A/N: Thanks for waiting patiently!~ ^^

Sungmin jerked awake, panting heavily as he wiped his sweat. He had not dreamt this particular nightmare in years – this nightmare that repeated the happenings when he was kidnapped and almost sold away at twelve years old.

This time, the nightmare was different. There wasn’t just that one kidnapper; the other betas and omegas that tried to kidnap him today were present. Though, as usual, the nightmare ended with his screams before someone arrived to save him, and he never got to experience the relief from dreaming about getting saved.

He pulled the comforter off him, briefly noticing the pyjamas on him. After a shower, his alpha had applied medication to his wounds, before helping him put on the set of pyjamas his alpha had set out for him. Then, he remembered falling asleep in his alpha’s arms, on his alpha’s bed.

“Nobody’s gonna come for you, omega.”

The sudden voice in his head sent him scrambling back on the bed until he hit the headboard. His eyes swept the room frantically, but there was nobody else except him in the room. Subconsciously, the hands wrapped around his knees reached for his sides, scratching roughly.

Sungmin forced his eyes close, taking in a deep breath. You’re safe, Lee Sungmin.

“Shhh, everything’s fine. You’re safe, Sungmin.” His alpha’s voice surfaced, repressing his screams that sounded in his head. He imagined his alpha’s arms around him, the calming warmth seeping into his body, which slowly brought down his breathing rate to normality.

When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he caught in the mirror reflection was the side of his pyjamas shirt being pushed up, exposing the ugly, red scratching marks he had just inflicted upon himself. He quickly pulled his hands in front of him, clutching them tightly together. It was a method he invented seven years ago, when he was in a similar state after the silver charm was forced on him.

Sungmin never knew what spell was used in the creation of the charm, and what it would do to him exactly, but he was pretty sure the silver charm was what caused the voices, touches and dreams to haunt him like this. He had no problem in the times when other alphas took advantage of him, while he was in this same traumatised state after the kidnapping incident in his childhood. It took a few days before the voices and touches went away, and a month for the dreams, though they came back a few times in the next three years.

Ensuring that his shirt fell back in place to hide the marks, Sungmin climbed out of bed before the symptoms acted up again. With his hands clutched together to resist the scratching, he trudged wearily out of his alpha’s room, making his way down the staircase.

“Poor Sungmin. Damn all these people targeting you, Kyuhyun.” Jinhee’s voice travelled up from the kitchen. “Yah, don’t frown like that. I’m not blaming you.”

“Their target is me,” His alpha said.

“If you really want to blame yourself, might as well blame your father, your grandfather, your ancestors, nature! It can’t be helped when this society is a rotten place with monsters hungry for power.”

“Thanks for calling me a monster, ahjumma.”

“You’re not hungry for power, you just have power!” Jinhee’s carefree laughter filled the house. “I guess I worried over you for nothing if you still know how to joke. I shall leave all my fussing for Sungmin later.”

“Don’t give him unnecessary stress, ahjumma, although it would be good if you could distract him a little. He likes you.”

“Oh? Why does that sound bitter, my Kyuhyunnie?”

“Ahjumma…”

“Fine fine, that was a fail joke.”

“Kikwang sent the silver charm to an expert. He said it would probably cause Sungmin hallucinations for the next few days…”

“That’s bad. You better stay close to him. He would need all the company he can get.”

“I know, ahjumma. I don’t intend to let him be alone at all until I’m sure he’s back to normal. Hopefully the detailed analysis from the expert comes soon.”

“Tell Kikwang to speed up on his work then. What are you going to do about Lee Hanwoo anyway?”

“Sungmin doesn’t want me to harm his daughter. We’ll just wait and see what happens. If he makes another move, I’m not going to sit still anymore.”

“Mmh, leave it at that. I don’t wanna know all the gory stuff you or my sons are going to do.”

“Ahjumma, has Sungmin ever talked to you about his past?”

Sungmin paused on the staircase.

“His past? He comes from an orphanage, doesn’t he? Why are you asking this?”

“He was… not himself when we got to him today. He didn’t recognize Dongwoon or Kikwang. I don’t know if it was because of the silver charm or there was a past memory he recalled.”

Sungmin hurried down the stairs, moving towards the kitchen.

