Knot My Band, Part One (Knot My Band #1)

Oli

DIRTY BETA GOSSIP COLUMN

WAS COMBINING OLI HART AND THE EDGE A GOOD IDEA? FANS FROM NIGHT ONE AREN’T SURE

March 31st

T he air backstage crackles with a kind of electric anticipation, the kind that makes every nerve in my body sing. I’m sitting cross-legged on a worn leather couch, surrounded by the alphas and some of the crew.

We are discussing any changes that need to be made after the first show. There are just some things you can’t know until you perform it live.

“, the light sequence during your second song needs a tweak,” Carl, our head of lighting, strides over with purpose in his eyes. The crew encircles us, their gazes flicking to me for confirmation more often than not.

“Absolutely,” I agree, excitement lacing my words.

“Consider it done,” he grins, scribbling notes onto a pad

“My microphone wasn’t the right height, so I couldn’t hit all my backup vocals. Could we move that?” Aiden asks nicely.

The crew takes note.

I hesitate before saying this next note, but in the end, I have to. “I think Dax’s base needs to be turned up. It wasn’t strong enough in ‘My Heart.’”

Dax’s glare is murderous. “Stay away from my bass. I make my own notes.”

I can’t help flinching at the venom in his voice.

“You want it turned up, then we will turn it up,” Rex, an alpha on the crew, says to me while staring Dax down.

I appreciate the loyalty.

Dax puffs up, but Jack cuts him off. “I had the same thought, Dax, and there’s no need to be defensive. We can all hear each other’s instruments differently.”

“Fine.”

“Lastly, I want to get into the crowd more. We have the stage in the back of the pit. Let’s make a line out to it, and I will perform our fourth and fifth songs from there,” I say.

I love crowd interactions more than anything.

Chase’s eyes widen, and he looks at the crew like he’s sure they’ll say no, but the crew and I have a better relationship than that.

“Got it. We’ll set up a path for you. Your wish is our command,” Lisa says, determination etched in her features.

“Really?” Chase asks, shocked.

I notice all the alphas are looking at the crew strangely.

“Of course. treats us well, so we treat her well. It’s yet to be said how we will feel about you,” Rex says.

I can’t hide my smile. “I bet they’ll win you over.”

Lisa rolls her eyes. “We will see. Better get dressed now. Your opener is going up soon.”

The crew leaves, and we get ready.

It’s madness behind the stage, with people running all over the place and fans who have somehow found their way back here.

“I’m going to see The Storm perform,” I let the guys know before heading to the door of the dressing room.

Jack shoots out of his seat. “I’ll go with you.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “I’m fine alone. You don’t need to babysit me.”

“We aren’t babysitting. We just want to spend time with you.” Chase moves next to Jack.

I’m not an idiot. They’re also being protective now that they know I’m their scent match, but I let it go with a nod.

Aiden hops up and follows us out.

People press around us from all sides, but the alphas keep a protective bubble around me. It looks like Dax joined us at the last second.

“ Hart! It’s Hart!” A woman shrieks before heading over to us.

There shouldn’t be fans back here before the show, but I still smile and wave.

However, the guys are not as nice when she tries to push through them to get to me.

“Stay back,” Dax snaps.

Chase is a little nicer when he adds, “Sorry, can’t get that close.” But his voice is strained and lacks its usual flirty quality.

I decide to ease the sting. “Sorry, we are about to go on! Great to meet you, though!”

Security finally comes up and escorts her away.

“We need tighter security back here,” Dax mumbles, arms crossed. His tone drips with irritation, starkly contrasting the warmth swelling within me.

I flash him a grin, refusing to let his mood dampen mine. “Worried about me, Dax? How sweet. ”

Dax grunts, and Chase pulls me to his side. “We want you safe.”

We stand there and watch The Storm perform. They’re incredible with high energy and girl power, making me wish I was a part of them. The set ends, and I hug each of them as they come off the stage.

“You were amazing!” I tell them.

Their genuine joy makes me so grateful I picked them. This means so much to them.

“Thanks, ! Kick ass out there!” Their lead singer, Hailey, tells me.

“Time for you all to go on,” someone comes over and says, interrupting us.

The guys seem hesitant to separate but I need to go below the stage for my entrance. Aiden squeezes my shoulder, Chase drops a kiss on my cheek, and Jack looks me in the eye and says, “See you out there. Stay safe.”

“Always.”

They move as one entity towards the stage, the cheers growing louder.

The lift brings me up, and I step into the blaze of lights, the room’s energy wrapping around me like a second skin.

I step into the spotlight, the roar of approval from the crowd fueling my soul. They chant my name.

“Are you ready, Denver?”I shout.

The screams are deafening in response. We move into our first song, one of mine about getting revenge that the fans love. It comes from personal experience with my ex, Daniel.

The music binds The Edge and me as we play song after song, the magnetic pull of our performance drawing us all closer.

“Chase Sullivan, everyone! ”

Chase plays a solo on the drums between songs as a sip of water trickles down my throat, refreshing me.

“This next song is one of The Edge’s. Let’s hope I can do it justice,” I say before moving into one of their darker songs.

The crowd loses some enthusiasm, but I keep putting energy in, hoping to excite them.

I know I need to do something to turn this around. As the lead singer, it’s my job to ensure the crowd is having fun, and I won’t let the band down by losing the fans during their songs.

My mind races with what to do.

Once the song ends, I hear Dax and Chase start up the next one, but I signal them to hold.

Dax looks pissed, and Chase is curious, but they listen to me and keep repeating the first cords.

“Now, Denver, I know you can do better than this!”

They cheer.

“I have a confession. The Edge was one of my absolute favorite bands before this tour, and I was quite a fan girl about getting to perform with them. So, who else here is like me and wants to scream for The Edge?” I shout the end into the microphone.

The fans go wild this time, as I knew they would. If they like me, they’ll want to support what I like. I’m lucky my fans feel that way and are so loyal.

I turn around and walk back towards the band, getting closer to them before nodding to start the next song.

Aiden smiles wide at me, Jack looks proud, and Chase is mesmerized.

Dax is, of course, still scowling.

This time, the crowd interacts and gets into the song with us, and I just know it will go better.