70: Q

70: Q
Anthony threw his jacket on the chair and signalled the waiter. His hair was ruffled, and his face was hard as rock.

“Two glasses.” He said and took his seat, ignoring the music that blasted from the speakers as young women and men danced and whored away.

He lifted one of the glasses and emptied the contents inside his mouth. He gulped it, and the burn in his throat soothed his heart.

“Who else if it isn’t the alpha’s cold bodyguard?” A cheeky voice came, and he turned to see a familiar face. He had not met this person more than once before.

“Monica.” She introduced herself just when he was lost trying to remember where he knew her from.

Ah, so she is the woman who sold Athena’s whereabouts to Kaden.

His fist clenched and unclenched when he deduced that Monica’s discovery had caused more pain to Elena than before. Her little hope has been shattered, and now his mate, whom he can’t be with, is now a bitter, angry woman, fading away like a withered flower because she is in love with the wrong man.

Monica pulled up a chair and hopped on it.

“I will have what this sad man is having.” She told the waiter, who glanced at Anthony before going to serve the order.

“You look like a dead pig. What is bothering you?” Monica asked, placing her hands on the counter.

“Mind your business, bitch,” Anthony groaned and looked away in displeasure. He wasn’t interested in having conversations with anybody, and Monica was the last person he planned to have any conversation with.

“Unfortunately for you, beta…. I don’t know how to mind my business.” She shook the glass and smirked before gulping the content down, burning her throat, but she was used to such strong alcohol.

“Looking at you, you reminded me of someone who is not wanted by the person they want.” She said, rubbing her palms together, and shot a glance in his direction.

“What if I tell you something about me?” Monica asked, her voice comforting, and for the first time, Anthony turned to face her.
The questioning look on his face made her smile. Why does she feel pity for him when she doesn’t know his story yet?

“There was a friend of mine,” she began, sighing as if she were about to say something she hadn’t said before. Something meant to be kept a secret, but looking at Anthony’s eyes, she couldn’t stop herself. From speaking, it was as if she was being compelled.

“This friend, let’s call her Q.” Anthony almost chuckled at her choice of name, and Monica’s brows creased when she saw the sudden change of expression on his face. She shrugged and continued.

“So Q loved this guy. He was everything to her. She had pictures of him plastered on the wall of her bedroom and everywhere. She was madly in love with him, but the man? He was in love with someone else. He didn’t want Q.” Her voice lowered with each word that left her mouth.

“So what did Q do?” Anthony asked, suddenly interested in the story. Why does it align perfectly with his own story? If Monica was from the pack, he would have suspected she knew about his mate bond with Elena, but nobody knows. As far as he was concerned, he was the only one who knew about them being mates. Elena knew as well, and she promised to keep it a secret.

“She learnt to unlove him.” She said lazily and nodded the glass forward with her knuckle.

“Every day, she would remind herself not to think about him. Not to text or call him. It was hard.” Her voice broke and she gulped.

“Q let the love of her life go, but Q still misses him.” Monica forced a smile on her face and looked at Anthony with teary eyes. In that instant, Anthony guessed Q was Monica because why would she tear up because of a story she made up?

“There’s a woman I love too.” Anthony said and watched as Monica swallowed the burning alcohol before slapping the glass on the counter.

“She is my mate, but she has already been chosen by another. She loves him like there is no other man in the world, and you know what’s funny?” He laughed bitterly before pressing his almost trembling lips together.

He forcefully swallowed and exhaled before opening his eyes to look at her as she waited patiently like a doll.

“He doesn’t even treat her well. He doesn’t respect her. He didn’t care if she was okay or not. He treats her as trash, and it makes my blood boil.” His fist clenched, and Monica saw his jaw move.

“She doesn’t see that they are not compatible. She gets angry when you tell her about it. It’s fucking hard.” He grabbed his hair and yanked his head backward in frustration.

“I fear she might die if she continues like this.” His voice broke, and Monica pushed another glass in his direction. She raised up her glass and gestured to him to do the same, which he did.

“To two miserable persons whose love was never returned. Cheers!”
Their glass clicked, and Anthony gulped it down. He exhaled loudly and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He felt better than he had felt in ages. His heart was a little light, and it was as if nothing was weighing on it heavily like earlier.

“Are your lips kissable?” He asked, not taking his eyes off her plump lips. He has never humped a dragon before, and this dragon right here somehow aroused him.

“Are yours kissable?” She retorted, and he stood up to walk to where she stood before touching her chin and raising her head up to look at him.

“How about we become best friends with benefits? Starting tonight in my car?”
"If you don't like the car, we can go to my apartment."