books Cat and Ragnor found that might be relevant.”

 

“I can keep at it and I’ll have help. This is exactly the sort of thing that Ragnor lives for. It’ll be next to impossible to keep him away. You deserve a beak.”

 

“So do you,” Alec answered with a frown. “You could come with me? My siblings won’t mind — hell, Izzy would probably be thrilled.”

 

Magnus gave Alec a small smile. “Perhaps another time. This close to the full moon, it’s probably for the best that I stay here.”

 

“Shit, I didn’t realize,” Alec said, rubbing a nervous hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Magnus, that was horribly thoughtless of me. Are you alright?”

 

Ragnor huffed and Magnus rolled his eyes at the older wolf. “I’m fine. Honestly, having something to keep me busy will do wonders. I start to get pretty stir-crazy the closer it gets to the hunt.”

 

“That’s putting it mildly,” Ragnor mumbled under his breath before glancing across the table at Alec. “Go enjoy your game night, Mr. Lightwood. Magnus and I will spend a few more hours with our noses in the books and we’ll share what we find with you in the morning.”

 

It was harder to argue with Ragnor so Alec simply sighed and turned back toward Magnus. “Don’t work too late, alright? You should enjoy your evening too.”

 

“Rest assured, I’ll make sure your partner gets his beauty sleep. He needs all the help he can get in that department.”

 

Magnus looked affronted and Alec was fairly certain there would be some playful bickering once he left. “Alright, but if you come across anything that can’t wait until morning, don’t hesitate to call or text. My place isn’t too far — I can be here in the blink of an eye.”

 

“Nonsense, enjoy your evening, Alexander. There will be plenty of time to catch up in the morning.”

 

----------

 

Twenty minutes later, Alec was unlocking his front door, unsurprised to find his siblings had apparently let themselves in instead of waiting for him. He rolled his eyes as he tossed his keys in the bowl by the door. “Glad to see you’re all apparently making yourselves comfortable in my home without me.”

 

“Please, Alec. You gave us keys. You were asking for this to happen. And what were we supposed to do? Stand outside your door twiddling our thumbs until you arrive?” His sister replied sharply. “Honestly, I’m surprised you’re even here at all. You should have brought Magnus.”

 

“I did ask,” Alec muttered as he shrugged his jacket off and hung it over the back of his couch. “He says it’s getting close to the full moon and that it was probably for the best if he stayed at the Institute and continued research.”

 

“Not surprised,” Jace said through a mouthful of noodles that they’d probably picked up on the way over. “Clary said that even Luke is required to hang around closer to a full moon.”

 

“Jace, don’t talk with your mouth full,” the redhead scolded as she appeared from the kitchen with a takeout container that she handed to Alec. “You might be on your own until the full moon passes as far as the actual in-person investigations go. The Institute can be pretty picky about that sometimes.”

 

Alec frowned as he took a seat next to Simon on the couch. He glanced down at the game that the tech had started to set up. “What do you mean? And what are we playing today? This looks like…trains? Can’t we play something normal? Like Monopoly?”

 

“Absolutely not,” Isabelle replied as she dropped into an armchair across the table. “Not after last time. Jace is a sore loser and I’m sure your neighbors are still scarred by the insults that he yelled and the sound of furniture being toppled.”

 

“You cheated and we all know it,” Jace muttered. 

 

Alec ignored the argument between his siblings, knowing it was one they’d had a million times and neither would win, and turned his attention back to Clary. “I didn’t realize that they were that strict on the wolves at the Institute. Magnus hinted at some things…but he didn’t really tell me to what extent.”

 

Clary took a seat on the floor next to Jace. “Yes and no, but they do have a lot of rules and regulations they have to follow for the ‘safety and security of themselves and those around them.’”

 

Alec couldn’t stop the growl that escaped his throat. “They’re our coworkers. Hell, I’m probably more of a danger to others before I have my morning coffee than Magnus is.”

 

Clary raised an eyebrow. “You think I don’t know that? I’ve grown up around Luke and the pack. I’ve always known what they were even before the wolves announced themselves to the world. It’s almost human nature to fear what we don’t understand so, yes, while they do work with you and the higher-ups have accepted having wolves on staff, they still fear them, and those regulations were born out of that fear.”

 

“I just want to better understand.”

 

The redhead studied him for a moment. “You’re not going to like what you hear.”

 

“Please.”

 

She proceeded to tell Alec what Magnus hadn’t while Simon tried to explain the rules of Ticket to Ride. Alec learned that any time one of the pack needed to leave the Institute it required layer upon layer of approval. How they were subject to monthly checkups and psych evaluations and frequent evaluations to make sure they were still fit for the field. Not only that, they were subject to regular performance reviews to make sure they were capable agents and worth keeping around. She continued to list Institute regulations that Magnus and the pack had to follow and, eventually, his head began to spin and he could only see red.

 

Alec was nearly grinding his teeth by the time Clary had finished and he did his best to focus on the game in front of him but his heart was no longer into building his railroad empire. He was fairly quiet throughout the rest of the game, his thoughts on how Magnus turning down his offer was less likely that it was close to the full moon and more likely that he simply couldn’t leave but didn’t want Alec to get upset. By the end of the game, even Simon (who was not the most observant person in the room) could tell his mind was elsewhere. 

