I Lost a Husband, But I Gained an Empire

“Blair, if you wish to dissolve your mate contract with James, you must voluntarily give up the ten million-credit resource allotment granted to you by the clan, as well as one-third of your designated core-territory shares. You will leave Moon-Mark City with nothing.”

“Alright.”

The clan adjudicator paused for a moment, startled. His tone grew even colder.

“You must also relinquish all future custody rights to any offspring, and you are forever forbidden from forming any bloodline link with James or any of his future young. Do you understand what you are agreeing to?”

“I accept.”

My voice was calm, cold—like wind cutting across a snowfield.

Three days ago marked the fifth year of my Moon-Vow union with James, and also the day our mate contract was supposed to be renewed.

But my mate—the Alpha I once believed was destined for me—was lighting fireworks at the Galactic River with his childhood sweetheart, the clan’s most beloved Omega.

Those were frost-silver fireworks, reserved only for the royal bloodline during their most significant celebrations.

Many werewolves stopped to admire them. Someone casually captured the moment on an image stone and posted it on the MoonNet. The scene spread quickly across the clans, drawing waves of praise.

“They look perfect together.”

“An Alpha is born to stand beside the gentlest Omega.”

“Compared to his current mate, that one is much more pleasing to the eye.”

Even James’s friends sent me messages, half-joking:

“Why didn’t you go?”

“So what are you going to do now?”

I replied only one line:

“What else is there to do?”

That night, I sat alone in the vast, empty Mate Hall.

The oil lamps beneath the silver dome had gone cold.

The anniversary feast I had prepared with my own hands exuded a faint chill.

Listening to their laughter on the image stone, my chest felt as if a silver blade had sliced it open.

Five years of companionship.

Five years of night-bound journeys at each other’s side.

All of it shattered—destroyed entirely by a single display of frost-silver fireworks.

1.

That night was my birthday.

James had promised he would return early to our shared territory to celebrate with me.

But at dusk, he suddenly sent a message through the mind-link, claiming the clan had urgent matters to handle and he might return late.

I believed him.

And even so, I still waited for that moment when he would open the door—

even if it was only to cut a small piece of cake with me under the full moon.

I never imagined that his so-called “clan duty”

was actually lighting royal fireworks at Riverbend Cliff with his childhood sweetheart—

the Omega most blessed by the clan, Aria.

How ironic.

In the image stone, James’s handsome Alpha features were illuminated by the shimmering trails of moon-scar fireworks.

The man who was usually cold, distant, and stone-faced

was smiling—truly smiling.

And the way he looked at Aria…

his gaze was so gentle it nearly melted into the night.

A gaze I had never once received.

I always thought he simply disliked expressing emotions.

I even believed that an Alpha’s aloofness was instinctive.

But after seeing that recording, I finally understood—

he had simply never given his warmth to me.

I let out a faint, self-mocking laugh.

I unwrapped the birthday cake I had bought for myself and quietly ate it.

The sweet cream dissolved on my tongue,

yet somehow, everything tasted like nothing.

I picked up the communication stone and sent a mind-link call to James.

He answered quickly, his voice still clipped and icy.

“What is it?”

As he spoke, I could clearly hear the roar of moon-flame fireworks in the background.

Frost-silver fire—something only royals or high-ranking Alphas were permitted to ignite.

I fell silent for two seconds, swallowed the cake in my mouth, and asked calmly,

“Where are you?”

“I’m in the council hall processing documents. Did something happen?”

He had likely already left the cliff; the sound of fireworks was fading.

His tone remained perfectly even, not a hint of guilt.

A high-tier Alpha’s lies were always flawless.

I glanced at the image stone still replaying that scene over and over,

and suddenly, I felt nothing at all.

“Let’s dissolve our mate contract.”

“You’re overreacting again.”

I let out a low, cold laugh.

“Why don’t you check MoonNet, my dear clan hero?”

With that, I severed the mind-link.

Since I was the one who initiated the dissolution,

I no longer had any reason to stay on his territory.

I looked at the cold remains of the birthday feast on the table,

stood up, and walked toward the kitchen.

I found a few containers and carefully packed everything away.

Then I quickly packed my luggage, summoned a night-running carriage beast,

and returned to the small apartment that belonged solely to me.

That apartment had been a gift from my parents for my coming-of-age ceremony.

After I bonded with James, he always said that traveling between our two clan territories was a hassle,

persuading me to move into his Alpha stronghold in the central district.

But the distance between those two territories

was the same distance that had grown between him and me.

We lived on the same land,

close enough to touch,

yet separated as if by the entire Frozen Sea Strait.

A distance harder to cross than any mountain.

Back in the long-unseen apartment—

my private inheritance from my adulthood ceremony—

I tidied up quietly.

After washing the dishes and leaving them to dry under the candlelight,

I lay down on the familiar bed.

The next morning, there were only a few messages from James on the communication stone.

What’s wrong with you now?

Come back when you’ve calmed down. Don’t be stubborn.

He must have returned to his Alpha estate last night

and realized I had already moved out.

I didn’t respond to any of the messages.

I simply continued living at my own pace.

After all, situations like this were nothing new between us.

Whenever Aria felt the slightest emotional ripple—

fear, restlessness, or even waking up startled by thunder—

she would call James through the mind-link.

And no matter how late it was,

he would immediately throw on a coat

and rush to her territory to comfort her.

I had questioned him, argued with him, pleaded and reasoned—

all useless.

He would always reply with the same cold line:

“A filthy-hearted person sees filth everywhere.”