Page 145 of Stream Heat
Reid squeezed my hand under the table, “How are you?”
I thought about it. Really thought. “Lighter,” I said, and it was true. “Like I finally stopped hiding.”
“Freedom looks good on you,” Theo crowed, stretching so hard I could practically hear his spine crack. “Now, who’s hungry? Representing so authentically works up an appetite.”
I rolled my eyes, but it felt different now. Easier. As we left the streaming room, Theo charged ahead, already talking menus, Jace walked beside me in silence, Ash and Malik trailing, and Reid’s fingers hooked through mine. The moment didn’t need words. I could feel it. The pack bonds were humming, almost giddy with relief.
My phone was blowing up with notifications, but for once, I ignored them. Let the world have its opinions. The only thing that mattered right now was the five people beside me.
“You know how nuts it’s going to get now,” Theo called from the kitchen. “Sponsorships, collabs, DM’s full of wild shit. Someone’s going to try to sell us heat-friendly game chairs, I guarantee it.”
“Theo,” Malik said, but he couldn’t hide the smile.
“What? It’s a thing. First openly claimed Omega in gaming? People are going to lose their minds.”
“He’s right,” Ash interjected. “We’re positioned to define the market for designation-adaptive tech. It’s a business opportunity.”
Reid, ever the leader, simply said, “We’ll evaluate everything. But our image, our message, stays ours. No exploitation.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “I want to use this for actual change. Policies, protections, real consequences for abusers pushing suppressants.”
Jace nodded. “Three more streamers called the legal team today. Victoria’s losing her grip.”
“Good,” I said, letting the satisfaction roll through me. “The bigger the case, the better.”
Theo whipped up food with zero finesse but twice the enthusiasm. We gathered around the table, everyone else in their favorite spots, and it was good. It was right.
Five bonds hummed through my skin, all different. All irreplaceable.
“To Kara,” Reid said, raising a glass. “For finding her voice. For showing more courage than most of us could in a lifetime.”
“And to the pack,” I said, raising mine in return. “For seeing me even when I couldn’t see myself.”
Glasses clinked. Laughter echoed. I breathed in, held it, let it out. For the first time in forever, it felt easy.
Three months ago I’d have rather died than admit I was an Omega to fifty thousand strangers. Now here I was, claiming marks in full view, talking pack dynamics. Stronger, not weaker.
The journey had been rough, ugly, sometimes terrifying, but looking at these five faces, I knew I wouldn’t change a thing.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Kara
I woke before I was ready, my body humming with a nervous anticipation my mind hadn’t caught up to. Something was off. I got out of bed, pulling on one of Reid’s hoodies that had found its way into my nest. I didn’t even pretend it was accidental these days. I was an Omega with a nest. There was no point hiding what I was anymore. The hoodie still smelled like him. That used to be embarrassing. Now, it just felt safe.
I padded quietly into the hall and immediately heard it, whispers, not-quite-hushed, from the living room. I slowed my steps.
“She’s going to wake up soon,” Theo was saying, just barely keeping a lid on his energy. “Is everything ready?”
“Almost,” Ash answered, deep and even. “Final calibrations are done.”
“She’s awake,” Jace said, perfectly calm. “Standing in the hallway.”
Of course Jace knew. He always knew. He was the only one who ever saw me coming before I wanted to be seen.
Theo’s head popped around the corner, grinning so big I couldn’t help but smile, just a little. “Quinn! Perfect timing! We have a surprise for you!”
Reid appeared behind him, radiating the barely restrained patience of someone who dealt with Theo twenty-four hours a day. “A surprise that was supposed to be ready before she woke up,” he said, which did nothing to dampen Theo’s enthusiasm.
