I Lost a Husband, But I Gained an Empire

I handed the microphone directly to Aria,

then turned to James and said,

“You two sing together.

I have something to attend to, so I’ll leave first.”

Before James could respond,

Aria immediately spread her arms to block my way,

her expression wavering between wanting to cry and wanting to appear virtuous.

“Blair-sis, are you still misunderstanding me and James-ge?

We’re really not what you think.”

Exactly as she intended.

When she lifted her arm,

I saw the delicate tattoo on the inside of her forearm.

A sword and a rose.

A wolf-clan shadow mark.

Sharing the same shadow mark meant shared secrets, shared scent, shared memory—

an exclusive bond between two werewolves.

Two months ago,

I had seen the exact same mark on James.

Matching the sudden panic in his eyes,

I did something no one expected.

Under the stunned gazes of every werewolf present,

I took his hand and Aria’s hand—

and interlaced their fingers together,

like a witness blessing a couple.

I smiled, my voice soft yet cutting through the air like a blade:

“True love is not a crime.

It’s the unloved one who doesn’t belong.

Choose a date soon.

Invite everyone to the wedding.”

With that, I walked out of the private room with calm composure.

James chased after me immediately,

his aura chaotic, on the brink of losing control.

I had never seen his face so pale.

“Blair, I can explain—please, just listen.”

I stared at him, genuinely puzzled.

“You and Aria seem perfectly fine.

Why do you need to explain anything to me?”

“I’m not with Aria!

Yes, we have matching tattoos, and I know how it looks—

but I swear to you, mine was just a stupid bet with Elder Yuan’s group!

It means nothing!

I can have the tattoo master remove it tomorrow!”

“Blair, after everything we’ve been through,

can’t you believe me just this once?”

Because of how frantic he was,

his voice carried a low Alpha growl—

enough to make nearby werewolves stop walking and glance over.

A flash of deep irritation passed through my eyes.

“James, don’t be so emotional.

If you have something to say, wait until I finish meeting my friends.”

Once—

the day I caught him accompanying Aria in and out of the healer’s hall, tending to her the whole time,

I had screamed at him in the lobby like a mad wolf.

And back then, James had dismissed me with the very same impatience and condescension.

Now, the tide had turned—

for the first time, I saw naked shock and hurt in his eyes.

I ignored him completely

and pushed open Room 8’s door without looking back.

The next few hours, my communication stone lit up and dimmed repeatedly.

James sent more than a dozen messages, starting with:

What time will you be home?

I’m waiting in the room next door for you to finish.

Later, he began nagging:

Don’t drink.

If you must, only one or two cups.

I prepared your allergy medicine—take it if you feel unwell.

Eventually, he called.

When I finally picked up,

his voice was so soft, it was almost unrecognizable.

“Blair… your gathering is over, right?

I’ll come pick you up.”

“I already left in my friend’s car.”

At first, James assumed I was joking.

So I switched the communication stone to speaker mode

and let the senior from my academy days—Perry, who kindly offered to drive me—

say hello to him.

James had never met Perry,

but he had heard vague rumors about our “ambiguous” past during our academy years.

Through the communication stone, I couldn’t see James’s expression—

but I could hear his rapid, uneven breathing.

The telltale sign of a high-ranking Alpha on the verge of losing emotional control.

To avoid pointless arguments,

I hung up directly.

That night,

I didn’t return to the Alpha residence.

Almost all my belongings were already packed.

I stayed at Lynn’s place

and slept better than I had in years.

The next morning.

I recharged my communication stone.

The moment it turned on, James’s call came through instantly.

Seeing dozens of missed calls from the night before,

I massaged my temples and shut the device off again.

When I stepped outside,

a silver werewolf carriage was parked at the entrance.

Perry stood beside it,

dressed in a dark ceremonial outfit embroidered with his clan’s crest—

a symbol of honor and protection.

In his arms was a bouquet of everlasting white moon-tulips—

flowers symbolizing new beginnings, eternity, and devotion.

Morning light filtered through the mist,

resting gently on his shoulders.

He lifted his gaze to me,

calm, warm, steady.

“Blair.”

He called my name softly,

as though calling someone fated to him.

“I’ve come to take you home.”