Page 90 of Holly Jolly Heat
Within my social media monitoring I’d been tracking sentiment, identifying potential troll accounts, flagging coordinated harassment campaigns before they could start. I'd already identified three suspicious accounts that looked like Matthew Malone's people trying to seed negative narratives.
Banned preemptively. Problem solved.
For tech I’d triple-checked every camera angle, every audio input, every backup system. This stream couldn't fail. The stakes were too high.
Threat assessment was harder though. I’d mapped out worst-case scenarios and set contingency plans in place. If the stream got raided by trolls? I had mod protocols ready. If Michelle panicked mid-stream? We had transition points planned. If Matthew tried to interfere? Well, I had plans for that too.
"You've been at that laptop for hours," Ro observed, appearing in the study doorway with coffee. "Take a break."
"I'm fine."
"You're in full security mode. Which means you're stressed." He set the coffee beside me. "Dex. We've got this. Michelle's got this. You don't have to protect her from everything."
"Yes, I do. That's what I do."
"You protect her from physical threats. This is a different kind of battle."
"All battles need security protocols." I accepted the coffee, taking a long drink. "Matthew Malone is smart. He'll try something today. I need to be ready."
"You've been ready since you woke up. Now you need to pace yourself." Ro settled into the chair across from me. "How's Michelle?"
I reached through the bond, checking. "Anxious. Determined. Currently drafting talking points for the fifth time. Lucas is with her, trying to get her to eat breakfast."
"And failing?"
"And failing. She's in full work mode. Food is an afterthought."
"We'll make her eat before the stream. Can't change the industry on an empty stomach." Ro studied me. "How are you? Really?"
I considered the question. How was I?
"Angry. At Matthew Malone for threatening our pack. At the industry for making Michelle feel like she has to choose between career and us. At myself for not—" I stopped.
"For not what?"
"For not seeing this coming. I should have anticipated that someone would weaponize the pack bond against her. Should have prepared her. Should have?—"
"Dex." Ro's voice was firm. "You can't predict everything. And Michelle wouldn't have listened anyway. She needed to work through her own fears first before she could face external threats. You know that."
He was right. But it didn't make the protective instinct any quieter.
"I want to eliminate the threat," I admitted. "Matthew Malone, the ethics committee, anyone who makes her doubt herself. I want to remove every obstacle."
"You can't fight this battle for her. She has to fight it herself. But you can stand beside her while she does." Ro smiled slightly. "Which is what you're already doing. Security protocols, threat monitoring, making sure the tech doesn't fail? That's how you protect her in this. By ensuring she has the tools she needs to succeed."
"And if she fails anyway?"
"She won't. But if things don't go perfectly, we adapt. We handle it. Together." He stood. "Come on. Janet's making breakfast and Michelle needs to see her pack united and confident. We can't all be spiraling."
He was right. Michelle needed our strength right now, not our worry.
I closed my laptop and followed Ro to the kitchen.
Turned out Janet had made her entire breakfast catalog, pancakes, eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, coffee strong enough to strip paint. The kitchen smelled amazing and felt warm, but I could feel the tension underneath the domestic scene.
Michelle sat at the table with her laptop, not eating, typing furiously.
Lucas sat beside her, periodically pushing her plate closer with pointed looks that she ignored.
