Page 14 of Coyote Underground (Monsters of New York #9)

Changes

A na Sofia

“Sir, with all due respect, I don’t understand. I’m good at my job, correct? And I haven’t taken more than a day or two off since I started. What possible reason could you have for letting me go?” I ask, hoping Agent Gus Scott doesn’t tell me what I suspect.

“Look, Ana Sofia, given that the people who murdered your sister came after you as well, I can’t put you in the field without protection. Now that you’re part of Pack Reyes, you don’t need the job anymore,” he answers.

“And just who told you I’m part of Pack Reyes?” The question is pointless, I know the answer.

“Your Alpha,” he responds, confirming my suspicions.

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath. “Fine, I guess there’s nothing I can do to change your mind.

” I end the call without waiting for an answer.

If Diego told Scott about them claiming me, then he also told my boss to fire me.

Oh, we will have words about this. Just because I’m part of their pack doesn’t mean I can’t work. This is ridiculous.

Tossing the phone onto my bed, I storm out of the room. I wait until I’m downstairs to yell. “Diego! Where are you?” I listen, but the brownstone is quiet. Maybe he’s not here. Perhaps he went into the office to ruin my life today. Fine. I’ll sit here and stew on it until he gets back.

I find that sitting and stewing are easier said than done. Within minutes, I’m climbing the stairs again and heading back toward my room. I want to punch something, to scream, to break something. In the span of a week, I’ve lost everything. First my sister, then my freedom, and now my job.

I’ll be damned if I’m going to take that lying down.

I stomp down the hall, throwing Diego’s bedroom door open.

I know there will be consequences for what I’m about to do, but right now, I don’t give a fuck.

I’m pissed and need some sort of release for my anger.

Since I’m convinced Diego is the cause of at least half my problems, I’ll take it out on his room.

I tear the curtains from the window, shifting my hands into claws and shredding the fabric.

I let my shift ripple through my body, then in my coyote form, I set about destroying Diego’s personal space.

I slice my claws through his bedding and mattress, not stopping until I fall into the middle of the mattress.

Then I open his dresser and rip the clothing I find to pieces. I knock over picture frames and other mementos he has on his dresser. With the room resembling a tornado touch-down zone, I sit on my haunches, satisfied with what I’ve done.

I stretch, shifting back into my human form. Feeling emotional after my anger ebbs, I go into Diego’s bathroom and find one of his shirts in the laundry. I pull it on over the tank top and leggings I’m wearing, letting his warm scent engulf me.

Returning to my suite, it dawns on me exactly what I’ve done. Diego is going to be pissed when he gets home and finds out. And there is nothing I can do to fix it, either. Fuck. Why did I give in to my rage? I’ve done so well keeping it contained.

Emotions overwhelm me, and I hunt for a hiding place.

Maybe if he can’t find me right away, he’ll be less likely to hurt me or send me away.

Tears fill my eyes when I consider he could break his claim for this, and I’d be completely alone.

What was I thinking? I wasn’t. I was feeling.

I just didn’t express my emotions correctly, and now I’m going to have to pay the price.

Fear settles in my chest as I crawl into a cabinet in the sitting room. I pull the door closed as much as I can, just as I hear footsteps coming up the stairs.

****

D iego

“Princess? I’m back. Where are you?” I call as I climb the stairs. As far as I can tell, nothing is out of place. I walk down the hall to my room, planning to change out of my work clothes before I track her down. She’s probably napping, since she hasn’t been sleeping well.

With everything she’s been through, I hated leaving her alone today, but it couldn’t be helped. And I had a crew outside keeping her safe, so I know that no one has been inside here today. The moment I open my door, I growl.

“What the fuck happened here?” My bedroom is destroyed. The bed is in tatters, along with the curtains and what looks like the contents of my dresser. Who would have done this?

Before I can even consider, my phone rings. “What?” I bark.

“I just wanted to let you know I told Agent Scott about us claiming Ana Sofia. So he knows we’ll be keeping her safe,” Zo says, the smirk in his voice evident.

“I see. Well, that explains my current situation, then. Remind me to thank you properly when you get home,” I growl, hanging up the phone.

Fucking Zo, couldn’t wait until we’d had a chance to talk to her about what being claimed by us meant for her and her job. Now I have to find Ana Sofia and make sure she didn’t hurt herself when she tore through my bedroom like a tornado.

“Princess?” I call, heading toward her suite.

I know she’s nearby, because I can smell her.

But I don’t like the scent—it’s all fear and sadness.

I want to protect her from those feelings, but I know I can’t.

All I can do is find her and make sure she’s okay.

“Princess, please come out. I’m not upset with you. I’d like to talk about it, though.”

****

A na Sofia

As soon as Diego calls my name, I flinch. Then when he says he’s not upset, there’s something in his voice that makes me want to believe him. “You’re not going to hurt me or send me away?” I ask quietly, not even sure if he’ll hear me.

When the cabinet door opens, and he crouches down in front of me, I wince. “Princess, I will never physically hurt you. Emotionally could happen, but it won’t be intentional. As for sending you away, well, that’s just not possible. I’m far too attached to you. Will you come out and talk to me?”

