Chapter 1

Rory

I'm running as fast as I can. I'm scared. No fear isn't the word. This is something else entirely. My bare feet are trudging through the mud. The trees are taller on this part of the forest. My clothes are torn barely sticking onto my body. I'm running as fast as I can. I get to a riverbank. The sparkling water is wild today. It rained not too long ago. Maybe that's why. I look back. I'm being stalked.

I can feel the strange gravity of it all. I can feel the beast in the trees. Closer. Closer. Closer. Black eyes, sharp teeth and snarling growl. It's pacing. It knows that I won't cross the river. It's not a wolf. No. The average size of a regular wolf's body is 3-5 feet long. Their tails are usually 1-2 feet long. Males weigh 70-145 pounds. This is something much bigger than that.

I keep going back and back further away from it.

I find myself slipping down the muddy bank almost falling into the river.

Sloppy. So Sloppy Rory.

It pounces!


All I see is brown fur as the beast descends on me. It's all teeth and snarls. Its paws nail me down to the floor. Its muzzle descends on my neck as though it's going to rip me open.

The wolf buries his face in my neck. It doesn't rip my throat open though. It nuzzles me. The huge black wolf begins to change. His muzzle begins to form a mouth. His fur becomes a hairy chest. His tail becomes a firm muscular ass. His hair is bald. It holds me down. He's a human now.

"What's this we have here?" the man asks.

He licks me. His tongue presses up against my skin.

 

 

"Rhinegold, back down."


I turn at that moment and see a man. He's handsome. He is tall and dressed in a heavy brown fur coat. The weather in this place is different from how it was in Alaska. The trees were different. They were greener. It's almost as though all of them were alive. There was no dead tree anywhere. There was unique smell to this place as well. It's fresher than anything I've ever smelled even when Dad used to take us hiking in the mountains. It's not nearly warm enough for fur and it just seems odd and out of place when he has one on.

 

 

"Basil...find your own pup."


"He belongs to the Alaska pack, Rhinegold. There are rules that need to be followed."

All of a sudden this stranger throws aside his fur coat. And he changes. The human form elongates. What was a mouth becomes a muzzle. There is a growling noise. The beast is in front of us now. A wolf the size of a full grown horse. It howls something fierce and the man on top of me, naked and angry slowly backs down and runs away.

 

It was at that moment I knew I was in the right place.

I had arrived in Eden.

 

~

 

 

"Your name is Rory right?" the man asks me.

 

We are hiking through the woods. He looks over at me. Handsome isn't the right word to describe this man. Handsome was too soft of a word. No. This man was aggressive. He was strong and his face was lined with battle scars but somehow he still managed to have this raw attraction to him.

"Yes..."


My voice is low. I don't walk too close to him. He's a stranger after all.

 

"Why didn't you change when he attacked you?"


"Huh?"


He seems confused.

 

"I was sent to meet you," he tells me, "I was sent to bring you here from the gate. Do you know why you're here, Rory? Do you know what you are?"


"A werewolf."

 

"Not just a werewolf, Rory. You are a beta wolf. That's very special."


"How?"


He smiles at me. I saw how fierce he was when that werewolf named Rhinegold attacked me in the forest. If he had been 2 minutes late god knows what would have happened to me. God knows if I would have survived or not.

 

Now he is comforting though. It's almost night and day.

 

"You'll learn. You'll learn shortly."

~

 

It all started just a week ago. That's all I had. A fucking week. I'm sitting outside with my grandmother. My parents died when I was much younger. I tell her about a college I applied for. I tell her I'm thinking about going to New York for college.

 

She tells me that I'm not going to college.

 

She tells me I'm going somewhere else.

 

Eden...

 

 

"My name is Basil," the stranger tells me, "I'm the Alpha of your pack. Do you know what the Alpha of a wolf pack is, Rory?"

I knew what an Alpha was. My grandmother had told me since I was young enough to remember. Rory, you're a werewolf. For some reason though I feel like I need to play dumb. The less they think I know here the safer I'll be. I didn't know these people. I didn't know what they were about. I damn sure didn't trust them.

So for now I'd pretend like I didn't know a damn thing.

"No," I respond.

