A cold wind howled across the desolate plains. Theo raced on, fueled by a desperate plan and a heart heavy with betrayal. The moon, a pale sliver in the inky sky, cast long, skeletal shadows that danced alongside him, mocking his haste.

Memories flickered through his mind. Eydis, her eyes once sparkling with the thrill of adventure, now held an emptiness that mirrored the wasteland around him.

Symbiosis. That's what she called their bond. He provided the blood, the life force, and she… tamed the monster in him. But where was the Eydis he fell in love with? Now, she was a shell, her eyes dull with a profound boredom. 

A horrifying image flashed in his mind – Eydis snapping a shapeshifter's neck with ease, licking the blood from her hand with an unnerving casualness.

"Leaving is an option," she said.

"But... was it necessary?" Theo choked out, a tremor of fear lacing his voice.

“Perhaps not. But then again..." Eydis shrugged, a cold glint in her golden eyes. "Accidents happen."

Theo reached the outskirts of the werewolf village, a cluster of brick houses nestled beneath the skeletal branches of ancient oaks. He pounded on the door of the largest house with urgency.

A gruff voice rumbled from within. "Who dares disturb the peace?"

"I’m… a werewolf," he gasped, his voice hoarse from exertion. "There's no time. The Queen... she's coming for you!"

The door creaked open, revealing a hulking werewolf with fur the colour of aged oak and eyes glowing with suspicion. Claws scraped against the rough wood as the werewolf leaned in, sniffing the air.

"You reek of vampire scent. A werewolf serving a vampire? Convenient," The werewolf chieftain spat the words, his voice dripping with disdain. "Saves us the trouble of hunting both."

A wave of nausea washed over Theo. "What... trouble?"

The chieftain's eyes narrowed to cruel slits. Before Theo could react further, a searing pain erupted in his chest. A sickening crack echoed through the room as a massive claw slammed into him, shattering ribs. Blood welled in his throat, a strangled gasp escaping his lips.

"Uprising," the chieftain snarled, the word dripping with venom. "We'll purge this land of every bloodsucker, down to the last leech. Even the shapeshifters are with us now. Your precious Queen? A mindless monster, a slave to her bloodlust." He scoffed, a harsh bark of a laugh. "Fear her? I have an army at my back."

On cue, light flooded the chamber, revealing a snarling tide of faces. Yellowed fangs gleamed in the oppressive glare, dripping with a viscous anticipation. Claws scraped against the rough stone floor, a horrifying counterpoint to Theo's ragged gasps. The chieftain shoved Theo aside, his crumpled form landing on the hard floor.

"You would attack your own?!" His voice ripped through the guttural growls, raw with betrayal. "What about the Wolf Pact? The bond we swore to uphold?"

The chieftain let out a booming laugh, a cruel sound devoid of humour. "War, pup! It's us or them! Kindness to your enemy is a weakness you can't afford!"

His words whipped at Theo like a razor. Every instinct within him screamed for peace, for reason. But the glint of steel in the werewolves' eyes spoke a different language.

Adrenaline surged through Theo's veins. The betrayal, the rage, the primal fear – it all coalesced into a roaring fire within him. He wouldn't go down without a fight. A low growl rumbled deep in his chest, a sound that mirrored the approaching beast.

His own transformation was a brutal ballet of violence, bones twisting and rearranging as fur erupted across his skin. When the dust settled, a towering monstrosity stood in Theo's place, a creature of nightmare with fangs bared in a silent challenge. Its head brushed the high ceiling of the large room, its form radiating raw, untamed power.

The chieftain faltered, eyes widening in a flicker of fear. "Y-you're… the Silver Moon Wolf?" His voice, once filled with bravado, now trembled with a hint of terror. But it was fleeting. Fear wouldn't save him.

With a battle cry that shook the very foundation of the room, the werewolf pack surged forward. Their hunger for Theo's blood, for the power they believed resided within him, eclipsed any lingering fear. 

Atop a wind-battered peak, Eydis watched the scene unfold with a detached amusement. Orion, her second-in-command, leaned into Eydis's side, her hand possessively tracing circles on the Queen's slender waist.

"Time to intervene, Your Majesty?" 

"No," Eydis replied, a flicker of something sharp passed through Eydis's gaze. "I trust him."

