Page 48 of Stream Heat (Omega Stream #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Kara

"Holy shit," Theo exhaled, his eyes flicking wildly over his laptop. "It's everywhere. Major gaming sites, pop culture mags. Even mainstream news is picking it up."

I watched the scrolling feed. The headline was a hammer blow:

SYSTEMATIC SUPPRESSANT ABUSE: How Talent Agencies Endangered Omega Creators for Profit .

Sarah Kiminski had delivered everything she promised and more. It was a surgical, devastating exposé, with my story front and center and then peeling back the curtain to show the rot that lay underneath.

"Listen," Malik said, voice tense as he read off his tablet.

"'Sources confirm that Nexus Management provided illegal suppressants to at least sixteen Omega clients over a five-year period, with dosages reaching dangerous levels that medical experts say could have caused permanent organ damage or death. '"

"It gets worse," Ash said, voice low and brittle. "Kiminski included screenshots. Internal emails from Victoria, talking about 'biology management' for specific clients. Financial statements, payments to sketchy pharmaceutical suppliers."

My skin crawled. It was one thing to know I'd been Victoria's victim, but seeing it laid out in clinical, undeniable language, that I'd just been a cog in a bigger, predatory operation designed to break down vulnerable kids for cash, I felt hollow. Used.

"What about the other victims?" I asked finally, jaw clenching. "Did Sarah protect them?"

"Looks like it," Reid replied, eyes glued to the article. "A few went on the record with their names. The rest got anonymity, but you can see their stories woven in. She kept the focus on Nexus and the perpetrators, not the victims."

"And the response?"

Jace didn't look up from his phone. "Mixed. Like you predicted. But... trending heavy toward support."

He was right. Scrolling through, it was obvious how much the article hit a nerve. Omega creators sharing their own horror stories. Medical doctors explaining how dangerous illegal suppressants could be. Industry heavyweights shocked, demanding reform and accountability.

But backlash. Of course there was backlash, and it was ugly.

@NexusLegal: Ms. Quinn's allegations are currently under legal review. We stand behind our former employee Victoria Smith and question the timing of these unsubstantiated claims.

@AlphaGamingElite: Convenient how Quinn becomes a victim the moment her career tanks. Some people will say anything for attention.

@TradStreaming: This is what happens when you give Omegas platforms they can't handle. Biology always wins in the end.

That last one made my hands curl into fists. It's always the same. Even with evidence, even with receipts, there are people who will read my story and see it as proof Omegas can't hack it. Like I'm the problem, not the system.

"Don't read the negative stuff," Reid said gently, because he noticed things like that.

"I have to," I said. "I need to know exactly what we're up against." I kept scrolling, mapping the patterns in real time. "They're not even arguing the facts. They're just aiming straight at me. Shoot the messenger, ignore the message."

"Classic," Malik muttered. "If you can't fight the evidence, fight the person."

"But is it working?" I asked. "Are people actually buying this smear campaign?"

Theo flashed his screen. "Look at the ratio. Every hostile tweet is getting absolutely buried under people calling them out, linking the article, demanding change."

He was right again. For every toxic comment, there were dozens of people pushing back.

The story wasn't just on my feed, it had caught fire way beyond the streaming world, sparking threads about workplace dynamics, medical autonomy, consent, and corporate ethics across entertainment, sports, even regular tech.

"This is bigger than just streaming," I said, watching as athletes and actors echoed my experience, talking about the same pressure to chemically rewrite their bodies for a brand.

Ash nodded. "That's probably why the response is so heavy. You didn't just blow up one person. You exposed a system with a lot of powerful people invested in it."

My phone rang. "It's Jennifer," I said before answering. "My lawyer."

"Kara," Jennifer said, not bothering with small talk. "The response to the article has been... significant."

"Significant good or significant bad?"

"Both," she said, crisp. "Nexus is threatening a massive defamation suit against you, Sarah Kiminski, and StreamWatch. They're claiming the article destroyed their business. Demanding public retractions."

My spine iced over. "Can they do that?"

"They can threaten. But here's the reality, the article is bulletproof. Every claim is documented. Sarah Kiminski's team pulled financials, emails, medical testimony. If Nexus tries to drag this to court, they'll have to open up their own records for discovery."

"So it's a bluff?"

"A loud, expensive bluff. But that's not all..." A pause, and then, "I've just been contacted by three separate law firms. They're representing Omega creators who want to join a class action against Nexus. Looks like your story gave them the last push they needed to come forward."

My head spun. "An actual class action?"

"Potentially. If enough victims sign on, it won't be just about your settlement. It'll be a legal case big enough to force real changes in the industry."

After Jennifer hung up, I sat back on the couch.

The pack closed ranks around me, quietly watching, like they could sense the way my brain was oscillating between numb and wild.

Twenty-four hours ago, my entire life was a salvage operation.

Now, overnight, there was a possibility of changing how the entire damn industry handled Omegas.

Reid broke the silence first. "How do you feel about the class action?"

"Terrified," I said, the word sticking in my throat. "But also... like it's the only thing that makes sense. Like it's what I should do."

"You don't have to make a decision now," Malik said gently. "Let yourself breathe. Let the adrenaline come down before you commit to anything."

"I know," I said. "But part of me thinks if I don't move fast, I'll lose my nerve. Or worse, the moment will pass and nothing will change."

"Or you'll make a decision you'll regret, just to keep momentum going," Jace put in, so quietly I almost missed it.

Before I could answer, my phone buzzed with another message. From Callie.

Holy shit that article was incredible. Want to do a follow-up stream? Let people hear directly from you about what's next?

I held up my phone so the others could see. "Callie wants to do a follow-up. Joint stream, prime time. Questions, answers, next steps."

"Do you want to?" Theo asked.

"I think so," I answered, thinking out loud. "People have questions. I'd rather answer them myself than give the trolls room to invent a narrative for me."

"When?" Reid asked.

"Tomorrow night. Same time slot as the article dropped."

"That's soon," Ash said.

"Maybe too soon," Malik added. "You've been running on fumes for weeks, Kara. You sure you want to take on another blast of public scrutiny?"

I looked around. They were all watching me with the same look: worry, patience, hope I wouldn't burn myself out. And I realized, for the first time, that maybe I didn't want to do this alone.

"What if it wasn't just me?" I said, slowly. "What if some of you joined? Not to speak for me. But just to be there. Show the world I'm not isolated, not unsupported. Show them what healthy Alpha support looks like."

That seemed to knock them off their script.

"You mean us. On camera. With you?" Reid clarified.

"Yeah," I said. "I want people to see that this is not about some sad, single Omega making things up. It's about context, community, the difference between what Victoria did and what real support looks like."

"It would send a message," said Theo, after a moment.

"But it would also put all of you in the public eye," I pointed out. "People will have opinions. About us. About you, and your roles in my life. Are you actually okay with that?"

Five pairs of eyes flicked back and forth. That weird Alpha silent messaging thing.

"We're in," Reid said. "If you think it helps you tell your story better, that's what we want."

"All of you?"

"All of us," Jace said, closing the circle.

A warmth flushed over me, steady and grounding. "Okay. I'll tell Callie it's a group stream. Six of us. No scripts, just real conversation about support, consent, and what healthy relationships look like, even in a pressure cooker industry like this."

As I typed my response, I realized it was the first thing all day that felt.

.. right. Not the exposé, not the trending hashtags, not even the lawsuit.

But this. Telling the world what real, honest support looked like.

Showing the difference between being used and being cared for. Isolation, versus a pack at your back.

Tomorrow night, they'd see it for themselves.

And maybe, just maybe, someone out there would realize what they truly deserved, too.