The roar of the crowd still echoed in Thane\u2019s ears as the pack filed offstage, high on adrenaline and the smell of sweat and electricity. Gabriel bumped shoulders with Jonah, who was practically glowing. Maya and Rico fist-bumped mid-jump. Even Cassie, usually cool after a show, let out a breathless, giddy laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then the hallway got quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Too quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the corner where the backstage corridor bent toward the dressing rooms, the headliner\u2019s lead singer stood leaning against the wall, arms folded over a vintage leather jacket. His face was carved granite\u2014expressionless, but his narrowed eyes spoke volumes. Beside him, their bassist clutched a bottled water like it was a weapon. Their crew flanked them like palace guards, every one of them giving the pack that same bitter, territorial glare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel saw it first and grinned, because of course he did. \u201cHey, old dogs. Fun show, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No answer. Just a cold, controlled silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thane stepped forward, calm but deliberate, with his massive clawed hand still gripping a coiled XLR like a leash. \u201cSomething you want to say?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lead singer pushed off the wall and stepped forward just enough to crowd the hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou think because you got the crowd hot for five songs, you’re gods now?\u201d he said, voice like gravel in a blender. \u201cThis is our show. Our name on the tickets. You\u2019re lucky you even got a slot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel\u2019s tail flicked once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t ask for a slot,\u201d he replied coolly. \u201cWe earned<\/em> it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou earned an ego,\u201d the bassist muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maya stepped in now, fire behind her eyes. \u201cYou mad the fans liked us better, or that you finally realized they\u2019ve moved on?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of their guitarists scoffed. \u201cYou\u2019re a gimmick. A circus act. A band with dog costumes and social media clout.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane didn\u2019t flinch, but the hallway seemed to constrict around him as he took a slow, measured step forward. His claws clicked once on the concrete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re wolves,\u201d he said simply. \u201cNot mascots. And I suggest you learn the difference before one bites.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was not a threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a fact.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The tension spiked like a feedback squeal, crackling in the air. The headliner\u2019s crew bristled, but nobody moved. Nobody dared. Even the stage manager, who\u2019d come barreling in to break things up, suddenly found something fascinating on the floor instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, of all people, Mark strolled out from the dressing room, a protein bar in one hand and his tablet in the other, oblivious to the blood pressure in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Glanced around at the tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then took a loud, slow bite of his protein bar and said casually, \u201cWell\u2026 this is awkward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The moment cracked. Cassie snorted. Jonah outright laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The headliner\u2019s lead singer scowled and turned away, brushing shoulders with Thane as he passed. \u201cYou\u2019ll burn out,\u201d he muttered. \u201cAll of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel watched him go, then leaned toward Thane. \u201cShould I have told him that our merch sales tonight beat their last three cities combined?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane smirked. \u201cLet him find out when he checks the numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later that night, as the van pulled away from the stadium with the full moon rising overhead, the pack was still buzzing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They hadn\u2019t just stolen the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019d claimed their territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And no aging rock god was gonna take it back without a fight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The roar of the crowd still echoed in Thane\u2019s ears as the pack filed offstage, high on adrenaline and the smell of sweat and electricity. Gabriel bumped shoulders with Jonah, who was practically glowing. Maya and Rico fist-bumped mid-jump. Even Cassie, usually cool after a show, let out a breathless, giddy laugh. Then the hallway […]<\/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-542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542","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=542"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3172,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542\/revisions\/3172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}