Slap Shot Heart: The Carrillo Legacy

AARA

"You're well aware I find digital pings far less intrusive," my husband’s premier defensive partner—who also happened to be his blood-cousin—shot back through the receiver.

"I’m cognizant of your preferences, Dominic," I countered, pacing the length of our Cheshire kitchen, "but I'll neglect to scrub the threads. If Dominic raids my cloud and uncovers the trail..." I allowed the threat of his alpha intuition to linger in the silence.

Adrian exhaled, a heavy, static-filled sound. "Fair point. Daniela has some bridal pack ritual scheduled this weekend. She won't flag my absence for a few rotations. But what if he catches my scent in the district?"

"Improvise. Shift the narrative—tell him you felt a sudden pull to run with your parents at the old estate."

Adrian let out a guttural, deep-chested chuckle. "As if he’d buy that pup-tier lie."

"Do I need to transmit a reminder to Aunt Rosa and Uncle Tomas about how 'frequently' you prioritize your visits?" I asked, my voice laced with a playful yet sharp edge.

"Bloody hell, Aara! No need to play the blackmail card. Keep your claws retracted; I’ll touch down Saturday. I’m still stunned his senses haven't alerted him to the ruse."

It was my turn to let out a weary breath. "I believe his hackles are already up. Every time I coordinate a clandestine meeting to finalize the ice-time or the catering, he’s shadowing me. He’s practically looming over my shoulder, interrogating my coordinates and why my mind-link is shielded."

"Apologies, Aara. You recognized the gauntlet you were picking up when you decided to orchestrate a surprise gala for the most hyper-aware Alpha in the professional league." He chuckled again, but the humor didn't reach my gut.

My husband was making the masquerade nearly impossible. Once this milestone celebration concluded, I was going to demand a heavy tribute. Perhaps that long-overdue retreat to the Spanish coast. Just the two of us, zero pucks, zero pack politics—just pure, high-intensity reconnection. Maybe with the adrenaline of the season dialed down, we’d finally conceive the heir we’d been scenting for since last winter. I yearned to just howl the truth and be done with it. The deception and the logistics were eroding my nerves, a heavy weight on my chest every time the moon cycled and my blood remained unchanged, signaling another failed attempt at a pregnancy.

"The dishonesty makes me feel like a rogue," I confessed, my voice dropping an octave at the precise moment the heavy front door thudded shut.

"What exactly makes you feel like a rogue?" Dominic asked, his voice vibrating through the entryway as he strode into the room, his team tie already half-torn from his throat. I looked up into those piercing, moss-green eyes as he closed the distance between us, his predatory grace as effortless as a glide on the ice.

Shit.

My enhanced hearing had failed me; I hadn't even registered his scent entering the mudroom.

"Daniela requested my tactical input for some pack games at her upcoming shower, but I completely blanked on the details. Adrian just buzzed to demand why I was ghosting her," I lied, brandishing my phone like a shield. As predicted, my husband snatched the device from my grip, bringing it to his ear with a smirk.

"What’s the play, cousin?"

"Gods, Dominic, you’re like a damn shadow-stalker, manifesting out of thin air. What if I was mid-flirt with your mate?" I rolled my eyes at Adrian’s bravado. It was a testament to the Carrillo genes that his booming voice bypassed the need for speakerphone.

"He’d likely find your attempts underwhelming, but if you’re itching for a bruised ego, by all means, make your move."

"Nah, I’m just relieved Daniela is easily swayed by the drills I’m running. I’ll leave high-maintenance Aara to you and that silver tongue of yours."

"Regarding my tongue..." I watched Dominic’s eyebrows arch suggestively. "I need to give my mate a proper homecoming. Catch you at the rink." He terminated the call and tossed the phone onto the velvet sofa.

"What are you doing back from the facility so early?" I asked, trying to steady my racing heart.

Dominic glanced at the sleek biometric watch strapped to his wrist. His entire training regimen was synced to it, and I knew he was verifying his schedule. "I cleared the afternoon for you," he rumbled.

"For me?" I was genuinely caught off guard, racking my brain for an anniversary I might have missed.

"Yeah. It’s been precisely fourteen days since your last cycle ended. I calculated we should capitalize on the timing—see about forging that new life tonight."

