Mated by Midnight (Moonlight Mates #3)

Chapter 10

10

S leep refused to come. Celine tossed and turned, her sheets twisted around her legs. Even her mind was restless. Her eyes fluttered open once more, and she let out a frustrated breath, staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers she needed.

Her skin prickled, a strange sensation crawling up her spine as if she was being watched. She tried to brush it off, telling herself it was just her imagination. But the feeling persisted, making her heartbeat pick up. Slowly, she pushed the covers off and slid out of bed. Her bare feet sank into the plush rug as she made her way to the window.

The room was unfamiliar to her. It had come along with her new job. Her first place by herself.

She peered out into the night, her gaze sweeping over the darkened forest and the quiet street. The town was still, with only the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze. Nothing seemed out of place. No movement. No scent. Nothing.

Celine sighed, resting her forehead against the cool glass. Could Elijah have been watching over her? After all, he’d sat outside the office all day yesterday. She’d seen him—just sitting there, waiting, watching. But when she’d left, he hadn’t moved to follow. He hadn’t come after her.

He wasn’t going to chase her. Not now. Not after everything.

She rubbed her eyes and turned away from the window, willing herself to forget the weight of his gaze, the tension that pulsed between them. He wasn’t coming for her. He wasn’t going to fight for her. That much was clear.

Sleep came slowly to her, and it wasn't fitful. Celine dreamed of running. But each time she turned back, there was no one behind her.

The next morning, Celine arrived at the office early, determined to shake off the restless dreams and push through the day with a stiff upper lip. She had too much to do to let herself be distracted by Elijah—or the mess of emotions that stirred whenever he was near.

The office building was quiet as she approached. When she reached the steps, she stopped short. Elijah was there.

He sat on the porch, his broad shoulders relaxed as he leaned against the railing, a cup of coffee in one hand and his laptop balanced on his knees. His dark eyes flicked up when he saw her.

Their gazes locked. That familiar spark shot through her. The bond pulled at her, creating a tension between them.

Elijah didn’t smile. His voice was soft, steady as he spoke. “Morning.”

Celine forced a nod, keeping her expression neutral. “Morning.”

Neither of them said anything more. He just sat there, sipping his coffee, typing on his laptop as if he had settled in for the day. And the strange part? He had a second cup of coffee sitting beside him.

“For you,” he said, nodding toward the untouched cup.

She hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and picking up the cup. Her fingers brushed against his as she did. Her pulse quickened at the brief contact. Celine pulled back quickly, nodding her thanks.

Without another word, she turned and headed inside the office. She placed the coffee on her desk, but the tension in her shoulders remained as she sat down and tried to focus on her work. The office was quiet—too quiet. She felt the pull of the window behind her, tempting her to look outside.

After only fifteen minutes, she gave in.

Her eyes drifted to the window, and there he was—Elijah, sitting on the porch with his laptop, working diligently. He looked so calm, so focused, and yet there was an edge to him, a quiet intensity. Every now and then, someone would pass by, waving or calling out to him. She watched as several women walked by, flashing bright smiles and sending flirty waves his way.

Elijah acknowledged them with polite nods, lifting a hand in a casual wave. But that was it. No lingering conversations, no playful flirting. Just brief, distant acknowledgment.

Celine’s brow furrowed. Wasn't he a playboy? That's what she'd heard. Maybe she'd heard wrong. Or maybe his community didn't know him very well.

The rumors had painted him as a flirt who had no interest in settling down. But the way he was acting now... it didn’t match the image she had built in her mind. He wasn’t chasing after any of the women who walked by, wasn’t playing into their advances. In fact, he seemed entirely uninterested in them.

But if that was the case, why had he walked away from her? Why hadn’t he come after her when Rylan had rejected her? Why wasn't he laying a claim to his fated mate?

The door creaked open. Celine glanced up, expecting to see Liza or Maize. Her hand stilled on the sketch she’d been working on, her pencil poised mid-air. It wasn’t either of the women who walked in.

It was Elijah.

He stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling the space, his dark eyes locking on to hers. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, the pull of the bond between them humming beneath the surface, like a live wire they both refused to touch. She could smell him before he even spoke—sandalwood mixed with that fresh, masculine scent that was uniquely his. It unsettled her, sent her heart racing when she didn’t want it to.

“I’ve got a question for you."

Whatever it was, the answer was yes.

"I need to know how much space you’re giving me to work with.”

She didn't want any more space between them.

"For the communications setup for the new design. I'll need to integrate the security feeds into your layout."

Celine forced herself to focus on Elijah's words, on the practical matter at hand, even though the undercurrent of attraction between them pulsed like a quiet, unspoken truth. She nodded, flipping through the pages of Maize's design plans to the section she knew he’d need.

"Here," she said, sliding the document across the desk toward him, her fingers brushing the edge of the paper. "This should give you the specs you need."

He reached for the paper, his hand briefly touching hers. Even though the contact was fleeting, it sent a jolt through her, sharp and undeniable. There was no denying the awkward pause that hung between them.

Elijah studied the plans, his brow furrowed in concentration. Celine couldn’t stop herself from stealing glances at him—the way his jaw clenched in thought, the way his fingers traced the lines of the paper with precision.

“I haven’t seen Liza or Maize around,” Elijah said, breaking the silence. “I’m guessing they’re laid up with their mates right now.”

His voice was casual, but the weight of what he said pressed down on her. The image of Liza and Rylan together, their bond complete, flashed through Celine's mind. It wasn’t just a statement—it was a reminder of what she didn’t have.

Celine’s fingers tightened around her pencil. There was another pause, awkward and loaded with everything they weren’t saying.

“I’ll be outside if you need me,” Elijah said after a moment, his tone suddenly careful, as if he were walking on eggshells. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I know we’re... it’s complicated, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to be alone in here with me.”

Celine’s heart gave a painful twist. The thought of him sitting outside, choosing to keep his distance when everything inside her wanted to pull him closer, was almost too much to bear. She lifted her chin, forcing herself to stay composed.

“No,” she said, her voice firmer than she expected. “I can be professional about it. You don’t have to leave.”

“All right,” he said quickly. He stepped farther into the room, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. He moved toward her, sitting at the table across from where she worked, pulling out his laptop.

“I have a question about the tech setup,” she said, turning her attention back to the design plans. “If you’re integrating the security feeds, will that interfere with the existing wiring? I’ve got the lighting and audiovisuals routed through the same system.”

Elijah glanced up from his screen, his dark eyes meeting hers again. “No, it shouldn’t interfere. I can work around it, but I might need to make a few adjustments to the wiring grid. We’ll have to sync it all up with the power sources to make sure it’s seamless.”

His voice was calm, steady, as if this was just another normal day at work. And in some ways, it was. The two of them fit together well when it came to their work. Their skills complemented each other, their ideas aligning effortlessly. It was everything else that didn’t seem to fit.

Celine nodded, scribbling a few notes on the edge of her paper. She wished their relationship could be as smooth as their work partnership. But it wasn’t. And every time she thought about how perfectly Liza and Rylan had fit together, how easily they’d fallen into their bond, the ache in her chest deepened.

The door opened again, and this time, it was Liza and Rylan. They walked in hand in hand, laughing softly. Liza’s head leaned against Rylan’s shoulder as they entered the room. They didn’t seem to notice Celine’s tension—or Elijah’s—as they kissed, a soft, tender exchange that spoke volumes of the bond between them.

Celine looked away, her chest tightening with a longing she couldn’t shake. She wished she had that with Elijah. Wished that their bond could be effortless, connected, complete. Instead, here they were, working in strained silence, pretending the bond wasn’t pulling at them both.

“Everything okay in here?” Rylan raised an eyebrow at Elijah and Celine, his sharp eyes assessing the tension in the room.

“Yeah. Fine.” Celine nodded quickly, her voice tight.

Rylan didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he kissed Liza’s forehead and led her over to the opposite side of the room, leaving Celine and Elijah in their uneasy bubble.

Celine turned back to her work, her throat tight with unspoken words, her heart heavy with the weight of everything she wished could be different. She had the bond with Elijah, but it wasn’t enough. Not yet. She just hoped, somehow, that would change.