 

“What’s the bee in your bonnet today, Alec?” The tech asked as the game came to an end. “This is normally the sort of thing that would get you hot and bothered — good, old-fashioned strategy and screwing your siblings over. Something’s been on your mind since you walked in the door and it definitely wasn’t all the depressing details of your partner's life that Clary shared with us after the fact.”

 

Alec forced his mind away from further thoughts of how the Institute’s wolves were treated to something a little less grim (though not by much if he was honest.) “Magnus has a theory about the case. It’s a little far-fetched but…”

 

“But you’re starting to believe that he could be right?” Izzy finished when Alec had been struggling to find the words himself. 

 

“Something like that,” Alec answered with a huff.

 

“So? Spill the beans, what is this theory that your wolf has that you’re hesitant to share with us? Does he think Raj is secretly the killer or something? Because, let’s be honest, if anyone was a secret psychopath, it’s probably that guy,” Jace stated between the handful of popcorn he’d just shoved into his mouth. 

 

Alec tried to consider his words but he found no way to make it sound less crazy than it already was in his head. “He’s not my wolf, he’s my partner…and he thinks it could be a demon that they are trying to summon in those circles,” he replied finally, figuring direct was the only way to go with a claim as outrageous as this. “And with this last murder, they may even have been successful. The tracks we found at the last scene, the fire, the sulfur that he smelled…it all adds up.”

 

No one around the table said anything for a moment and when someone finally did speak, Alec wasn’t surprised to find that it was Simon. “Well, we’ve got werewolves. I mean, come on, it was only a matter of time before something else supernatural showed itself. But damn it, I bet Derek in accounting my Hawkeye #1 that it would be vampires.”

 

The table erupted into chaos and it took Alec a moment to sort through the conversation. “You believe him? That it could be demons even though there are no such things as demons?”

 

“Well, there were no such things as werewolves either and now you’re partnered to one. Honestly, Simon’s right. I figured it was only a matter of time,” Jace added matter of factly.

 

Alec groaned and rubbed his hand over his face, trying to figure out when he’d lost his ironclad control over his life when Simon spoke again. “The real question, Alec, is how are you going to kill it? Supernatural style with the salt and the devil’s traps and whatnot? Oh, or are you going to do the John Constantine thing with incantations and a bigger, badder demon? Or are you going to —”

 

“What do you mean, how am I going to kill it?” Alec said, cutting him off before he went down another unstoppable tangent as he was prone to do. “I have an Institute-issued handgun just like any other agent. And in case you’ve forgotten my partner is a werewolf and I’m sure he can do some damage on his own.”

 

Simon rolled his eyes. “Well you can’t exactly kill a demon with a 9 mm, can you? Well, maybe you can if the bullets are doused in holy water or blessed by a priest or something. They’d be pretty lame demons if a single round of lead took them out.”

 

As much as Alec hated to admit, Simon had a point and he mentally cursed at himself for thinking that killing a demon would be easy. “Demons aren’t real,” he muttered under his breath. “No one knows how to kill them. This isn’t one of your movies or video games, Simon.”

 

“Well, yeah, I know that but fiction has a basis in fact, does it not? All the legends are true and that sort of thing. So you take a page out of a badass movie. What’s the worst that could happen? It doesn’t work and you spent an extra minute throwing a canteen of holy water into your trunk?”

 

“It’s not a game,” Alec growled. “And the worst that could happen is that people could die, Simon..”

 

“And as you just pointed out, Alec. Demons, thus far, aren’t real so we don’t really have a procedure on how to handle them,” Isabelle added with a raise of her eyebrow. “We can only learn through trial and error unless you’ve got a secret book of knowledge needed to defeat a demon that you haven’t told us about. Simon’s idea has merit.”

 

He could already tell that this was an argument that he wouldn’t win. “I don’t even know where to start,” Alec groaned. “I watch the news, Iz, and National Geographic. Neither covers ‘everything you need to know when you’re faced with the possibility of a demon.”

 

His sister grinned and Alec instantly knew that he was in for a long night. “Well then,” she said, grabbing the remote off the couch and turning on his TV. “I suggest we get started…for research purposes, of course.”

 

----------

 

Alec arrived a surprising thirty minutes late the next morning though he came bearing two cups of coffee and a box of donuts when he knocked on the door of the Den. There were bags under his eyes and his hair, while adorable, seemed slightly more disheveled than normal. He handed one steaming cup to Magnus and took a sip from the other, letting out a happy sigh as the first taste hit his tongue. “My, my, Alexander. Family game night really seems to take it out of you,” he stated as his partner fought back another yawn.

 

“We actually didn’t get much playing done. One game was all we made it through before everything descended into chaos. I told them about Ragnor’s theory about the demon summoning and they found it plausible. After that, they decided that I needed an ‘education’ about the supernatural. Speaking of, do you know how many seasons of that show there are?”

 

“Many,” Magnus replied with a laugh. “I hope for your sanity you didn’t try to get through them all in one night.”

 

“It felt like it,” Alec mumbled as he nearly downed his cup in one swing despite the visible heat coming off of it. “Please tell me you had a more productive night than I did.”

 

Alec yawned again and it took everything in Magnus’ power not to comment on Alec’s adorable sleepiness. “As a matter of fact, I did,” he replied instead, glad for the change in topic before he got himself in trouble. “We think we’ve figured out some of the runes.”

 

The detective’s eyes widened and every remaining ounce of exhaustion seemed to evaporate almost instantly. “Really?”

