by Sophie Stern
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Wolf Case
Shifters at Law
Sophie Stern
Copyright © 2017 by Sophie Stern
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover designed by Melody Simmons.
www.ebookindiecovers.com
For my mate
When Lara's neighbor decides to sue her for damaging his lawn, she doesn't know what to do. She's sure she's not at fault, but the thought of paying for an attorney freaks her out. When she realizes she doesn't have a choice, she heads to the offices of Casa, Fee, and Lyon for help.
Ronan Casa has never had a client look quite as delicious or quite as sweet as Lara Berkshire. The wolf-shifter is the most beautiful and interesting creature he's ever laid eyes on, and Ronan's inner-wolf screams that Lara is his mate.
When Lara's issues with her neighbor begin to escalate before her court date, Ronan realizes he's going to have to take matters into his own hands if he wants to keep his beloved safe - and if he wants to win her heart.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Author
The Wolfe City Pack
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 1
Lara
The law firm looks like something out of a fairytale storybook. The building is old and rustic, with vines growing on the sides of the old Victorian. It was obviously once a house, but it’s been converted into a legal office. Fitting, I suppose. Shifters are weird. Why wouldn’t a shifter law firm be even weirder?
Oh, I’m not supposed to know about shifters. I’m not supposed to know I live in a shifter town or that the lawyers of Bradshaw, Kansas are not actually human. Nope. I’m supposed to understand and accept that weird things happen in this town for no reason at all, but I don’t buy it.
From what I can tell, I’m one of the only humans living here. That doesn’t bother me one bit. The shifters in Bradshaw are kind and accommodating and I think there’s some secret law that all shifters have to be fine as fuck because everyone I know is just beautiful.
There’s no other word for it.
They’re all just so beautiful.
Standing outside the offices of Casa, Fee, and Lyon, I have to wonder what the attorney I’m meeting with looks like. Casa. I’m meeting with Casa. I glance at the piece of paper in my hand.
2:00. Ronan Casa. Call if I’ll be late.
The note is scribbled on the back of a torn-off piece of notebook paper. I wrote it down while I was talking with the receptionist at the law firm. I tried to explain my situation as well as possible, but I’m not sure I did a good job. She didn’t panic or seem to be overwhelmed with the situation. Not like me. No, the receptionist seemed to be perfectly in control and I’m not going to say I’m not jealous because I am.
I wish my life was under control.
I wish I had that poise, that perfection she seemed to exude.
The time on my cell phone says 1:58, so I finally take a deep breath and head up the stairs to the large wraparound porch. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to just walk inside or ring the bell, and I spend a few seconds fidgeting before I finally ring the doorbell.
“Come on in,” a pleasant voice calls out, and I push open the heavy wooden door. As soon as I step inside the entrance, I relax. There’s a foyer with a large staircase leading upstairs. The stairs are roped off with a small sign that says private. To my right is a sitting room and to the left looks like an office. There’s a hallway leading straight ahead and I assume there are other offices and probably a kitchen down there.
“Hello?” I say. I know I heard someone call me inside, but I don’t see anyone now. I’m not sure whether I’m supposed to check in with someone or just take a seat on one of the nearby chairs, so I stand nervously in front of the door and fidget.
For the millionth time, I wonder if I’m doing the right thing by meeting with a lawyer. Maybe it’s not really necessary. Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe Lester isn’t so bad. Maybe I’m just being a huge weirdo. Meeting with an attorney is a huge step and there’s part of me that doubts myself and my ability to make the right choices.
Only, when I think about the situation rationally, I know I’m not freaking out. I know I’m being realistic. The situation with my neighbor has escalated. It’s gone on far too long and it’s time to stop. It’s time to end things and the only way I know how to do that is to get help.
I’m not a shifter.
Maybe that’s the root of the problem.
While Bradshaw is a pretty modern town, the truth is there will always be people who think humans don’t belong. There will always be people who feel that humans are the ones who rule the world and who should be taken down, taken out. There will always be people who think that we’re not good enough to live in a world of shifters.
This knowledge doesn’t make the situation easier to deal with, though.
“One second,” a voice calls out, and then the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life walks down the hallway. She’s got long, wavy blonde hair and she’s wearing a white blouse with a black pencil skirt. Her bright red heels click loudly on the floor as she walks down the hallway. “You must be Lara.”
“I am,” I say, but I’m so busy gawking that I don’t really know what else to say. She’s beautiful. She seriously looks like she just walked out of a magazine.
“Sorry about the wait,” the woman lowers her voice. “I was barefoot in my office, but can you imagine what these guys would do if I answered the door like that? They’d have my tail,” she giggles. “So I had to put my shoes on before I came out. Took me a few minutes.”
Instantly, I feel more at ease. She’s just a real person like me. She’s just normal. Here’s a woman who wants to be comfortable at work, but who struggles to maintain a professional appearance.