 

"It means I'm your leader," he states before pausing a bit, "I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you. Usually a wolf in the Alaska pack is brought in a lot earlier. You're different though. You were bred to be a Beta wolf. At least you were supposed to be. That means you were special. So that is why I called your grandmother. That is why I let her know that I need you now. I need to give you to a new Alpha."


"I don't know what that means."


I didn't have a choice in coming here. I was completely reliant on my grandmother. She had prepared me. I could say that much. I knew one day I'd be joining my pack, wherever they were.

 

We keep walking through the woods. It seems like we walk forever. My clothes are still ripped from being attacked by the big black wolf in the forest. The sky in this place is different as well. It's hard to tell what time it is.

 

We walk until my feet hurt and finally we get to what looks like a town. I can smell a fire going. When we go past a hill I see tents. They span out as far as the eyes can see. There are tents everywhere and the area looks busy. The only thing that I think I can compare this to is some sort of Coachella festival or something.

 

 

"What is this place?" I ask.

 

"We are in the gardens of Eden.'

 

"I was expecting something different. My grandmother made it seem like I was going to some enchanted city...not Woodstock," I respond.

 

Woodstock is exactly what I think this place would be. All around there seems to be music, revelry and just wild behavior. As I look down I see drinking. I am following Basil into this area and I'm taken away by it. To my right two men are killing one another, fighting like idiots until they beat one another to a bloody pulp. No one seems to notice them killing each other but me. To the left I see a boy bent over. He can be no older than 16. This older man is over him, plowing his ass and fucking him. No one seems to care about it either.

 

"There is a city. These forests stretch out around the city for miles and miles. We call them the Garden. Welcome to the Garden of Eden The majority of us wolves don't get to go to the city. It's banned. We stay out here in the woods..."

 

 

"Why?"


"Long story," he tells me.

 

"I have the time."


He laughs, "You're a funny one. Unfortunately, I don't have the time. Tonight is the full moon. Us werewolves become a lot more...what's the word...animalistic during the full moon."


Basil nods over on the other side of a big field. There is a woman dancing. She hasn't shaved clearly because her vagina is a bit bushy. She dances in front of a group of men. I watch in complete shock and horror as the men pull her down into the mud and have their way with her. She tries to fight them off. At first I think of running over there and helping her but Basil grabs my hand. He nods again. I notice she's the one tackling most of the men to the floor. She mounts them wildly and begins having her way with them. Five at a time. They are in each one of her holes and she's loving every moment of it.

 

Was she a werewolf?


Is this what it meant to be a werewolf?

 

"Do they act like this when there's a full moon?"


"Oh no. This is everyday behavior," he tells me with a smile, "The full moon activities haven't even started yet."



This place was different. In this distance I can see the beginnings of a city. It's under this everlasting red sky. The sun is ducked behind the red clouds. I wonder how the wolves know it's a full moon. Will we see it?

 

Basil takes me to a tent. When I walk in I see a bunch of boys in there. He opens up the red tent and I notice it's much bigger than the others. It's almost the size of a huge circus tent. When I walk in I see boys that are all around my age.

 

 

"This is where you will be sleeping until you are given to your Alpha," he tells me, "You'll be getting ready for the full moon here with the other Beta wolves. Tonight you'll meet your new Alpha. Tonight you'll be bitten and have your first transformation."

 

"What if I don't like him?" I ask.

 

 

"You'll like him," someone says.

 

I turn at that moment and see a boy walk over to us. He's the prettiest boy I've ever seen. Not handsome. No. Pretty. He has flowers wreathe around his hair. He has long curly hair that goes all the way down past his butt. His eyelashes are long and his lips are almost tainted red ever so slightly. He walks over to us and I smell nothing but Patchouli oil.

 

Basil seems excited about this boy. He grabs the boy. He pulls him in. He gives the boy the biggest kiss I've ever seen in my life. I have to admit it gets me excited just seeing the two. I've always known that I was bisexual. I always knew what kind of men I like. The way Basil held onto this boy turned me on. Basil turned me on.

 

The boy looks at Basil and he throws his arms over him. He's completely in love. It's written all over his body language.

 

"Rory, this is my beta...his name is Yuma," he tells me, "Isn't he the most beautiful boy you've ever seen in your life?"

