Be My Escape

Chapter 8: Questions

 Gasps came from around them, and the word "Mate" and "Luna" started passing through the crowd quickly. Adam and Mila ignored them, though, stuck in their own world. Mila looked at him in shock.

"Mate?" She asked, her mind unable to form more words. In her defense, she had almost just drowned. Adam nodded hesitantly. He wasn't sure how she'd respond to this. It was the fear of telling her that had prevented him from saying anything for the last week.

"Whoa." She said, eyes wide. "That's so cool! So you're like...my person?" She asked. Adam's heart started to beat quicker as she said that, and breathed a sigh of relief. Not only did she not seem mad, she also seemed...happy? Wasn't that too much to ask for?
"Yes, I'm your person. And you're mine," he said. It felt right to finally admit that, after what seemed like forever.

"What about Kayley?" Mila asked, and that's when it hit Adam. Kayley had pushed her over. Kayley had left her as she drowned.

"You don't have to worry about Kayley," he said, his voice hard as he suddenly saw the imprint of her fingernails in Mila's tan skin. "You won't have to see her for a long time," he said.

It suddenly hit Mila then what was going on. There was a whole bunch of people around her, and she hardly knew Adam. She had let herself get caught up in the moment. She tried to move, but Adam wouldn't let go.

"Can I get up, please?" She asked, her voice gaining confidence. Adam thought about it for a second, considered saying no, and then sighed. He helped her to her feet, and then surveyed the crowd.

"Alright, show's over. Everyone can go back to whatever it is that they were doing." Adam said, letting a command bleed over into his words. Everyone quickly dispersed, aside from Mila's friends.

"I'm so sorry, Mila, I never thought that would happen!" Olive exclaimed, her eyes clearly a little red and her cheeks flushed at the excitement.

"It's not your fault, it's not like you asked me to play. It was good advice you gave me, Ryan's a good guy," Mila said, trying to act cheerful even though her throat still burned from inhaling the water and then throwing it up again. Ew.

"Hmm. What advice would that be, Olive?" Adam asked, his gaze hard as he stared Olive down.

David stepped up quickly, grabbing Olive's hand in his as he noticed the anger in his Alpha's eyes. He knew the likelihood of Adam hurting Olive was minimal to none, but he didn't like the look Adam was giving her.

Olive didn't back down. "It was just a push in the right direction. Looks like it worked, right?" Olive retorted. David felt an immense amount of pride. She would do good as his partner. She could hold her own.

Adam continued holding her gaze, but then he smirked. "You better keep a close eye on that one, David."

"Oh trust me, I will." David said, clearly relieved at Adam's cool response. His gaze trailed down Olive's body, and Olive quickly pushed him away.

"Ew, stop looking at me," she protested. Mila and Blue could both tell, though, that the command was lighthearted.

"Can I take you home?" Adam asked Mila. Mila stared at him and shrugged.

"I guess so. I mean, you already know where I live." Mila said, and both Olive and Blue burst out laughing. Adam was less amused.

"You were a newcomer, I had to check you out," Adam said.

"Oh yes, I'm sure you definitely had to check her out," said Blue, in a tone that made it hard for Adam to determine whether or not she was trying to hint at something. Olive, however, was less subtle.