 

Magnus grinned in response. “Really,” he explained, guiding Alec toward the table they’d spread out their research on. “As it would have it, the last book we decided to open before calling it quits for the evening had far more information than any of the others. Unfortunately, it doesn’t give us all the answers…it seems the copy in the Institute’s library has a significant number of missing pages. It’s almost too much of a coincidence if you ask me.”

 

Alec stilled next to him and while he hadn’t known his partner for long, he could tell the other man’s mind was already beginning to race. “You think this is an inside job? That this psychopath is one of us?” He asked quietly. 

 

Magnus could only shrug. “That or someone went way out of their way to confirm that we wouldn’t have the answers we needed in the off chance we did go poking our noses down the right path. Who else would have had access to that library? As it was, Ragnor had to get approval from Luke’s boss to get inside. The books were found in the archives - and only the highest level agents have access to those. My instincts tell me it just lends even more merit to Ragnor’s demon summoning theory. Not only that…think back to all those crime scenes. Did you stop to think that maybe they’re almost too clean? Like someone specifically knows our processes and is working in a way to keep us off their trail?”

 

Alec inhaled sharply and leaned over the table, his eyes scanning through the handwritten notes Ragnor and Magnus had taken the night before. “Fuck, do you know what this means if it’s someone here? We’ve been going about this the wrong way. Hell, we could have handed whoever is at fault all our current intel on a silver platter.”

 

He smiled grimly. “Thus the reason I asked you to meet here in the Den as opposed to the War Room? No one but us wolves and those we invite are allowed in. The nice thing about being a werewolf is that our noses can detect lies so we can’t lie to each other. Everyone in the pack can be trusted.”

 

“Who else?” Alec asked quietly with a sigh as he rubbed his eyes, no doubt trying to get his thoughts in any sort of order to start working this from another direction. “Who else do we know for sure is on our team.”

 

The wolf tilted his head, playing through his interactions over the past few days. “Your siblings, for sure, though I doubt you had any questions about their innocence. Simon and Underhill. Unfortunately, I haven’t spent much time around the others but we can put ourselves in a position to ask some probing questions disguised as sharing false intel on the case…any attempt at a lie or change in their mood my nose we could pick up. We could start narrowing it down from there.”

 

Alec didn’t say anything for a few tense moments and Magnus could tell he was processing the thought of one of their own causing so much death and destruction by attempting to unleash true evil into the world. It was a lot to take in and, frankly, the only reason Magnus wasn’t handling it just as poorly is because outside of a handful of people he didn’t have a lot of love for his colleagues and many of them shared that sentiment when it came to him. He placed his hand on his partner’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “We can work with this, alright? I promise. We’ve got a fair amount of people already in our inner circle. Hell, this might even work out for the better. We can control what information gets out into the wild. We can try and set a trap for him.”

 

“I still can’t believe it’s one of our own people,” he muttered under his breath. “Even if they weren’t the one directly committing the murders, hiding information that could lead us to catching them…”

 

“I know, it’s a lot to take in and probably not the best thing I could have dumped on you first thing in the morning when you’re so sleep deprived and for that, I apologize.”

 

“It’s alright,” Alec said with a sigh, standing a little straighter and slipping into what Magnus was quickly learning was his ‘non-stop work’ attitude. “You should have called me last night when you were first discovering all of this. I would have come back in a heartbeat, game night be damned.”

 

“Then we’d both be sleep deprived, Alexander, and while I wouldn’t say it in front of Ragnor and give him the joy of being right, I do need my beauty sleep,” Magnus joked and the mood in the room lightened significantly despite the research and photographs laid out on the table in front of them. “Besides, I would hate to deprive you of a Supernatural marathon. You only experience seeing that show for the first time once, after all.”

 

Alec groaned in response. “I think I would have preferred research and revelations and a sleepless night with you to whatever my siblings dragged me through. And I just know they’re going to want to watch more. Simon said something about someone named Constantine and then Clary mentioned Buffy and then they all started spitting nonsense back and forth to each other that made my head spin. If this psychopath trying to summon a demon doesn’t kill me, my siblings and their friends’ non-stop movie marathons certainly will and if I had to choose a way to go, I think it would certainly be the former.”

 

“You make it sound like they tied you down and forced you to watch it,” Magnus replied as he raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Trust me, it certainly felt that way. Now, show me what you’ve got.”

 

----------

 

Alec had to admit that Magnus and Ragnor had certainly made strides overnight, despite the missing pages in the only book that seemed even remotely helpful. They’d figured out, if the mysterious author was correct, that the runes were in an ancient language spoken only by the angels and their fallen brethren.  Even without any way to translate, they’d worked out the start of a translation based on references to the symbols that had been found at each crime scene thus far. Those runes weren’t letters or words, not quite, but they all seemed to have meaning regardless.

 

He was flipping through the book looking for something, anything, that may have been missed (because, damn, he hasn’t felt this useless in a very long time) when an alarm went off on Magnus’ phone, startling them both. His partner turned the sound off and stood up to stretch, his back popping as he did. “As much as I would like to continue this,” he said after a moment, shooting Alec a tired smile. “I’m afraid I must leave you for a short while. The full moon is in two days so I’ve got an appointment with the vet.”

 

“The vet?” Alec asked, nearly certain that he’d misheard his partner. “Please tell me you’re not serious.” Clary certainly hadn’t mentioned anything like that last night.

