Gone Before “I Do”

"After ten years together, Aiden, my Alpha, my first and only love, finally promised to hold the mating ceremony with me during the Spring Hunt Festival.I was overjoyed. That night, at the festival party, I downed a few extra glasses of wine.However, Aiden, who had always been so gentle with me, suddenly became someone I didn't recognize. He scolded me, said I was unfit to be the future Luna if I couldn’t even follow the rules, and shoved me out of the car. Drunk and dazed, I was left alone in the dangerous Shadow Forest.Terrified but unwilling to break, I walked through that forest for five hours in the dead of night.When I finally made it back to our home, I heard him in the other room, sending a voice message to Seraphina, his first love."If you’re willing to come back," he said, his voice soft and warm, "I’ll do anything for you."Seraphina replied, "Even cancel the mating ceremony?"Time stopped.I silently counted to thirteen.Then, I heard his answer: "Yes."Listening to that voice—the one that used to whisper promises to me—I cried. If that was what he truly wanted, then maybe calling off the ceremony was for the best.So, to spare him the choice, I fled. On the day of our mating ceremony, I disappeared.No one expected what came next.The proud, composed Alpha Aiden went mad trying to find me."