 

Yuma had a child-like prettiness to him. His skin is this beautiful shade of brown. I'm pretty sure he's Native American. At least that's what he would be considered in the real world. I'm not sure what he's considered here. He looked more fairy than wolf. Most of the boys in this tent did. I look at them and wonder what the expectation is here. Should I be like them? Was I supposed to be some pretty boy.

 

"Master, you're so kind to me."


That's when I see something that almost makes me want to puke. I watch how Yuma reaches down, bends over and kisses the feet of Basil. The other boys don't even flinch. You might as well think this is some sort of normal behavior.

 

I watch how Basil bends down and picks him up almost like a child, cradling Yuma into his arms. Yuma seems to love it, kissing his hands in the most submissive way possible.

 

"I'm going to make love to you tonight...under the moonlight," Basil promises Yuma.

 

"Yes Master. I look forward to it."


"Until then I need you to look after Rory. He's going to be given to Chocolate later on as his beta."


"Chocolate?"


The boys look at one another. I swear I see a few of them whisper a few things. I'm not sure what they are discussing but they seem very adamant about it.

 

He looks like he is about to say something to the Betas but something catches his attention. I'm not sure what it is, but he isn't the only one. All the Betas turn and look in the same direction as well. I can't hear a thing.

 

"What?" I ask, "What is it?"


"A howl," Basil tells me, "You can't hear it yet. Your hearing hasn't come in."

 

"Don't go. Tonight is the full moon. You should be here with me," Yuma starts almost begging his Alpha at that moment. I can't help but to look at how they communicate with one another and being completely blown away.

 

"I'll be back. I promise."


"What's going on?" Yuma asks him.

"I'll be back. Watch after Rory."



I feel completely confused when Basil runs off to the silent sound that alarmed everyone. When he opens the tent I notice something else too. All of these other people are running. There seems to be some sort of panic among the tents.

 

Yuma doesn't even look at me at that moment, "Something is happening? Something is wrong here. That howl came from the Alpha of Alphas."



Another boy comes forward. He looks at Yuma, "Yuma, don't scare the new boy."


Yuma doesn't seem to budge, "Does no one care about what's going on?"


The tallest boy seems to be annoyed at Yuma.

 

"You need to obey your Alpha, Yuma. Who do you think you are? Just because your brother is who he is, doesn't give you any more rights than the rest of us. Basil spoils you."


"Shut up Cole."

 

"You need to learn your place Yuma. Your brother is a sellout. You should humble yourself."


"What did you just say about my brother?"


The two boys face off. I can see there is tension here.

 

I just break the tension. I don't know why, "Pretty night, isn't it?"


The boys seem to want to go at each other. I can feel the heaviness between them. I don't know what it's all about but Yuma doesn't give me the chance to find out. He grabs my hand and take me to the other side of the tent.

 

I don't need super werewolf hearing to know that the other boys are talking about Yuma. I don't think he fits in here. That part is clear. The ringleader of these boys seems to be the one named Cole. He's looking as though he's completely annoyed by everything.

 

"I'm sorry...about the drama," Yuma tells me, "I should learn to listen a little bit more. I'll help you get ready for Chocolate. We need to brush your hair...make you pretty. The Alphas prefer their Betas not to be too masculine."


Make me pretty. The idea itself was laughable. I don't think I have a choice though especially when Yuma pushes me down in the chair and furiously begins brushing my hair. I can tell he has something else on his mind the entire time he's doing it. I look down and see the piles of makeup that he has on his dresser. My heart skips a beat. I've never worn make up before, but sure enough there were boys in this room with it on.


"I would have been curious too..." I respond, "It seemed weird how everyone just ran like that..."


"It doesn't happen a lot. The Alpha of Alphas doesn't howl," he explains to me, "Something is going down and we are stuck here being Betas. A lot of the other boys here don't like me, especially Cole..."


"Jealous," I mutter.

 

I say it really low. I don't think Yuma can hear me because I damn near whisper it. I'm wrong. Maybe it's the wolf in him that hears me say it. Yuma looks over at me a little confused.

"What?"


"They must be jealous," I explain at that moment, "You're so pretty. Your boyfriend is so...he's so strong. They must be jealous of your relationship."


