Page 63 of Stream Heat (Omega Stream #1)

Hard to miss. The platform executives have been calling non-stop. So have sponsors. Apparently authentic designation content is the new marketing gold standard.

I let out a snort of laughter. For years I thought my designation would be my downfall, the reason I’d never have a career. Now it was the thing everyone wanted to put on their brand.

Where are you all?

I asked, because now I actually wanted to know.

Secret mission. Home in an hour. Rest while you can.

The old me would have been twitching at the cryptic brush-off. Now? I just rolled my eyes and finished my tea.

I moved to the window, mug warm between my hands, and watched the light shift through the leaves.

Three months ago, I was still pretending to be a Beta, pumping myself full of illegal suppressant cocktails just to keep up the lie.

Then, I’d moved into this house thinking I’d drawn firm lines, that the pack was just a “business arrangement.” Finally, I stopped fighting.

Gave up the losing war I’d been waging with my own nature.

And now? Reid had claimed me on camera for the entire world to see. Now everything was different. Or maybe everything had always been this way, and I was only seeing it clearly now.

I traced the marks. Reid’s on my left shoulder, Theo’s on my right. Jace at my wrist, Ash at the back of my neck. Malik’s, still settling in at my elbow. Each bite was its own signature, its own story. Each one a choice.

My phone pinged, a new message from the streaming platform.

Dear Ms. Quinn,

In light of recent events, we are pleased to inform you that your partnership status has been fully reinstated with upgraded benefits.

Additionally, we would like to invite you to participate in our newly formed Designation Diversity Advisory Board to help shape more inclusive policies for creators of all designations.

The unprecedented response to your recent content has demonstrated a clear market demand for authentic designation representation. We believe your unique perspective would be invaluable as we work to create a more equitable streaming environment.

Please contact us at your earliest convenience to discuss this opportunity.

Sincerely,

Marcus Stein

Head of Creator Relations

I didn’t even know what to do with that. All my old nightmares, the ones where my career vanished after the heat crash, after the claiming bite, after all the ugly truth came out, they ended up inverted. Now they wanted me to help write the new rules.

New notification, this time from Theo.

Check the front door in 10 minutes. Don’t peek early or you’ll ruin the surprise!

Of course it was Theo. That was the only guarantee here, chaos, excitement, probably sugar, maybe confetti.

I set a timer and killed the next few minutes scrolling #OmegaRights and #PackProtection. Other creators were joining the chorus, brands tripping over themselves to apologize for old decisions, tournaments hurrying to announce that they “supported creators of all designations.” It was a landslide.

When the timer went off, I headed for the door. Whatever my pack had cooked up, I was curious enough not to hesitate.

There wasn’t anybody waiting outside, just a massive shipping box with a VortexTech logo blazing across the side. I knew it at a glance, it was the company that dumped me after my heat crash. Slightly surreal that they were back, but I dragged the package in anyway, opened it on the kitchen table.

Inside, there was a custom streaming rig, all clearly tailored for Omega sensory needs. There was even a note:

Ms. Quinn,

We made a mistake in our hasty termination of our partnership. Your recent authenticity has inspired us to develop a new line of designation-adaptive gaming equipment, and we would be honored if you would consider being the face of this initiative.

This prototype was developed in consultation with medical experts specializing in designation-specific sensory processing. We hope it might help address some of the challenges you’ve spoken about regarding your streaming experience post-suppressants.

Please consider this a small first step in making amends for our shortsighted decision.

Sincerely,

VortexTech Gaming

I reread it, lips pressed tight. Part of me wanted to laugh, part of me wanted to scream. The thing that made them drop me was now the whole basis for a “new initiative.” Figures.

Engines rumbled up the driveway, ripping my attention away from the gear. Three cars pulled in, not subtle, not even a little. I watched through the front window as my Alphas tumbled out, arms full. Boxes, bags, flowers, takeout containers. It was a parade.

Reid spotted me and gestured to hold back, like he thought I’d ruin the surprise if I came out early. I obeyed. This was their game, and I was just along for the ride.

They filed inside, one after another. Reid was carrying restaurant takeout and looking like he expected a fight at any moment.

Theo had a rainbow of assorted gift bags.

Jace was balancing a stack of crisp, perfectly-wrapped boxes.

Ash lumbered in with electronics. Malik last, steady as always, held flowers and what looked like a small stack of legal folders.

I stared. “What is all this?”

“Celebration supplies,” Theo announced, bouncing straight over to the table. “For your official ‘No More Hiding’ party!”

“My what?” I laughed, but it came out a little strangled.

“We saw what’s happening online,” Reid said, setting everything down and coming to stand close, practiced calm hiding an edge of pride. “How the claiming incident has gone viral, how other Omegas are finding courage in your story.”

“And we thought it deserved a proper celebration,” Malik added, handing me the flowers. He always picked calming ones, the kind that didn’t overwhelm the nose.

“But that’s not all!” Theo was practically vibrating. He elbowed Ash, who dropped a pile of what I now recognized as pro-grade streaming gear on the chair. “Show her, Ash!”

Ash’s voice was low and matter-of-fact. “We’ve been meeting with legal teams all morning. Building a case against Nexus Management and Victoria Smith.”

My jaw dropped. “What?”

“That call we recorded,” Reid reminded me. “When Victoria offered you illegal suppressants, even knowing what they did to you. Direct evidence. Not just your word against hers.”

Jace shifted forward, placing a hand on the back of the couch. “Combined with your medical records and what other creators have come forward to share, there’s enough for an investigation.”

Malik flipped one of the folders open. “Three designation rights organizations want to sponsor the case. If it goes forward, it could change the way creators are protected. Set precedent.”

I dropped onto the couch. My legs wouldn’t hold me. “You’ve been working on this all day?”

“And fielding sponsorship offers,” Theo piped up, already rummaging through his haul. “You would not believe the emails. Apparently ‘authentic Omega representation in gaming’ is the new hot thing.”

Reid crouched next to me. “What happened on that stream? It’s not just big for us. It’s a shift. The old story is dead. The new one is yours to shape, Quinn.”

“And we wanted you to have all the options,” Malik said, practical and a little gentler than necessary.

I looked around at the five of them, each bringing something different to the table, like always. “Options?”

Reid nodded. “For the first time, you’re not choosing between survival and success. The platform wants you on their policy board. Sponsors want you. Legal teams want your testimony. Or you can tell them all to get lost and just stream.”

Theo grinned. “That’s the best part of having options. You get to say no, too.”

“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.