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`Silence drifted through the room, and I wanted to so desperately do something to help her. I wanted—no, needed—a doctor to save her, and Silver Moon was our best bet. I didn’t know how I could go on without her. She didn’t know it, but she had saved me.

“What do you want to do? You want a party?” I offered.

A small smile crossed her face, but her eyes were filled with tears. “A big one.”

After sitting in the seat beside her, I pulled out her canvas from her bag, along with her laptop. Ember always loved to paint while she was here. It helped get her mind off of everything—at least, that was what she’d told me.

“We’ll throw you a huge party. Invite everyone in Black Hollows.”

“Good,” she said, opening her laptop to her online art store. “I’ll keep you to that promise.”

“Art going good?”

“I haven’t had any custom orders recently.” Ember shrugged it off like it didn’t matter to her, but I could tell it did. “But that means I can paint whatever I want, so I don’t think it’s that bad.” She closed her laptop and set it to the side, gaze on the bed. “It’s going to be a long day. Can you please get me some banana bread?”

“I’ll check if they have any in the cafeteria.”

“No.” She grabbed my hand. “From Java Junction, please. I love theirs.”

“All right,” I said, messing up her hair like I used to do when we were kids. “I’ll be back.”

When Ember started painting, I slipped out of the door and into the hall.

“Reaper,” Dr. Yoder said, stopping short in the hallway, almost taken aback to see me. He had vials of Ember’s blood in his hand and was heading toward another room with them. “Here again?”

“Every day, until Ember is better,” I said, gaze dropping to the blood. “What’s that for?”

“Testing. I think we’re finally getting somewhere.”

“Somewhere good, I suppose?”

“Yes. Yes, of course.” He nodded and continued down the hallway. “We’ll talk soon.”

Janice stepped out from Ember’s room, smiling at Dr. Yoder.

I peered over at her. “How is she doing?”

“We’re … seeing something. Dr. Yoder believes it’s a sign of improvement, but …”

“But what?”

Janice softened her voice and pulled me to the side. “But I don’t think it is. Every day I see Ember, she keeps getting weaker, both physically and mentally. Yesterday, when you were in the bathroom, she told me”—tears formed in the corners of Janice’s eyes—“she sometimes feels ready to leave this world.”

My jaw twitched, and I bit down on my tongue, trying to suppress my anger, my pain, my fear of losing her. Pavel might have lived his entire life with her, but I had … loved her for so long. And to my wolf, she had become the mate we would never have.

How can she say such a thing when so many people love her?

Before I could say something stupid aloud, Janice placed her hands on my shoulders. “It’s common with people, especially humans, who contract diseases that only wolves should be able to get. It’s hard on their bodies. And Ember tries to ignore the pain. She talks as if it doesn’t affect her, but we know it does.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“It’s not your fault, nor hers. Don’t be angry with her, Reaper.”

“I’m not.” But, Goddess, it was damn hard. I balled my hand into a tight fist and turned toward the exit. “I’ll be back later to pick her up.” I needed some air and to pick up my girl some banana bread.

Our girl, my wolf murmured inside my head.

Was that what she was to us now? Ours?