 

Magnus burst out laughing at Alec’s no doubt flabbergasted expression. “I kid, Alexander. I’m going to see Dr. Moira and Dr. Holland just like you would. We always get a pre-full moon checkup to make sure we’re fighting fit and ready to go.”

 

Alec frowned. “What are they expecting to find? What if they declare you ‘not fit’ — what does not being fit for something you literally have no control over even actually mean?”

 

“It’s fine, Alec. Something we all expect. Really, it’s no different than the yearly physical I’m sure you have to go through. They just want to make sure we’re not ill and we don’t risk going on a murderous rampage when we go on the Hunt. It won’t take long at all - two hours tops. Why don’t you go get some lunch and coffee because you look like you could use another cup or two and meet me back here…let’s say 3:30?”

 

He wanted to argue but it was clear that Magnus didn’t see any issue with what was happening. When Alec’s shoulders relaxed the slightest bit a grin spread across his partner’s face. “Maybe take the time to sneak in a nap too,” Magnus joked as he led them out the door and into the hallway. “I didn’t realize watching a TV show was so strenuous. I bet your siblings make you watch more tonight — you’ll need to be ready for another long night.”

 

“Don’t remind me,” Alec groaned as they split ways. He stood in the middle of the hallway watching until Magnus disappeared around the corner humming to himself. Alec sighed and ran a hand through his hair trying to calm his growing anxiety over something that was apparently routine. After learning about Magnus’ theory that these murders could have been an inside job, he didn’t want to let his partner out of his sight for even a minute. As the lead investigators on the case, they had targets painted on their back and it was only a matter of time before something happened.

 

“Get it together, Lightwood,” he muttered to himself as he made his way deeper into the building though he had no real destination in mind. Magnus was going for a simple check-up and psych eval — something he went through every month and Alec himself had to go through yearly. Dr. Moira was a nice woman and while Dr. Holland wasn’t his favorite person in the world, he was a very competent doctor who had stitched Alec and his siblings up more times than he could count. Magnus would be fine. What trouble could possibly find him in the medical wing?

 

Alec shot off a quick text to his siblings advising them to be cautious, talk to no one about the case, and meet him at his place later tonight and he’d fill them in. Izzy’s response was almost immediate and at this hour Jace was probably flirting shamelessly (despite his long-term relationship with Clary) with the barista at the coffee shop across the street so he’d see it when Kaelie finally tired of his games and sent him on his way with a free cup of coffee for his troubles. When he looked up, he found that his legs had taken him down a familiar path and he was currently standing in front of Hodge’s office.

 

He had known Hodge for longer than he’d worked at the Institute as he’d been a close family friend to Alec’s parents and frequently visited the Lightwood family estate. Hell, it had been Hodge who had taught Alec how to ride a bike when his parents were out of town for a conference and had asked their friend to babysit. He could still remember the man bandaging his scuffed and bleeding knees after his first failed attempts and the words of encouragement he’d spoken until Alec was finally able to wobble down the driveway without falling over.

 

He and Magnus had agreed to be cautious and make the determination of who they could and could not trust together but this was Hodge - he was like a second father to Alec and, as Alec’s boss, needed to be in the loop on the ongoing investigation. Alec bit his lip, not wanting to betray his partner’s trust on something they’d both agreed on but still wanting to follow proper procedure during an investigation. He decided finally that it was worth at least checking in with the older man to make sure Hodge knew that he was still doing his best to catch their murderer. 

 

Alec knocked twice on the door and was almost immediately beckoned inside. Hodge looked up from a mound of paperwork and grinned. “Alec, it’s good to see you. I was expecting to see you here much earlier. How’s the case going? Are we any closer to catching our killer?”

 

He found himself dropping into parade rest as he shook his head. “No sir, unfortunately the crime scene yesterday was just as clean as the previous ones and neither of the boys who found the body recalls seeing anyone else around,” Alec said slowly, choosing each and every word deliberately so that he didn’t give anything away. It was likely safe to share what they’d added to the board in the War Room as it was out in the open for anyone to see. “There was ash found at the crime scene but we’re still waiting to see if forensics can tell us anything about it.”

 

“Yes, I saw your notes on the board. It doesn’t look like anything has been added since the day you got back. I hope you're not just waiting for another attack and that me putting my faith in you, despite your age, wasn’t a poor decision. There were plenty of other agents jumping at a chance to take this case,” the man explained, making Alec feel like a child who had just disappointed his parents. 

 

“No sir, we’re focusing on trying to make some sense of the symbols,” Alec explained, trying to prove to his boss that he was working the case without giving too much away. “Our current theory is that they could be some kind of code — simple enough if we can figure out the cipher.”

 

Hodge raised an eyebrow. “And how do you plan on doing that?”

 

“Magnus’ pack mate, Ragnor Fell, used to be a professor. He is reaching out to his contacts to see if anyone is able to assist.” Not entirely a lie but hopefully enough progress that Hodge wouldn’t pull him from the case. 

 

“Need I remind you this is classified?”

 

Alec shook his head. “Details will be on a need-to-know basis, and only the bare minimum will be shared.”

 

Hodge studied him for a moment before he dipped his head and Alec felt the tension leave his body. “Good, keep me updated on what you find out. How have you been outside of the case? How’s working with the wolf?”

 

“Magnus is a good partner,” Alec replied, trying to keep the growl from his voice at Hodge’s dismissive tone. “His heightened senses and his intelligence have been useful. I’ve no doubt that the two of us can successfully solve this one.”

