Page 3 of Evil Hearts

“Oh, you’ll find we’reveryin tune with the animals here at the academy,” he assured, smug twist to his lips.

Ugh, if he hadn’t been so pretty that level of self-assurance would be borderline annoying. But onhim? It just read as accurate.

Then again, his weird confidence aside, this could be a good thing. If it was just her and the dog, Fenn-the-human wouldn’t be able to tell when she inevitably messed up during the session. And even though he’dsaidhe was ‘very in tune’ with animals, Fenn-the-dog couldn’t possibly tattle to Fenn-the-human about her rookie mistakes. Had she accidentally stumbled into the perfect solution for faking her way into this job? She’d never get another chance like this, at least not for a well-renowned school like the Academy.

“Let me double-check my schedule,” she said as casually as she could, pulling up her phone and scrolling through her completely empty calendar, angling the screen away from Fenn.

Oh look, a birthday for someone she didn’t talk to anymore was tomorrow. Five different notifications for a holiday she didn’t celebrate. The weekly reminder for work meetings she no longer had to attend. Whoops, time to delete those.Okay, that’s enough stalling time.

“Yeah, I think I can move a few things around.”

“Great, come back a bit before eight, then.” Fenn-the-human said, carefully thumbing through a stack of manila folders.

“You got it, boss,” Addison said, giving a little salute and turning to leave before Fenn could change his mind.

As soon as she was out the door, she sucked in the breath she didn’t realize she’d forgotten to take.

Nailed it.

Chapter 2

Addison Greene couldbe exactly what he needed. Sure, it was fun trading off with Connor for walks and general companionship, but Fenn was a romantic at heart and Connor was a platonic friend. Addison, though…maybe she could be more than that. But he knew better than to let his metaphorical tail wag before she even knew who he was.

Orwhathe was.

On the other hand, with Connor out of town, Fenn also hadn’t had the chance to let his dog out. Or, wolf, more accurately. The full moon wasn’t the only thing on the rise: he was half feral with baser urges already and it was barely late afternoon. No wonder he was getting heart eyes over a potential new trainer he’d honestly known for all of five minutes, if you didn’t count her light stalking at the dog park.

But for all the experience listed neatly on her resume, she was still throwing off novice vibes. Hopeful, but her confidence seemed manufactured, rather than eased in over years of training. But there didn’t seem to be anything dangerous or sinister about the pretty blond when he scented her–only the intoxicating scent ofher.

Fenn didn’t actually have anything to work on—there was only so much paperwork you could process for a dog training school–but he had to make it look real. He scattered folders across thedesk: finished paperwork for a long roster of “special” clients they’d had for years.

Clients who, like him, needed a little time to let their inner wolves go on walkies without fear of discovery or capture, particularly around the full moon.

Day rolled into night. Fenn’s glances at the clock became more frequent until the digital wall clock finally read 7:45–fifteen minutes to moonrise. He sat bolt upright as the faintest wisp of her scent drifted through his senses, all gentle musk and barely-there laundry detergent and the intoxicating aroma of steak she must have had for lunch.And best of all,rosemary.He wanted to stick his face in that scent, rub his nose all over her,roll aroundin that scent.

Down, boy.

When Addison actually walked in the door, he had to stop himself from wiggling his hips–the closest he could get to wagging his tail in human form.

She’d mentioned coming from a training session earlier, but she’d been wearing business casual during her earlier visit. Fenn also hadn’t smelled any other dogs on her. Had she managed to squeeze in a shower and outfit change after that strange run-in at Pampered Paws?

Hecouldstill smell the slightly alkaline water she bathed in and the fresh scent of her shampoo. Fuck, he loved the smell of rosemary. Wolves loved strong scents, largely because their sense of smell was more than a hundred times more powerful than a human’s. It was all in the nose—humans lost track of scents when they exhaled, but canines had separate passages for inhaling and exhaling, a handy trait that carried over to werewolves, too, albeit muted in their human forms. Even still, Fenn could pick up the barest nuances of perfumes, foods, and more if he concentrated.

Or if he was adequately enticed, like when they smelled asfucking goodas the beautiful woman across the counter.Shit, don’t drool.

“Howdy.” She gave him a shy little smile and finger wave.

Those big brown eyes of hers were going to positively do him in. So was the full-scale workout gear that showed off her body. Everything about her told him she was ready for business–including the faint whiffs of attraction pheromones every time she glanced his way. It only made the delusional little puppy in him worse. He was used to appreciative stares, but there was something different abouthersthat made it actually matter. He wanted her, plain and simple.

“Addison,” he greeted a bit too warmly, willing his inner beast down. “Are you all ready?”

She nodded eagerly. “Let me at him.”

Woof.

He bit back a grin and hauled the basket of supplies off the floor, setting them on the desk. She leaned in, picking through the gear curiously, her hand pausing on the muzzle. Her eyes flicked up to his again, brow furrowed with concern.

“You guys really use muzzles here?” she asked. “Aren’t they…”

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