The return to Edmond was supposed to be calm.
Diesel had pulled the tour bus up to the curb like it was any other oversized delivery truck — air brakes hissing, engine growling, front yard vibrating under the sheer weight of it. He killed the ignition and cracked his knuckles like a man clocking out of a three-week shift on Saturn.
The house sat mid-street looking like it always had, nestled between manicured lawns and identical mailboxes. But now it was the den again. Their den. Four bedrooms, three-car garage, one sacred jacuzzi tub, and zero chance of peace.
The band and crew spilled off the bus like a tactical deployment. Gabriel was first out, barepaw and yawning, a hoodie wrapped around his head like a makeshift cloak. Mark followed, silent and frowning, holding a half-unpacked case of lighting gels like he planned to hurl them at the HOA. Cassie, Maya, Rico, and Jonah stumbled after, arms full of duffel bags, leftover road snacks, and tangled cords.
Emily stood on the front lawn filming it all with her phone. “They’re gonna think this is a bit.”
“It’s not,” Mark muttered.
Thane opened the door to the house and was immediately hit with a wave of heat, dust, and the faint scent of pine-scented cleaning spray. He stepped inside, dropped his bag, and barely had time to exhale before Gabriel pushed past him with a box of cereal and declared, “Dibs on the couch, the grill, and the entire kitchen counter.”
What followed was pure, beautiful, unfiltered chaos.
Jonah set up a speaker in the living room and immediately began blasting EDM at full volume. Cassie dug through bags looking for her missing tour tank top, found a bottle of fireball instead, and yelled, “Close enough!” while pouring celebratory shots. Maya found a laundry basket and started using it as a makeshift drum. Rico sat in the middle of the hallway playing acoustic riffs and ignoring absolutely everything going on around him.
Thane retreated to his bedroom in search of solitude.
He opened the door and froze.
Gabriel was already sprawled across the Sleep Number bed, one arm over his eyes, tail flicking contentedly, clearly asleep. Emily was perched at the foot of the mattress, laptop balanced on her knees, editing footage of the Disney show with a pair of earbuds in. A bowl of popcorn sat beside her, half-eaten.
Thane blinked. “You two realize this is my bed, right?”
Emily looked up sheepishly. “It was the only quiet room. Kinda.”
From the hallway, Jonah’s voice screamed, “WHERE ARE THE BAGELS?!”
Gabriel didn’t even open his eyes. “Welcome home, Alpha.”
Thane exhaled through his nose and left them to it.
The backyard wasn’t much better. Someone had fired up the grill. Rico had migrated out there and was now jamming through a battery-powered amp while Jonah flipped burgers and Mark stood watch like a tired gargoyle.
What none of them expected was the fans.
They started as shadows peering in from the side fence. Then there were knocks at the door. Then more knocks. Then three teenagers scaling the wooden slats and landing in the grass mid-Instagram Live.
“GUYS! THEY’RE REALLY HERE! I CAN SEE GABRIEL’S FUR IN THE WINDOW!”
Mark muttered, “You’ll see your life flash before your eyes if you don’t back up.”
Cassie came out front in cutoff shorts, sipping a soda, and stopped cold when she saw a crowd had formed on the lawn. Kids, adults, neighbors with confused dogs, all trying to peek into the windows or casually “walk by” with phones held not-so-subtly in video mode.
Mrs. Halpern was back too. In lawn shoes. Holding a clipboard. She looked like she wanted to scream and also beg for an autograph at the same time.
“You can’t park a vehicle like that here,” she said, motioning at the bus.
Diesel leaned out the open window and yelled, “Can! Did! Thanks!”
Maya stood at the open garage door posing for selfies with a middle-aged dad in a Feral Eclipse tank top who looked like he was about to cry. Jonah, now shirtless and covered in barbecue sauce, handed out burgers to fans reaching over the fence like it was a county fair.
“Is this even legal?” Emily asked as she peeked out the kitchen window.
Thane passed behind her and deadpanned, “Only in Edmond.”
Inside, someone had discovered the jacuzzi tub.
Thane could hear it running through the wall — pounding music, sloshing jets, and what sounded suspiciously like Cassie and Maya singing “Take Me To Church” at the top of their lungs.
He pressed a clawed hand to the door and just walked away.
As night fell, the porch lights came on automatically and the backyard lit up with string lights someone had hung during the last hour. Neighbors were leaning on fences. Fans had camped out across the street. An entire group of teenagers with lawn chairs and chips set up shop under a tree like they were waiting for a movie to start.
Gabriel wandered onto the porch with a sandwich in one paw and an Angry Orchard in the other. “So, uh… we live here again?”
Thane stood beside him, arms crossed, staring at the crowd. “We try.”
“Think the HOA’s gonna come after us?”
“They’ll have to get in line.”
Gabriel laughed and leaned his head lightly against Thane’s shoulder. “Kinda missed this.”
“Yeah,” Thane murmured. “Me too.”
Behind them, a howl echoed from somewhere inside the house.
Jonah yelled, “GABRIEL ATE MY LEFTOVER WINGS AGAIN!”
And the street outside erupted in cheers.
Because even in suburbia, the wolves couldn’t hide. Not anymore.
And maybe that was okay.