"Basil isn't my boyfriend. He's my Alpha. There's a difference," Yuma explains to me and then laughs a little bit, "Also they aren't jealous. My family...we don't' have the best reputation because of my brother."


"Who is your brother?"


"He's ambassador for the wolves to the king."


"The king? The one you guys called Alpha of Alphas?" I ask, "The one who howled."


Yuma looks at me and smiles.

"You don't know much do you?" Yuma asks before shaking his head.

 

 

"Not really."



"Not too long ago Eden belonged to the vampires. It wasn't until a witch decided to change things. He approached Walid, the one we call Alpha of Alphas. Together the witches and the wolves took over Eden. At least we thought."


It's interesting to understand the history of this city. My grandmother had warned me that there were more than just wolves here. But witches and vampires too? A part of me didn't' believe it. A part of me wanted to see it up close and personal, but who was I to deny the existence of those creatures? I grew up believing I was a werewolf.

 

Anything was possible.

 

 

"Your brother is ambassador to Walid. That must be a special job."


"Walid doesn't sit the throne by himself. His king is that witchdoctor. The trickster. The pretender. My brother is ambassador to him. And regardless of how powerful Walid is, we know there is that witch behind him...whispering things to him. Controlling him."



It made sense now why Yuma was so concerned about this Alpha of All Alphas calling for Basil. I can look in Yuma's eyes and see concern. He loved Basil. He was concerned. He said Basil wasn't his boyfriend. My grandmother tried to explain the Alpha-Beta relationship a million times but words really didn't do justice. It wasn't until now that I really was starting to understand how an Alpha and a Beta were related. It wasn't just a relationship. It wasn't just marriage. It was a dominant, submissive relationship.

It feels almost as though Yuma is a puppy, locked in a crate, longing and waiting eagerly for his owner to come home. Even now he can barely see through to my "beautifying". He keeps looking out at the tent entrance every time someone goes in and out.

The concern is written all over his face.

 

 

~

 

 

Hours pass and we aren't allowed outside of the tent. Yuma stands by the tent door. He's prepared me to look somewhat like him. Far prettier than I'm used to but I'm not complaining. I'm not in the mud at least with the other werewolves. They seem to at least want to keep their Betas clean if not anything else.

 

I have to admit I'm a little concerned about him. He seems so lost without Basil.

"Did he lie to you enough?" a voice says.

 

I turn and see the beta who Yuma called Cole. He walks up to me with the other betas. Yuma is so stuck at the entrance of the door that he doesn't even realize it.

 

I look at Cole's expression. There is this distaste written all over it.

 

"He didn't lie to me. He just told me the history of this place," I explain, "I think I should have at least known what the background of it was."


"Did he tell you what his brother was?"


"The ambassador to the wolves?"


"That's his title. I mean did he tell you what his brother actually was..."



"What?"


I don't get a chance to respond. All of a sudden there is a voice at the end of the tent. I look over and see someone enter. I notice exactly who it is as soon as the person walks in. It's that werewolf who had attacked me earlier.

 

"The Alphas have returned," he states.


"Rhinegold...what's going on?" Yuma asks.

 

"Stay in your place Yuma. I was sent to let you know the Alphas are discussing our meeting with the Walid. There is a lot we must think about. The festivities for the full moon have all been cancelled. Go to sleep. All of you."



The other wolves are obedient almost to a fault. I watch as they don't even wait until Rhinegold says the words. They turn and start getting ready for bed. The only one that seems to question this strange cancellation was Yuma. He hasn't moved an inch.

 

"What's going on?" Yuma asks.

 

"You hear me pup? I said go to bed."


Yuma doesn't move. I watch as Rhinegold reaches forward and grabs Yuma by his collar. He lifts Yuma as though Yuma weighs nothing at all. He has the same strength that Basil did. I don't know why I'm concerned enough to dart over to Yuma as fast as I can.

 

"I'll take him to bed..." I state, "He's just worried about his Alpha. That's all."

 

 

"You..." Rhinegold states before softening his expression a little bit. He bites his lip somewhat showing how attracted he is for some reason, "Fine take him to bed. I don't want to hear anything else from you."


"Come on Yuma."


I try to lead Yuma away but I don't get far. I see Rhinegold's hand as he grabs onto me.

