The Eleventh Luna Rose Trial Chapter 05

The Eleventh Luna Rose Trial Chapter 05

The bell signaling the start of the Luna Trial rings, and all the she–wolves carry their roses onto the sage.

Except I become the center of attention.

“She actually dares to come?”

“The pack’s rose garden was burned to the ground, and her hands are injured like that. What could she possibly compete with?”

The mocking laughter from the crowd grows louder.

I place the rose bowl in my hands before the judges.

“This is the rose I grew, along with a healing potion made from one of its petals.”

An elder of the Royal Pack lifts the cover from the rose bowl, and a fresh, delicate rose fragrance instantly fills the air.

The Crimson Gold Rose has bold, dazzling red petals, but the rose before us is almost transparent white. Its petals give off a soft, gentle glow, like a flower formed from moonlight.

Several judges suddenly rise from their seats.

“This is…”

“A Silver Frost Rose?”

The entire crowd erupts.

“How is that possible?”

“Didn’t the Silver Frost Rose go extinct long ago? Only a White Wolf who appears once every few hundred years can grow one!”

“And wasn’t her rose garden burned down?”

The elder picks up the healing potion beside the rose and uses a silver knife to cut a deep line across his palm.

He pours the potion over the wound.

Wounds caused by silver usually take five days to heal, but before five seconds pass, the cut closes completely.

The crowd erupts again.

“It’s real.”

“It really is a Silver Frost Rose!”

Every eye turns toward me.

They used to say I was nothing without my ability to sense the life force of roses. After eleven failed attempts at the Luna Trial, they said this time was nothing but a hopeless fantasy.

But they forget that my ability can revive dying roses. It can’t grow them for me. It can’t replace the more than twenty years I’ve spent learning how to cultivate roses through countless springs, summers, autumns, and winters.

The bronze bell rings again.

The elder raises his voice.

“The champion of this year’s Luna Trial is the Gamma of the Moonlight Pack, Helena Ashford!”

Below the stage, Nathan grips the note that has already been crumpled in his hand.

He stares at me, unable to look away for a long time.

The elder continues.

“According to the rules of the Luna Trial, the champion may marry the Alpha King, regardless of whether the Alpha King is already mated or has a fated mate.”

Everyone’s eyes turn toward me.

Someone laughs and calls out from the crowd.

“The Luna Trial Champion and the Alpha King. What a perfect match. It’s practically a legend in the

werewolf realm!”

“What about Olivia Hawke?”

“She’s a Lycan. Of course she’ll be driven out of the werewolf realm. How could she possibly compare to the Luna Trial Champion? And today’s champion can grow a Silver Frost Rose. She’s a

White Wolf!”

Nathan doesn’t respond.

Half his face is hidden in the shadows, making his expression impossible to read.

Olivia nervously tugs at his sleeve.

“Nathan, is Helena going to take you away from me…?”

He says nothing, complicated emotions churning in his eyes.

It isn’t until Olivia calls his name again that he suddenly snaps back to reality.

His voice is strained, “No.”

At the same time, I turn toward the elder.

“I refuse to become the Alpha King’s Luna. My request is…”

“I want the ten thousand acres of wild rose fields in the Northern Territory.”

The entire hall falls silent.

Nathan’s fingers freeze.

The note slowly slips lower in his hand, and whispers erupt through the crowd once again.

Some think I’m acting out of spite. Others think I’m arrogant and delusional, that I’ve mistaken myself for some kind of savior just because I dare to head north and grow roses in a wasteland.

But I offer no explanation.

To every rose farmer, the wild rose fields in the North are worthless land where nothing can grow.

But beneath that barren ground lies the perfect soil for cultivating Silver Frost Roses.

The elder confirms, “Gamma Helena, are you certain?”

“Yes.”

The matter is settled, and the crowd gradually disperses.

I return to the pack to gather my belongings and submit my request to leave the pack to the Alpha.

I’m preparing to leave.

The moment I step out of the pack house, a familiar voice comes from behind me.

“Helena.”

Nathan is standing there.

The usual composure is gone from his face, replaced by a panic he doesn’t even seem to realize he’s feeling.

“I’ve dealt with the rogue who burned your rose garden. I only found out about it later, but by then, you didn’t want to see me anymore.”

“But Helena, are you really leaving?”