DAHLIA:
What was he saying? How did Tristan knew I was lying?
He inched towards me, still accusing me of telling him a lie with his beautiful eyes. I stepped some more backwards.
My leg was caught at the sofa, which was right behind me. I yelped in surprise as I stumbled backwards, and that was when I felt a pair of arms coil around my waist. It was Tristan’s. He caught my body in an embrace, and we both stumbled down into the long sofa at the waiting room.
I don’t know what happened, but when I fell sideways, it was soft and not painful at all. Tristan’s face had fallen into the top of my chest, and I felt his breath blowing through the exposed skin of my breast.
I shivered. Moon Goddess, why are you doing this to me? Why are you tempting me like this to the extreme?
I knew I wasn’t the only one tempted. I felt a lump of flesh harden somewhere at the center of Tristan’s hips where one of my legs was caug
DAHLIA:I went back home feeling more depressed that ever. I was heartbroken. I cried in the carriage all the way until I reached my own room at the mansion, and I didn’t have the strength to eat at all.“Lady Dahlia, you need to eat… How will you have the energy to stand in front of the wedding hall like this if you don’t,” Lina commented as she urged me to eat.That’s precisely what I wanted – not to stand in front of the wedding hall at all!Despite how I looked like and behaved all this time, papa did not budge. He continued with the wedding arrangements, deciding everything on my behalf, saying to people that I had been afflicted by flu, and that the doctor forbade me to go out, explaining my absence from any social functions.I actually didn’t know which was worse – that he was desperate enough to marry me off even if he had to say a blatant lie or that he didn’t care about me at al
KAIST:A strange tide of emotions was brimming in my chest, threatening to pour out all at once while I was in front of Dahlly. I tried to contain what I felt, but it was far too much that my wolf, Cruz, couldn’t even stop his whimpering. The longer I stay in Dahlly’s room, the more dangerous I might become, so I excused myself…Dahlly was my childhood friend and my closest friend. She always referred to me as her ‘best friend,’ but I always knew she was more – absolutely something more for me!I was fifteen when I started feeling something else than friendship for Dahlia. I had always loved the quiet but morose way that she would smile. Her brown hair matched her pale face perfectly. She was a little flower in a field full of green grasses – truly a beautiful and delicate thing.My father – the king – had always told me that Dahlly and I belonged to each other. When he was drunk, he’ll elaborat
TRISTAN:It was far too early in the morning when Gideon came and told me I had an important guest at the living room. I had been expecting this to happen, but my eyebrows still went up in surprise when my assistant told me who it was.“My lord, the Crown Prince is here.”It had been some weeks since I met the man and some days since I last saw Lady Hurst. She must have already told him what happened; that’s the only reason why he would be here.The corners of my mouth began to curve into a smile. It’s time to face this wolf head on then.I changed my clothes quickly before I showed myself in front of the prince. This will probably be a long day.“You highness,” I said, bowing down. “It’s an honor to have you at my villa.”He didn’t say anything back. He just kept looking at me with a contemptuous gaze in his eyes as if he was controlling his rage. This was good. If he goes c
DAHLIA:Shortly after Kaist visited that morning, he surprisingly went back again in the middle of the night.As always, I couldn’t sleep at all when I’m alone, and since I had been so tired tossing and sulking in bed for a few days already, I decided to be a bit productive. I picked a book and started reading.I had prepared myself to spend a quiet evening. Therefore, it was a surprise to see Kaist late at night, knocking softly on my veranda. He had done it before when we were younger, but that suddenly stopped when we turned fifteen. I wondered why he was here again after not doing this for years now…Knowing that he was probably troubled about something, I held the candle in one hand and unfastened the lock on my veranda window. As soon as the light fell on his face, I gasped. His face was bruised, and his lip was a bit swollen with a tinge of blood.“What happened,” I asked. He took my hand, and I immediately gui
DAHLIA:We were driving by the harbor when I decided to open my carriage window. Papa hated it whenever I do so. He always wanted me to sit still until we get into the destination we were aiming to reach. I never really liked traveling with papa.As soon as I opened my window, the feel of the sea breeze swept inside, making me feel a little bit calm and peaceful.I struggled to control my thoughts and emotions once again. I had lost it earlier, resulting to that slap in my cheek that was still stinging despite the measures that the maids did, including rubbing ice on my cheek for some time to make the swelling subside.I could have healed my face if I wanted to, but I didn’t. I wanted a reminder to myself that I mustn’t lose my head this time… Kaist did promise me he will make separation between us possible. I just hoped in my heart that it was true…There was also another reason why I never tried healing myself despite po
