Page 39 of Stream Heat (Omega Stream #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Kara

I stared at my reflection in the monitor, steadying my breathing as the countdown in the corner crept closer to zero.

Five minutes until I went live and said what needed to be said.

My hand wasn't exactly steady as I fiddled with my headset, and I couldn't help but notice the hoodie I was wearing. Pack Wrecked. Theo’s, technically, though lately I’d stopped pretending that it mattered to anyone but me which pack member’s hoodie I was wearing.

It still smelled like him and was oddly grounding considering he was such a chaos gremlin, especially on a night when everything felt just one step from coming apart.

With nothing else to soothe my anxiety, I went through my notes again.

Not a script, I didn’t want to sound rehearsed, but a few bullet points, something to keep me anchored if things got messy.

Victoria’s Tokyo footage had been leaked as she’d promised and there was already backlash, but Jin, the med student who’d actually helped me, had told his side of the whole story turning the narrative inside out.

But I wasn’t really thinking about Victoria anymore.

Or at least I was trying not to, what I wanted to focus on was the other Omegas who were going through the same thing I was just in a less public way.

I needed to do this for them as much as for myself.

Malik caught me pacing in my room, occupying a patch of floor between my desk and the closet, arms full of discarded shirts. "You don't have to do this tonight," he said, voice low and careful, like he was trying not to spook a skittish animal. "Callie would understand if you wanted to reschedule."

"I need to do it," I answered, hating how my hands trembled as I pulled out another shirt, only to drop it right back. For some reason a hoodie felt too informal for this, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to take it off either. "If I wait, I'll just keep putting it off until I can't do it at all."

Jace looked over from the window, where he'd mostly been a silent shadow. "What are you afraid of?"

It was so blunt I almost flinched. "Everything," I admitted.

The word sounded stupid, but it was the truth.

I flopped onto my bed, the soft mattress mounded with more clothing than I'd worn in the last week.

"I'm afraid people will think I'm unstable.

That I can't hack it professionally. That Stella's already spun the story so tight, all I can do is tangle myself up in it.Not to even get into all the things that Victoria and the Nexus legal team are going to try and do to us. "

"And?" That was Reid, coming into the room and sitting beside me, patience and curiosity in every line of his posture. Theo and Ash were just behind him but both lingered closer to the door. I didn’t miss the smile that tugged at Theo’s lips when he saw me wearing his hoodie though.

"And that once I start talking about what happened, I won't be able to stop. That I'll go too far and make everything even worse."

I didn't have to spell out what "worse" looked like; none of them were strangers to that sensation. The room went quiet as they looked at each other, some silent pack communication passing across the crowded terrain of my dirty laundry and nerves.

Theo cleared his throat. "What if we stayed in the room with you?" he suggested, cautious, testing the waters.

"On camera?" I asked, heart jerking sideways.

He shook his head. "No. Just in the room. Backup. You know, in case."

The idea was warm and tempting. Too warm. I shut it down with a shake of my head. "This is on me. I have to prove I can handle my own stuff. I need to do this by myself, for myself.”

Ash raised an eyebrow. "No one does this stuff alone, not even streamers. It's all teams and mods and managers these days. People have support."

"I know," I said, rubbing my palms against my jeans. "But this, the talking part, that has to come from me. No shields, no filters. Plus, I think all the other Omegas that are going to be on the stream are alone and don’t have packs to back them up. Or at least Callie doesn’t, I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. ”

"Okay," Reid said, simple as that. "But we'll be here when you're done."

Something about the surety in his voice helped. No matter what happened on the stream, the aftermath wouldn't drown me. At least, not alone.

7:45 came up fast. I set up my rig, clicked through the tech checks, and joined Callie's stream as a guest just before the summit kicked off. Her chat was already moving so fast the words barely stuck before being washed away.

"Hey everyone," Callie said, a practiced ease in her greeting as my cam feed popped up beside hers.

"Look who I've got! A special guest tonight.