Orion chuckled, a sound laced with amusement. "Trust? Remember, your little pet wasn't so loyal after all."

A soft smile playing on Eydis’s lips. "Precisely. He's proven... too noble for our cause."

"Discarding him then?" Orion sighed theatrically. "A shame. Those muscles were rather impressive."

Eydis's voice turned dangerously low. "Don't tell me you..."

Before Eydis could finish, an unsettling green light erupted from Orion's form. Her warm, sun-kissed skin rippled and paled, becoming as flawless and otherworldly as moonlight on snow. Her emerald eyes flared a brilliant gold. In a blink, Orion stood as tall and elegant as Eydis. Her face sculpted itself into an identical copy of the Queen's breathtaking beauty, all sharp angles and mesmerising perfection. A hint of fang peeked out from behind her lips, a silent promise of violence.

"Let's just say," Orion purred, her voice smooth as silk, an exact echo of the Queen’s own, "his affections might have been misplaced, my Queen. I simply showed him a lie he desperately wishes to see. Your love.”

Eydis's eyes narrowed before a gasp cut through the air. Theo, battered and bruised, stumbled into view, blood streaking his face. "Why didn't you warn me?" he rasped, his voice hoarse with exertion and a hint of betrayal.

Eydis stroked his silver hair, a gesture that seemed at odds with the carnage below. Her voice, a soothing murmur, held an edge of something he couldn't decipher. "Some lessons are best learned in blood, Theo."

Theo chuckled weakly, the sound laced with pain. "A brutal lesson," he agreed, leaning into her touch. "But why the theatrics, Eydis?"

Eydis met his gaze, her golden eyes unreadable. "Perhaps to test your resolve."

Vulnerability flickered across Theo's face. "Were you trying to push me away?" he rasped, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. "I'm sorry I doubted you. It's just..." He faltered, the years of betrayal leaving him hesitant to trust again.

A flicker of warmth, a ghost of the Eydis he knew, warmed her features. It vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by an unreadable mask. "Theo," her voice, still soft, held a new edge. "There's more you don't understand. Yet. But the door remains open."

"I will understand," Theo declared, a flicker of defiance returning to his voice. "I won't fail you again."

The plea hung unspoken in the air – 'Please don't push me away'.

Eydis's lips curved into a ghost of a smile, but it never reached her eyes. She turned, her form dissolving into snowflakes with Orion at her side. He tried not to grimace at Orion's now golden eyes, a glint that echoed both amusement and something far more predatory.

Years blurred. Theo followed Eydis, slowly unravelling the complexities of her schemes. One evening, she surprised him with a summons to the Celestial Academy, a hallowed institution shrouded in secrecy. Theo had always envisioned its halls filled with scholarly pursuits, not the scene of opulent debauchery that greeted him. Lavishly clad figures writhed on silken cushions, their moans a jarring counterpoint to the hushed reverence he expected.

Theo's voice, tight with unease, cut through the haze. "Why this, Princess?"

Eydis, reclining on a plush chaise longue, met his gaze. "Welcome to the new age, Theo," she purred, a hint of predatory amusement dancing in her eyes. "Where information is currency, and the most valuable secrets are rarely spilled amidst the clang of steel, but rather, in the careless intimacies… of delightful intoxication."

Theo’s breath hitched. Every action, every word, held a hidden purpose, as deadly as her combat skills. It terrified him, yet ignited a strange fascination. Then, one day, she did something completely out of character.

Eydis refused his blood, succumbing to a raw hunger that nearly jeopardised her safety. Something had shifted within her, but Theo couldn't grasp what. Denial became his shield. He couldn't see the warmth returning to her eyes, a warmth that undeniably wasn't for him.

"Little help, Theo," Eydis's voice jolted him. He rushed to her side, finding her hand burned.

"What happened?" he demanded, a raw edge to his voice that betrayed his simmering panic. "An enemy?"

Eydis offered a humourless laugh, the sound brittle and unconvincing. "Coffee, believe it or not," she rasped, her gaze flicking away for a fleeting moment. "Seems my immortality doesn't extend to clumsiness."

A lie. Theo knew her too well. He'd witnessed her lightning reflexes for years. He unbuttoned his shirt, offering himself as a willing sacrifice. As her fangs sank into him, a familiar pang of longing echoed in his chest.

