My Moonlit Declaration

Chapter 4: The Little Garden

The sweet fragrance of flowers drifted gently through the air. Butterflies danced among the blossoms, their wings sparkling in the sunlight. Bees busily darted in and out of the flower centers, filling the garden with lively energy.

In the very center of the garden stood a bamboo pavilion—fresh and green, two stories tall, with a thatched roof. Several strings of wind chimes hung by the doorway, looking especially refreshing and eye-catching amid the surrounding flowers.

It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen.

“This is it,” Penny’s voice came from beside her. “You can eat one flower.”

Elara turned to look at her, puzzled.

“These flowers were planted by the Grand Elder. They can increase your divine magic power.” Penny leaned in mysteriously, lowering her voice to whisper in Elara’s ear. “There’s one flower in the entire garden that contains the strongest divine magic power. Eating it can give you 30 shuttles of power.”

Elara looked up. “Hasn’t anyone found it and eaten it yet? And what does ‘30 shuttles’ mean?” Her voice came out raspy and hoarse from her wolf throat, nothing like human speech.

“It’s not that easy to find!” Penny widened her eyes. “Everyone is only allowed to come here and eat one flower per year, and each flower only gives 2 shuttles of divine magic power! Good luck!”

She opened the garden gate, waited for Elara to walk in, then waved and ran back toward the corridor.

“Don’t forget—only one flower gives 30 shuttles!” Her voice floated back from the corridor, growing fainter until it disappeared around the corner.

Elara reached out with her claws and plucked one flower.

It was a small, rather wilted lily of the valley—white and drooping. It grew in a corner of the fence, half-hidden behind rose branches, where sunlight couldn’t reach and rain barely touched it. It looked pitiful, completely lacking in nourishment.

Elara put the flower into her mouth. The tiny bloom melted the moment it touched her tongue, releasing a clean, sweet taste like morning dew. As she swallowed, a warm, comforting feeling spread through her stomach. It was delicious!

Only one flower per year… What would happen if she ate a second one?

Elara lowered her head and looked at the other flowers. There was a large yellow chrysanthemum with layered petals like a golden pompon. A purple iris was also beautiful, its petals marked with delicate feather-like veins.

She reached out with her claws, wanting to pick another, but discovered that the flowers could only be looked at—she could no longer touch them.

So it really was only one flower allowed!

She withdrew her claws and gazed at the sea of flowers with a touch of regret. Then she walked into the bamboo pavilion.

The interior was simple. On the first floor stood a bamboo table with several bamboo chairs. A tea set rested on the table, and in the corner was a bamboo bookshelf holding a few scattered books. Nearby was a rocking chair. The moment she approached, it began to rock gently on its own with a soft creaking sound, as if welcoming her.

The second floor was the bedroom, containing a modest bamboo bed, a small round table beside it, and a lamp on the table.

Elara grabbed a blanket from the bamboo bed with her mouth, spread it over the rocking chair, curled her entire body up on it, and closed her eyes to sleep.

The rocking chair continued to sway gently back and forth—

She was exhausted. From last night until now, she hadn’t slept a single second. Her body ached, her head throbbed, and she quickly drifted off into sleep.

As the sun slowly sank in the west and the faint outline of the moon appeared in the eastern sky, the entire Snow Moon Clan burst into excitement.

Every clansmember had bathed and groomed themselves early, changing into their most beautiful clothes and accessories. The women between the ages of 18 and 28 were dressed in their finest, wearing shadow-gauze skirts printed with the Snow Moon totem and silver rings that symbolized their status as candidates.

“Wake up, wake up!” A clear, silver-bell-like voice kept ringing in her ears until Elara was shaken awake by Penny.

Elara sat up, hugging the blanket, and stretched lazily. Huh? She raised her hand in front of her eyes, turning it over and back again. It wasn’t a wolf claw—her hand had returned to normal.

She looked down at herself—shoulders, chest, arms, legs. She had transformed back!

“That’s great, I’m back to normal!” she cried out in excitement.

