"How's Lydia?" Clary asked, recalling the events of what just happened back to Isaac's mind – not that he could forget them in the first place.

    It had only been a few hours since the wedding, hours spent with Isabelle just talking about themselves and what they were. He knew one thing, he wasn't ready to fully commit himself in a relationship. Isaac liked Isabelle, knew that he wanted to be with her, but first he needed to sort everything out with his family. He needed to wake up Jocelyn to finally have a mother, he needed to become closer with Clary, and finally, he needed to act civil with Jace.

    His family was a mess, and before he could add dating to his life, he needed to sort that out. He didn't want to be the asshole who dates someone and ignores them, he wanted to be able to have those moments with Isabelle and treat her how she deserved to be treated. But at that moment, he couldn't.

    Valentine, his own father, was still on the loose, Jocelyn wasn't awake, and he had been so caught up with Isabelle to even think about Clary.

    (He decided for now not to add Jace into the mix, he needed to work on his anger issues as well, and everything about Jace made him angry.)

    "Better," Alec answered her, "Magnus is doing what he can to help her, but it's bad. And the Cup he definitely missing." He then sucked in, "So is Hodge."

    "Maybe he was attacked, too," Jace suggested. Isaac didn't think that was the case, always thinking it a little sketchy that Hodge was just 'trapped' in the Institute. If that were him, he would do anything to free himself, even if it meant turning on all his friends.

    (Okay, that might have been a little extreme, but Isaac didn't know Hodge, and that could definitely be the case. Only time will tell.)

    "Maybe he's the one who attacked her," Clary said, saying all the things that Isaac thought.

    "Hodge?" Isabelle questioned, "No way. We've known him our entire lives. He would never do that to us."

    "I don't know," Isaac disagreed, "Sometimes the people you trust the most are the ones who stab you in the back."

    "Yeah," Clary nodded, eyes trained on the screen showing the footage of what happened. It was then that Isabelle slowed the footage, showing Lydia being knocked to the ground. Next, Hodge's figure was seen. It was true; he was the one to betray them.

    "I led him right to the Cup," Jace growled, angry at himself for being so foolish and trusting of the man.

    "We treated him like family," Isaac sniffed the air to smell the anger from Alec, "He could he do this to us?"

    Isabelle minimized the screen, getting footage of another time with Hodge as he nervously twisted a ring on his finger and glanced at the sleeping body of Jocelyn. Isaac tensed at the thought of that traitor hovering over his mother, Jocelyn trusting him – everyone trusting him – and Hodge just throwing that all away.

    "That's how," Clary answered, looking at him with disgust, "What's that ring?"

    "Looks like he's talking to someone," Isabelle observed, venom laced slightly in her words. Being the comforting person he was, Isaac placed a hand on her shoulder, the girl immediately relaxing under his touch.

    "And I can bet who it is," Jace continued, beating himself up again and again, just like he did with Valentine. Clary then uttered his name, the name of their father they all hated and wanted dead.

    No, that was a lie. Jace and Clary wanted him dead, Isaac wanted him to suffer. He wanted Valentine to suffer for everything he had done, not only to others, but to him. Because of Valentine, Isaac was sent to Beacon Hills with an abusive man who scarred him for the rest of his life. Because of him, Isaac was locked in a freezer as he screamed and scratched only for his nails to bleed and fingers to throb in pain for hours on end. Because of him, Isaac was robbed on the happy childhood Clary had gotten, and that was something Isaac could never forgive him for.

    (Of course, the killing and torturing of innocent people did that too, but Isaac really hated him for everything that had personally happened to him.)

    "Well, that explains how he deactivated the Punishment rune, but it doesn't explain where he got the ring," Alec noted.

    "You think someone smuggled it past the wards?" Clary asked, looking at the older Lightwood.

    "Maybe," Jace nodded, "Hodge wasn't the only ex-Circle member around here."

    "Look, I know I don't always see eye with my parents, but I know they're not traitors."