 

The older agent hummed and Alec tried not to squirm. “Then I pray that the two of you make strides before the next body is due to be found.”

 

It was a dismissal if Alec ever heard one but he still wasn’t done. He hadn’t just come here to update his boss on the case that they were working, he realized. There had been something else nagging on his mind that he needed to address. “Yes, Mr. Lightwood? Is there something else that you need?”

 

Hodge’s irritation was clear and Alec knew that he’d need to choose his next words carefully. “Yes sir, I wanted to ask you about something…”

 

His boss waved his hand to encourage him to continue. “It’s come to my attention that there are certain regulations that I wasn’t previously aware about that may actually hinder Magnus and I from doing our jobs to the best of our ability and I was wondering, hoping, rather that an exception may be made.”

 

When the older man said nothing for a moment, Alec held his breath, praying that he wouldn’t immediately be shot down without being given a chance to explain himself. “Alec, I hope you understand that the regulations we have surrounding your partner and his pack are for the safety of both our wolf and human agents. Please tell me which of those carefully written rules are you hoping to get permission to break?”

 

The disgust in the voice of the man who had nearly been a father to him made Alec’s heart break. Hadn’t it been Hodge who had pushed him into this partnership with Magnus when Alec himself had his own reservations? Hodge had been the one to reassure that this partnership was a good thing for both of them, so why did he suddenly seem so set on standing in Alec’s way? Something wasn’t right here but then again, something wasn’t right about one of their own possibly being involved in these ritual killings either. 

 

Alec bit his cheek, pushing any thoughts about arguing back to the side, knowing that he needed to keep this professional if he wanted to get the permission that he was requesting. “As you know, time is of the essence in a case like this. A few minutes could literally mean the difference between life or death for the victim or the possibility of catching the killer red-handed. I didn’t understand that the wolves have to ask permission to leave the premises, even when working on an active case. It would be beneficial for Magnus to have blanket permission while we hunt down our killer,” he explained, not choosing to add that he felt they shouldn’t need to ask for permission period. It wasn’t the time, nor the place, for that argument. “I believe this could really make a difference, sir, and if you’re not the one I should be speaking to about this, I’m prepared to make my case to whoever that may be. I’ll go to Jia’s office and ask her if that’s what it takes.”

 

Hodge’s eyes narrowed at the mention of the Institute’s director. He liked following protocol and for Alec to suggest that he’d skip the chain of command and go straight to the top was surely grinding his gears. “I hope this isn’t about something more than the case, Alec. You have a promising career, you wouldn’t want to throw it away now, would you?”

 

Alec shook his head. “No sir, I merely want to solve the case.”

 

The silence that passed between them was thick enough that he could have cut it with a knife. Finally, the older man tipped his head. “If that is what you feel must be done, I will speak with Jia to find out if we are able to accommodate your unusual request.”

 

Relief flooded through Alec though he tried his best not to show it. How much more would they be able to accomplish behind the safety of Alec’s own walls where they could speak freely without needing to worry about who may be listening? “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”

 

Hodge said nothing more and Alec knew that he was officially dismissed. He reached the door before his mentor spoke again. “Lightwood - just remember the full moon is in a few days. Wolves have been known to react unpredictably when that happens.”

 

Alec swallowed his frustration before he turned back to Hodge. “I’m aware. Magnus has told me of the pack run. However, I don’t believe it will be an issue. If something comes up during the full moon, I’ll take Jace or Izzy with me. I know that Magnus, nor any of the Institute’s wolves, will lose control. How many years did they hide from us and we were none the wiser?”

 

That hadn’t been the answer Hodge was expecting and he was finally shooed from the door without another word. He closed the door behind him before he breathed out a sigh of relief. 

 

Damn.

 

Hopefully, Hodge stayed true to his word and did speak with Jia about Alec’s request. He’d give it another day before he went and spoke with her himself. Jia, like Alec’s mentor, was another close family friend - a benefit of practically having grown up at the Institute as a child. She was known to be strict but she was kind and her daughter Aline had been one of Alec’s only friends when he was a child. 

 

He still had a few hours to go before he and Magnus agreed to meet after the werewolf’s appointments. He needed to track down his siblings and catch them up to speed.

 

----------

 

Dr. Holland was far from Magnus’ favorite person in the world but then again, what doctor was anyone’s favorite person? He raised his hand to knock but the door swung open before he could. “You’re late,” the man growled as he stepped aside to let Magnus into the examination room. 

 

“It’s always a pleasure to see you too, Doc,” Magnus drawled, ignoring the man’s normal gruff tone. “And according to that clock on the wall, I’m exactly on time.”

 

The man huffed and turned to pick up Magnus’ file. He was in his mid-forties and still built like the ex-Army doctor that he apparently was. He hadn’t changed a bit the entire time that Magnus had been working at the Institute — same white coat, same glasses, hell - he was even certain those were the same shoes. “‘On time’ means late in my book, Bane. You’re not the only patient that I have to see today. Please don’t waste my time.”

 

By this point, the routine of these visits was something Magnus knew well. Dr. Holland would start with the routine physical so Magnus unbuttoned his shirt and hung it over the back of a chair before jumping up on the examination table and waiting for what came next. “Then you have my sincerest apologies for my failure to be punctual,” Magnus replied, thankful that the other man didn’t have a werewolf’s sense of smell and couldn’t pick up on the lie that it was. “I assure you, I won’t let it happen again.”

