Wren

Part 26

Wren was walking in the gardens, having asked for some time alone. He thought sheepishly about his time with Matteo yesterday, and wondered about what Sophie was doing right now. He'd begged for Dace to stay behind, who'd insisted that he needed to be guarded. Wren had then argued that he wasn't leaving the property, and the grounds should be safe. Dace had relented after realizing he wasn't going to win that argument.

Truth was, Wren hadn't been able to cry. He'd felt smothered by everyone constantly hovering over him, and felt like he needed to keep up a strong appearance, so as not to worry anyone. But now alone in the garden, something broke inside of him. The tumultuous feelings burst open and split his chest in two, and the emotions flooded out. He fell to his knees and sobbed, burying his face in his hands. 

He was scared. He was angry. He felt like a failure as a parent. 

He just let it all flow out, every bad thought that crossed his mind hurling him down into a pit of self-doubt and undoing the healing he'd gained over the past six years. 

It took a while, but he pulled himself together and stood shakily. He started back towards the house, having already been gone too long. Was that a noise behind him?

He whipped around and froze, scanning the area. He didn't see anything, but he was surrounded by high rose bushes. 

He was probably just being paranoid. 

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Dace sat in the living room floor, enjoying the precious break he had while Sophie napped in her room. Leo paced behind the couch, biting his thumbnail. 

"He's been gone too long."

"I know, but I think he needed some alone time. Didn't you see how stressed he looked? Like he was going to snap any second."

"Yes, but it's been two hours! Can you please go find him? If he's not ready to come back, just keep an eye on him. I can't take this stress anymore."

Dace laughed at him and stood, heading towards the door. "You're like a mama bird. Yeah, a chicken. A worried hen."

Leo gave him a sour look and slammed the door behind Dace. 

He walked down the halls, and he hadn't let it show, but he was worried too. Wren had asked for an hour, and had been gone two. That wasn't like him. He picked up his pace and skipped steps as he went down the stairs, heading out back and into the massive gardens. He wasn't sure if he should call out or not; he didn't want to worry Wren for nothing. 

He was probably just being paranoid.

He jogged along the interwinding paths through the high bushes, his worry growing when there was no sign of Wren. He came to a spot and froze. The bushes had been trampled down in a spot that led to the surrounding woods, the wooden bench knocked over. Wren's shoe lay abandoned on the path.

Dace's blood ran cold. This wasn't a joke, right? He picked up the shoe, and upon further inspection, there were tiny droplets of blood on the pavement around where it had been.

Without a second thought he tore back to the house, flinging the door open and not caring to shut it behind him. He breathlessly sprinted up the stairs, and sped down the hallway to Vincenzo's study. He burst through the door and doubled over, exhausted. 

Matteo and Vincenzo stood up, both their heartbeats picking up. Matteo came around the desk and stood in front of him. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Dace held up the shoe. "He-- went-- walk--" he panted. 

Matteo's face crumbled and he was out the door in a flash. Dace caught his breath and answered Vincenzo's questions.

A half-hour later, all the guards had gathered in the garden, inspecting the scene. Matteo stood in the middle, his hands pulling at his hair.

He'd failed to protect Wren.

                        Part Twenty-Seven Coming Soon