    "Really?" Jace asked in disbelief, "Isn't that what you just said about Hodge?"

    "It'd have to be someone we trusted, but if there was an intruder inside the Institute, we would have found them by now."

    "What about the Forsaken attack?" Clary brought up, causing confusion to stir in Isaac.

    "Wait, someone attacked this place?" Isaac asked, "Wow, I'm really out of it right now."

    Per usual, everyone ignored him. "No. We killed that thing, and I didn't see a ring," Alec shook his head.

    "He didn't have one during the autopsy, but...maybe there's something in the footage," Isabelle found the video they needed, fast-forwarded a bit before Alec told her to go to the other camera. She did so, the footage continued until Jace told her to stop. She enlarged the image, only to find Hodge taking the ring off of the creature and sliding it into his own pocket.

    "So, it wasn't just a random attack," Clary bitterly said.

    "He was just the delivery boy," Jace finished her thought.

    "If he gives that Cup to Valentine, he'll create an army of Shadowhunters," Alec said, "With that kind of power, he'll kill thousands."

    "He'll kill thousands just creating the army," Isabelle held a sad tone, "Most mundanes won't survive that."

    "We won't let that happen," Jace, filled with anger and a need for vengeance, promised, "I'm gonna make sure of it."

    He then stalked off, leaving them to see him leave and for Isaac to take Isabelle's hand in his, a way of comforting her. He took it in, wasn't really phased by the betrayal of Hodge, but she was, and she needed him there for comfort, and he would give her that.

€

    Isaac walked with Clary and Isabelle to the Hotel DuMort. He didn't particularly like the hotel, or who it held, but he also didn't like the thought of his baby sister and sort-of-girlfriend talking to Camille without him there. So, even though he wanted to sit on his lazy ass and pound his head against a wall, he got up and went with them to the hotel.

    Once they were in there, it was only a matter of time before Raphael made his entrance. "For Shadowhunters, you don't seem to do a lot of Shaodwhunting," he noted.

    Isabelle scoffed, "There's more to the job than killing demons."

    "And, I think you've noticed this by now, I'm not a Shadowhunter," Isaac smirked, "I do as I please."

    "We need to talk to Camille," Clary continued with their original mission, "We know you have her here. We tracked her to the DuMort."

    "It's true, but I'm afraid she's a bit tied up at the moment," Raphael nodded, "Is there something I can help you with?"

    "Just a second," Simon said, taking Raphael to the side. With the girls couldn't hear them without a rune, Isaac could, and he did. "Look, I know this sounds crazy, but we have to let them talk to Camille. She has a spell book that could wake up Jocelyn Fairchild," Simon tried to convince him. "Valentine might have the Cup. The entire Downworld's in danger."

    "She's far too dangerous," Raphael disagreed, "Or did you forget what happened last time you 'talked' to her?"

    "It's not like she can kill me herself," Simon tried.

    "You said it yourself...if Valentine has the Cup, the entire Downworld is at risk," Raphael then added, "Camille will only make things worse."

    Simon sighed, but let Raphael turn back to them. "I'll bring you what's left of Camille's things, but speaking to her is out of the question."

    Clary scoffed at that, "Here things? This isn't the kind of book she would've just left sitting around."

    "I'm sorry...but that's the best I can do," Raphael apologized, but Isaac knew he wasn't really that sorry at all.

    "We're supposed to be allies."

    "And we are," Raphael nodded, "But Shadowhunters have no business interfering with the Night Children's affairs. You may look to the Clave for justice, but the vampires look to me. Camille stays where she is."

    "You're making a huge mistake," Clary sneered, hating the fact that she couldn't speak to the vampire.

    "Clary," Isaac turned her around, "Calm down, it's probably for the best. He's right, you are allies, but you can't get upset that everything doesn't go your way. That's called life."

    "You're supposed to be on my side," Clary nearly whined, hating the fact that Isaac was disagreeing with her yet again.

