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"What does that mean?"

He doesn't answer immediately. Sayer watches from the couch, silent. The poor kid has spent the last twenty minutes watching two adults argue while the world falls apart around them.

I lower my voice.

"Rhett."

He looks away. That tells me everything.

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"How long have you been hiding this?"

A muscle in his jaw moves.

"Since before I knew you."

The answer hits harder than I expect. I fold my arms.

"Explain."

He takes a breath.

"I can't explain everything."

"Convenient."

"It isn't."

"Then try."

I see the old Rhett. The man who used to sit beside me on the hood of his truck at seventeen and tell me he would always protect me. The man who disappeared. The man who left me with questions I never got answers to.

"I have always been different."

The words are quiet.

"I knew that early."

I don't interrupt. Because for once, he is actually talking.

"I learned to hide it."

"From everyone?"

"Most people."

His eyes flick toward Sayer.

"Until now."

The room goes silent. I look at Sayer. Then back at Rhett.

"Are you saying..."

I stop. Because suddenly all the missing pieces are too close together. Sayer's reaction time. His instincts. The way he senses things before they happen. Rhett's abilities. The wolf he mentioned without ever actually explaining.