DAHLIA:My heart was ecstatic. I could also feel Eva howling excitedly inside of me, wagging her tail like pet dog. A tingling sensation ran into my veins, and for the first time, I wanted to smile and cry some more. However, all I could do at that time was gaze stupidly back at my mate and utter incomprehensible words.“Wha – How? Why?”Although I am beyond happy with his sudden proposal, the sense of dread I felt when I remembered papa’s words of killing Tristan came back to me, and I felt the blood leave my face almost instantaneously.“Dahlia, I know you fear for my life, but I assure you that I am not someone that can easily be defeated. Your father cannot harm me just as he could never come to harm you too.”My brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”“If you fear that the citizens of Talandor will become frightened of you and abhor you for your powers, you’re wrong… That wa
DAHLIA:As that long and eventful day turned into night, I felt nervous in a good way. Tristan and I would be spending our first night together. I will finally be with my mate. It was a dream come true!Right after the wedding that afternoon, we went straight into Tristan’s fief at Crohmwall District, which was in the northern part of Talandor, just a little bit beyond the palace gates. Although it wasn’t too far away from the capital, Crohmwall was surrounded by mountain stretches and a deep, lush forest, which made it an easy hideout for any rogue wolf or vampires.Despite the looming danger, I was not afraid. On the way to the district, I saw that plenty of knights were in patrol.“They are our own personal knights,” Tristan said, responding to my questions through our mind-link. Miraculously, after we shared our wedding kiss, our mind-link was re-established. I can now happily talk to this wolf inside my head, and so can Eva.
DAHLIA: “Don’t you dare move an inch away from me, Dahlly…” It was Tristan’s voice, and it was hoarser than ever, making my heart shiver. Goddess, I didn’t even hear him come into the room since I was so focused on the silhouette! I almost jumped out when he rested his hand on my shoulder and gently rubbed them. I shuddered even further as one of his palms touched my bare back once more. It was not an uncomfortable feeling, but it was rather exciting; it was as if something was being stirred inside of me… Tristan moved rather quickly. His other hand came across my waist. He pulled me sideways into an embrace, and I found myself being cradled into his sturdy chest. “Ahh, Tristan,” I said, trying to regain some sort of reason into myself. “T-There’s something there…” “Where?” “There, by the trees…” “I’m sure there’s nothing…” “No, there really was something… Or someone. I think it’s a woman.” He moved clos
Hello! Thank you so much for coming to this journey with me in Revenge of The Shadow Heir! I started this story with a completely different story arc in mind, and I can't believe I've already reached the end of Dahlia and Tristan's love story. I dedicate this novel to the person who inspired me to take on writing again (and write romance stories, which wasn't really the genre I honestly saw myself writing).Here's to more meaningful memories together, sweetie! :). And to all those who have ever dreamed of being a writer or of being anything else - chase that dream! You were made to lust after it for a purpose. Glory to God always! I might take some hiatus after this story, but I assure you this won't be the last I will write. Thanks a lot again, dearests, and happy reading! - Ellie Love -
DAHLIA:“Dahlia, I have confessed everything to you before. I don’t know how much you remember of it after your accident though, so I am sorry for hurting you again,” Tristan began.“It was true. I casted a spell that was why the mate mark appeared in your body after our first night together. I was sure you were not my mate, and I was not yours. I casted a different spell on myself a few years ago to suppress finding my own mate, so I was confident when I approached you.”“However, the more I stayed beside you, the surer I had become that you were my destined mate… There wasn’t any day that I didn’t regret doing that…”Tears flowed from both our eyes. I knew it from my memory. We did have this conversation before, but it was still heartbreaking to hear Tristan’s side of the story.“When you had switched appearances with Samalah, I was foolish enough not to recognize you
DAHLIA: I was in a dark and suffocating place that I can’t even see my own hands and feet. I tried standing still, but nothing was happening, so I decided to move around. I started calling to my wolf. ‘Eva!’ Again, I shouted, ‘Eva!’ There was no answer. I was running wildly, or at least I thought I was. No one can say that this was all happening in my head. Goddess, I couldn’t even see if my body was still intact! I tried to touch my cheek just so I could verify I am still alive, still seeing, still feeling. The last thing I could honestly remember was King Helion Cosco drinking the blood off my neck. I felt around my neck. There weren’t any wounds of any form of punctures. Am I still existing in the real world, or is this all just a dying person’s dream? Just then, I heard an anguished voice. “Dahlia!” It was the voice I had longed to hear for a long time. “Tristan!” I started ru
