CHAPTER TEN. Seven Years.

Arud strode into the only home he'd known for the past seven years. 

It was nothing compared to the mansion they'd been living in back then, but, at least, it was enough. That much he was grateful for.

When they arrived here, things had been tough. 

He'd had to cater for his mate and two children, all while looking for a new place to stay. 

Jaden's mark had made things even harder for them. No one who lived close to the outskirts were willing to help a Cursed One's family.

But in the end, they had gotten an old house that sat at the very edge of a quaint little village. 

As it turned out, his skills as a hunter had, surprisingly, come in handy. 

He'd bought himself a hunting territory soon after moving in and things were gradually looking up for them. 

It'd only gotten better when he joined a hunting team; A group of hunters banding together in order to be able to take down larger prey. This brought in a larger amount of profit that could be shared equally among the hunters.

Arud had only recently joined in about two years ago. Unfortunately, due to his status as the 'Father of a Cursed One', he wasn't appreciated as much as the other hunters were.

But that wasn't what mattered to Arud.

The money he got from the job was what had been keeping his family going, that and a few other side jobs he did as support.

Life had become less difficult after that. It was only recently that things started growing awry.

Jaden's Change at such an early age seemed to have frightened the other hunters. As a result, they weren't very willing to work with him. But, at least for now, there wasn't much he needed to worry about.

Other than a few parents that lived in the village not too far away from here complaining about Jaden every once in a while, things had become quite peaceful. 

His family was safe, and he could provide for them. 

As he walked in, he was greeted by silence, both Jaden and Cherry's scent were stale. 

'Probably off playing again', he thought.

The wood below his feet cried as he walked, till Arud was forced to let out a growl. He needed to do something about them, his sensitive ears were already throbbing from the noise.

He left their small living room and strode into the dining area.

There was a modest looking round table with wooden makeshift chairs all around it.

A toddler occupied one of the chairs, busy tearing jagged lines into the top of the wooden table with a barkpen.

Alarmed, Arud hastened in his steps.

"Cal! What do you think you're doing kid?"

Their last born, four years younger than the twins, half turned.

On sighting him, the toddler immediately made for the door like a thief caught red handed.

Arud was quick to catch up with him, wrapping his arms around Cal before he could run off and lifting the kid off the ground.

"Nice try", Arud quipped, snagging the pen from him.

Cal squealed, squirming, trying to push off Arud's arms.

The prince chuckled, feigning a bite on his nose. Cal screamed and pushed his face off.

"Daddy, lemme go!" he whined.

The Prince placed him back down on his feet.

Cal raced for the back door, and Arud followed, already sensing Eva's presence outside.

He found her at the back of the house, surrounded by herbs and flowers.

Cal darted out of the back door, faster than an avalanche in the cold winds of whitesky.

Running straight into Eva's arms.

"Mommy!"

"When did you leave? I could have sworn you were right behind me a few seconds ago".

Arud leaned against the wall, smiling at this scene.

"He's really something isn't he?"

Eva looked up at the sound of his voice.

She flashed him a smile, letting Cal go.

"Wonder where he gets it from?"

Arud rolled his eyes, "Don't start".

Eva chuckled, her eyes settling on the pen in his hand.

They narrowed in suspicion. 

"That wouldn't have anything to with him, would it?".

"Our son felt the need to decorate the dining table".

With a groan, Eva shot Cal, who was now busy chasing an early nightblazer, a reproachful glare.

Arud straightened and ambled to her.

"You know, I wasn't always a trouble maker".

"Says the former school bully", Eva said, her voice dropping down a few notches.

Arud took her into his arms, letting his forehead rest on her's. Rejoicing in their closeness.

For a moment all he wanted was to stay like this. 

Eva had always been by his side, strong and beautiful, despite everything they had been through. 

She'd been with him, through the good times and the bad, always supporting. 

Arud wasn't sure he would have gotten this far if it wasn't for her.

Eva flicked a leaf off his shirt. "You smell like grass and earth", she noted.

Arud groaned, "You just had to ruin the moment", he said.

Eva laughed.

"How was hunting today?"

"The same", Arud shrugged.

"They all still treat me like I'm planning to dominate the world or something".

Eva smiled, "You can't blame them, they're just scared". All of a sudden, her expression changed, she seemed deep in thought. 

Arud frowned the minute he noticed this. "What?"

She shook her head, "oh, it's nothing, just - I think Jaden's been going through a lot lately".

"Really?"

"He hates the other kids. He sees them as ... enemies ...".

"They don't exactly treat him differently, either", Arud pointed out. 

"Yes, I know that and that's what worries me. I'm afraid Jaden could let that hatred take over him, Arud. What if he ends up like.....".

Arud held her shoulders, "That won't happen".

"How do you know?" 

"Because, Jaden's not like that, he's different", Arud replied. 

"He's been through a lot for his age, true, the Change, the mark. But he still has us. That's something Riana never cared about".

Just like Jaden had this family, Riana had parents who gave up all they had to keep her safe.

He'd only known her for a short time, but it was long enough to see that Riana didn't care about their sacrifice, only about what she wished to achieve. 

Arud had studied Jaden. He cared about his family, he was different from Riana in every single way.

Eva calmed down a little, but he could tell she still had something on her mind. "What is it?"

She hesitated, and when she spoke again she did so quietly; "Don't you think it's about time we told him about his birth?"

Arud dropped his hands.

"Don't you think he's still a little too young for that?" he asked, uneasily.

"He's seven, Arud", Eva replied, "he should at least know that much about himself. It's better than if he found out from someone else".

"No one knows anything about that".

Eva crossed her arms at this. "How can you be so sure? What about his real parents?"

"His real parents would have spoken up if they really cared about him", Arud stated.

"And no one else knew we had adopted him aside from me, you and Elvie". 

Eva stayed silent, and Arud knew she was considering his words. 

The Prince didn't think it would be a good idea to tell Jaden about his birth just yet. If this secret got out there, his sister would have every right to take Jaden away from them. Right now they were the only people protecting him.

His mate still looked unsure, Arud searched for words he could use to calm her fears.

"Look..".

"DAD!"

Arud whirled at the sound of his daughter's voice. Watching, alarmed, as she broke through the back door and ran toward them. 

Hot tears streaming down her face, her breathing hard as if she'd been running for a long time.

She didn't even pause to take a breath, running into his arms and holding unto him like her life depended on it. 

"Cherry, what is it?", Eva asked, scanning her body from head to toe, probably wondering if she had been hurt. 

Cherry didn't seem worried about herself, however; "I-it's Jaden!"

"What about him?" Arud probed softly, willing her to calm down. He'd never seen her like this.

Her breath hitched. Sobs shook her small body, and Arud could barely make out what she said next; 

"Jaden's in trouble!"