Page 142 of Stream Heat
“And whatever you choose,” Jace added from his post by the wall, “the pack has your back.”
A tightness in my chest loosened, and I glanced down at my arms, tracing the constellation of claim marks. Reid’s, for protection. Theo’s, for joy. Jace, understanding. Ash, steady foundation. Malik, always in the present moment.
“I want to do it all,” I told them, the truth clearer than it ever was. “Take down Victoria. Change the streaming policies. Show them designation isn’t a weakness, and it isn’t a caricature.”
Reid’s eyes sparked with satisfaction. “Then we’ll get started. Together.”
“After we eat!” Theo exploded, pulling a leather-bound album from his bags. “And after you open this.”
I took it, cautious. “What… is it?”
He couldn’t hold still. “Open it!”
The front said “Kara Quinn’s Journey” in neat gold foil. I flipped it open. The first page: a screenshot from one of my earliest streams, back when I still faked Beta so hard you could see it in the set of my jaw. The caption:Quinn Before: The Beta Facade.
I turned the page. It was my crash, the stream where I lost it, eyes blown and furious, the moment designation forced its way in.The Truth Revealed.
Page after page, the story unfolded, bits from early pack streams, snapshots of moments when I looked terrified, then raw, then at ease. The last filled page: the claiming; Reid’s bite, my face, the birth of new bonds. The caption:Authentically Omega, Unapologetically Badass.
Blank pages at the end, waiting for what came next.
“For the rest of your story,” Theo insisted, watching my face like he was worried he got it wrong. “Because it’s not over. Not even close.”
I hugged the album to my chest. No words for how much it meant.
“Thank you.” It was barely a whisper.
“Always,” Reid said. It was a promise.
We ate on the living room floor, Theo holding court with a blow-by-blow of his “dumpling battle” at the restaurant, everyone rolling their eyes but smiling anyway. I didn’t bother hiding the tears on my cheeks, not anymore.
This was my pack. My home. My life.
And whatever came next, I wasn’t fighting alone.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Kara
The number in the top of my screen was climbing like it had a grudge. Twenty thousand, thirty, then fifty before I’d even adjusted to the presence of so many eyes. More people than I’d ever had on a solo stream before. Not just my regulars, not just the die-hards. Everyone wanted to see what came next. All waiting for us, for me, for the story that had been circling the platform for months.
I cleared my throat. “Welcome, everyone,” I said, and even to my own ears, my voice sounded steady. A miracle, considering I was barely holding my shit together. “If you’re just joining, this is a special stream, not just from me, but from all of Pack Wrecked. We’ve got some things to talk about.”
Reid was on my right, his presence solid and grounding. On my left, Theo, vibrating like he might shoot straight out of his chair. Jace, Ash, and Malik rounded out the rest, each in their spot around the custom streaming table that Ash had built for us. Pack Wrecked, in the flesh. Six of us. Five claiming marks. No more hiding.
“First thing,” I went on, because I had to keep talking or I’d freeze, “thanks to everyone who’s supported me, and us, in thelast few months. All the messages, the stories, the solidarity. It’s meant more than I’ll ever be able to say.”
Reid leaned in, not even waiting for a cue. “We’ve seen the questions flooding in, especially since the claiming incident. Today’s about answering them head-on. No bullshit, no PR. Just us talking about what it’s really like to be a pack in this industry.”
“And what it means to be an Omega in competitive gaming,” I added, my hand drifting automatically to the claiming mark on my shoulder. There it was. Out in the open. “But let’s be clear about what this stream is, and what it isn’t.”
Theo bounced, probably cracking the base of his chair but not giving a shit. “It’s not designation porn, you thirsty degenerates.”
“Theo,” Malik sighed, but there was a smile on his face; he never could keep a straight face around Theo’s antics.
“What? You know half the chat’s here hoping for heat content or knot talk.” Theo grinned, wonder in his eyes like he couldn’t believe we were finally doing this.
I rolled my eyes, and I didn’t hate it. “The point,” I said, “is that while we’re being open about pack dynamics, we’re not here to play into designation fetishization. Representation, not exploitation.”