 

The doctor set Magnus’ folder to the side and took a syringe and a few vials out of his pocket. “Blood work first,” he said as Magnus furrowed his brow as he watched the man lay them out on the table. Typically, two vials were drawn but today Dr. Holland had come with four.

 

“Are you trying to take all the blood in my body today, Doc?” 

 

The man grunted as the needle pierced Magnus’ arm. He tried not to tense. “New protocol,” Dr. Holland replied as he started to fill the first vial. Magnus took a deep breath, trying to relax. He had picked up on the lie as soon as the words had left his mouth but right now was not the ideal time to inquire. 

 

“What new protocol?” He asked instead, wondering if the man didn’t know that he couldn’t lie to a wolf or if he simply thought that he could manage to get away with it. “Usually they try to send us some sort of memo when things change so we’re not entirely taken by surprise.”

 

“The Higher Ups want better records,” he explained, and Magnus could tell that that much at least wasn’t a lie. “They should have said something a few days ago. Maybe the upcoming full moon made you forgetful.” He had phrased it like a poor attempt at a joke but all Magnus could smell was another full out lie.

 

“I must have missed the memo,” he said slowly, trying to keep his voice level. “While it hasn’t been the moon making me distracted, I have been rather preoccupied with the case that Alexander and I have been working.”

 

The doctor’s scent shifted and there was now a tinge of something not quite like fear. “Yes, I heard that they assigned you and the Lightwood boy to the Runecarver case. I’m surprised they gave it to such green agents. I would have presumed they’d want their best working it. I suppose a family name like Lightwood gets you places.”

 

Dr. Holland’s easy dismissal of Alec’s skill and worth made Magnus’ blood boil. He was used to people speaking that way about him - most didn’t seem to think that werewolves were capable of the same thing that humans were. You wouldn’t ask a dog to tell you who a murderer was, after all, but Alec was human and he was certainly more than a surname. “I can’t speak for myself but Alec is the best. He’s an incredible agent. He’s smart, he’s resourceful… and there’s something to be said about having a new perspective. Maybe that’s why they assigned the case to us instead of some of the more seasoned agents. Fresh eyes and a different outlook.”

 

“And have those fresh eyes and a different outlook managed to get you any closer to catching the killer?” Dr. Holland asked as he finished filling the last vial.

 

Magnus sighed. “Alas, we’ve had no real leads. It’s almost as if the Runecarver is one step ahead of us this entire time. The full moon comes at a rather inconvenient time, if I do say so myself. I can only hope that Alexander doesn’t require my assistance while my biology is betraying me.”

 

The four vials he’d filled were set to the side and the doctor hastily scribbled something in Magnus’ chart before opening a cabinet and taking out three glass vials that Magnus knew far too well. This time, there was a fourth unlabeled vial with a red cap. “Is a new vaccine part of these changes that were mentioned in that memo that I failed to read?”

 

“Just another preventative,” the man explained, flicking one of the recognizable bottles a few times to get the air out. “This one is a two-part vaccine. You’ll need to come back on the day of the full moon to get the second part. Now hold still. Let’s get through these and get the examination over. I do have other patients to see.”

 

----------

 

It was the day before the full moon (Alec knew because he’d added it to his personal calendar so that he wouldn’t forget) when Jace met him outside the empty War Room with one hell of a frown on his face. “There’s something you’re going to want to see.”

 

He was about to inquire about what was so important when Izzy walked in with an equally as baffled Magnus at her heels. “Where’s the fire, darlings? I haven’t had barely any time to make myself look presentable this morning.”

 

Alec snorted, fully aware that Magnus is just breaking the tension in the room because, as always, Magnus looks impeccable. Today he was dressed in a dark green and black shirt with threads of silver running through his collar and cuffs. His neck and fingers were more bare than normal (probably what Magnus considered his inability to make himself presentable) but his ever present ear cuff wasn’t missing. He looked gorgeous and it took everything Alec had in him not to say so. 

 

“You look fine,” he said instead, barely managing to turn his attention away from his partner to fix his siblings with a stern glare. “But I haven’t even managed half my cup of coffee yet. What’s going on?”

 

Izzy bit her lip before sliding her phone across the table to him. “We’ve been wondering why it’s been so quiet. If they managed to do ‘you know what’ at that last crime scene,” she didn’t need to say ‘actually summon demons’ for Alec to understand what she was trying to get at, “why haven’t we heard anything? Something like that doesn’t just happen without someone out there knowing something about it.”

 

“So I asked Simon if he could do his thing,” she continued, and Alec rolled his eyes knowing that likely meant something probably illegal and definitely against Institute regulations. “There have been several reports the past few days about a pack of hounds hunting people and then seemingly disappearing without a trace. No one has been hurt yet, that we know of, and the NYPD chalked it up to some sort of mass hysteria especially when one report said it looked like the dogs were on fire… but this morning another call came in from an old woman walking her dog past an abandoned church. She said her dog refused to walk past it and she was certain that she’d heard ‘spirits’ inside.”

 

“And what makes us think either of these two incidents are related or have anything to do with our case?” Alec asked, waiting for his sister to get to the point. 

 

She nodded her head at her phone, which he could now see was open to an audio file. “Just hit play and then you tell me.”