“I’m Joyce,” she says, and holds out her hand for me to shake.
“What a beautiful name,” I say, taking her hand.
Joyce laughs. “No need to beat around the bush,” she says. “It’s an old woman name, I know. What can I say? My parents are very traditional. They named me after my grandmother. She’s dead now, but she was incredible.”
“I’m sorry about your grandmother. I’m sure she was an amazing woman.”
“She was,” Joyce smiles. At first glance, I’d guess she’s close to my age. I’m 25 and I don’t think I look half as pretty as Joyce. Somehow, she’s made me comfortable, though, and I’m not thinking about how frizzy my hair is or how nerdy I look in my glasses. Instead, I’m thinking that maybe there’s hope for me. Maybe today won’t be so bad.
Maybe everything is going to be okay after all.
“Come on, then,” Joyce says, motioning for me to follow her. We don’t go into the front office. Instead, we walk down the hall, passing two doors in the process. Then we stop in front of a third. She knocks on the door and pops her head inside.
“Lara Berkshire is here to see you,” she says.
“Send her in.”
“All right,” Joyce turns back to me. “Can I get you a coffee or bottle of water?”
Even though my throat has suddenly gone dry, I shake my head. “No thank you,” I say politely. “I’m okay.”
Joyce smiles knowingly at me. “Everything is going to be just fine. Casa is the best.” She turns and walks away and I’m left standing in front of the slightly-open office door. This is it, then. This is the moment when everything changes. I push the door the rest of the way open and walk inside.
The moment I step into the room, I calm instantly. Like Joyce, this man has something soothing about him, something comfortable, something I can’t quite put my finger on. He’s staring at something on his desk, but he looks up at me and flashes me a brilliant smile.
“You must be Lara.” He stands and walks around to shake my hand. “I’m Ronan Casa.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Casa,” I manage to say. I speak the correct words and I’m very proud of myself because instead of saying nice to meet you, what I want to say is please take my panties off with your teeth.
Ronan takes my hand in his and suddenly, my body is covered in goose bumps. Suddenly, all I can think of is sex. Suddenly, the room is very, very hot and I’m going to die if I don’t get fucked immediately.
Ronan drops my hand immediately, like it’s on fire.
“I…um…I’m sorry,” I say, even though I didn’t do anything wrong. He can’t read my mind, so he has no way to know what I’m thinking. This is good. This is a good thing. It’s good he can’t tell that I want to know what it’s like to take off that button-down. It’s good he can’t tell that I want to know what it’s like to carefully undo his belt. It’s good he can’t tell I’m wondering exactly how big his cock is or if he knows how to use it.
It’s good.
Ronan looks at me curiously. Then he sniffs the air. Oh, he tries to be discreet, but I see the way his nostrils flare and that’s when I remember that I live in Bradshaw.
I live in Bradshaw and this is a shifter town.
And he’s a shifter.
And this means he can smell everything.
Holy dragons.
He knows exactly how turned on I am right now.
I close my eyes, ready to die of embarrassment. If the floor could open up and swallow me whole right now, that would be great.
“Miss Berkley, was it?” He says, motioning to one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Please take a seat.”
Chapter 2
Ronan
She’s nervous, but she’s horny as hell, and I don’t really know what to do about it. Oh, my inner wolf knows. My inner wolf knows exactly what to do, and he’s whispering that Lara is the one. I’m more skeptical than my feral half, though. It’s the lawyer in me: never believe anything without evidence, and then find a way to disbelieve it.
She sits down and her dress rides up her legs a little, revealing creamy thighs. What would Lara do if I pushed her chair back and knelt in front of her? What would she do if I started licking up those thighs? What would she do if I pressed my mouth over her sweet pussy and just tasted her?
Now I’m the one turned on, and I shouldn’t be. I should be professional. I need to be professional. I need to be in control, in charge of the situation. I need to be able to handle myself because the truth is that Lara is just a client. She’s just a normal person and I am her legal representation: nothing more.
I take a seat behind my desk and take a quick look at the notes Joyce took about Lara.
“Why don’t you tell me what the trouble seems to be, Miss Bradshaw? Then we can discuss your legal options and how we should proceed.”
“Please,” she says softly. “It’s Lara.”
“Lara.”
“Thank you. Um,” she fidgets. It’s a nervous habit. I make her nervous, uncomfortable. For some reason, this bothers me. I don’t like the idea that Lara doesn’t feel calm around me. I want to comfort her.
“Hey,” I reach for her hand, and she gives it to me. I hold it awkwardly, over the top of my desk. “It’s okay. Just take your time.”