    "And I am," Isaac nodded, "But if you truly want to be a new age of Shadowhunters – a better one – you have to understand that sometimes you can't pull the 'I'm better than you' card or expect everyone to follow you because of who you are," he sighed then, "Look, I'm trying to be your older brother here, you know? Giving you advice on how to be a better person?"

    Clary sighed then, defeated, "Alright, I guess you're right."

    "Well, duh, I am the older sibling here," Isaac smiled, chuckling slightly at the moment he had with his sister. It may have not been big, but it was something. It wasn't blowing up, or calling her selfish, it was being civil and giving her advice. It was siblings. And that made him happy.

€

    He knew their plan. Their silly little plan of distracting Raphael, taking him down if they had to, and waking up Camille. He knew what they planned, and he hated it. He didn't want it. They didn't understand what it was like being a Downworlder, having Shadowhunters steal, take, and force things their way. They didn't understand, and that's why he left.

    Clary would do anything for that silly little book, Isabelle would do anything to honor her family, and Simon would do anything for Clary. But Isaac...he just wanted them to understand that there were better ways that didn't involve leaving the vampires betrayed and used once again. Clary so easily used them, played with them, toyed them, and took advantage of them. Whenever she needed something, she would get it from them, but then she left them behind. She had no use for them anymore.

    But Isaac...sweet, sweet Isaac knew that feeling. He knew what it was like to be used, treated like shit, and forgotten when he wasn't needed anymore. He knew that feeling, thinking of how happy he was at the time and how much he hated himself now. Everything was happening so fast. Valentine had the Cup, Clary still hadn't learned, and he wasn't sure if Isabelle was as flawless as he originally thought.

    Don't get Isaac wrong, he cared for Isabelle and liked her deeply, and at first he couldn't see a flaw in the girl, but now he saw it. It was something he hadn't seen before, probably wasn't there before Clary corrupted her, but she too had started to use Downworlders. Maybe that was the case with Meliorn, she did use him to gain access to the Hotel DuMort in the first place, but he hadn't noticed it until then.

    They didn't understand that feeling of being used. They were Shadowhunters, the top of the Shadow World food chain, so of course they didn't understand. But Isaac did. He was just a filthy werewolf, somewhere near the bottom, and he could easily be used just like Raphael and the other vampires.

    Even Simon didn't understand yet. But he would, he would understand when the time came, and he wouldn't even realize it. It would probably happen with Clary. She would use him, he wouldn't realize, and she would continue to do it. And then it would grow so big, she would leave him, and maybe for a while he wouldn't understand, but then he would, and he would never be able to forget it.

    It happened to Isaac. He didn't understand at first, he didn't understand he was being used to forget someone else that Allison loved more than she could ever like Isaac. He thought she was falling in love with him like he was with her. She used him in more ways than one, and he allowed her to, and it continued until her death.

    For a while, he grieved. It didn't matter that she confessed her love for Scott with her dying breath, he still clung on to the hope that maybe Allison loved him as well. But time passed, he left Chris, and when Clary was at school, Jocelyn and Dot were working, he had time alone with his thoughts.

    It was then that he realized it, that feeling. Yet, even with that, he never hated Allison. He felt like nothing then, hating himself for letting himself be used, but he never hated Allison. He loved Allison, she showed him love yet never returned that feeling, but he could never hate her.

    But, here he was, sitting in the parlor of the Hotel DuMort, still there and waiting for Clary and the others to return with Camille, leaving after using the vampires. He hated that, he hated it all, and he just wanted to stop hating himself.

    "Going somewhere?" he heard the voice of Raphael, causing the werewolf to stand up and see what was happening.

    "Raphael," someone said.

    "You should have stayed put," Raphael hissed, "I'm disappointed in you."

    "I...I guess it's too late to put her back in the box?" Simon chuckled nervously, his eyes dancing to Isaac before pleading for the werewolf to do something, but Isaac did nothing.

