A/N: Not much of a Valentine's Day gift, but Happy Valentine's, everyone... Here's to friendship. :)

The alpha turned back from the closed door after multiple footsteps scuttled past, standing still before the bed without approaching him. Though the alpha made no move, Sungmin could clearly see the nostrils flaring at his accentuated scent, his heightened senses sharply pointing out the alpha's arousal for him.

If his animalistic mating instincts had a voice, it did be repeating, “Mate! Alpha mate! Mate!”

Sungmin slapped himself abruptly, rubbing the tears off as he forced himself back under control. He couldn't give in to his instincts; he belonged to Kyuhyun – his heart, his body, his soul… all of him.

“Why are you here?” The alpha's dominant voice broke the silence, resounding loudly in his ears.

His eyes flickered to the unmoving alpha for an instant, before swiftly averting from the gaze fixed on him. He didn't want to reply, but the impatient grumbling sound from the alpha pushed him into submitting. “T-They took me.”

“Who?” Siwon demanded sharply. “Where’s Kyu—”

A series of hurried footsteps and knocks disrupted the alpha’s questioning, the following shout causing Sungmin to in a deep breath filled with the alpha’s scent that sent his head spinning. “Young Master Siwon! Young Master Siwon!”

“What’s with the ruckus!” The alpha yelled towards the locked door. “I’m trying to rest here. Leave.”

“But Young Master—”

“I said leave,” the alpha enunciated the word with such a threatening tone it sent shivers down Sungmin’s back.

Sungmin evaded the gaze that fell back on him when it became quiet outside the room, but a sudden realization sent him glaring back at the alpha. “This is your house—”

“Yes, but—”

“That’s why they took me here. You planned this,” Sungmin growled, momentarily forgetting the urges to mate.

“No—Sungmin, I—”

“Young Master Siwon, open the door.” It was a different voice that interrupted them this time – a voice of such alpha dominance it extinguished the short-lived anger in Sungmin.

“Jong ahjussi,” Siwon called with a controlled voice. “I’m changing now and I want to rest after. If there is nothing important—”

“His scent is overflowing from your room, Young Master.” Sungmin tensed in position, failing to stop himself from shaking by hugging himself. “Open up and let the guards take him.”

Sungmin bit down on his lip, dragging his nails up and down his arms repeatedly in discomfort as the alpha observed him in silence. The next word that came out of the alpha’s mouth stilled him at once, and his widened eyes met the heated gaze of the alpha. “No,” the alpha uttered confidently.

“Young Master, don’t you dare—”

“No,” Siwon growled back, lifting a knee onto the bed.

“W-What-What are you doing?” Sungmin backed off to the other corner of the bed, although his body burned at the increased proximity. “S-Stay away—ah—” He shrieked as the alpha grabbed his left ankle, pulling him flat down on the bed.

“Choi Siwon, you better stop now. Your father will be unhappy at your actions.”

With a whimper escaping, he fought against the alpha’s strong arms yanking his wrists above his head. “No!” Sungmin kicked desperately at the body trapping him against the bed, but the alpha didn’t budge a single centimeter.

“Choi Siwon!” The alpha voice outside amplified in rage.

“P-Please…” Sungmin turned to begging as his kicks lost strength and intent, his resolve breaking at the entrapping alpha scent right before his nose. He tried to hold his breath, but the overwhelming anxiety had triggered his crying once again, with each gasping breath of scent pushing him towards the edge of the cliff.

“Sungmin,” the unusual, gentle call from the alpha froze him as their eyes met.

“Choi Siwon! Stop!” A loud kick at the door sounded. “Get the keys!”

“No!” The soft gaze burned in flames of lust as the alpha growled, “He’s mine.”

~--~

He raced past the corner, breath getting caught at the sight of his omega being dragged away by two masked men.

“Master!” His omega sobbed, struggling against the strong arms pulling him. “Save me, Master! Don’t let them take… me…” The harsh strike coming down at his omega’s neck knocked the air out of his omega, the voice fading along with the consciousness.

“Sungmin!” He exclaimed, pushing his legs to carry him faster towards his omega.

One step, two steps, three steps—boom.