“I don’t know. I only talked to him for a bit on the first day I met him, although it was mostly me talking.”

“Do you think—”

“Master?” He popped his head into the kitchen, cutting the conversation. He didn’t want his alpha to know about the previous incident yet, especially when he was almost kidnapped because the person knew he was a black omega.

“Sungmin!” Jinhee dropped the ladle into the pot, walking over to him and enveloping him in a hug. “Did you sleep well?”

Sungmin nodded and tried to pull away from Jinhee, but the latter refused to let go. “Ahjumma, let me go.”

“Aww, don’t you miss me, Sungmin?” Jinhee ruffled his hair from the back.

“I do!” Sungmin exclaimed in irritation, though he couldn’t help the smile slipping onto his face at Jinhee’s hug. “Now let me go!”

Jinhee released him, laughing away as she returned to the stove.

“Come here.” His alpha patted the adjacent chair, and Sungmin moved over to sit beside his alpha. “Are you feeling better? You slept for barely twenty minutes.”

“Yes, Master,” Sungmin replied, forgoing to tell his alpha about the nightmare as he carefully disentangled his fingers.

His alpha smiled at him, the smile seemingly chasing away the tension in his body. “Are you hungry?”

Sungmin nodded, and his alpha whined as Jinhee placed a glass of water down on the table for him. “Ahjumma! We’re hungry! It’s already 9pm!”

Jinhee pointed her spoon at his alpha, grumbling as she moved back to the stove. “Brat. Sit and wait quietly like Sungmin! You should be glad I specially came over to make dinner for you!”

“Fine!” His alpha chuckled, before leaning towards him, lowering his voice. “She’s one grumpy, scary wolf, isn’t she?”

A teaspoon flew over in their direction and his alpha darted, bending over his legs.

“I heard that!” Jinhee shouted without turning her back.

“It was meant for you to hear,” His alpha replied with a cheeky grin, and Jinhee turned around with a horrified look, then frowning at the lack of another teaspoon in her vicinity.

“You should be glad I only throw teaspoons!” Jinhee retorted, huffing as she turned back to her cooking with a ladle in hand. “Scold your alpha for me, Sungmin!”

“I…” Sungmin lowered his voice. “…can’t.”

“Yah, sweetie! Shouldn’t you stand up for justice?!” Jinhee walked over with a threatening look.

“I am…” Sungmin muttered, a smile slipping onto his face. “You’re scary like that.”

His alpha broke into a hearty laughter, pulling him into his embrace when Jinhee threateningly swung her hand at him.

Jinhee puffed her cheeks at them. “I’ll forgive you two because you all look cute hugging like that.”

His alpha froze for a moment, before clearing his throat awkwardly and releasing him. “Anyway, we’ll move your stuff over to my room after dinner, Sungmin.” His alpha pushed the glass of water nearer towards him.

Sungmin stole a peek at his alpha, bowing his head a little to hide a possible blush on his cheeks as he reached out for the glass. “Yes, Master.”

“Doojoon and Yoseob will be here in a while. They will be staying with us for some time to ensure your safety, so they will be using your room. I want someone with you twenty-four hours a day,” His alpha explained.

“Yes, Master,” Sungmin answered with another peek, lifting the glass of water to his lips.

“Oh yeah!” Jinhee cheered suddenly. “I can’t wait to walk into you two hugging on the bed! I’m so going to die from the cuteness~”    

At the statement, Sungmin choked on the water, fumbling to put down the glass as the room was filled with Jinhee’s bright laughter.

His alpha picked up the teaspoon, throwing it back in the housekeeper’s direction.

~--~

Dinner was spent in a lighthearted mood with the bickering going on between Jinhee, Yoseob and his alpha. Doojoon, on the other hand, sat on the side and threw in remarks at random times that caused the room to burst into laughter with his silent humour. Sungmin tried his best to laugh along, despite everything that was nagging at him in his mind. He knew everyone was trying to cheer him up, especially his alpha – he had never seen Kyuhyun this active and excited in conversations. The fact that his alpha cared was enough to warm his heart, chasing away the hallucinations.

After they sent Jinhee off with a promise to wash the dishes themselves, his alpha had returned with Doojoon to the study, which