"Chocolate can't do for you what I can," Rhinegold tells me in the most brutish way, "I would deep dick you into the afterlife."


I don't know if he thinks that's supposed to turn me on or something. I'm not sure. I know that Rhinegold means it. It's kind of scary. He's not unattractive. That's not the thing. There is just something so...hardened about him. There's something about him that scares the fuck out of me. All of me knows that this guy is strange to say the least. All of me knows that this guy has an issue.

 

With that he licks me. He fucking licks me! Right on the face.

 

I'm shocked.

He turns and walks outside of the tent and I can see Yuma shaking his head.

"Did Rhinegold just lick you?" a voice asks.

 

I turn and see Cole standing there. I'm so disgusted by it that I wipe off the spit on my shirt.

 

"Not only that. The sick motherfucker basically is threatening to have sex with me. It's almost like he wants me to be his beta or something."

 

The room gets quiet. A few of the other betas turn and walk to separate corners. I'm not sure why. Even Yuma gets quiet at that moment. I'm so confused until I turn around and see Cole's face. There is a furror on Cole's face. I haven't seen anything like it. He looks beyond pissed. He looks like I damn near kicked his dog literally and figuratively.

 

The stare down continues and then all of a sudden I see him transform. My heart skips a beat a little bit as I see a growling red dog looking at me. The wolf is smaller than the Alphas but I'm no fool. He's a werewolf. He's the size of a full grown mastiff. His fury is clear. It's plain and simple. His teeth are sharp and he has this maddened look on his face.


He's almost drooling mad.


Each moment I was starting to understand more what the relationship between an Alpha and a Beta was. It was something maddening for a Beta. It was something that they were willing to kill for. Looking in the eyes of Cole I can see that he went from indifference to hate. The Alpha didn't just claim the Beta. No. In their own way the Beta claimed the Alpha as well.

 

And somehow I had just come between this bond without even being aware.

 

"I---I'm sorry..."



"Enough," Yuma states, "Change back. The rules of the pack are clear. Betas do not fight one another. If you have a problem, you bring it to your Alpha. Change back Cole."


Cole takes a few steps towards me ignoring Yuma.

 

I'm shocked when Yuma steps in the way.

 

"Change back Cole," he repeats himself, "Rory is unable to change into his wolf form. He has not received the bite from his alpha as of yet. Change back or I'll report you to my brother, the Ambassador."

 

Cole stops dead in his tracks. For some reason this seems to get his attention. I'm not sure why. I guess there were rules here in Eden. I guess there were laws here. I'm also guessing Cole knew not to go against those laws. The threat of the Ambassador of the wolves calms him down.

Cole turns back and walks away...

 

For now, ...

 

~




It's the middle of the night. I don't get much sleep. Maybe it's the uneasiness of Rhinegold and his aggressiveness that's getting to me. Maybe it's the fact that I still don't know who Chocolate is. Maybe it's the fact that I'm surrounded by werewolves who seem to be very panicky over something they were keeping a secret. I'm not sure what gets me so uneasy but I know that something has to change.

That's when I see Yuma.

He walks up to me, "Come on."


"Yuma where are we going?"


"The Alphas are talking. I want to know what they're talking about."



I want to stop Yuma from doing it. I want to talk him out of it but I have a feeling either I'm going with Yuma or he would be going by himself. Yuma had saved me with Cole. Basil have saved me with Rhinegold. Twice in one day I had been saved from being mauled by a vicious wolf. Right now he is the closest thing I had to a friend besides Basil and I don't think Basil looked at me as being an equal being that he was an Alpha and I wasn't.

I get up and sneak out of the tent with Yuma. I watch how he grabs some incense. He says something about "masking our scent". I almost forget we are talking about werewolves when he says it.

We descend into the dirt. I'm following close behind Yuma. We get closer and I can see that the Alphas are indeed gathered around a large rock. None of them seem to be higher than the others. It's clear that Walid, the Alpha of Alphas is no longer present. Yuma grabs me and we duck behind some storage packs that seem stuffed to the brim with beer. If anything it was clear these werewolves liked to drink. I can see a couple of the Alphas now. They are all somewhat drunk in a way.