He holds out a hand, and I take it gingerly, unfolding myself from my hiding spot. “You’re really not mad?” I ask, a shiver running down my spine.

“I’ll admit, when I saw my bedroom, I was on the verge of rage. Then Zo called and I think I understand what happened,” he explains, motioning for me to sit with him on the couch. “Will you tell me about it?”

There’s a quiet sadness in his voice when he asks me to tell him, and I wonder if I could have been mistaken about what happened with Scott.

“Agent Scott called and fired me today. He said it was because I’m part of your pack now, and that you told him,” I answer.

Diego smirks at me. “He said I told him?”

“He said it was my Alpha,” I answer. A moment later, realization sets in. “Lorenzo,” I breathe, watching as a smile spreads across Diego’s face.

He nods, and I feel like even more of an ass than I did before. “I’m so sorry. I’ll find a way to pay for all the damage.”

Diego takes my hand, threading his fingers through mine and tugging me closer to him. “No, you won’t. I’m sure you were angry and upset. Are there better ways to handle it? Absolutely. Am I angry with you about what you did? Not at all.”

“Really?” I’m confused and uncertain why he’s so amused by this situation.

“Really. Zo should have waited until we’d talked as a pack about what our claim means for you as our Omega. There are laws we have to follow. I wanted to explain and give you a chance to weigh in on it before any announcements were made. So, your anger, while misplaced, was definitely warranted.”

“How are you being so kind to me right now?” I ask. The look in Diego’s eyes reminds me of how my father used to look at my mother. That can’t be love, can it?

“You’ve been through a lot this week. None of it has been easy on you, and Zo piled onto that. I can’t be angry that you destroyed my room when you thought I was the one taking your career from you,” he answers softly, cupping my cheek with his palm.

Diego presses his lips to mine gently, the kiss holding more promise than I’ve ever known. It’s not rushed, just a lazy meeting of mouths, tongues stroking against one another. When he pulls away, I know I’m in trouble. If one kiss can melt me that way, there’s no hope for my heart.

****

L orenzo

“What do you mean, you told Agent Scott?” Zac yells.

“I mean, he has to change her paperwork, so he has to know she’s ours,” I say, confused about why both Diego and Zac seem upset about this. “It’s in the handbook. We had to tell him.”

“You’re an idiot,” he says, slapping me in the back of the head.

“Hey,” I object, still not understanding what I did wrong.

“You’d better stop on the way home and get some chocolate and ice cream,” Zac insists, walking away from me. I don’t understand why, but I do as he requests anyway.

Walking through the front door of the brownstone, I drop the groceries off in the kitchen before heading upstairs.

“Hey, Zac, I got your ice cream and chocolate. No clue why you wanted them, though. Are you making dessert tonight?” I call as I climb the stairs.

“I told you, he’s an idiot,” Zac says. What the fuck? Are they talking about me?

“What’s going on up here?” I ask, finding everyone in Ana Sofia’s sitting room. I can tell she’s been crying, and I wonder if it’s because of her sister or something else.

“Someone told Agent Scott I was claimed by your pack,” she begins, glaring at me. “And he called today to fire me.”

Oh, shit. That’s why they’re all mad at me. “Buttercup, I’m so sorry. I had no idea he would fire you for joining our pack.”

“Because you only read half of the handbook,” Zac interjects.

“Look, I screwed up, okay? Just drop it and let me apologize to Ana Sofia,” I yell. Diego meets my eyes, and I can tell there’s more they haven’t told me yet. “What is it?”

“Take a look at my room,” he says softly. I walk down the hallway, stopping in front of his closed door. He nods at me, and I open it.

Taking in the debris and mess that used to be his room, I turn back to face them. “What the fuck, man? Do we need to call the cops? What happened here?”

Ana Sofia’s cheeks turn red. She ducks her head, hiding in Diego’s arms. He pulls her close, protecting her. “Did she do this?” I ask, shock and awe in my voice.

“She thought I told Agent Scott to fire her because she was claimed by us. So, you aren’t the only one who didn’t read that section,” Diego explains.

“Fuck. I’m sorry. I’ll fix it. I don’t know how, but I’ll find a way,” I vow.

He shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get replacements for the clothes. As for the furniture, I’m not worried about it. Ana Sofia has offered to let me stay in her room for now.”

****

A na Sofia

As much as I’m embarrassed about destroying Diego’s room, it helped us talk about some things that are pretty important. And his reaction was not what I’d expected.

When my phone rings, it startles me. I see that it’s Agent Scott calling, so I answer quickly. “Yes, sir.”

“Ana Sofia, I have some news. Is your pack with you?” he asks.

I scrunch my face, looking at my guys before putting the call on speaker. “Yes, sir. They can hear you now, I’ve put the call on speaker.” Confusion washes through the room as we try to figure out what he could possibly want.

“The DNA results came back on the murdered shifter you found. The one we assumed was your sister,” he says, pausing.

“And?” Diego asks impatiently.

“It’s not her. I apologize for not having the results sooner. I expedited them, but didn’t think we’d discover it was someone else. Otherwise, I would have asked you to hold off on the funeral.”

Agent Scott’s words echo in my head. It wasn’t Val. She’s not dead.