Thanks for your review - Anonymous Guest! Definitely haven't come close to finishing this story but yes I am a couple chapters ahead so I know I can update on a regular basis and I have most of the story 'written' in my head so I know how it will play out from start to finish even now! Ooh can't answer the question on if Elly's child is a girl or a boy or twins! All I'll say is Elly's child has a role in this story that I hope you love!

The Chemistry In Darkness

Chapter Four

Tuesday 10th December 2019

Elly stood next to Abby as she looked out to a lake that was next to the cabin. Elly had spotted a young woman swimming in the lake, whom then walked out of the lake naked and picked up a towel. Elly had tried desperately not to compare the woman's figure to that of Chloe's.

The woman picked up her towel, seemingly spotting the pair not far from her, but instead of wrapping the towel around her body, she placed it over her shoulders, and used the sides of it to dry her wet hair a little bit. After a moment, the woman walked over to Elly and Abby.

Elly stared down at her feet, trying to focus more on noticing the woman was walking barefoot across the grass and how that should be hurting her feet, instead of the fact the woman was unashamedly naked.

As the woman joined them, Elly raised her head, instead focusing her eyes on the brownish eyes that almost felt like they had a tinge of gold in them, "This Raven or Clarke?"

"This is Lexa, Clarke's mate," Abby answered, then shook her head at the tattooed woman, "Lexa, cover up."

Lexa rolled her eyes as she dragged the towel off her shoulders, taking her time wrapping it around her body, "So this is Fresh Meat, is it? She got a problem with the fact I swim naked or that I have no shame standing here naked?"

"Lexa, play nice," Abby instructed.

As Lexa continued taking her time wrapping the towel around her, Elly decided she didn't want the woman looking down on her even though she didn't know why so lowered her eyes to stare at Lexa's figure for a moment until the towel was tied around her, "I don't have a problem, you do whatever it is you do."

"Isn't that a good thing? As wolves we don't really have a choice but to get used to being naked around each other…kinda happens when wolves don't wear clothes and we wake up naked and all," Lexa smirked.

Elly blushed then her eyes widened, "I can't do that. I'm eight and a half months pregnant. Nobody should see me naked anytime soon. And not even after I have my baby, my body will take time to try to get back to some sense of normal."

"Don't worry about that now, Elly," Abby reassured, "I worried about the same thing when I had my girls. We're very non-judgmental here."

"You didn't tell us Fresh Meat is heavily pregnant. You told us last night we'd have another member of the Pack, not that they'd be a screaming baby around with her," Lexa eyed Elly's belly.

"Could you not call me Fresh Meat?" Elly retaliated, "And, the Pack?"

"Lexa this is Elly, she was turned last night, be nice. You didn't have the easiest time adjusting to this life and struggled to adjust to being with us. You at least had Clarke to stand by you as your mate. You should be able to relate," Abby scolded.

"Whatever," Lexa dismissed, "I'm not sticking around to listen to you give her the lowdown on how things work here. I'll be in my room waiting around for Clarke to get back from getting Fresh Meat supplies. We probably won't come up for air 'til tomorrow arvo. Best of luck adjusting to this new life, Fresh Meat. Get in mine or Clarke's way, you and I are gonna have issues!"

Lexa stormed off back to the cabin, leaving Elly confused over what the woman's problem was with her.

Abby eyed Elly watching Lexa leave, "Lexa's very…protective of my daughter, Clarke. They're very…in love and don't hesitate to show it. She wasn't joking about us not seeing either of them 'til before the full moon starts it's phase tomorrow. Lexa's wary of anyone or anything that'll upset Clarke. You don't…have an issue with them being…?"

"What? A gay couple? Nope. My best friend is bisexual," Elly told her.

Best friend I slept with and am not quite sure of my feelings for…

"I was just checking," Abby smiled, still feeling relieved, "Lexa was right that it's being a while since we introduced anyone into our Pack, she's wary you're not the right fit for us but I think you're gonna fit in perfectly fine."

Elly pulled a face at the idea of being the right fit for a family she didn't even know, "How long has it being since Lexa…went through this?"

"My daughter met Lexa six years ago. Lexa was 16 and an absolute trouble maker, in and out of the foster system most of her life. Meeting Clarke changed her whole life. Lexa became part of our Pack as a human soon after they met…'til Clarke finally turned Lexa nearly two years ago…they wanted to wait until Lexa was an adult and so they could spend their lives together rather than Clarke outliving her mate in the future decades," Abby explained.

