Page 187 of Maksym

Sloan’s face tightened with pain. “Yes.”

“What did she say about Nikolay?”

“She said he made her crazy.” Sloan’s mouth trembled. “She said he was arrogant and beautiful and mean sometimes when he was fighting the bond, though I don’t think she understood that last part at first.”

Grace did not comment.

“She said he looked at her like she was something he wanted and wished he didn’t,” Sloan continued. “She said he could make her feel like she was too much and not enough at the same damn time.”

Maddie’s face remained lowered, but color rose beneath her skin.

Nikolay’s hands folded tighter.

“And what did you say in response?” Grace asked.

“I said maybe wolves understood wolves better.”

“Did Sage tell you to say that?”

“Yes.”

“Those words specifically?”

“Not always those words. But that idea.”

“Wolves with wolves.”

“Yes.”

The chamber listened with a different kind of attention now. Earlier, Ironwood’s counsel had dressed those words as culture. Grace had begun to undress them one answer at a time.

“Did you believe it?” she asked.

Sloan lifted her chin. Her voice did not strengthen, but it steadied. “Yes.”

There was no evasion in it.

Grace respected truth too much to punish it merely because it was ugly.

“You believed Madelyn would be better with her own kind.”

“Yes.”

“You believed Sage Lynch could offer her something Nikolay could not.”

“Yes.”

“You believed that even though the Goddess had already chosen Nikolay as her mate.”

Sloan looked down. “I told myself maybe the Goddess had shown her one path, not the only one.”

The truth spell pressed against the room. I felt several wolves shift in their seats.

Grace stepped closer to the lectern. “And what did Madelyn say when you raised the idea that wolves belonged with wolves?”

Sloan’s eyes filled then, though no tears fell yet.

“She didn’t agree.”