All Chapters of ICE- The Alpha’s Playbook: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"Choose him or me?"Isaac Corres froze, his thumb hovering over the glowing screen of his phone. He hadn't closed his eyes. Not once. He was vibrating, stuck between two different digital lifelines that felt like live wires.One thread was Santiago Vega. Isaac was waiting for the Alpha to confirm his boots had hit the tarmac in Washington, D.C. The message read "Seen," but those agonizing gray dots—the sign of a wolf actually typing back—remained a ghost.The other? That was Derek Coleman. The most recent blast had hit his inbox sixty minutes ago. A blatant, pathetic request to "swing by." A booty call wrapped in the desperation of a man who had just been humiliated in his own San Antonio Ice Arena. Derek was bleeding pride, and he thought Isaac was the only one desperate enough to provide the bandage.Isaac’s pulse hammered against his throat. He couldn't even summon a memory of Derek’s face without Santiago’s shadow eclipsing it. Not after that parking lot kiss. That hadn't been a g

"You can breathe," Valeria muttered, her gaze hardening as she locked eyes with Isaac. "Santiago doesn't let just anyone into our orbit. He trusts you. That's enough for me to quit biting my tongue."Isaac leaned in, the stadium noise a dull roar compared to the pounding of his blood. "You can tell me. I’ve handled enough secrets to fill the San Antonio Ice Arena.""Good." Valeria took a sharp, jagged breath. Her fingers dug into the fabric of her jersey. "The last conversation I had with Derek Coleman was the day I told him I was carrying his pup.""His... what?" The word tore out of Isaac's throat like a snarl. He clamped his hand over his mouth, eyes darting to the boy. Mateo was only a few yards away, oblivious. Isaac leaned closer, voice dropping to a jagged whisper. "You were carrying... Derek's son?"He looked at Mateo again. The boy was four, maybe five. His chestnut hair was a shade lighter than Santiago’s dark mane. He had the Vega build, but there was a distinct cleft in hi

“Open your mouth,” Santiago growls, his voice a jagged rasp in the dark hotel room. “Give me one taste of that heat and I’m done. I won't ask for another thing.”Isaac doesn't argue. He can’t. He just nods, his pulse thumping in his throat like a trapped bird. He doesn’t know what a "taste" looks like to a man with eyes that glow like amber embers.Then Santiago drops.He hits his knees. Hard. His massive, scarred palms slide up Isaac’s thighs, massive heat radiating through the jersey. He reaches the waistband of the silk boxers Isaac managed to find. Santiago doesn't look away. His eyes are locked on Isaac’s as he peels the fabric down. Slowly. Methodically. He only breaks the stare to watch Isaac step out of the material.Santiago dangles the dark scrap of fabric on one thick, calloused finger. He traces the yellow logo stitched on the front. "I didn't realize they made Bobcats gear this small."Isaac’s throat is bone dry. He forces the words out. "Lucky charm. They won tonight, di

"This is the Vega Estate? It's smaller than I pictured for a star player," Isaac said, eyeing the flowers lining the front of the ranch-style house."It's just a place to sleep," Santiago grunted, pulling the SUV into the garage. "The fence is high to keep Mateo inside when his shift gets restless. He's got a treehouse back there.""It's a home, Santiago. You really built a pack here with just the three of you.""We're all each other has. I look out for my own.""I noticed your parents weren't at the Capital Ice Dome last night. Do you see them much? You never talk about them.""Our parents are dead to me.""Dead? That's a hell of a thing to say about the people who sired you."Santiago gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. "Our father is a hard-ass Alpha who thinks anything less than perfection is a sin. My mom just follows his lead. We grew up under his thumb—strict rules, church every Sunday, no excuses. When Valeria got pregnant as a teen, we thought they'd show

"Check out the lookout, Isaac! Uncle Santiago let me help with the hammer!" Mateo yelled, his small wolf ears twitching with excitement as he scrambled up the wooden slats of the treehouse.Isaac stared up at the massive structure nestled in the branches of an ancient oak at the edge of the Vega Estate. "You actually built this? With your own hands?""I’m more than just a wall of muscle on the ice," Santiago said, following Isaac up into the small fortress five feet above the grass. He leaned in, catching Isaac’s scent—cedar and something sweet—before pressing a hard kiss to his jaw. Mateo had already scrambled down the rope in the center of the floor to fetch "supplies.""What else is hiding under that jersey?" Isaac asked, breathless. "Besides the talents I’ve already sampled?"Santiago rubbed the dark stubble on his chin, his golden eyes darkening with a memory of the morning. "I’m a damn good cook. Better than any restaurant in San Antonio.""Bold claim.""I'll prove it. Tuscan ra