"Makes sense…not that I believe any of this werewolf stuff yet," Elly asserted, before asking, "What's with all this 'mate' stuff you refer to them as?"

"It's how we refer to our partners when they are…our mates for life. He or she is the person you can't live without. You love them more powerfully than anyone else in your life and nothing will ever stop the two of you from being together. Anything in the world can be between you both and yet you know you have to be with one another. We have a tendency to show it though as our eyes change colour when your first around them…I guess it's the sign we need to know even though you feel it in every fiber of your being. Once you meet that person…your life is complete. Have you ever felt that kind of love, Elly?" Abby smiled gently.

Elly didn't need to think very long, "No…there was someone who loved me but it wasn't as strong as that. It didn't work out between us as my feelings couldn't quite get there. I'm not even sure that kind of love exists."

"It does exist, Elly, and you will find it one day. Don't ever doubt that," Abby promised, "And if you ever think that you won't…just remember Romulus took over 1000 years before he met me."

"Terrific…it probably will take me that long to get into another relationship," Elly grumbled.

"You can still date, Elly. You don't need to not be in a relationship until you meet your mate. But when you do…that person is it for you. You'll never be able to not be with them," Abby replied.

"Do they need to be another werewolf?" Elly asked.

Abby shook her head, "No, Clarke met Lexa when she was human remember. If your mate is a human…you will have a decision to make…if you want to turn them. It's not an easy decision to make. It took Clarke and Lexa several years to make their choice. Seeing what they went through…part of me was glad Romulus and I never had to go through that. But whichever option presents…nothing can stop you and your mate from being together."

"Even someone like me who messes up every relationship I've ever been in because I'm too busy searching for someone to love me like I want rather than me accept I don't feel that way about them?" Elly asked in concern, yet almost smiled as she realized Abby had been using the pronoun 'they' rather than 'him' for her and wondered why that was.

Does Abby know about Chloe…or more about my life than she's letting on…like there's a reason why I was the person whom was attacked last night? I don't know if I can trust these people.

"Your past relationships do not define your future ones, Elly. Nor your search for your mate," Abby settled, "You'll find them…or maybe you already have…"

"How do you mean?" Elly frowned, "I've never felt the way you've described before."

"Yeah but things have changed. The way you see the world has…or it will when you accept what you are now… You have a mate in this world and it may still be someone you've had in your life. When you meet them again…it'll be different, you'll feel different about them and you'll know they're your mate," Abby explained.

Elly ran her hand through her hair, "How do you expect me to accept any of this?"

"Tomorrow evening as the moon rises in the sky…you will. 'Til then…I'll keep trying to tell you that this life as a werewolf three nights out of a month is gonna happen. You need to be prepared for the next few nights, Elly. My Pack and I run free during the nights. We've been doing so for years. We do have a cage we've built into a nearby bunker we found out here. You'll need to spend your nights in there for the first few months until you've adjusted and won't be a risk to society. Not that there's anyone around these parts but we won't risk it anyway…especially as your baby will be around," Abby advised.

Elly sighed heavily, "What about my baby? I mean…after the baby has been born. I'm not locking myself in a cage or being away from my baby for three nights a month."

"We have people in our world who can come mind your baby but you're not going to have a choice but to leave your baby those nights, Elly. It's for their safety. When I had my babies, Romulus and I didn't have anyone to look after them. We had to leave them on their own for 12 hours three nights in a row every night…I hated it but it didn't hurt my girls overall. Your instinct will be to be with your baby every moment you can…but he or she really will be okay. You'll make sure they aren't underfed," Abby told Elly.

Elly stared at Abby, "I don't want to think about being away from my baby like that. I don't want to think about any of this for the time being. I need another nap."

Abby nodded, "You know where your room is, it's yours as long as you're with us. I'll have Clarke leave your new clothes in the bathroom across the hall. When we're not working, the Pack and I spend our afternoons together hanging out around the back of the cabin. Come find us when you've rested up. You'll meet the rest of my family then."

Elly apologized as she yawned suddenly, "I still don't believe any of this werewolf stuff."

"You soon will," Abby chuckled after her.

Elly walked back to the cabin entry, quietly wondering if Abby saying 'when they're not working' implied she and the rest of her family did have jobs. Elly couldn't help but avoiding then having hope that it meant if she would be left alone, she could escape and return to her family.

Next time - Does Chloe go through marrying Pierce? Elly tests out the 'mate' theory with a photo of Chloe...will it work?