The true change came with Eydis's return, reeking of alcohol – a first in their decade together. He settled her, his fingers brushing her brown hair. He missed this carefree side. A mumbled phrase: 

"Anyone would do, wouldn't it?" laced with bitterness.

"Eydis?" Concern etched lines on his face. "What troubles you?"

Her eyes fluttered open. A smile, bittersweet, didn't reach them. "Unlike some," she said cryptically, cupping his face.

An ache settled in Theo's chest as he cradled her hand against his cheek. The alcohol, a rare indulgence, had clearly loosened her inhibitions. He both yearned for this vulnerability and feared what secrets it might reveal.

The truth slammed into him with the clash of swords. His gaze ripped to Eydis, locked in a duel with the human girl, Astra. But this wasn't the Eydis he knew. Her eyes burned with a feral intensity he hadn't witnessed in years. A hint of amusement, genuine and unnerving, danced in them each time Astra, with surprising skill, deflected her blows.  Eydis held back, toying with the human girl, savouring this unexpected dance that held no place in her grand scheme. 

It was almost… passionate. 

Theo felt it.

And Orion surely sensed it too - they were but knights on her chessboard. Astra, however, was an anomaly. Why waste precious energy on this fragile human? A sliver of jealousy, sharp and unwelcome, pierced his heart.

Was there any hope for him?

The answer, if there was one, arrived on a wisp of lavender and the familiar touch of her hand on his cheek.

"You seemed...different, Princess," he rasped, the lingering effects of her feeding adding a layer of vulnerability to his voice.

Eydis tilted her head. "Perhaps."

His hand, a tremor coursing through it, hesitantly reached up. He traced the familiar curve of her jaw, the pad of his thumb brushing away a smear of crimson – his blood, their bond. 

"As much as I..." the words caught in his throat, a strangled sound escaping his lips. Fear, thick and suffocating, coiled in his chest. "I can't help but feel your smile wasn't meant for me."

A ghost of a smile touched Eydis's lips. "Such perceptiveness, little Lord," she teased, flicking his nose with a finger. "Though perhaps a touch dramatic."

Theo grasped her hand, the coolness a stark contrast to the heat simmering beneath his skin. "I'm a man now, Eydis."

The smile faltered. Her gaze flickered away, the amusement replaced by a deep-seated weariness. "Athena," she corrected, "and there's still a part of that boy in you, Theo, the one who once dreamt of adventures with the Monkey King."

"But I'm…even older than Orion," he countered, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "And you...you've even allowed her to...". He knew, with a sickening certainty, that Eydis's flirtatiousness was a carefully crafted performance. 

Intimacy, true intimacy, seemed to be a territory she fiercely guarded. Not even Orion was allowed to breach that wall.

"Age is irrelevant,” she said softly, her voice laced with melancholy. "Some memories run deeper than any curse, especially when held by someone who remembers... everything."

"Then I can wait," Theo declared, his resolve hardening. "However long it takes for the memories to fade and for you to see me as I am now.”

A foreign scent, sharp and unwelcome, sliced through the fragile intimacy. Theo tensed as Eydis’s touch on his hair turning cold and distant as she braced herself for the intruder.

The door creaked open a sliver. A guttural growl escaped Theo's throat, echoing with a similar sound from outside the room. In the doorway stood a slender figure bathed in moonlight. 

Astra stood there, crimson eyes – the colour of fresh blood – burning into him with a predatory intensity. Her hair, dark as moonless night, cascaded down her back. He didn't know the nature of their bond, but the blatant disrespect of interrupting the Queen at this hour hung heavy in the air, a silent challenge.

"Astra..." Eydis breathed, her voice laced with a surprising tenderness.

"Sorry to interrupt… whatever it was," Astra said, her voice clipped and cold. Her eyes, however, burned with a fire that seemed to sear straight through Theo.

Despite her obvious hostility towards him, she remained rooted to the spot. Eydis sighed, a hint of weariness etched on her face. With a hand on her temple, she addressed him in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Leave us, Theo."

A knot of anger tightened in his chest. He let out a low growl, the sound thick with possessiveness and defiance as he rose to his feet.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving him alone in the hallway, the sounds of a hushed conversation filtering through the heavy oak.

He didn't like this human. Not one bit.

Theo