Page 199 of Maksym

Ironwood’s counsel half-lifted his pen, already eager.

Maddie answered before any objection could form. “Because I needed to run. Because I was lonely. Because being around wolves mattered to me, and he knew that. He told me to go because he understood wolves need to shift and run to maintain their health.”

The truth spell remained steady beneath my feet.

I nodded. “At the time you left for Ironwood, what did you believe would happen after the run?”

“I thought I’d go, run under the moon, maybe make some friends, and come back to the Kozlov estate the next morning.” She looked toward Nikolay then, just for a second. The eye contact was brief enough that no one could reasonably object and intimate enough that I wanted to look away. “Then I thought maybe we were finally going to talk about our future.”

“And did you tell Prince Nikolay when your plans changed?”

“Yes.”

“Explain.”

“I decided to stay one extra night for the Black Harvest Moon Festival. I texted him. Or I thought I did.”

“What response did you receive?”

Her mouth flattened. “A curt one.”

“Describe it for the Council.”

“It was dismissive. Like he didn’t care if I stayed. Like maybe he was glad I wasn’t coming back yet.” She swallowed. “It sounded like the old him.”

“After the way he had recently softened toward you, how did that response affect you?”

“It made me wonder if I’d been a damn fool.”

The spell held.

I waited.

Maddie’s hands tightened around the edge of the witness stand. “I wondered if I had made too much out of a book and a few conversations. I wondered if I’d seen care because I wanted it so badly.”

“Did you know at that time the message was not from Prince Nikolay?”

“No.”

“Did you know your communications had been intercepted?”

“No.”

“Did that message make you decide to walk away from the mate bond?”

“No.”

“Did it make you decide to accept Sage Lynch?”

“No.”

“Did it make you consent to any ritual affecting your bond?”

“No.”

Three noes. Three stones placed in a line across the prosecution’s preferred path.

“Maddie, I am going to move forward to the altar.”