“How did you only sleep for one afternoon and already return to human form? It took me five whole days to recover after my bloodline awakening!” Penny stared at her with wide, astonished eyes. “When I came in just now, I was really startled.”

Distant shouts rang out again.

“Why is it so noisy outside?” Elara asked. “Did something happen?”

“Today is the Full Moon Ceremony!” Penny grabbed her arm. “Did you forget? This is the most important day for the candidates!”

Those words instantly woke her up completely.

“Hurry, go wash up.” Penny pulled her toward the washroom. “The Full Moon Ceremony starts in less than two hours.”

“I’ll wait for you outside.” Penny handed her a cloth towel and closed the door.

Elara washed her face and hands with clear water. The water was icy cold, splashing against her skin and washing away the last traces of sleepiness.

“Quick, tell me—which flower did you eat?” Penny’s eyes were filled with curiosity. “Was it the biggest yellow chrysanthemum, or the most beautiful purple iris?”

Elara took the small copper mirror Penny offered and glanced at her own face. Light purple eyes, flaxen hair… but something seemed different. Was her skin fairer? Were her eyes brighter? She couldn’t quite tell.

“Neither,” she said, handing the mirror back to Penny.

Penny’s eyes widened, her mouth forming a perfect “O”. “Is there some other flower that’s even better than those two?” She lowered her voice. “I water them every day and dream about eating them both!” After saying that, she blinked sheepishly.

“I ate a lily of the valley,” Elara replied. “It was a bit wilted—”

“You i***t!” Penny poked her forehead with a finger. “That flower has been drooping for half a year, practically dead. I even thought it probably had no divine magic power left at all. You’re so silly!”

Elara recalled the flower’s appearance—its petals curled and yellowed. In the entire garden, it had been the only one that looked like it was about to die.

“It’s fine,” Elara said with a shrug. “Let’s leave the flower that gives 30 shuttles of divine magic power for the next lucky person!” She took Penny’s hand and together they walked out of the bamboo pavilion.

In the Snow Moon Clan, the moon never made mistakes.

On every full moon night, she would select the most perfectly matched pair from among thousands of souls and bind them tightly together in a cruel yet romantic way that felt like destiny itself.

They called it — the Mate Mark.

Yet Elara had never once imagined that this ritual, which belonged to the strong, the pure-blooded, and the chosen ones, would have anything to do with her.

Tonight was the “Full Moon Ceremony” dedicated solely to the Wolf Clan’s leader. The great leader of the Snow Moon Clan, Kael Blackthorn, would claim his lifelong mate.

The moon had risen in the east. It was huge, perfectly round, and brilliantly bright. Its silver-white light poured down, enveloping the entire Snow Moon Clan in a thin, glowing halo.

The sacred altar stood in the eastern part of the tribe — a massive circular platform built from white stone. Under the moonlight, it radiated a holy glow.

The full moon’s radiance illuminated the entire altar as bright as day, as if it contained endless mysterious power.

Ancient runes flowed slowly across the stone steps, and silvery halos trembled gently in the air, making even the act of breathing feel sacred.

Around the altar stood the entire Snow Moon Clan, their eyes filled with reverence and anticipation.

Elara was pulled along by Penny and stood at the very edge of the crowd.

She wore no silver ring to symbolize an unmarried maiden, nor the ritual-required shadow-gauze skirt. She was dressed only in a plain, simple long dress, like an outsider who had accidentally wandered into a divine ceremony.

In fact, Elara truly was just a spectator.

“Who is she?”

The voice came from the left, very soft, but Elara’s ears were much sharper than before — she heard it clearly.

“I don’t know. Never seen her.”

“Look at her eyes — pale purple, not even a trace of silver.”

“Half-wolf hybrid, probably. I heard the Holy Elder brought back a half-wolf hybrid this morning.”

“Just a half-wolf hybrid. She doesn’t even count as a full clan member.”

“Then why is she here? To watch the show?”

“Probably. It’s not like the moon would choose her.” Someone laughed — light and brief, but Elara heard it.

“Stop dreaming. The moon would never choose a defective bloodline.”