Wolf at Law by Heather Long

 

 

Wolf at Law
 

Wolves of Willow Bend
 

Prequel
 

By
 

Heather Long
 

Wolf at Law
 

Wolves of Willow Bend
 

By: Heather Long
 

Edited by: Virginia Nelson
 

Published by Heather Long
 

© 2014 Heather Long
 

ISBN: 9781310153334
 

Cover Art by Scott Carpenter
 

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the publisher at [email protected]
 

All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.
 

Wolf at Law
 

Ryan Huston serves the pack in all their public financial dealings. Connected politically and personally, he possesses a unique ability to segue into and out of human life.  He’s never been afraid to use his animal’s dominance to his advantage and, though he and Toman—the Alpha of Willow Bend—are often at odds, his loyalty to the pack has never truly been tested. Not until he meets Tiffany.

Tiffany Anderson grew up hard in a world defined by its uncertainties. Meeting Giles Taglioni seemed like a happy accident turned fairy tale. Five years into the abusive marriage, Tiffany wants out. Tiffany knows Taglioni will never let go of his daughter—he’d kill her before he lets her take Alexis away from him. A desperate woman with no options until a chance encounter changes everything.

Ryan is like no one Tiffany’s ever met, but she doesn’t dare believe him when he offers to help her. Long ago made familiar with the monsters in the dark, she doesn’t dream of princes on white horses sweeping her away. She also never imagined a big, bad wolf was exactly what she needed.  

Dedication

For Mini and my pack.

Acknowledgements

The list of whom I want to say thank you to you continues to grow. To my Nikki and Kim, friends who never fail to reach out and make sure I’m okay. Ruthie and Jaime, we go months without seeing each other and pick up like it was yesterday. Jeanie who brings magic with coffee and smiles. Patti who teaches me everyday about southern gentility and unflinching support. Then there’s Becca who cheers me on, encourages me, and makes me laugh. Virg, from editing to listening to my complaints to pep talks to telling me it’s okay to take a break—couldn’t do it without you my rainbow haired chica. Sheri, Brandy, Mel—the list goes on and on. So many people who touch my life and make it a better place, they’re my pack. My peeps—y’all make this possible.

Letter from the Author

Dear Reader,

I haven’t written that many ‘prequels’ before. Typically, I start at book one and go forward. I rarely look back. However, from the first moment I started to write Wolf Bite, I wanted to know more about Ryan. I wanted to know how he met Alexis’ mother, I wanted to explore that time and I wanted to see what Alexis meant when she talked about her biological father and why Ryan had been so opposed to her going to Chicago.

The culmination of that desire is here in Wolf at Law. I rarely play favorites with my characters, and only a handful have ever made me say ‘this is my favorite.’ Usually I say it while I’m writing the book, but in this case, I’m saying it because I adore Ryan. His determination, his charm, his focus—they're all admirable to me.

The strength of character he demonstrates and the way he pursues his goals is kind of wonderful. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Many kind regards,

Heather

Wolves of Willow Bend Characters
 

Ryan Huston
—Attorney for Willow Bend pack
 

Tiffany Anderson
—Mother to Alexis, wife of Giles Taglioni
 

Margo Montgomery
—Child of Will Montgomery
 

Alexis Taglioni
—Daughter of Tiffany Anderson and Giles
Taglioni
 

Andrew Clayborne
—Husband of Melissa, father of Mason
 

Mason Clayborne
—Son of Andrew and Melissa Clayborne
 

Melissa Clayborne
—Wife of Andrew, father of Mason
 

Toman Carlyle
—Alpha of Willow Bend
 

Emma Halifax
—Pack Healer
 

Thomas Halifax
—Mate to the Pack Healer
 

Zane Masters
—Hunter of Willow Bend, trainer of Collin and Rory
 

Rory Adler
—Hunter-in-training, student of Zane
 

Collin Jackson
—Hunter-in-training, student of Zane
 

Giles Taglioni
– Husband to Tiffany Anderson, father to Alexis
 

Ryan Huston settled into a chair of the Champion Club and lit the cigar he’d taken the time to prepare. Though smoking was a vice he rarely indulged, without a cigar he’d be rather conspicuous in his current setting. The smoking lounge reeked of wealth, privilege and, of course, cigars. His nose, more sensitive than most, found the stench irritating, but he allowed none of his distaste to reflect in his expression.

