The first drops of snow came down the next morning, first lightly, then consistently heavier until Montegnera was covered in a thick blanket of white.
With the chill came the news, or rather, the rumor (to those not privy to news about the royal family). That Queen was with child and that she had suddenly lost it in a horrific accident that left her bedridden, mute and vacant. The hallways near the royal suite were empty with not a servant brave enough to venture close—only Elisa, the Queen's personal maid, was seen entering and leaving their chambers.
Fabio didn't have time to enjoy the sudden quiet of the palace when a storm was raging inside him, when the memory of blood on his hands were still fresh.
He left his chambers that morning feeling like rot knowing that his mate was in the room opposite his, staring motionlessly at the wall and he couldn't summon the courage to enter.
