FAZER LOGIN"Did you catch the feed?" Camila asked, her voice hushed as the silver-haired Mrs. Delgado settled under the roaring dryer."What feed?" Isaac didn't look up from his shears."The one the entire San Antonio pack is howling about!" Camila scoffed at the blank stare he threw back. "You seriously haven't seen the clip Santiago posted on the network?""Santiago posted a clip?""Yeah.""Regarding what?" Isaac stopped mid-snip."You, Isaac. Just you.""Me?" Isaac’s heart thudded against his ribs. "Hand it over. My phone is charging in the back office.""Then your notifications are probably blowing up the building. Look." Camila flipped her screen, thumbing the volume toggle until Santiago’s gravelly, Alpha rasp filled the Bella Vida Salon. Isaac stood paralyzed as the deep vibration of the warrior’s voice echoed through the shop."Well?" Camila pressed once the screen went black.Isaac threw his hands up, nearly dropping his comb. "I can't believe he’s that reckless. He just invited every t
"That’s exactly what Derek was doing." Camila spat the words like they were venom. "Sniffing around for a higher-ranking mate while he kept you on a short leash."Isaac didn't look up from the counter. "He wasn't looking for better. He just wanted variety. Typical Alpha greed.""And you think Santiago Vega is different?"Isaac paused. "He doesn't run with a pack. He doesn't even have a scent on him from another wolf. Yet he's playing this game with me.""To gut Derek's pride," Camila countered. "To keep his claws off Derek's throat so the league doesn't ban him. Vega just wants that contract extension.""Maybe." Isaac’s grip tightened on a bottle of scent-blocker. "But the way he looks at Derek... that grudge is older than this season. You don't hunt a man like that without a blood debt."SantiagoMy gut felt like it had been shredded by silver. I’d treated Isaac like property earlier, and the memory made my skin crawl. I’d offered a half-assed apology, but words were cheap for a wolf
"You just charged in here like a feral Alpha to mark territory you don't even own," Isaac said, the words cutting through the hum of the salon like a bone-handled blade.Santiago felt the heat of the 'Eclipse Lounge' cocktails from the night before turn into a leaden weight in his gut. He stood in the center of Bella Vida Salon, surrounded by the scent of expensive oils and silver hair, feeling like a monster that had forgotten how to wear human skin."I’m sorry, Isaac. That’s—I don't know where my head is." Santiago’s voice was a rough rasp. "I shifted into something irrational. Jealousy is a pathetic look for a man I just met yesterday."Isaac didn't stop sweeping. The rhythmic swish of the broom was the only sound. "Especially for a fake mate.""Fake. Right." Santiago's hands felt too large for his pockets. "No excuse for acting like a possessive prick. It's been years since I ran with anyone. I’m out of practice on what’s civil."Isaac bent low, sweeping the dark, trimmed fur into
"You're actually going to sit there and defend the same bastards who were gutting your reputation online last night?"Santiago's voice was a low vibration, the kind that made the glass jars on the shelves rattle. He sat in the high-backed chair of the Bella Vida Salon, draped in a black cape that made his broad shoulders look like a mountain range. Isaac stood behind him, the spray bottle forgotten in his hand."I'm not defending them, Santiago. I'm just used to the noise." Isaac’s fingers brushed the back of Santiago’s neck, a touch that was purely professional but felt like a brand. "I spend my days making people feel like they belong in their own skin. I don't have time to bleed over every comment section."Santiago grunted, his amber eyes tracking Isaac in the mirror. "You’re really leaning into the saint act today, aren't you, cupcakes?"Isaac didn't flinch. "Is that a line, or are you just out of practice?""It’s the truth," Santiago rumbled. He shifted, the leather of the chair
"You're actually calling me back? I thought the hangover would’ve claimed you by now."Santiago Vega leaned back against the headboard of the Vega Grand Hotel Suite, the heavy curtains drawn tight against the San Antonio sun. His agent, Ricardo Bennett, sounded entirely too awake. Below the suite, the city was already howling with pre-game energy—werewolves in jerseys prowling the Riverwalk, the scent of competition thick enough to taste."Last night was primal, Santiago," Ricardo’s voice crackled. "The play with Corres? Fucking genius. I’ve never seen Coleman snap like that. He played like a wounded pup.""He was distracted," Santiago grunted. He stared at his reflection in the mirrored ceiling. His beard was a thick, dark thicket; his eyes still held a trace of the amber gold from the previous night’s shift. "It was fun to watch him unravel.""And you? You stayed in your skin. Zero penalties. First time in five years you didn't try to rip his throat out on the ice.""There’s a first
"You're tracking me like a bloodhound, Vega. Sit down before you start a riot."Nicholas Cruz didn't even look up from his glass as Santiago loomed over the edge of the VIP tier. Below, the Eclipse Lounge was a churning sea of pheromones and bad intentions. Most of the Warhawks roster were deep in their cups or burying their faces in the necks of whatever omegas were brave enough to dance with them.Santiago stayed leaning against the railing. He didn't want the booze. He didn't want the noise. He wanted the silver-haired wolf who was currently making every Alpha in the room lose their scent."He's here," Santiago growled.Isaac Corres cut through the crowd like a blade. He’d traded the oversized hockey jersey for a fitted black leather jacket that hugged his lean, powerful shoulders. He looked independent. Lethal. Every time he moved, the light caught the sharp line of his jaw and the silver-blonde waves of his hair.Santiago’s heart slammed against his ribs. He didn't wait for an in
"You’re a goddamn ghost, Vega. You only show up when there’s blood in the water."Nicholas Cruz leaned over the railing of the Eclipse Lounge’s VIP tier, shouting over the rhythmic thrum of the bass. Santiago didn't look at him. He didn't look at the bar, and he didn't look at the bottles of expens
"He's already haunting your scent," Camila said, her eyes locked on the back of Santiago’s head as he stepped onto the Warhawk bus.Isaac didn't move. He stood by the chain-link fence of the San Antonio Ice Arena, wrapped in a jersey that smelled like cedar and cold iron. "He’ll forget I exist the
"Too much lovin'?" Santiago grunted, the words tasting like ash in his mouth."You heard me," Coach Ruiz snapped, his dress shoes clicking like claws against the concrete as he stormed past.Santiago tightened his grip on his stick until the composite creaked. He knew exactly what the old wolf mean







