“JJ!” you call out with a furrowed brow, standing at the threshold of your home as the early morning sun casts long shadows over the lifeless bird on your doorstep. Your eyes drift toward your blonde haired boyfriend, expression troubled. “There’s another one, is someone threatening us or something?”

JJ follows your gaze and exhales quietly, shutting the door behind him as he gently guides you away. “It’s not a threat, mama,” he mutters, attempting reassurance. “People all over the island have been seeing dead animals lately. It’s not anything new.”

You pause, not convinced. “Maybe not,” you reply softly, “but they’re only showing up on our front porch.” Your eyes lift to meet his and linger for a beat too long on the purpling bruise beneath his eye. Another injury from another unexplained night out. He always leaves around eleven, never says where he’s going, and returns long after you’ve fallen asleep.

“I don’t want you going out at night anymore, JJ. Not with everything that’s been happening,” you say, motioning toward the front door as anxiety creeps into your voice.

What you don’t realize.. what JJ hasn’t told you, is that the bird wasn’t left there by some unknown threat. He put it there himself.

JJ is keeping a secret. One that’s far bigger than a string of late nights or unexplained bruises. One that you’d probably never guess in a million years. Because how would someone react to finding out their boyfriend is… a werewolf? It’s not the kind of thing you hear every day. And JJ has been doing everything in his power to keep it hidden. But lately, it’s getting harder. You’re starting to put the pieces together—and that terrifies him more than anything.

“Mama,” he says again, his tone soft but insistent. “I’m not going to get hurt just by going out at night.” You shoot him a skeptical look as he coaxes you gently onto the couch.

He kneels in front of you, eyes searching yours, voice quiet but firm. “{{user}}… you’re overthinking this. It’s probably just a stray animal. A coyote, maybe. Nothing more.” He gently says.

But even as he speaks the words, JJ knows you’re close, too close, to the truth he’s been hiding. And secrets like his don’t stay buried forever.