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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Gone Before “I Do”: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

Behind the sheer curtains on the second floor, two overlapping silhouettes moved in intimate rhythm. I knew it was Aiden and Seraphina.I tore the moonstone necklace from my neck. Aiden had given it to me as a token of his promise to become my mate.I used to treasure it. Now it felt suffocating, like a collar tightening around my throat, choking off my breath. I didn’t want to wear it anymore.I dialed the familiar number that would reach my mother, far away in another pack."Mom," I said. "I’m not going through with the mating ceremony. I want to come to you."There was a long silence on the other end, followed by a quiet sigh. "Master Elias, your old healer mentor, misses you. He said your talent shouldn’t go to waste. When you come back, pick up your work with him again."I thought Aiden was different," she added. "Turns out, he’s just like your father, crushing a bond the Moon Goddess blessed with his own hands."Don’t cry, Clara. You’re still young. Your life shouldn’t r

Chapter 2

When I turned around, Aiden instinctively let go of Seraphina’s hand."She had too much to drink," he said. "As Alpha of the pack, I have to make sure everyone’s safe. That’s the only reason I brought her here."He paused. "She insisted on leaving first. She didn’t want you to get the wrong idea."The same Aiden who barely spoke sweet words to me now couldn’t stop talking when it came to Seraphina. Every word that came out of his mouth defended her.I looked at him and felt like I was seeing a stranger.I was the one who’d spent ten years by his side. I was the mate the Moon Goddess had chosen. So why did I feel like I was the other woman?Fighting back the sharp, tearing pain in my chest, I took a deep breath."You know exactly who she is. She’s the pup of my father’s one-night stand with his mistress. She's an Omega. Her mother destroyed my family. She’s no better."At my words, fury flashed across Aiden’s face. "Clara! How could you say something so vile? Apologize to Seraph

Chapter 3

The next morning, Aiden’s call woke me."Clara, are you up?" His voice sounded casual. "I had the kitchen make your favorite blueberry pancakes. I’m not coming back to the Lunar Hall today. Something urgent came up in the pack. We’ll take the wedding photos another day."He paused. "And about last night… don’t overthink it. I already apologized to Seraphina on your behalf.""Okay," I answered calmly.My composure surprised him."The mating ceremony is just a formality," he added. "Our bond runs deep enough. We don’t need a ceremony to prove anything. Let’s keep it simple.""Sure."Keep it simple.This mating ceremony would have no blessing from the Moon Goddess, no token of devotion, and no witness from the pack.And soon… no bride.After hanging up, I crossed off "take wedding photos" from the calendar, dragging the pen with force. That calendar held every hope I had. I used to believe each wish would come true before the ceremony.Now, every blacked-out line glared back li

Chapter 4

Aiden arrived quickly.I opened the car door. In the passenger seat lay a woman’s scarf; it was obviously not mine. Underneath it was black lacy lingerie.Without saying a word, I slipped into the back seat.Aiden stayed glued to his phone, not noticing my expression. "Got everything settled for the ceremony?""Mostly.""I remember you always wanted to see Moon Goddess Falls. Once I’m free, I’ll take you. I wasn’t planning to bother you today. It was my mom who wanted to meet."To him, this entire ceremony seemed like my thing. He only remembered me when it was convenient.I didn’t answer, but my eyes stung.When we got to his house, only cold leftovers remained on the table. My father sat chatting happily with Aiden’s father as Aiden’s mother greeted me warmly."Clara, I really do like you. You're so well-behaved, not like those wild girls outside." She glanced at Seraphina. "Aiden could’ve found someone with better blood, sure. But you’ve stayed by his side for ten years.