Kyuhyun sprung up on bed, his claws extending as his wolf struggled to break free. Seeing the long sleeves straitjacket that he had been strapped in, he twisted his wrists around, slashing the fabric with his claws. With a loud growl, he pulled his arms in opposite directions, tearing the damaged sleeves further until his arms were free.

“Kyuhyun!” Two hands caught his wrists, stopping him from reaching out to the binds around his legs. “Calm down!”

He bared his teeth at the familiar voice that stung at his heart, breaking free from the hold as he threw his claws towards the source of the voice. The door flew open; the newcomer eliciting an offensive snarl from him.

“Doojoon hyung!” His narrowed eyes followed the tall beta that went straight towards the corner. “Are you alright?”

His eyes flashed blue maniacally upon recognizing the alpha in the corner, and he gashed at the cloths securing his ankles to the bed railings. Kyuhyun tried to lift himself to charge at the alpha, but the intense pain seizing his chest cause him to fall back on bed, doubling over as he coughed out a mouth of blood. Before he could make a second attempt, there was a sharp stab to the side of his neck, and he stilled, his breathing slowing as his claws retracted.

Kyuhyun blinked at the blood staining the torn fabric, his fingers clutching the cloth tight as he regained control of his senses… his memories.

“Kyuhyun-ssi?” There was a light pat on his shoulder. “Are you alright? We had to restrain you because your wolf kept threatening to break free while your human body was still badly injured. Kyuhyun-ssi, do you know where you are?”

He knew where he was, and he knew why his wolf wouldn’t rest, but the only word that came to his mouth was, “Sungmin.”

“What did you say?” The doctor bent down, moving closer to hear him.

“Sungmin,” he said louder with his trembling voice, unable to hold back the tear rolling down his cheek. “Sungmin.”

He lost his mate.

~--~

“Get out, Yoon Doojoon,” he muttered, looking out of the window into the darkness. His omega was somewhere out there; his omega was taken to some place out there while he lost consciousness for hours.

“What?” Kikwang responded instantly, straightening from the wall that he had been leaning against.

“I don’t keep betrayers around me.” Kyuhyun rested back on the propped up pillow, cursing his useless body. He shouldn’t be sitting around here.

“Yah, Cho Kyuhyun.” Kikwang charged towards his bed, grabbing the loose collar of his hospital scrub. “Don’t blame your own inability on others.”

He turned to glare at the alpha. “He betrayed me. Or perhaps, you were in this together with him, Lee Kikwang?”

“, you—” The alpha’s lifted fist was quickly pulled back by his beta.

“Stop it, hyung! Kyuhyun hyung is still injured!” Dongwoon forced the arm down, prying the fingers off Kyuhyun’s collar.

“So what? He won’t die from just a few ribs stabbing his organs,” Kikwang challenged, kicking the bed instead.

“I said get out,” Kyuhyun repeated, ignoring Kikwang’s taunt.

“Kyuhyun…” It was Junhyung who tried to interrupt this time instead.

“Do you all know what he did?” He snapped at Junhyung.

“Yes,” Junhyung replied calmly in contrast. “He told us just now.”

“Then why are all of you still on his side!” He yelled, pointing a finger at the alpha that had remained silent till now.

“I’ll leave,” Doojoon said, turning towards the door of the ward. “I’m really sorry, Kyuhyun.”

His heart clenched at the sorrowful apology from his once best friend, and the question naturally slipped out of his mouth. “Why?”

The alpha turned back, the four claw wounds Kyuhyun left on the face glinting like a mark of betrayal. “Because I couldn’t let my mate die.”

Kyuhyun stared coldly at the wounds as the alpha explained himself. “I made a mistake once when I tried to acquire information on the Jung household. Yunho caught me, and to save me, Yoseob drank a drug the Jungs created that targets the brain. In good times, he seems fine except for the occasional side effects of split personality that makes him act not himself.”

Flashes of the unusually hyperactive and occasional mellow behaviors of Yoseob filled Kyuhyun’s mind. He had been so occupied with his rebellious omega then he had never questioned further about the beta’s emotional instability or sudden disappearances.

“At bad times when it acts up,” Doojoon paused with a deep breath, “the screams from the intense pain in his head… It was slowly killing us both, and I was… selfish. I gave information and did things for them in exchange for the pills that could stabilize Yos