By the time Urania and Mrs. Jenkins arrived, Maggie had already awakened, munching on a cookie she found in some forgotten storage room.
Urania recognized the cookie as a snack she brought back from another tribe during an exchange years ago. “That cookie seems to have been in the jar for decades. Are you sure you can eat this stuff?”
Maggie thought the cookie tasted decent, albeit a bit dry and hard to swallow.
Mrs. Jenkins was surprised. “Urania told me you were trapped in a different space, and we were considering bringing Aldrich too. But Urania said you haven’t told him about your identity. So, did you resolve everything?”
Maggie smiled brightly. “Yes, it’s resolved.”
Even more surprised, Mrs. Jenkins asked, “So quickly? No injuries?” She couldn’t help but examine Maggie closely, seeing no signs of trouble aside from looking quite hungry. She had urged Urania to hurry along the way, fearing that she might not make it in time. Yet, Urania remained calm and composed.
“No, we reached an understanding. Neither of us insists on dominating the body or the power. We’ll gradually merge in the future.”
Urania didn’t speak, thinking to herself that it explained why the decades-old cookie could be dug out and eaten. It seemed the little ghost who had never come out to play wanted a taste.
“Can you use your powers now?” she asked.
“I can.” Maggie extended her fingertips, surrounded by a faint glow. Unlike the moon goddess’s light, this power had an orange-gold color unique to Maggie. With a gentle touch, the power shot out like an arrow, a fiery glow landing on a tree, swiftly consuming its leaves, leaving only a bare trunk.
Urania, with an expressionless face, watched the palm tree’s leaves burn. “Do you have to experiment on my tree?”
Every plant and tree here grew under her care, nurtured from little seeds. This brat dared to mess with her hard work.
“Do you really like this tree?” Maggie asked.
“It’s not that,” Urania shrugged. “This tree was Aldrich’s favorite. When he was young, he loved sitting under this tree reading. Even if you called him, he wouldn’t move for half a day.”
Maggie finished the cookie, swallowing the last bite. “I’ll plant another one. He probably won’t recognize it, right?”
“Gotcha. He’s tricking you. His favorite one was cut down a long time ago due to termite damage.”
Mrs. Jenkins thought these two were both so childish. She felt out of place with their atmosphere.
“Now you should tell Aldrich about your identity as the daughter of the Moon Goddess,” Mrs. Jenkins suggested. “After all, you’ve integrated your new powers. With the current turmoil in the werewolf society, revealing your identity as the Moon Goddess’s daughter will also help Aldrich in his future bid for the position of Wolf King.”
Maggie hadn’t decided on that matter.
She felt using her identity as the daughter of the Moon Goddess to help Aldrich win the election seemed somewhat shady, almost like cheating. After all, it’s a strict requirement for alphas to have wolf cubs to participate in the election, but it doesn’t necessarily dictate that the alpha’s partner must have a distinguished status. Aldrich had come this far on his own, and it seemed unfair if he were rejected just because he lacked offspring and a prestigious mate. Suddenly declaring that his partner was the descendant of the Moon Goddess might overshadow the efforts he had made on his own.
So she hesitated and looked at Urania.
Urania was munching on a snack from another jar that wasn’t as ancient as the cookie, with crumbs at the corners of her mouth. Catching Maggie’s gaze, she seemed a bit puzzled. “Why are you looking at me?”
“I don’t know if it’s the right thing to say, but I feel like I should help him win the election as soon as possible. It would contribute to stabilizing the current tumultuous situation in the werewolf society. But doing so might overshadow Aldrich’s efforts. He’s been winning support from voters all along with his own hard work, intelligence, experience, and achievements. If I reveal my identity as the Moon Goddess’s descendant, it could immediately aid him in winning the election. Isn’t that unfair to him? Everyone would only remember him as the companion of the Moon Goddess’s daughter, not the Wolf King.”
She was quite sentimental.
Urania slowly responded, “Throughout history, many people have had their names overshadowed by those in higher positions. Just like in the Frost Moon Pack, without Peirene, who would know Alexander? Aldrich has indeed worked hard and is outstanding, but working hard doesn’t guarantee an equal reward from fate. He needs everything to be foolproof now, and both the Blue Moon Pack and the entire werewolf society can’t withstand more turmoil. Settling down quickly is the best option. You can’t base your judgment on whether he’ll feel wronged. Even if you ask him if he feels wronged, he’ll probably tell you that as long as the final outcome helps the werewolf society achieve its goals, he won’t mind his own grievances.”
Maggie thought for a moment. What if she asked Grace the same question? Grace wouldn’t care about her own grievances. She never cared about being wronged. She only cared about whether she could do something well and achieve the desired results.
Both Aldrich and Grace were people who could overlook the details for the greater good. It seemed like only she would still care about such trivial matters.
“I understand. I’ll help him with his election campaign.” After saying this, her eyes seemed to sparkle again, as if stars had fallen into them. “Urania, do you think I’ve graduated?”
“Graduated from what?”
“Do you think I’ve reached the standards for a deity that you set before?”
Urania wanted to say, “Young lady, you still have a long way to go on your path of cultivation.” But thinking about it, Maggie seemed to have surpassed her expectations by far. Completing a prophecy independently for the first time, achieving the transformation through power fusion on her own. She always brought surprises. Just when you thought she couldn’t reach a certain goal, she’d present the results you wanted right in front of you.
Like on the way, both she and Mrs. Jenkins were a bit worried that Maggie might succumb to the pressure or temptation of powerful forces. Yet, she resolved the issue peacefully. She wasn’t obsessed with power or eager for it, which was her most valuable trait. In her hands, power wouldn’t become a weapon against the weak, and her balance would never favor one side over the other.
She was quite suitable to be a deity, considering she wasn’t stubborn and listened to advice. Of course, guiding her was Mrs. Jenkins’s responsibility.
So she replied, “You’ve exceeded my expectations for you. I’m proud of you, Selene would be proud of you, including your father whom you haven’t met. We’re all proud of you. You’ve graduated, Maggie Nelson.”