“Eighty year old scotch,” Will stated as the waiter delivered the drinks in their heavy crystal tumblers. It spoke to Will Montgomery’s position that the bottle also remained with them. Like Ryan, Will lit up a cigar and puffed it quietly until the waiter excused himself. “Its smoothness has to be savored to be believed.”

“So you’ve said,” was Ryan’s only comment. He ignored the drink for the time being. Will’s heart beat just a tad too fast, and he undoubtedly chose this venue to disguise his scent. The wolf was nearly a decade older than Ryan, mated and the father of three, yet he couldn’t quite hide his discomfort at their clandestine meeting.

If he were a kinder man, Ryan might try to set him at ease. Then again, the older wolf requested the meeting off the books, in Chicago, far away from the pack, while Ryan visited the city on business. Until he knew what the crafty old bastard was up to, he didn’t plan to cut him an inch.

Puffing quietly on the cigar, he waited. He’d always been a patient hunter, and today would be no different. Fortunately, Will didn’t make him wait long.

“I need your advice,” he said, then laid a check on the table between them. Written on the check was a staggering figure, but Ryan left it where it was. “Legal and personal.”

So, he wants to play that game
. A retainer could create legal privilege to their discussions, both in theory and in human courts. Ryan often extending legal privilege to wolves in the pack remained a point of contention between he and Toman, one few realized went extremely deep. Of course, Ryan chose his battles carefully when it came to the Alpha. Although Toman needed him, making the man avoid most fights carefully and Ryan knew couldn’t take Toman in a direct fight, no matter how much he might wish otherwise.

Meaning they maintained a civil, if cold, war.

Will implored him, his mask dropping to reveal a haggard sense of worry in his eyes. “Please, Ryan. Just hear me out.”

Tapping the cigar once to clear some of the ash, Ryan shook his head slowly. “Not without more incentive, Will. This whole meeting stinks of a potential coup. I won’t be a party to that, not even as a favor to a friend.”

“Fair enough. If I give you my word it has nothing to do with displacing Toman and everything to do with Margo.”

To say he hadn’t expected that would be understating the matter. He picked up the check and slid it into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. “What’s wrong with Margo?” She was barely fourteen. What could the child have gotten into to require such secrecy?

“Her dominance.” Will pitched his voice low, a near subvocal tone Ryan could easily discern despite the presence of the humans throughout the club chatting, moving and otherwise polluting the air with sounds. “It’s growing every day. Her strength is tremendous. She went into her first heat a week ago. Her mother couldn’t keep her contained, nor could her brothers.” The man’s mouth tightened, and he dropped his gaze from Ryan’s. “I got her to stay in the house, but barely. If her dominance is this strong already…”

She was a threat to Toman, no one would ever convince the old man otherwise. Female or not, the alpha wouldn’t tolerate the potential challenge in one so young. “What are you planning to do?”

“Send to her boarding school.”

“Are you insane?” Sending a dominant with that much potential and riding the cusp of her hormones to a human boarding school practically invited disaster.

“Hear me out, Ryan.” The wolf’s voice rose, riding a growl, then he swallowed the sound with his scotch. After blowing out a breath, he set the glass down and said, “Margo’s a protector—stubborn and fierce to the core, but she
protects
. Surround her with weaker people, girls in particular, and she’ll rise to that challenge. She’ll look after them against herself as much as anything that could threaten them. It gets her out of Willow Bend and offers a solid chance at survival.”

But it remained a dangerous plan. “You’ve already located a school?” Why else would he be seeking counsel?

“Yes, in Connecticut.”
Oh, good
.
Another Alpha’s territory, this gets better and better
.  Bad enough that Margo’s rising potential presented a threat to Toman’s rule, another Alpha wouldn’t want to have such a loose cannon to enter his territory. Most wouldn’t likely agree without…

Ahh.
The retainer made sense as did the promise that this wasn’t about challenging Toman. “You want me to call in a favor.”

“Yes. I heard you did some work for the Hudson River Alpha, that he owes you. You’ve got contacts and connections. He would grant an exception if you asked him, wouldn’t he?”

The Hudson River Alpha was a reasonable sort, and he owed Ryan a tremendous debt, but not likely for the reason others believed. Discovering the embezzlement within a human investment firm had been about protecting Willow Bend’s assets. Mere accident revealed the Hudson River pack used the same company. Toman hadn’t ordered him to not reveal the information, so Ryan had made a phone call.