Chapter Eleven | Lee

                                    

                                          
The Peacewood Zoo, owned by the Peacewood Clan, was located on the outskirts of Hecate City. It was two hundred acres, boasting everything from lions and tigers to endangered rhinos and monkeys. Lee's parents had taken him and Sawyer there many times as children and he had fond memories of eating ice cream on hot summer days while riding the train and walking through the deer enclosure.
"Have you been here before?" Lee asked Kelsi as they walked through the parking lot. Riley skipped a few paces ahead, swinging a purse shaped like a cartoon frog.
"Once," she admitted, eyes focused on her daughter. "When we were little."
She trailed off and Lee sensed there was more to the story. He'd checked the prices before they left and everything seemed reasonable. "Only once?" he pressed.
Kelsi glanced at him and he felt a sharp pang of sadness through the bond. "Things got dicey for omegas for a while, so we really couldn't go anywhere," she told him, tilting her head to look at the sky. "You don't remember?"
Lee stared at her, wracking his brains. "No? When did this happen?" Surely if there was an issue, he would have heard about it from his parents.
"About fifteen years ago." 
Try as he might, Lee couldn't place the incident. He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I just don't remember. Whatever it was, I'm sorry you had to go through it."
Kelsi's eyes flashed orange and she sucked in a breath. Anger spiked through their bond. Lee's eyebrows shot up as she suddenly picked up her pace to walk next to her daughter.
"Whoa, wait," he called out, jogging to catch up. "What was that about?"
She stopped and moved off to the side to allow other families to pass by. "What do you mean?"
Lee glanced at Riley. The little girl's eyes flickered from one face to the other and her fingers tightened on her frog purse. "You got angry at me. Why?" he asked.
Kelsi stared at him, squinting in confusion. "How the hell do you know I'm angry?"
Oh, I don't know. Your eyes flashed and you looked pissed? But he didn't say that. "Because I felt it through the bond," he replied, tapping his chest. 
"Fuck," she hissed, eyes shifting around as if to stall.
"Mommy?" Riley asked quietly, reaching for her hand.
"It's okay, sweetie," Kelsi reassured her, squeezing back. "That bond is very inconvenient."
"More like helpful," Lee replied. "Look, you're upset and I don't know why. What did I say?"
Kelsi shifted her stance and tugged at her thick blonde ponytail with her free hand. "You don't get it, do you? You betas have no idea what it's like to be one of us. You didn't even remember one of the most significant—if not traumatizing—moments in my life."
Lee lifted his hands, then dropped them to his side. He glanced around the parking lot; people were watching, but keeping their distance as they went into the zoo. Great, more unwanted attention. 
"Maybe I don't remember, but that doesn't mean I don't know what you went through."
Kelsi rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Really?"
He folded his arms. "Yes. My sister? You know, the faerie with the wings and purple hair? Do you remember her? Well, she went through hell growing up, too. Owen Stillwater's bullshit—er, crap," he corrected hastily, glancing down at Riley, "affected not just omegas, but faeries, merfolk, and humans too. Savvy was bullied a lot in high school, but because we were forced into different schools, I couldn't be there for her." He paused and raked a hand through his hair, old anger and resentment flaring up. "Every time she came home crying, I felt like such a failure because I was powerless to stop it. Was it traumatizing? Yes, it was. It was also traumatizing when she ran away and we couldn't find her for five years."
Kelsi stared at him. Lee searched the bond, but nothing was there. 
"Look," he said, clearing his throat. "I know it's not the same thing, but I get it, okay? Believe me when I say I do."
She bit her lip and looked away. 
"Mommy?" Riley whispered. "Are we still going to the zoo?"
Kelsi visibly swallowed and shifted her gaze to Lee. "I am if you are," he told her sincerely.
She took a deep breath, then nodded. "Sure, sure."
"Okay." He reached into his back pocket for his wallet, pulled out his credit card, and approached the ticket counter. When he returned, he held out three red paper bands. "I also bought admission to the deer park and got us a ride on the train."
Riley squealed with excitement and eagerly thrust her hand out. Lee crouched down and secured the band to her wrist. He stood up and turned to Kelsi. "May I?"
She eyed him warily but stuck out her hand. How stupid he was to believe that the mate bond would magically make everything easy, Lee thought as he looped the paper around Kelsi's wrist. Kelsi served him with a harsh dose of reality. They were two different people, from different backgrounds. He was born a beta; she was an omega. But he was going to do his best to ensure this relationship worked.
He just hoped Kelsi saw that he was sincere.
The entrance to the Peacewood Zoo was a giant arch with carved wooden animals and plants. As kids, Lee and Sawyer liked to compete to see how many they could identify. The bottom of the arch was worn smooth by generations of tiny hands touching the wood as they walked beneath it. 
"Mommy, I see an elephant!" Riley exclaimed, pointing. "And there's a big turtle!"
A grin stretched the corners of Lee's mouth and he turned to look at Kelsi. A wistful, nostalgic feeling leaked through their bond. He leaned over and said, "I can't change the past, but I sure as hell can give us a better future."
She blinked, lips parting in surprise. The half-smile transformed her face, giving a sparkle to her green eyes. At that moment, he was overcome with a desire to kiss her. That yearning must have slipped through the bond, because her eyes widened and she blushed, hurrying past Lee to point at something with Riley.
Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Lee strolled under the arch, ignoring the stares of the other patrons and instead focusing on two things: the jungle noises being played over hidden speakers and the two female omegas who undoubtedly changed his life.