Chapter 1

The entire room was already shrouded in thick smoke and flames the moment I woke up.

When death came, my spirit rose and lingered in midair.

I looked at my body, stiff and curled up in the corner of the bathroom. I was no longer breathing, yet my wide-open eyes still brimmed with longing for life.

The white dress I had on was dirty with soot stains, and my struggles to escape had left my palms charred and disfigured.

It was only yesterday that I'd happily tried on my wedding dress.

The more I thought about it, the more the fire seemed like a twisted, cruel joke.

When the flames first broke out, I had followed the self-rescue methods my fiance, Daniel Ingram, had taught me.

After covering my mouth and nose with a damp towel, I tried to open the bedroom door, but it wouldn't budge.

The fire itself was odd, but it was even stranger that the door lock was broken.

I soon became dizzy from oxygen deprivation. Barely holding on, I ran to the balcony to call Daniel.

He was a fire captain, and he had insisted more times than I could count that I call him right away if I was in danger.

"I will always answer my work phone, no matter the time."

His promise echoed in my ears as I called him with trembling hands.

At the first ring, he didn't answer. At the sixth ring, there was still no answer. It wasn't until the seventh ring that the call finally connected.

"Bella Kessler! Don't ever joke about a fire! I mean it!"

Daniel's voice dripped with impatience as he left me no chance to speak. "As a Warrior, your sense of smell is a hundred times sharper than an ordinary person's. Even if there's a fire, you have plenty of time to escape!

"Laura is an Omega. Without a wolf's protection while she's pregnant and weak, she might not even be able to call for help if she runs into danger! You know that and you're still pulling such stunts out of jealousy?"

Then, I heard Laura Knapp, her voice tinged with gratitude and guilt. "Mr. Ingram, I-I didn't mean for this to happen. Ms. Kessler must have misunderstood our relationship…

"I was just so scared after the fall since I was home alone and I was worried the baby would be hurt…"

I opened my mouth, wanting to tell him that the fire was already out of control and to come save me quickly, but thick smoke filled my throat. I coughed violently, unable to form a single word.

"This is my last time telling you this—there's nothing going on between Laura and me! If you keep this nonsense up, I might have to rethink our future together!"

Daniel hung up in a fury, leaving behind only the cold buzz of the disconnected line.