The sun dipped lower over the emerald field, bathing the open-air venue in soft golden light as the backstage security gates groaned open for the VIP meet and greet. The crew had cordoned off a fenced-in area behind the main stage — complete with folding tables, branded backdrops, velvet ropes, and a tray of suspiciously fancy hors d’oeuvres that no one trusted.
Rico poked at a crab puff. “Why does it smell like feet?”
Cassie: “Because we’re in Ireland. It’s probably authentic.”
Jonah had already eaten three and was on the floor doing sit-ups. “It’s either protein… or poison. Let’s find out!”
Thane was reviewing the night’s schedule on his phone when he looked up to find a hundred screaming fans suddenly pressing against the barricades, holding signs, throwing t-shirts, waving glittery ears, and shrieking names like they were summoning deities.
Gabriel’s eyes lit up. “Ohhh yes. This is the GOOD chaos.”
Before anyone could stop him, he was at the ropes — hugging people, posing for selfies, signing someone’s ankle. A woman sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder while her husband tried to record the moment on a phone that was shaking like a leaf.
Thane muttered, “Here we go.”
Maya had a firm hand on crowd control, organizing fans into somewhat orderly rows while still barking orders like a field sergeant. “No biting, no climbing, no licking the werewolves!”
Cassie sang that last part into her mic just to mess with her. “♪ Noooooo liiicking the werewoooolves… ♪”
Mark, arms folded at the back, leaned against a truss and whispered to Emily, “This is the part where I pretend I’m deaf.”
Meanwhile, a small child was climbing his leg like a jungle gym.
Emily giggled. “He thinks you’re the big cuddly one.”
Mark deadpanned, “I will punt him into the fog machine.”
Gabriel took a moment between fans to notice a teen boy off to the side, clutching a worn leather-bound notebook and shaking. The boy didn’t come forward with the others.
Gabriel tilted his head. “Hey. You okay?”
The boy blinked like he’d been caught in a dream. “I… I wrote you a song. I mean, kind of. It’s not done. But… you helped me when I didn’t think I could do this anymore.”
Gabriel’s chaotic energy melted in a heartbeat. He walked over, took the notebook gently, and read a few lines. “This is beautiful.”
Then he looked the kid right in the eye. “You finish it. You promise me that. Music saved my tail more times than I can count. Now you let it save yours too.”
The boy nodded, tears spilling down his cheeks. “Thank you.”
Gabriel gave him the pick off his own necklace.
As the last few fans trickled through, someone pulled out a Bluetooth speaker, and suddenly there was impromptu dancing in the VIP zone. Jonah led a conga line. Cassie ended up sitting on Rico’s shoulders pretending to be ten feet tall. Thane attempted to keep people from setting anything on fire. Mark had found a corner where he was mostly left alone, sipping something dark and grumbling while trying not to smile at the insanity.
The Irish sunset burned low across the field, casting long shadows of chaos, laughter, and a pack of wild misfits doing what they did best.
Gabriel flopped back beside Thane, fur sweaty, eyes bright. “This is it, my wolf. This is what it’s all about.”
Thane snorted. “No, what it’s about is getting your ass on stage in fifteen minutes. Let’s go.”
Gabriel cackled and bolted toward the stage like a caffeinated comet, dragging the night into full musical eruption.