“I’m sorry,” she shakes her head and lets go of my hand. “I don’t know why this makes me so nervous. It’s just that I’ve never met with a lawyer before. I feel like I’m the one in trouble. I mean, obviously, that’s what I am. I’m in trouble. It’s just that I don’t feel like I did anything wrong and I don’t know what to do.”
“Take a deep breath,” I suggest. “And then start from the beginning.”
Lara takes a couple of deep breaths and then nods. “It all started a few weeks ago. I moved into a new house. It’s over on 5th Street,” she adds.
“I’m familiar with the area. It’s a place with a lot of nice, quiet houses, from what I’ve heard.”
“That’s what I thought, too, but then my neighbor came over and started a fight with me.”
“A fight?” I try not to chuckle at that. Lara is one of the tiniest humans I’ve ever seen. Oh, yes, this woman is undoubtedly human, though I’m sure she knows exactly what I am: what we all are. You can’t live in a place like Bradshaw without seeing shifters, without noticing all the weird shit we do.
Lara is probably 5’2” and she’s petite. Oh, she probably thinks she’s fat. All humans do, but she’s not. She’s just the tiniest bit curvy and she reminds me of a porcelain doll. She’s delicate, soft. My inner wolf is craving her, and I’m trying so hard to listen to her and not to him.
“Yes,” she says. “A fight. He didn’t punch me. He just used his words.”
“What did he say?” I reach for my pen to start taking notes.
“He called me a human bitch and said I needed to go back to where I came from.”
I drop the pen on my desk. “What?” I growl. I shouldn’t growl, but what the hell? Who does this guy think he is? Lara looks close to tears as she nods.
“I told him it was my house. I rent it now. It’s a good house and it’s a nice neighborhood and it’s close to my job.”
“What’s your job?”
“I’m a teacher.”
“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Yes, I teach middle school English.”
Hot damn. Her students must be completely head-over-heels for their beautiful human teacher. To them, she’s completely exotic, completely perfect. She’s unattainable and that’s kind of incredible.
“But he didn’t care that I said that,” Lara continues. “He said he didn’t want to live next to a human.”
“And what did you do?” I wonder if she cried, if she’s the type of woman who would cower at such a harsh encounter, but Lara sits up straight and pushes her shoulders back.
“I told him to get the fuck off my lawn, sir.”
I can’t help it. I chuckle. The idea of this sweet, tiny human telling some old, crotchety shifter to fuck off is incredible.
“I’m guessing he didn’t take that well.”
“No,” Lara doesn’t laugh. “That’s when the trouble really started.”
“What happened?”
“First it was just words. Every day when I got home from work, he’d be waiting for me to yell at me and complain. I started mixing up my schedule so he couldn’t talk to me. I’d go out with friends after work and come home late, but he was always there. Then I tried parking a few streets over and sneaking in my backyard, but he knew about that, too, and he kept catching me. Then he’d just yell at me more and more.”
Sneaking around the back of the house wouldn’t work on a shifter, especially a wolf or cat shifter. If Lester is a tiger or jaguar, his sense of smell will be completely developed and he’ll be fast. Even as an old man, he’ll move more quickly than he should.
“Did you go to the police?” It seems like an obvious next step, but both humans and shifters tend to be nervous about reporting domestic disturbances and nuisance problems. When I first began studying law, I was surprised
at how few shifters were comfortable reporting crimes to the police, but over time, this has become less shocking.
Some people think the police can’t help. Others feel they’ll be judged for getting into an uncomfortable situation. It’s not uncommon for the victim to blame themselves for their own mistakes, rather than focusing on what the offending party has done to escalate the situation.
“I did,” she says. “I guess I didn’t realize that the police would tend to side with shifters. It makes sense, of course,” she adds quickly. “I know I’m just a human and everything, but I guess I thought they’d give me a fair chance.”
“Lara, it doesn’t matter that you’re human. The job of the police department is not to side with shifters. It’s to give anyone having a problem the help they need to get through it.”
“That is not what happened,” she tells me. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a stack of papers. “These are the police reports.”
“Reports? As in multiple reports?”
“Yes,” she says. “After the third one, they told me I needed to figure out a solution to my problem because I didn’t have anything to go on. The next day, Lester filed a restraining order against me. He also said he’s going to be suing me for harassment.”
“You?” I take the pile of paper she hands me. Sure enough, all of the paperwork is here. Things are a little different in the shifter world when it comes to legal issues, which is why when you’re dealing with shifters, it’s important to have a lawyer who knows what’s up. Humans are fantastic, but they don’t always understand the way shifters work, which can make legal issues, especially ones involving both shifters and humans, a complete nightmare to deal with.
“Me,” Lara confirms, and she looks completely devastated, completely broken. Now that my initial shock of how gorgeous she is has worn off, I notice the things I didn’t see before: dark circles under her eyes, dry skin, flat hair. Her eyes are still bright, but she looks tired. She looks so, so tired.