    "I'm afraid so. Our alliance is finished. The Accords may prohibit killing mundanes, but they say nothing about sunburned vampires. Simon's betrayed us...just as Camille did. They deserve the same fate. Adios," he then turned to his men, "Kill them."

    As they were about to attack, a crash was heard as the brick from the wall collapsed and in walked Isabelle Lightwood and all her glory. "Seriously, guys?" she laughed humorlessly, "Typical vampire...always underestimating a Shadowhunter. Adios."

    Isabelle's eyes turned to Isaac, giving him a smile, but it instantly vanished when she noticed the disappointed expression on his face. "What?" she asked.

    "You're just like her," Isaac whispered, causing everyone to look at him in confusion.

    "What? Isaac, I don't understand," Isabelle stepped closer to him, but he stepped back.

    "You're using them, betraying them," he laughed, "You're no better than the Clave."

    "Isaac, stop," Clary pleaded, hating to see this side of him again. She just wanted everything to be okay with them again.

    "No, Clary, I won't stop!" he yelled, "You said you wanted to be better than them but you're just like them! You'll use them, drop them, and then come crawling back when you need them again. That isn't an alliance, that's using them."

    "This doesn't concern you, Isaac, why do you even care?" Isabelle scoffed.

    "Why do I care? Because I'm a werewolf! A Downworlder! How do I know that you won't just use me and then throw me away like yesterday's trash?"

    "Isaac, you know I wouldn't do that," Isabelle looked at him with pained eyes, hating that he didn't trust her enough.

    "Do I really?" he asked, "I just saw you use the vampires, break your own alliance. And for what? A fucking book? Look, I know that you just want our mother back, Clary, and I know you want to honor your family, Izzy, but I can't anywhere."

    He turned away then, only to be stopped by his sister. "Where are you going, Isaac?" she asked.

    "Anywhere," he shrugged, "Maybe London, I have a friend that lives there, it might be nice to see him again."

    "You're leaving?" she scoffed, "Right now? With everything going on."

    "I need some time to think – away from everyone," Isaac said, "You're my sister, and I want to be there for you, but I can't get over seeing you use people and comparing to Valentine. And Isabelle, I thought that you were different. I thought that you didn't use people and betray them when it benefited you, but I guess I was wrong. Maybe that's because your family is a part of the Clave, that you have that in your blood, but I thought you were better than your mother."

    "What did my mother do to you? She's barely even spoken to you?" Isabelle questioned.

    "She looked down on me because I'm a werewolf," he then sighed, "In a perfect world, this wouldn't happen. We would be together, happy, and Clary, we'd be closer as well. Sometimes, I wish I just stayed in that alternate dimension, it would've been so much easier – I would've been happier there. Or maybe I shouldn't have wanted to find my real family, it's not like they're any better than my adoptive one, at least my older brother loved me and was selfless enough to protect me. But I can't anymore, I can't watch you all become Allison again, using people without even realizing it, I have to go."

    "Please," Clary choked, "Don't do this. I-I can't do this alone, please don't make me do this alone."

    "If you get what you want, you'll have our mother with you again. And you have Jace...and Simon, you aren't alone."

    "You're my brother, Isaac, doesn't that mean something to you?" she cried.

    "It does. It means so much that I can't bear to look at you become the one thing you said you wanted to be better than. I'm sorry," he finished.

    And with that, Isaac walked away with the intentions of fixing himself. He wanted to be there for them, but he just couldn't. Everything they were doing was wrong, and he couldn't handle it anymore. He had to get out of there before he broke down. Maybe he shattered everything he never wanted to, maybe this ended his possible future with Isabelle, but he hoped it made her realize her flaw and become a better person for someone else. That's all he could hope as he heard Clary's sobs as he walked away, not daring to turn back as he did.

yep...that happened. anyways, only one more chapter left of this book!!! what do you guys think will happen?