"Maybe. It's still not certain yet. The Lightwoods have a few stains on the family honor." Ones that Alec had foolishly thought a marriage would remove. At least Magnus had helped him come to his senses before he'd done something that would have made three people miserable for the rest of their lives. "Finding Valentine helped. You helping with the ley line will too, but there's no guarantee that they'll choose me."

But what Adam suggested... no more than suggested. He acted as if he knew that would be true. Like somehow he had a peek at what the future might be. Alec almost asked him if he had the gift of prophecy but thought better of it. Knowing the future wouldn't make it true and it might make him complacent. "We've seen what destabilizing it would do and there's still good in our Laws and the Accords. Our original purpose is right, but members of the Clave have forgotten what our duties are supposed to be." It probably didn't make sense. Especially to an outsider, but it did to Alec.

"All of this is probably weird to you and you're trusting me when - " When Alec had threatened to hurt him. "I'm sorry about before. I know now that you wouldn't... You wouldn't hurt Izzy, Jace, and Max." He normally didn't trust people so easily. He still didn't completely trust Clary but Adam had slipped through his defenses somehow. That should be terrifying but he'd spoken the truth. Adam wouldn't hurt them. "And now that I've felt some of what you do with the ley line, I know you wouldn't hurt the Institute."