 

The clip was a recording from the 9-1-1 call. He hadn’t quite made out the woman’s name between her frail, yet terrified voice and heavy accent but he didn’t need it. What she was reporting to the police wasn’t what he was interested in, it was the sounds in the background that caught his attention. The ‘spirit’ that the old woman had heard was no ghost that Alec could picture. It was far too loud, far too clear, and far too inhuman to be something that was supposed to be a soul that could not pass on. Instead, what Alec heard in the background of that clip could only be described as infernal howling. 

 

Next to him, he felt Magnus tense as the recording came to an end. “Dare I ask what the NYPD did about that call?” His partner’s voice was clipped and Alec was instantly on edge. 

 

“To no one’s surprise, not a damn thing,” Jace chimed in with a snarl. “Someone tell me how anyone with half a brain cell wouldn't hear that and at least send an officer to investigate. Nothing in that clip sounds like anything remotely okay.”

 

“Budget cuts,” Alec and Magnus responded at the same time before Alec sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “Or more of the same,” he muttered, referring to the fact that they were pretty certain someone, or multiple someones, at the Institute was involved with the Runecarver. “Does anyone else know about this?”

 

Jace shook his head. “Simon has only shared it with Izzy and we brought it straight to you. I asked Andrew to keep an ear out for anything else unusual. We figured the two of you would want to head out there ASAP.”

 

It was far too early in the morning for this and Magnus’ reaction to the sound still worried Alec but it was the first real lead they’d had since taking the case so they needed to move now. “Thanks, Jace. Text me the address. You and Iz get a head start. No one goes inside until all four of us are there. Magnus and I will follow you in a few minutes.”

 

There was no argument from his siblings and Alec waited until they were alone in the room before he turned his attention back to Magnus. “Something about that call bothered you.”

 

He watched as Magnus opened his mouth to speak and furrowed his brow like he was reconsidering his words. Alec gave him the time he needed to find his voice and finally his partner spoke. “I think I’ve gotten so used to being the biggest predator out there that I hadn’t really considered that I might not be even though we’ve been talking about it for a few days now.”

 

“What did that howling mean to you?”

 

Magnus shuddered. “My wolf wants to run. It knows that’s something really dangerous and it most certainly wants nothing to do with it,” he paused for a moment and cocked his head slightly to the side. “It wants to take you with us. The instinct to protect my pack is almost too strong to pass up. We don’t let family get hurt.”

 

Alec blushed and dipped his head, hoping he could hide his face before Magnus saw. “That’s sort of what we’re doing, isn’t it? Protecting the world from that which would cause it harm?”

 

“I know,” Magnus replied. “And as much as it wants to run, I won’t. I’m not sure what we’ll find in that church but I’ll be by your side either way.”

 

He could only nod his head in thanks, no words seeming entirely right for the situation. “Do you want to do this like this or as a wolf?”

 

Magnus appeared to think about it for a moment. “As a wolf is probably best. I’m probably more useful to you in a fight when I have my teeth and claws.”

 

“You’re useful to me either way,” Alec replied, trying not to be upset that Magnus felt that he only kept him around for his ability to shift. “I just want you to do whatever is most comfortable for you.”

 

“Wolf, then, if you don’t mind waiting for me to shift. I can try to speed it up a little by burning some extra energy,” he said as he began leading them back toward the Den.

 

“Take all the time you need. Jace and Izzy will get there and secure the area. They likely already have an idea of why I told them to go ahead.”

 

The conversation lapsed and Alec was a bit surprised when Magnus asked him inside instead of having him wait in the hallway. The Den was empty at this time of day but Magnus handed him his go bag and his collar. “No Catarina this time. You’ll have to do the honors, Alexander. Despite what you may hear, just wait here. I promise you that I’m fine. It’s just not exactly a pleasant experience to watch or go through.”

 

Alec’s eyes widened but Magnus had already turned back to the room he’d exited from the first time and the door closed quietly behind him. Alec waited tensely. He’d gotten here at the tail end of Magnus’ shift the first time he had no idea what to expect throughout the entire process. There was a minute of silence before he heard a grunt, a few sharp cracks, and what was obviously a whine. Alec’s instincts wanted him to burst through the door and try to comfort his partner but he remembered Catarina’s previous explanation. Shifting, as Alec understood it, was hard and Magnus was trying to keep him from the trauma of seeing the gruesome process with his own two eyes. 

 

Time seemed to stretch on eons though Alec’s watch told him it had barely been 15 minutes before the handle of the room jiggled and Magnus, as a wolf, padded out. The sounds of pain had ceased about 5 minutes ago and he figured his partner was taking a few extra minutes to adjust to his shift. Magnus, unlike Alec’s own dread about the situation, appeared fine. He trotted over to the detective with his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. Alec stood dumbstruck until the wolf nudged the leather band that was still hanging limply from his hand. “Oh right,” Alec stammered as nearly trembling hands undid the buckle and fastened as gently as he could around the werewolf’s neck.

 

He knew his conversation with Magnus in this form was limited at best but he still couldn’t help but ask. “Are you okay? That was…” He didn’t know what that was, to be honest. He’d only heard Magnus’ transformation from the other side of the door. “That was intense, it sounded like.”

 

Magnus yipped and Alec knew that was all he was going to get out of him for the time being. “Alright, let’s head out,” he said as he shouldered Magnus’ bag and opened the door. 

