Chained to the Enemy Alpha
Chapter 20: Buried Secrets

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Buried Secrets

“Gather around! The Alpha has new orders!”

The slaves and workers on the field stopped their work and gathered as they were told. The air was thick with the smell of dirt and sweat.

A tall guard stepped forward and unrolled a scroll, reading in a flat, bored voice. “By Alpha Zayn’s orders, if anyone finds anything unusual while digging—carved stones, metal pieces, bones with markings—must report it right away.”

He paused, then added, “There’ll be a reward. Extra food for anyone who finds anything useful.”

The crowd shifted quietly. Some people looked interested. Others looked suspicious, like it was too good to be true.

Lily stood near the back, her shoulder still wrapped tightly in a bandage, her body sore from the day before. She winced as her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten since the potatoes Victoria forced on her that had almost killed her.

She glanced around. The other workers were already bending down, digging faster, their eyes darting across the dirt like they were looking for buried treasure.

Her gaze dropped to the ground. It must be totems, like the one she had found. The one someone had stolen from her and claimed as their own.

Lily’s throat tightened. She couldn’t count on Martha sneaking her food anymore—it was too risky. Someone would notice eventually, and then Martha would pay the price.

If she wanted to eat, she had to earn it herself. She knelt slowly, wincing as her shoulder pulled, and pressed her fingers into the dirt with her one good hand.

She dug slowly and carefully. She needed that reward. She needed food. Energy. A chance to keep going.

Every small rock she touched, every shift in the soil made her heart race. She just had to find one. Just one.

When the guards weren’t looking, Lily slipped away from the group. Her heart thudded in her chest as she quietly made her way back to the spot where she’d found the first totem. The others were too busy digging to notice her crouch low and start again, using her bare hand.

The soil here was looser. Easier to move. She dug deeper, ignoring how her shoulder ached and how the stones cut her palm.

Then she felt it. Smooth. Cold. Buried just beneath the surface. Her breath caught.

She brushed the dirt away carefully, revealing a small carved shape. It was different from the last one. This one looked like a bird with folded wings. There were faint glowing lines along the surface, just barely shining in the dim light.

Another totem.

Lily stared at it, her chest filling with hope. But before she could get up or call for a guard—

A shadow fell over her. A hand reached down and yanked it out of her hand.

“I saw her trying to hide it,” a worker said loudly, loud enough to draw attention. “She was going to keep it for herself again!”

Lily jumped to her feet, shaking her head. She grabbed the worker by the arm, trying desperately to prove her innocent but the worker shoved her hard, and she fell to the ground.

She looked up just as a guard walked over, looking tired and bored.

“I warned her,” the worker added quickly. “She didn’t listen.”

Lily’s stomach dropped.

The guard didn’t even ask what happened. He just gave a short nod. “No food for her today.”

Lily stayed on the ground, shocked, watching the worker hand the totem over like it was theirs. Her hands shook with frustration and helplessness.

By nightfall, her stomach hurt worse than ever. It felt like it was twisting itself up inside her. Her lips were dry, and every inch of her body ached. But she couldn’t sleep.

While the others rested, Lily stared at the stars. And then—she felt it. A pull. Stronger than before. Like something was calling her.

Her eyes moved toward the edge of the field, past the broken fence, near the trees.

It was faint, but it was real.

She got up slowly, careful not to wake anyone. The night air was cold against her skin, but she didn’t care.

Her bare feet moved through the grass and dirt like they already knew the way.

She dropped to her knees at the base of the tree, right where the strange pull felt strongest. Her fingers dug into the dirt, moving faster now, like something inside her was guiding every motion.

Then—she felt it. Her breath hitched.

This one was different. It was carved from a dark stone, almost like black crystal. It was smooth, cold, and heavier than the others. The shape was kind of like a wolf... but twisted somehow.

The moment her fingers touched it, a jolt ran up her arm. Not painful. Just powerful. f|re(e)web.n\ovel. (c)o.m

Lily stared at it, wide-eyed, her heart thudding in her chest. Whatever this was... it wasn’t like the rest. It felt alive.

She kept glancing down at it, scared that if she looked away, it would vanish. Holding it close, she slipped through the field, heading back toward the row of run-down wooden shacks where the others slept. Everything was quiet. The moon barely lit the path.

She didn’t hear him coming. One moment, she was walking—then she ran straight into something tall, warm, and solid.

Zayn.

Her heart jumped. She froze.

The totem slipped from her fingers and dropped to the ground with a soft clink. Zayn’s eyes went straight to it.

“What the hell is that?” he snapped.

Before she could react, he grabbed her arm roughly. She flinched, expecting to be hit. He noticed. And something in him shifted.

“What are you hiding?” he growled. “Where did you get that?”

She shook her head quickly, stepping back, trying to reach for the totem—but he was faster. He bent down and picked it up, holding it between them.

It shimmered faintly in his hand, and a strange cold pulse buzzed from it.

His eyes narrowed. “You found this in the fields, didn’t you?”

Lily stayed quiet. As always, her silence said more than words ever could.

Zayn stepped closer, anger rising. “Why didn’t you report it like the others were told? You think the rules don’t apply to you just because I let you live?”

Lily stepped back, shaking her head. Her eyes were wide, lips parted, but no sound came out.

Zayn’s grip on her arm tightened. “Answer me!”

With her good hand shaking, she reached up and grabbed his wrist.

Slowly, she brought his hand down, turned it over, and started tracing letters on his palm with her finger. fre.eweb novel\.c om

O. O. D.

Zayn stiffened. She did it again. Slower this time.

F-O-O-D.

That’s all she wanted. He looked at her. Her skin was pale, her frame too thin, her eyes sunken from exhaustion and hunger. She was starving.

The totem pulsed softly in his hand, still cold and strange. Then he noticed the way her eyes flicked to his coat.

She sniffed once. Then again, a little more obviously.

Zayn blinked. “What?”

And then he got it—she could smell the food. He still had his rations from earlier, the bread and dried meat he hadn’t eaten yet. It was still in his coat.

She pointed to the pocket, then to her mouth.

He raised an eyebrow. “You want my food, for this?”

She nodded once, slow and serious. She didn’t try to take the totem back. Her stomach growled loudly between them, and Zayn hesitated for a beat.

Then he reached into his coat, pulled out the food, and held it out. She snatched it from his hand.

Then, quietly, she curled his fingers over the totem in his palm.

Before he could speak, she ran off, disappearing into the darkness..

Zayn stood there, still holding the totem, its faint pulse beating against his palm.

He looked at it, then glanced toward the direction she ran off in.

What just happened?

She could’ve hidden it. Could’ve begged. Could’ve tried to lie her way out like most would’ve.

But she didn’t. She gave it to him—just for food.