(Selene's POV)
The pungent smell of gasoline completely filled my nose.
The sickening scent burned my throat with every desperate breath I took.
Dominic's large hands gripped my neck tightly.
His strong fingers dug deep into my fragile skin.
He was the future Alpha of our powerful pack.
His amber eyes used to look at me with gentle love.
Now, they burned with pure, unadulterated hatred.
There was no trace of my sweet groom left in his gaze.
I gasped desperately for air.
My vision blurred around the edges.
Tonight was supposed to be our sacred mating ceremony night.
Just a few hours ago, we had a grand wedding.
The music had been so beautiful, and the scent of the feast still lingered in my memory.
Everyone looked at us with envious, joyous eyes.
I thought I was the happiest woman in the entire world.
We had been childhood playmates, growing up side by side.
Now, the man of my dreams was trying to murder me.
"Dominic, please," I choked out weakly.
"Why?" I managed to squeeze the word past my bruised lips.
"You killed her," he roared loudly.
His grip tightened even more, crushing my windpipe.
"Elara died because of you!"
His voice was filled with a venom I had never heard before.
"Every moment I spent with you as your mate, I wanted to kill you."
He leaned in closer to my face.
"You ruined the only person I truly loved."
His words shattered my heart into a million pieces.
Dominic finally let go of my bruised neck.
He grabbed a red canister and poured gasoline all over the room.
The red metal looked so out of place in our romantic suite, and I couldn't understand what he was doing at first.
The toxic liquid splashed onto my beautiful white wedding dress.
He laughed, a cold and cruel sound that chilled my bones.
"I am sending you straight to hell," he sneered at me.
He struck a match and tossed it onto the soaked carpet.
The room ignited instantly with a deafening whoosh.
Flames roared to life, shooting up toward the ceiling.
The heat was instantly unbearable.
It scorched my skin even before the flames touched me.
I tried to crawl toward the bedroom door.
Dominic kicked me brutally hard, sending me flying backward into the fire.
He stepped out into the hallway and grabbed the door handle.
He slammed the heavy oak door shut and locked it.
Panic surged rapidly through my freezing veins.
I scrambled to my feet and rushed toward the large glass window.
I pushed against the frame with all my remaining strength.
I scratched at the glass until my fingers bled, but it was completely useless.
It was completely sealed shut from the outside.
Suddenly, a sweet but deadly scent hit my sensitive nose.
It was the unmistakable smell of wolfsbane.
The toxic herb had been mixed directly into the gasoline.
The poison quickly evaporated, filling the hot air.
My wolf howled in pure agony inside my mind.
The wolfsbane vapor made her terribly weak.
I lost all my natural werewolf resistance against the searing heat.
My body twisted in unbearable pain.
I uncontrollably shifted into my wolf form.
My fur sizzled and smoked as the flames licked my legs.
I felt an overwhelming, instinctive fear of the raging fire.
Total despair washed over my tired soul.
The wolfsbane poison was rapidly eroding my body from the inside out.
I curled up in a tight ball in the corner.
I realized I was actually going to die here tonight.
I was dying because of the betrayal of the man I loved most.
I was on the absolute verge of losing consciousness.
The thick black smoke completely blinded my vision.
Suddenly, the heavy bedroom door burst open with a loud crash.
A tall figure rushed into the sea of fire.
His dark suit was already catching fire, but he didn't seem to care at all about the danger.
It was Kassian, the powerful Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack.
He had once confessed his deep feelings to me.
I had foolishly rejected him because my heart only belonged to Dominic.
Now, he was here, risking his own life for me.
He dropped to his knees beside my weak wolf body.
He scooped me up gently into his strong, protective arms.
He used his own broad back to shield me from the raging flames.
"Why did you come?" I tried to ask through a weak mind link.
I was completely shocked by his sudden appearance.
He did not answer my question at all.
He just held me tighter against his muscular chest.
The fire in the room was growing far too intense.
Combined with the heavy wolfsbane poison, my throat completely closed up.
I could not make a single sound to warn him.
I felt a deep ache in my chest that had nothing to do with the poison.
My consciousness was rapidly fading away into nothingness.
In my final, desperate moments, I saw Kassian shift.
He turned into a massive silver-black wolf to protect me.
His silver-black fur glowed even in the thick smoke, making him look majestic and fearless.
His huge, imposing body covered my smaller frame entirely.
The hungry flames began to consume us both.
Even as the fire burned him alive, he never let go.
I felt his pure, unrequited love for me in that moment.
I closed my eyes and fell into complete darkness.
In the endless, silent darkness, a gentle light suddenly appeared.
The soothing voice of the Moon Goddess echoed in my mind.
"My sweet child, your destiny was stolen from you," she whispered softly.
"I am willing to give you a rare chance to regain your fate."
She promised me an opportunity to change the tragic future.
"Go back, and take your revenge on those who hurt you."
Her light grew much brighter, warming my cold, dead spirit.
"And please, cherish the one who truly loves you."
I immediately thought of Kassian burning in the fire for me.
I then thought of Dominic's cruel, mocking laughter.
I swore to the Goddess that I would make my enemies pay.
Suddenly, a sharp ringing sound pierced my sensitive ears.
I opened my eyes and gasped loudly for air.
The pain of the fire vanished instantly, and I felt perfectly whole again.
Familiar voices were arguing loudly right nearby.
"Where did Dominic go?" my father demanded angrily.
His face was bright red with intense fury.
"My daughter is completely humiliated!" my mother cried out.
"Being abandoned at her own engagement ceremony is a total disgrace!"
The guests were murmuring loudly in the background, gossiping about my sudden misfortune.
I blinked hard, taking in the grand ballroom around me.
Dominic's parents were standing there, looking incredibly guilty.
"Please calm down, we will definitely find him," his father tried to pacify mine.
I looked down at my trembling hands.
They were perfectly smooth and completely unburned.
I was wearing a beautiful, expensive ivory engagement gown.
I suddenly realized what had miraculously happened.
I had somehow returned to the past.
This was exactly five years ago.
This was the engagement party that Dominic had selfishly fled from.
Memories of my past life rushed at me like a massive tidal wave.
I vividly remembered all those years I spent loving Dominic.
I remembered his vicious betrayal on our wedding night.
I remembered the agonizing, blistering heat of the fire.
I remembered the suffocating, deadly pain of the wolfsbane poison.
I remembered the exact moment my heart stopped beating in that fiery room.
The full weight of what had happened pressed heavily on my heart.
The terrifying weight of what was supposed to happen crushed my chest.
Hot, bitter tears streamed rapidly down my cheeks.
I let myself cry for the foolish, naive girl I used to be.
But beneath the profound grief, something else began to grow.
It was a cold, sharp, and entirely unforgiving emotion.
It was pure, unadulterated anger.
Dominic had completely ruined me once.
He had mercilessly taken my love, my deep trust, and my very life.
He had thrown it all away just for another woman.
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms.
That tragic fate would absolutely never happen again.
This time, I was going to be the one in total control.
I was going to make him pay for every single moment of pain he caused me.
I slowly stood up from my velvet chair.
My amber eyes became hard with a fierce, newfound resolve.
I walked purposefully toward the group of arguing adults.
My parents looked at me with wide, worried eyes.
As I approached my parents, the loud arguing completely stopped.
Everyone turned to look at me in absolute surprise.
"Cancel the engagement," I said firmly.
My voice was like a blade that cut right through the heavy tension.