[ He can see the surprise on Henry's face, but Alec's determined now. He's never had anyone to look out for before, he's always been out for himself. He's found something almost like purpose here.

And maybe, just maybe, it feels kind of good not to always be on the defensive. Not to be terrorizing or insulting or picking fights. ]

There's not a lot of magic users around here. It's mostly just me and dad. And... if you can't even talk to your family about it, that's gotta be really lonely, right? So, we should stick together.