Page 8 of Banishing Regrets

In the vision, Kas had been walking through overgrown woodland. The sun tried to break through the branches of the trees, but they were too dense. He felt the cold on his skin and worshiped it. He needed to travel up to the northern extremes of Canada soon, step into the Arctic, and allow his body to remain in its natural state for a while. When his mind was whirring with too much information or too many worries, he’d disappear and live as a polar bear for a short while and enjoy a few moments of solitude.

The woodland cleared and a glade appeared with Jane sat in the middle. Her long brown hair flowed down her back—the gentle breeze whispered through it. She was watching something, but Kas couldn’t see what it was. He moved around the glade until he had a better view of Jane’s face and what she was looking at. Pride beamed on her beautiful features as she watched a little boy playing on the ground. He couldn’t have been much older than three or four. He ran around in circles, singing as he went.

Kas paused and watched them for a while.

Was this his future?

Jane opened her mouth to speak, and he leaned into listen to what she was saying.

“You are special, Brayden. Not just to me and to your father but to the world. The future of the shifters will rest with you. Someone special is coming, and you’ll be the only person who can help them do what they need to do to save the world as we know it. She is coming.” Jane turned her head and looked at Kas. He held his breath. He knew he was seeing this for a reason. It was the future.

The little boy stopped what he was doing and looked up at him as Jane got to her feet. She walked over to Kas and placed her hand on his cheek. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to him. “Now is not our time.”

Jane turned her head to where the little boy was standing. Kas watched as the little boy started to shift. His little bones cracking and reshaping. He longed for the new form to be a polar bear, but as black and white spotted fur grew over the child’s body, he knew the child wasn’t his.

“Jane.” Heath’s voice came from behind them, and the woman he considered his mate turned and ran into the embrace of his best friend.

Kas’ heart shut down.

He knew he had no future with Jane. She wasn’t his, and the child in front of him wasn’t his son, but Kas knew the child was special as Jane had said. Kas realized this was a vision telling him to stay away from his mate and not disrupt destiny, no matter how much it would break him.

He took one last look at the happy family.

Something, he told himself, from that moment on he’d never have.

He turned away and walked back into the dense woodland.

He’d devote his time to his duty, to making the Glacial Blood pack the best ever and inclusive for everyone, a family. That would be his future.

The only family and love he’d ever know.

He’d never know the pleasures of the flesh.

He shut his heart down. The organ no longer beat with the possibility of love.

Duty was his only way of life now.

Kas leaned forward on his desk. His temples hurt from the reminder of the vision. He rubbed at them in circular motions, hoping to alleviate the tension, but it did nothing. He needed to get away from here. Storming out from behind his desk, he flung his office door open. He threw caution to the wind and changed into his polar bear form before making his way through the corridors of the mansion and outside, leaving several broken doors in his wake.

It was just like that day again.

He was struggling to breathe.

The pain was too much as the sounds of those in love flooded his senses, his enhanced hearing picking up all the passion in the mansion. He was drowning in it.

Kas started to run, needing to put distance between himself and the place he called home, but he slammed to a halt when Jane appeared in front of him. He stared up at her. She had tears in her eyes—she’d been crying. He wanted to change to his human form and hold her in his arms and comfort her, but he couldn’t. His heart was dead to emotion. It had to be.

She reached out and stroked his snout. It was the first time she hadn’t asked permission. She’d just done it. She walked around him, her hand brushing over the length of his fur. It sent shivers of electricity through his body, familiar feelings rising within him. She came back to his head and looked down at him before leaning forward and kissing him on his forehead.

“We’re too out of synch. It’s always the wrong time for us.” Tears flowed down her cheeks now.

He knew what her words meant. He felt it as well. Fate had never been on their side. He pulled away from her and shut his eyes, inhaling deeply, before opening them again and running, running, and running, until he collapsed with exhaustion.

It would never be their time.

Five

“That’s it,you fucking whore, take everything I give you.”

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