Chapter 5

Once I cut off all contact with the outside world, exhaustion crashed over me like a wave.For days, I had been tense, caught in a constant cycle of betrayal and heartbreak. Now, high above the earth, cut off from everything, I could finally breathe.I fell asleep, deeper and more peacefully than I had in years.In my dreams, Aiden's face kept reappearing.When we were seven, just young and clueless pups, he clumsily wove a crown of wildflowers and placed it on my head. He said he’d be my Alpha, and I’d be his one and only Luna.At eighteen, beneath a full moon, we had our first kiss, tasting the sweetness of young love. He had sworn to the Moon Goddess he would give me the grandest mating ceremony the pack had ever seen, so all wolves would witness our bond.When had it all started to change?Was it the moment Seraphina returned? Or was it long before that, in all those tiny moments I had ignored?I couldn’t remember.Aiden’s name had been woven through every part of my youth

Chapter 6

My mother helped me cleanse away the past in her own way.After settling my affairs, she brought me to the pack’s oldest combat arena.The air was thick with the scent of sweat and spirit, pierced by fierce howls. There, surrounded by bodies and brute strength, I found my clarity. The shadows in my heart started to melt away.Eventually, my mother grew tired and left with a few guards.I stayed behind, immersed, until sunrise.Then, a voice broke through the noise. It was familiar and strained.He was pushing through the crowd, fast.Through my blurry vision, I recognized his face: Aiden."Clara, come home with me. I’ll explain everything to the Elders, to your friends. No one will blame you.""If you return, I’ll forgive you, whether you ran away or hooked up with someone else. I swear, I’ll treat you right. I’ll never let you get hurt again."I didn’t know how long he’d been standing there.But his shamelessness? That was loud and clear."Aiden, do you think I need your f

Chapter 7

Aiden didn’t leave. He abandoned all his duties and ignored the Council of Elders. Like a desperate, wounded wolf, he hovered around me, refusing to give up.Seraphina finally snapped. She stormed up to me furiously."Wow, Clara. Vanishing to get his sympathy? Don’t get cocky. He’ll come back to me in the end."I looked at her calmly.This woman had cast a shadow over half my life. She never took something because she loved it. She took it because she could and because she liked the thrill of it.I used to hate her and her disgraceful mother.But now? I just pitied her.In their world, love was war, and men were the spoils. They never thought that outside this mud pit, there might be an entire sky waiting."That’s your problem," I said. "You’d better take him away fast. Stop disturbing my peace."My disregard set her off."What makes you so smug? He loves me!" She started flaunting all their memories, stories of their so-called romance, the kind I used to dream of.To her, t

Chapter 8

After our confrontation, Aiden finally settled down.Seraphina didn’t come around again.I stayed in my mother’s pack, reclaiming the identity I’d once set aside—the healer. Day after day, I worked with herbs. Life felt still and safe. I felt a peace I hadn’t known in years.Alas, peace never lasts.That night, walking home from the healing hut, I sensed it—that presence trailing me, silent and close.My instincts screamed.I kept my pace steady but picked up speed, sending a distress signal to the patrol unit without making a sound.It was too late.An arm like an iron clamp wrapped around me from behind, locking me in place. I was dragged into the depths of the Shadow Forest.Terror crashed over me. I screamed, "Let me go! Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you!"However, the man behind me didn’t respond. His arms tightened. It felt like he wanted to press me into his bones and fuse me into his blood.Moonlight filtered through the canopy, illuminating the tattoo on his ch

Chapter 9

Eventually, under pressure from both councils, Aiden’s pack paid a steep price for his recklessness.To calm the fury of my mother’s people, they stripped Aiden of his Alpha status, and he was exiled, banned for life from ever stepping foot on our land again.As they led him away, he broke free of the guards and stumbled toward me. His voice was hoarse."Will we ever meet again?""Never." My answer landed like ice.His proud body shuddered. His golden wolf eyes that had once been so full of power blurred with tears. The Alpha who once ruled with fire and iron now cried like a lost child.Pathetic. Broken."How did it end up like this? Clara, you were with me for so long that I started seeing you as part of me. I thought no matter what I did, you’d always be there."I never imagined you’d leave. I never thought losing you would feel like this. After you left, my world collapsed."I never meant to hurt you. I just couldn’t resist her. I wanted her passion and your comfort. I tho

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