TRISTAN: Irvan, that scoundrel that caused Samalah to get into an accident and had caused Dahlia’s agony, was a conjurer! Perhaps that was why they had left the dead bodies here instead of burying or burning them. It wasn’t just for show after all. The animated bodies started to close in on us. I thought it would be easy to defeat them since they were dead. However, they have the faces of people whome we had once seen or knew… It was a bit fortunate that most of them were just people whom I have casually met at Talandor, but I could only imagine that this battle must be too hard for Kaist. As we tried to knock out the dead bodies, the dragon bones swoop down on us, trying to pick on the flesh on our back. Even without a rider, the dragon bones were agile. This was really a dangerous thing. I just finished hurling a corpse somewhere far away, when suddenly, I looked up to see a dragon bone aiming to pluck my eyes away. I
TRISTAN: I galloped towards the edge of the plain leading to the Great Temple where I could smell my Dahlia’s scent. In the past, I had loved this walk from the forest towards the temple where my father would regularly burn an offering to the Moon Goddess Selene. Now, this same path was packed with vampires, attacking me from left and right. It was a hard fight. I felt like I was a bug trying to battle out hordes of ants to get to the other side. The more I stayed here, the more endangered Dahlia could become. Suddenly, I heard a voice roar. “Get down!” My instincts kicked in, and I followed it. As soon as I ducked down, bolts of fire started to rain down on my path, burning the Blasted Ones that crowded my way. I looked back sharply to discover a non-familiar wolf. It was golden brown with a stone in its head that shone like the midday sun. So this was how Kaist’s Shadow Rune wolf looked like. He must have already acce
DAHLIA: I rested my hope that if Count Jeteris himself or the people from Talandor could see me, they’d try to help me out. After all, I was someone they knew, someone who interacted with them, and someone they had sworn to protect as knights of Talandor. Surely, they wouldn’t let anyone from the Vampire Clan kill a she-wolf they had once known... But all those hopes were crushed when I saw what awaited us at the temple. The outer courts of the temple were nothing but mere rubbles of stones and sands now, but one could still gain the impression that it was a grand structure once. I had seen the tumbled-down appearance of the temple in a distance as King Helion dragged me to it, but as we entered its vicinity, I was shocked beyond belief. All around, corpses of werewolves lay lifelessly on the ground. “W-What did you do,” I asked in horror. “The foolish count wanted my help, but he didn’t agree with taking you as my queen, so…”
TRISTAN: “Brother, look out!” I swerved to the right by mistake, which ended up being good as I had dodged a blow against my skull. Livia and I had been fighting against the Blasted Ones for hours now, but they do not seem to be depleting. How in the world can the Apricus King call in this many of his men? Worse of all, Livia’s state was getting worse and worse as time went by… I hate to admit it, but I don’t think I could last fighting against them for a long time too. I struggled to get on my feet, thinking of how wretched I was to have sent the one person I loved the most towards her death. Memories of when I first saw Dahlia flashed by my head as I attacked one vampire after another. Lady Dahlia Hurst – the gentle rose of the kingdom – the person people looked up to and envied… My first thought was that such a person would be nothing more than a spoiled brat. She had been under the spotlight since she was yo
KAIST:It was a call to help Count Abell. Wolves from the White Fang Pack immediately tore their shirts and started transforming into their wolf form.“Prince Kaist, do you mean to say Tristan and Samalah… I mean Dahlia are in danger,” Thesla hurriedly asked.I nodded. “Yes. We will be going now. Get the women, children, elderly, and the sick inside the town hall. Bar the doors, and don’t let anyone inside the village. I will return here for the lady when everything is over,” I told the villagers.There was a murmur around the villagers.“Prince Kaist, I couldn’t speak for everyone, but I will come with you. Dahlia has become a friend and a family to Efiro and I. I don’t want to just sit and do nothing when I know she’s in danger!”“Very well.” I turned to the crowd. “Everyone who wishes to join us may come. As for the rest of you, please secure the village.
TRISTAN: “No, take her back! Give Dahlia back to us,” I shouted. The vampires around us poised themselves for an attack and smiled. They could sense the blood palpitating in my veins as I tensed up. They were getting excited on the prospect of violence as their true nature dictates. “Finders keepers” was all I heard from the damned king of the vampires. Maybe this was all a lie. Maybe the king of the Blasted Ones was toying with my sanity… How did I end up in this? Why did I give Dahlia to them? It felt like I was in a sort of reverie. Everything felt hazy. It was as if things were coming at me in slow motion. I could only watch as Dahlia’s golden brown hair billowed in the wind. King Helion towered over her. He clutched her by the wrist, and when she refused to tear her eyes away from me, he grappled at her shoulders and took her away more forcefully, twisting her face away from mine. I could only watch as trails of te