The hotel wasn\u2019t fancy\u2014but it wasn\u2019t a roadside dive either. No buzzing flickering signs. No mystery stains. The sign out front even had all its letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cForest Glen Inn<\/em>,\u201d it read. Tastefully outdated. Floral bedspreads. Real keys on lanyards. A fridge that didn\u2019t hum like a generator on its last legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The band had claimed a cluster of rooms on the second floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cassie and Maya<\/strong> were already crashed, pizza box balanced between the beds. Thane and Gabriel ended up in a room with two queen beds, a working A\/C unit, and miracle of miracles\u2014quiet.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n They didn\u2019t say much at first. Just peeled off the day’s weight. Gabriel flopped belly-first onto the bed with a muffled groan<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy are beds so much better<\/em> after a show?\u201d he grumbled into a pillow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause you\u2019re not on a hard case lid in a tour van,\u201d Thane said, tossing his jeans into a corner and stretching with a satisfying shoulder-pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel rolled onto his back, tail draped over the edge of the bed. \u201cThat kid today\u2026\u201d His voice softened. \u201cThat was\u2026 I don\u2019t know. The way he looked at me. Like I was something bigger<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane sat on the opposite bed, elbows on his knees. \u201cYou are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane met his eyes. Calm. Solid. \u201cYou\u2019re his hero, my wolf. Just like you\u2019re mine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel blinked. \u201cThat\u2019s illegal. You\u2019re not allowed to say things like that before I\u2019ve emotionally decompressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane gave the faintest smirk. \u201cSue me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel chuckled, quiet and genuine. He rolled off his bed and padded over, dropping beside Thane, pressing their shoulders together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a while, they just sat like that\u2014shoulder to shoulder, fur to fur, listening to the hum of the A\/C and the muffled laughter from Jonah\u2019s TV next door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then Gabriel murmured, \u201cWe\u2019re gonna keep doing this, right? No matter how weird it gets?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane nodded once. \u201cWe\u2019ve fought too hard to stop now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another pause. Gabriel nudged his nose against Thane\u2019s cheek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane leaned into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo stage. No lights,\u201d Gabriel whispered. \u201cJust you and me. That\u2019s still my favorite show.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane huffed a soft breath. \u201cYou\u2019re getting sentimental, young<\/em> wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel grinned. \u201cDon\u2019t push it, old<\/em> wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They stayed like that for a long time, not talking. Just warm. Safe. Home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The hotel wasn\u2019t fancy\u2014but it wasn\u2019t a roadside dive either. No buzzing flickering signs. No mystery stains. The sign out front even had all its letters. \u201cForest Glen Inn,\u201d it read. Tastefully outdated. Floral bedspreads. Real keys on lanyards. A fridge that didn\u2019t hum like a generator on its last legs. The band had claimed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3222,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412\/revisions\/3222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Rico and Jonah<\/strong> had a sitcom marathon playing at full volume through the wall.
Mark<\/strong>, of course, was still in the van double-checking the lock codes on the lighting gear before he’d allow himself to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n