You've all seen Kara Quinn as QueenQuinnGaming when she kicks ass in FPS tournaments, and lately, you've seen her be really honest about Omega realities in gaming. "

QUEEN!

we missed you!

so good to see you

here for the drama

bet she breaks down again

I made myself breathe. I focused on the flood of support and tuned out the rest. "Hey, chat. Thanks for the welcome. And thanks, Callie, for having me on."

Callie didn't dilly-dally. "Let's get right to it. Tonight, it's real talk about what it's like being an Omega in streaming and esports. The good, bad, and the stuff no one ever wants to talk about."

"Definitely overdue," I said, latching gratefully onto her momentum. "So many myths about Omega creators. Might as well set things straight."

yes! need more honest discussions

this is so important

love seeing omega solidarity

Callie was all business. "Let's start with what's on everyone's mind. Kara, the other week you had a pretty public heat crash. For Omegas, that's the nightmare scenario. How are you actually doing?"

Direct. No sugarcoating or fake concern.

I could handle that. "Honestly? It's been rough.

It was my worst nightmare. I spent years hiding my designation, faking being Beta by using illegal suppressants.

Then all of that got blown wide open on a live stream, for everyone to see.

It felt like my career was over. And then it happened again. "

Callie narrowed in. "A lot of chat is asking about those suppressants. Why hide at all? Why risk it?"

I scrolled through the comments, fingers tight on my mouse.

"The suppressants were the only way my original agent said I'd get a shot.

She got them for me when I was sixteen. Way above the legal limit.

She told me straight out: If you want to be taken seriously, you have to be Beta.

And I believed her, because she was probably right.

Omegas get treated differently in this business. "

this is so brave

those suppressants are dangerous

why not just stream as omega from the start?

Callie jumped on that one. "Yeah, why not be openly Omega?"

I felt my jaw square up. "Because look at the way Omega streamers get treated. We're a joke, or a sex object, or both. Sponsors call us 'risky.' People care more about what our biology is doing than our gameplay. No one wants to talk about the actual skill."

"Preach," Callie said, a tired kind of agreement. "I've never denied being an Omega, but I also wasn’t vocal about it. That being said I've lost count of the DMs and comments, or how often brands drop off for no reason. I can understand why you would choose suppressants."

preach

the industry needs to change

both of you are so strong

"But suppressants backfire. They started wrecking my health. And hiding just made everything harder. When I crashed on stream, it forced me to admit what was happening."

Callie leaned forward, eyes alert. "So what now?"

I surprised myself by sounding steady. "Now I run my own story. I kind of fired my agent this morning, the one who pushed the suppressants, though in case that wasn’t clear," I paused and looked at the camera directly for a second. “Victoria, you’re fired.”

GOOD FOR YOU

that's awful

that's a lawsuit waiting to happen

Callie shook her head, disgust showing through. "That's beyond gross. Also illegal, for what it's worth."

"Definitely illegal," I echoed. "I'm already talking to lawyers. They are also looking into the other streamer who shared the medical information about me recently. Doxxing personal stuff is never okay no matter what reason you might have."

The chat rolled faster, mostly positive, a few voices stuck on what I'd do next.

Callie turned the question on me. "So, what's next for you? Are you planning to jump to a new agency? Or something else?"

"Not sure yet," I admitted, then found something solid to stand on.

"But whatever happens, I want to work with people who see me as a person, not a headline.

Maybe I'll try going independent. Maybe I'll find a rep that actually gets it.

But job one is never letting my biology be the headline ever again. "

love that attitude

we need more omega-owned content

would totally support independent quinn content

check out CreatorSpace platform, omega-friendly policies

Callie eyed the chat, then asked the question I knew was coming. "A lot of people want to know what's really up with Pack Wrecked. Are you friends, colleagues, or...?"

I could almost feel the pack on the other side of the wall, waiting for my answer.

"They've been good to me," I said. No point in lying, but I kept it controlled. "When I crashed, they came through. They made sure I was okay, physically and emotionally, and ran defense when the media wouldn't drop it. I'm grateful for their support."

friendship

they seem like good people

just friends sure

found family vibes

Callie smiled. "Everyone should have friends like that. When people show up in your lowest moments, that's what matters."