Page 186 of Maksym

Grace turned her head toward the Magistrate, not annoyed, not impatient. Merely waiting for procedure to catch up with fact.

The Magistrate looked at Sloan. “Counsel will rephrase.”

Grace nodded. “Of course.”

Then she looked back to the witness. “Did Sage Lynch speak to you about your relationship with Madelyn after he observed the two of you together?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

Sloan’s throat moved. “He told me to keep her close.”

The words were simple. They were also an opening in a wall.

Grace’s voice remained even. “How?”

“Be her friend. Ask her to spend time with me after shifts. Invite her into conversations when Ironwood wolves came to Obsidian. Make sure she didn’t feel alone.”

“That sounds kind,” Grace said.

Sloan’s eyes flicked up, startled.

Grace’s face did not soften. “Was it?”

“At first,” Sloan whispered.

“At first,” Grace repeated. “And after?”

“Sage said she was important.”

“Important why?”

“Because she was Bronc Baucaum's sister. He's an important Alpha. And that she was unmated by wolf standards.”

Nikolay’s head lifted a fraction.

“Explain what you mean by wolf standards.”

“She had a fated mate, but he hadn’t claimed her. He was a vampire. He was acting like he didn’t want her. Sage said that mattered.”

Grace’s eyes did not move to Nikolay. Mine did.

My brother sat beneath the testimony like a man under sentence. No flinch now. No visible defense. He accepted every word because denial would have been cowardice, and he had already had his full portion of that.

Grace continued, “What did Sage direct you to learn?”

“How serious the bond was. Whether she loved Nikolay. Whether he loved her. Whether she might reject him if she had somewhere safe to land.”

“And you asked those questions.”

“Yes.”

“Directly?”

“Sometimes. Not always. Sometimes I’d just let her talk.”

“Did she?”