MIDWINTER MATE

He’s the Captain of the Austin Wolves. I’m just the guy who makes him lose his composure. Diego Alvarez is everything the sport of hockey demands: lethal, disciplined, and untouchable. As the captain of the Austin Wolves, he lives his life in the spotlight, fueled by the primal instincts of a wolf who refuses to be leashed. He plays hard, wins harder, and never looks back at the guys he leaves in his wake. I’m the opposite. I’m Kol Reyes—scholarship student, dance instructor to kids, and a guy who spends more time in the university library than on the ice. I’ve spent two years perfecting the art of being invisible to the Alvarezes, especially after Diego humiliated me back in high school. But then comes one night, one party, and one massive, blurry mistake. I wake up in the bed of my worst enemy, tangled in his sheets and gasping for air, with no memory of how I got there—only the lingering, electric hum of his touch against my skin. Now, Diego is everywhere. He’s stalking the library, "helping" with my Physics homework, and looking at me with a predatory intensity that makes my traitorous heart skip a beat. He says he wants to get to know the "real" me. He says he’s done with the games. But I know better. He’s an Alpha, and he’s playing a dangerous role. The problem? The chemistry between us is a frozen fire I can’t stop reaching for. I’m supposed to be guarding my heart against the man who once broke it, but every time Diego touches my cheek or pulls me into his orbit, the walls I built start to crumble.