"I’ll never fathom how you track my internal biology better than I do. Aren't Alphas supposed to be oblivious to the mundane details?" I teased, though I leaned into him, surrendering to the fact that he was, quite literally, the most attentive mate in existence. "If you abandoned the ice just to claim me, I’m certainly not going to lodge a protest."

I grinned as my husband discarded his tie and began yanking at the buttons of his tailored shirt. Though it was barely past noon, his dark hair was a chaotic mess, a sure sign of a grueling morning at the Carrillo Music Group HQ. My usually composed Alpha had a telltale habit of raking his claws through his hair when the boardroom felt too small. His beard was groomed to a sharp edge, framing those full, firm lips that I craved against my skin. It was staggering to realize we were approaching a decade together—nine years bound in ritual—and the primal pull to have his hands and mouth on me was just as feral as the night our scents first locked.

"You’re breathtaking, Aara. What kind of Alpha would I be if I didn't track my mate’s every rhythm?"

I smiled as he moved in, capturing my lips in a kiss that tasted of mint and raw possessiveness. "We’re moving this to the den upstairs, but only because I require the space to operate. I’m going to venerate every inch of your skin. From your crown to your heels, my fierce mate."

The second he released me, I bolted for the stairs. There was never a scenario where my husband offered to worship my body and I was foolish enough to decline. When he made a vow in the bedroom, he executed it with the same precision he used on a power play.

I raced up the flight, laughing as he roared from below, "I’m hunting you down, Aara!"

"You have to catch me first!" I shouted back, adrenaline spiking as I ducked into the master suite. I began shedding my joggers with frantic energy, nearly losing my balance in the process, but Dominic’s arms were there instantly, steadying me before I could collide with the frame of the massive bed.

The moment I was stable, his palms found my bare thighs. His fingers traced the line of the silk briefs I hadn't discarded yet, pausing just long enough to snap the elastic against my skin. I let out a low groan as he moved upward, gripping the hem of my button-down shirt and yanking with enough force to send the buttons scattering like hail across the hardwood. A laugh escaped me at the sheer chaos of it. His unbridled hunger was worth the mess. Once the shirt was gone, I turned in his hold, standing before him in nothing but my underwear. One shoe was still stubbornly attached to my foot, and my pants were a heap at my ankles. I should have looked ridiculous, but the predatory heat in Dominic’s gaze told a different story.

"You’re a magnificent wreck, Mate."

"And you’re my lethal protector, Alpha."

"A matched set, then," Dominic purred, reaching behind me to flick the clasp of my restraint without even looking. I was perpetually awed by his dexterity—how he could navigate those hooks blindly while I struggled with them in front of a mirror. He slid the straps down my shoulders, watching with focused intent as the fabric pooled on the floor.

His calloused thumbs brushed over my nipples, rolling and plucking them until they were tensed, sensitive peaks. "The anticipation is starting to burn, Dom."

"You can endure every bit of the fire I bring, Aara." His voice had dropped to a gravelly snarl, his pupils expanding until only a thin ring of mossy green remained. My husband—driven by the moon and the mate-bond—reached down and ripped the silk covering from my hips in one fluid motion. The sting of the fabric leaving my skin only fueled the liquid heat pooling in my gut.

"Dominic, I need you to claim me. No holding back."

"Don't you want to tenderly conceive our legacy, Aara?" I knew he was baiting me, and I met his smirk with a challenge.

"Regardless of the intensity, the bond is there. So let's make it primal. If we’re successful, quiet nights will be a luxury of the past. We need to engrave this memory deep into our marrow to sustain us through the sleepless moons ahead."

"Dammit, I don't know whether to be inspired or intimidated by that logic." We both broke into a brief, breathless laugh, but my movement caused his focus to snap to my chest. "Do that again," he growled. "I like when you’re defiant—but only when you’re bare for me."

I rolled my eyes, reaching down to wrap my hand around his heavy, pulsing length. I gave a firm tug, forcing him a step closer until our heat bled together. I looked up into the eyes of my life’s anchor and smiled.

"I want you inside me in the next sixty seconds, or I’m going to pivot from making a baby to making sure you can’t walk tomorrow morning."

"Fuck, Aara!" Dominic hissed, hoisting me off the floor and tossing me onto the center of the bed. "Open up for me, love. I’m about to give you exactly what you've been howling for."