When I agreed, a flicker of surprise crossed Caleb’s face. “Zoe, you’ve really changed. You’re so much more understanding now. I didn’t think you’d say yes,” he said with a smile.
“Ruby doesn’t have long. Whatever she asks for, I just want to give it to her. As the Luna of the pack, it’s my duty to care for every member.” My tone was calm, almost indifferent.
Caleb froze for a moment, then beamed and pulled me into a hug. “I’m so proud to have such a generous Luna by my side.”
We picked up Ruby first. She walked straight toward the front passenger seat and said, “Zoe’s here too? I know you two are the real mates and the front seat technically belongs to you, but I get carsick. Do you mind letting me have it?”
Caleb shut her down immediately. “No. The front seat is Zoe’s. You’ll be fine in the back. It’s only a ten-minute drive.”
“But being carsick makes me nauseous. It could trigger my silver poisoning…” Ruby gave me a pitiful look, like I was somehow the reason she had been poisoned.
“It’s fine,” I said before anyone else could speak. “You can take the front. I’ll sit in the back.”
The whole ride, Ruby cheerfully chattered about food, travel spots, and fun things she wanted to do. Her energy was high, and her skin was glowing. She didn’t look sick at all.
Meanwhile, I was the one who was truly dying. My organs were already shutting down from advanced Wolf Dissolution Disorder. If I hadn’t taken a whole bottle of painkillers before we left, I wouldn’t have even made it out the door.
Ruby switched back to her frail, near-death act. One moment, she was asking Caleb to stand in line for her, and the next, she sent him off to pick up her test results.
After the check-up, she turned to him with a twinkle in her eyes. “Caleb, I’ve never been to an amusement park. I heard that if you make a wish at the top of the Ferris wheel, it comes true.”
Caleb looked at me, clearly conflicted. “Ruby, Zoe probably isn’t into places like that.”
He said it because he knew that I was terrified of heights.
“Caleb…” Ruby clung to his arm, whining coquettishly. “Just this once, please? I’m about to die, and this is my only wish. Can’t you at least make this one thing come true?”
Worn down, he gave in.
