The ceremony was over.
The crowd was still buzzing in the plaza, but most of the pack had already been whisked back toward the tour bus by the city liaison and a few extremely starstruck officers. Even Gabriel had gotten pulled aside by a fan trying to show him a bass riff tattooed on her forearm.
Thane needed a moment.
He slipped away behind city hall, down a quiet access ramp shaded by brick walls and metal piping. His claws clicked softly on the concrete as he walked, the weight of the oversized ceremonial key still cradled in one paw. It was shiny. A little ridiculous. It felt like holding an award for surviving a fever dream.
He leaned against the cool brick wall, exhaled slowly, and let the noise of the city dull behind him.
“Excuse me…?”
A small voice piped up from the shadows near the ramp’s edge. Thane turned, claws twitching slightly on instinct.
A kid — maybe eleven or twelve — stood there with wide brown eyes and a too-big Feral Eclipse hoodie hanging off their shoulders. Their dad stood just a few steps behind, holding a phone awkwardly like he hadn’t meant to interrupt anything. The kid stepped forward, hands behind their back, voice barely above a whisper.
“I… I just wanted to say you’re my favorite.”
Thane blinked.
The kid swallowed. “Not just ‘cause of the music. I mean… yeah, your shows are awesome, but it’s more like… I’m different too. And seeing you up there—being all big and loud and proud of it—I don’t know, it makes me feel like maybe I can be proud too.”
Thane’s chest tightened a little. He knelt down slowly, bringing himself to the kid’s height, careful not to loom too much.
“What’s your name?”
“Javi.”
Thane offered a paw, trying to avoid being intimidating.
Javi shook it like it was a sacred ritual. “Your paws are huge.”
“I get that a lot,” Thane said softly.
There was a quiet pause before Javi pulled something from behind his back—a drawing. Crayon on folded notebook paper. It showed Thane mid-leap, claws out, fangs bared—but with a huge grin. Little stick-figure fans below were all howling with hearts above their heads.
“I drew this after I saw you online last night,” Javi explained. “I didn’t think I’d actually get to meet you.”
Thane took it carefully, looking at the wild colors, the joy in the lines, the way his own gray streaks had been drawn in with silver Sharpie. His throat caught for a moment.
“You’re a good artist, Javi,” he said. “You’ve got guts. And heart. Don’t ever hide those.”
Javi beamed, shy and thrilled all at once. His dad stepped forward with the phone.
“Can I…?”
Thane nodded. He crouched a little lower and let Javi throw both arms around his thick furred neck. The photo snapped — one werewolf, one kid, one perfect moment.
As Javi waved goodbye and the pair disappeared around the corner, Thane looked down at the crayon drawing again. Then at the oversized key in his other hand.
He tucked the key under his arm and carefully folded the drawing, slipping it into his chest pocket like it was treasure.
Behind him, Gabriel peeked around the corner.
“There you are,” he said, tail swaying gently. “We were starting to think you ran off with your shiny new key.”
Thane stood, still smiling faintly. “Had a better moment than any ceremony.”
Gabriel grinned. “Let me guess. Small human. Big heart.”
“Exactly.”
They walked back to the bus together, side by side, as the sun started sinking into the west.