There is one who begins talking, "You all heard what the Alpha of Alphas had to say. His witch is pregnant and the Walid thinks the vampires believe this is when he is at his weakest. They plan to attack and the Alpha wants all of us to leave our homes to go protect his witch."



"This would mean war again," someone else states.

That's when I see Basil. He stands up tall and handsome. He's completely shirtless and has nothing on but a towel around his waist, "We are wolves. We don't fear war."


Rhinegold argues almost immediately, "But we are afraid of death."


"We are loyal to Walid. He is our Alpha. We don't turn our back in his time of need," someone says.

"Chocolate has a point," Basil responds.

Chocolate. I look over at the man talking next to Basil. Chocolate. He was beautiful. He was tall. He was handsome. He seemed to have courage just like Basil. He seemed to be just what I was hoping he was. My version of Basil. All of a sudden I'm happy I'm a werewolf. All of a sudden I'm happy he's going to be the one that bites me. He's going to be the one that turns me.

Rhinegold is on the other side of the field arguing with them, "Loyalty? Have we forgotten Fang and his family? Weren't they killed serving the king? How many of us have to die for the witch?"


"This isn't about the witch."


"Oh yes it is," Rhinegold argues with Chocolate, "We all know who the TRUE king is. There is only one person that wears the Crushed Crown. And it's not Walid. I say let the vampires take the city. What do we care? Hell maybe we should join them. Kill Walid for being such a fucking weakling."


Rhinegold saying this seems to cause the biggest outrage. I look over at Yuma. He seems afraid. Yuma's brother was ambassador to Walid. His family was right in the middle of this. Basil clearly seemed to support the crown but there were others. There were others like Rhinegold who were ready and willing to speak out against it.

Another wolf joins Rhinegold, "Let the false king and his witch bitch burn. Let the vampires suck them dry."


The voices get louder and louder. Chaos. It's like the chaos I'd seen before. A people who lacked a real leader. They no longer wanted to listen to Walid. They no longer respected him for some reason. They felt like he was being controlled by a witch and this wasn't breaking them up.

It's Chocolate who comes forward. He's so brave. He's so handsome.

"Rhinegold! You speak out against the Alpha, you speak out against me. Without our honor what do we have as wolves."


My heart is thumping. He speaks of honor and pride. I look in his eyes and I see a good man. I look at this chocolate and I'm mesmerized. I can see myself with him. I can see myself falling in love with him.

"You want to challenge me, Chocolate...say the word."


"The word."

Immediately both men turn into wolves. I can see why Chocolate is called Chocolate at that time. His coat is a beautiful shade of brown almost like milk chocolate. It shines. It's glittery. He is a prince compared to Rhinegold's dark matted black coat. I don't know why I get up from behind the barrels. I have to see him up close in all his beauty.

"Get down," Yuma is screaming at me.

I don't listen. I want to see Chocolate do this. I want to see Chocolate rip Rhinegold's head clean off his shoulders. The wolves square up. They nip at each other. The crowd goes crazy. They don't even notice me joining them. I get a close look at Chocolate's powerful jaws as he goes at Rhinegold! He attempts to clamp down on Rhinegold's neck. The gush of blood makes me think the fight is over before it even started.

Rhinegold barely gets away!


He snaps his teeth a couple of times circling around Chocolate as quickly as possible. My heart skips a beat when I see Chocolate brace himself and pounce on Rhinegold as Rhinegold does his circling. There is a glorious breeze that goes through Chocolate's fur. He is a king. He is a prince. He is my knight in shining armor. He is going to revenge me against Rhinegold.

I'm so sure of it.

I hear a loud SNAP!

It isn't Rhinegold that goes down though. It's Chocolate. Rhinegold grabs him. He grabs him and holds him with his teeth by the neck.

I run forward. I don't even know Chocolate but I find myself at his feet pleading in front of the other wolf.

"Mercy!" I say.

He gets no mercy. I am so close now that I can hear the ripping noise as Rhinegold clears Chocolate's head from his shoulders.

I sit there in shock.

This isn't happening. This isn't happening. I'm in shock looking at Chocolate's head roll around on the ground. Rhinegold walks over to me from behind. He's back in human form. He grabs me by my collar.

"You're my beta now..."

To read the next chapter in advance go to www.crushedcrown.com