The last note still hung in the humid air, distorted and lingering like the tail end of a storm. The crowd at The Emberline was feral — sweaty, loud, glowing under the red backlights and fog. People were screaming. Crying. Clawing for guitar picks. Thane’s ears were ringing, but he didn’t care.

Backstage was a whirlwind.

Cassie was fanning herself with a merch flyer while chugging water.
Jonah had ripped his shirt and didn’t even realize it.
Mark was already unplugging lighting cables with quiet satisfaction.
Gabriel had vanished.

“Where the hell is he?” Thane asked, wiping sweat off his arms with a towel.

“He’s probably out front again,” Rico said, shrugging as he tuned down his guitar. “You know how he gets.”

“Security’s gonna tackle him one day,” Maya muttered, but she was smiling.

💥 Outside – 15 Minutes Later

The post-show crowd outside The Emberline was still buzzing like static. A few dozen fans lingered near the wrapped tour van, snapping photos, swapping phone numbers, yelling about favorite songs.

Gabriel had slipped outside again, blending in like only a charismatic black-furred werewolf could — by standing out just enough. He signed a hoodie, posed for a selfie with someone in a homemade “Wolves Don’t Tour – They Hunt” shirt, and tossed out guitar picks like candy.

Then he saw him.

A young kid, maybe ten or eleven, hovering at the edge of the crowd with a sketchbook clutched tightly to his chest. His oversized Feral Eclipse hoodie nearly swallowed him, sleeves falling over his hands. He wasn’t pushing to the front. Wasn’t shouting.

He was just watching.

Gabriel’s ears perked. He made his way over slowly, crouching to the kid’s level.

“Hey,” he said gently. “You okay out here, little wolf?”

The kid’s eyes went wide. “You’re really him.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Last time I checked. You got a name?”

“Eli.”

“Cool name. What’s that you’re holdin’?”

Eli hesitated, then slowly opened the sketchbook. Inside was a hand-drawn scene — Gabriel onstage, claws on the bass, eyes lit up, stage lights behind him like a halo of chaos. Not perfect. But raw. Powerful. Real.

Eli mumbled, “I… drew this after I saw you guys online. Been practicing bass ever since. I wanna play like you someday.”

Gabriel just stared at the drawing for a beat.

Then, without a word, he unbuckled the worn leather wristband from his arm — the one he always wore onstage — and carefully slid it onto Eli’s wrist.

“This one’s been on every stage I’ve ever played,” he said. “Now it’s yours. You keep practicing. And someday, you won’t be playing like me. You’ll be playing like you. And you’ll blow us all away.”

Eli just stood there, stunned. Then he looked down at the wristband like it was made of gold.

“I will,” he whispered.

Gabriel smiled, then stood and ruffled the kid’s hair. “Good. ‘Cause I wanna hear your name shouted from the stage one day.”

🌀 Back at the Van – Midnight

The band was finally loaded up, merch restocked, cables stowed, and fog juice replenished.

Cassie flopped into her seat. “We’re gonna feel that one tomorrow.”

Mark slid in last, shutting the van doors. “Worth it.”

Gabriel tossed himself next to Thane in the front, still buzzing. “That was insane. Did you see the crowd during ‘Rip the Chain’? They lost their minds. That pit was like a hurricane.”

“I saw Jonah try to stage dive into a guy eating nachos,” Thane said. “Did you fall off the monitor again?”

Gabriel stretched and yawned. “Maybe. I blacked out a little during the solo.”

Thane rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. The van rumbled to life beneath them.

“Where to next?” Jonah called from the back.

Thane looked at the GPS, then at Gabriel.

“Wherever the wolves roam,” he said.