 

As expected, the trip through the halls was silent and Alec was thankful that they weren’t bothered (whether that was a stroke of luck or because he had a werewolf at his side, he couldn’t be certain. Like last time, he opened the door for Magnus, put the bag in the back seat, and let himself in. He punched the address into the GPS and pulled out of the garage. 

 

About halfway through their drive, a series of texts pinged to Alec’s phone and he did his best to read them while still keeping his eyes on the road. “Izzy said she and Jace have cleared the area under the premise of a gas leak so we shouldn’t have to worry about any bystanders. They can hear the same sounds that were in the background of the woman’s calls and she said it’s giving her the creeps. Whatever is in that church isn’t even making an attempt at hiding itself.” Another message came through and he glanced down again. “Apparently, she’s also asking Simon to look into the history of the building because, and I quote, ‘in the movies, demons can’t cross onto hallowed grounds so why and how are they in a church now?’” Alec groaned and rubbed a hand through his hands. “Great, so we’re taking our research straight from pop culture now. Fantastic.”

 

Magnus nudged Alec’s shoulder with his nose and he gave the wolf a slight glare. “Stop that, I’m trying to drive. Look, I get it. It’s not like there is a manual for ‘demons on the loose’ and we’ve got to work with what we’ve got….but we’re a government agency. I just feel like we should be able to rely on something other than Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Simon’s comic books or whatever the hell they’re getting their information from.”

 

The rest of the drive was silent and Alec’s anxiety over what they were about to walk into only grew. When the GPS chimed that they’d reached their destination, Alec pulled up behind Jace’s car and walked around the side to let Magnus out. “Talk to me,” he said as his siblings crossed the road to join them.

 

It was then that the wailing inside the house started up once more and Alec felt Magnus press against his leg with a tremble. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed a fistful of fur on the werewolf’s neck, trying to remind him that whatever was inside, they’d face it together.

 

“According to neighbors there’s been an unusual amount of activity the last couple of days but no one thought to call the police until this morning. They assumed that the property was just being cleaned up before it was sold or torn down but when the howling started this morning, they figured out quickly that was likely not the case. It was Mrs. Albescu who placed the call. She lives on the next street over according to the woman we talked to. She’s not home right now, Tuesdays are bingo days, apparently. We’ll send someone to follow up with her tomorrow morning.”

 

“Simon said a quick Google search turns up the building’s sordid past. It was the sight of a murder suicide back in the sixties and the congregation decided to move. It’s sat abandoned ever since. The city doesn’t want to tear it down because of the long history before that happened but no one wants to buy a building in that state of disrepair, especially when it may or may not be haunted,” Isabelle added helpfully. 

 

“There’s no such thing as ghosts,” Alec replied with a roll of his eyes. 

 

“And there were no such things as werewolves and demons either and yet here we are,” she pointed out.

 

Alec chose to ignore that and turned his attention back to the vacant building. “Any activity inside?”

 

Jace shook his head. “Nothing other than the howling. There was a black SUV or van here two nights ago from what the neighbors say but they couldn’t be certain which. No activity since then. She said the bodega on the corner may have footage if we need it. Apparently, there’s no other way down this street so everyone has to pass by it.”

 

The howling got louder and Alec knew that they couldn’t waste any more time. “Magnus and I will go in first. Izzy next, Jace you’ll pull up the rear. We’ll go room by room. If you see something, say something. No one should try to be a hero here today.”

 

Alec grabbed his mag light from his pocket and unholstered his gun as they made their way up the creaking stairs. The door was closed but Alec could tell from the disturbance of the dust and dirt on the landing that it had been opened recently. There were two noticeable sets of footprints and Alec stepped to the side. “Try not to disturb those,” he whispered to his siblings and Magnus. “We may need to take prints later.”

 

The inside of the church was what Alec had expected from a place that had been boarded up since the sixties. The stained glass window of an angel was broken and shards of glass littered the floor underneath it. Pews were upturned and graffiti covered the walls. There were beer cans and drug paraphernalia that suggested that the abandoned church was a local hangout spot for teenagers needing a place to party away from their parents' prying eyes. It was certainly a far cry from the place of worship that it had once been.

 

There was nothing that immediately screamed that demons were present in the nave so Alec moved slowly through a hallway off to the left, following the sounds of the howling. He checked the empty rooms as they passed, just to make sure there were no surprises, but he knew that ultimately, their final destination was the basement. 

 

Magnus was still pressed to Alec’s side as they descended the stairs. The closer they got to the source of the howling, the louder the wolf began to growl. “Shh,” Alec whispered, reaching down with one hand to scratch the back of Magnus’ neck lightly. “It’s alright. We’ll be fine.”

 

The dark hallway eventually opened up into a large room, illuminated by a single window up near the ceiling. It was there that they found what they were looking for and Alec froze. 

 

There were three cages against the wall, made of thick, solid steel and latched to a support column on the other end of the room. The creatures inside were like nothing Alec had ever seen before. They were canine in nature but far larger than any dog that he’d ever seen before. That was where the similarities seemed to end. They appeared to be made out of cracked stone and molten lava. The beasts continued to howl as they threw themselves against the cage in a desperate attempt to escape.

 

It was the first time the outrageous suggestion that the murderer was trying to summon a demon seemed real…because here was the proof before their very own eyes. Magnus’ theory was now more than that…now it was a reality.

 

“Fuck,” he heard Jace whisper from beside him. “What the actual fuck do we do now?”

 

Unfortunately, Alec didn’t have a clue.