My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 1

Zachary Barnes woke with a violent series of coughs. "Cough! Cough! Cough..."

His chest felt as if it were burning from the inside out.

His eyes flew open, and he sucked in several quick, desperate breaths before the suffocating pressure in his lungs slowly faded.

The surroundings were dark. For a few seconds, everything remained hazy until his vision gradually cleared.

Zachary shifted his gaze around, trying to figure out where he had ended up. The place felt cold, silent, and unsettling, almost like a morgue in a hospital.

He tried to remember what had happened before he lost consciousness, but the memory itself seemed ridiculous.

It was the kind of thing even a movie would hesitate to show.

Earlier, he had just finished a job interview and walked out of the company building, resume in hand, heading toward the bus stop.

He had barely stepped onto the crosswalk when a bald elderly man riding a shaky three-wheeled vehicle ignored the red light and charged straight through the intersection.

The old man drove like he was steering some kind of airship, barreling toward Zachary at full speed before swerving past him with only inches to spare and disappearing down the road.

The sudden near-collision left Zachary badly shaken, and the strong gust from the trike sent his expensive color-printed résumés flying off to the roadside.

Anyone would be furious after almost getting run over.

He cursed under his breath, muttering, "D*mn it!"

At that exact moment, thunder exploded overhead. A blinding flash tore across the sky, and a bolt of lightning shot down directly toward him.

When he regained consciousness, he was already here.

As unbelievable as it sounded, that was exactly what had happened.

He attempted to sit up, but his body felt completely drained of strength.

Using the stone surface beneath him for support, he pushed himself upright—only to grab something soft and fuzzy.

Looking down, he realized he wasn't wearing anything at all. His body was wrapped in a thick layer of brown material.

He touched it again. The texture and appearance made it obvious—it was beast-hide.

Alarmed, he quickly looked around the space.

The walls were rough gray rock, uneven and natural. A simple opening in the ceiling allowed light to spill in. Nearby, a shelf made from branches leaned against the wall, piled with hides in several colors.

That was when Zachary understood something was terribly wrong.

This place looked like a cave.

The "bed" he had been lying on turned out to be nothing more than a flat stone platform covered with dry grass and layers of hides.

"D*mn..."

He stopped himself before finishing the sentence. Just the thought of that lightning strike still made his skin crawl.

Carefully, he lifted the beast-hide blanket around him. He was preparing to climb down when the sound of approaching footsteps came from the cave entrance.

Panic hit him instantly. Completely naked, he scrambled back onto the stone slab and wrapped the beast-hide tightly around himself again.

A young boy stepped inside. He looked about six or seven years old.

The child froze in surprise when he saw Zachary awake, but the shock quickly faded.

Relief had just begun to rise in Zachary's chest at the sight of another human being—until he really looked at the kid.

The boy was strikingly handsome. Dark bangs framed his forehead, and beneath them were deep blue eyes like the ocean—calm, distant, and strangely cold.

But the clothing he wore looked like something from a primitive tribe in a theme park performance—maybe even more rugged than that.

Zachary blinked several times, utterly confused. Is this some kind of cosplay?

The boy stepped closer and spoke softly, "Sire."

"What?" Zachary glanced around, then stuck a hand out from the hide and pointed to himself. "Wait... are you talking to me?"

The boy's brows twitched slightly, but he remained silent. His sire had often behaved this way. Compared to earlier days, today's reaction was practically mild.

When the boy didn't respond, Zachary leaned forward slightly and asked, "Who are you?"

The boy paused, then looked at him strangely.

Seeing no answer, Zachary stayed where he was, afraid of startling him.

"How did I get here?" he tried again.

This time, the boy seemed to notice that something really wasn't right. He walked closer, studying Zachary from head to toe before finally replying. "You fell into the lake."

"I fell into the lake?" Zachary repeated, puzzled. "But I clearly remember lightning striking me. There was this huge flash—like a special effect in a movie—and it came straight at me."

The boy clearly had no idea what he was talking about. His frown deepened in confusion.

Zachary felt completely lost. Still trying to sound approachable, he asked, "Are there any adults around here?"

"Alpha went hunting."

Zachary understood the word "hunting," but he usually heard it in documentaries or historical dramas. Hearing such a young child say it so casually—especially dressed like that—felt extremely strange.

What exactly is "Alpha"? And "Sire," the word the boy just used—what does that even mean?

Zachary pressed his fingers against his temples, forcing himself to stay calm.

The boy watched him quietly, suspicion growing in his gaze.

After a moment, Zachary let out a tired sigh.

"Kid, do you have a phone here? Can I borrow it for a second?"

The boy finally answered. "What's a phone?"

"A phone is—wait... What?" Zachary stopped mid-sentence and stared at him in disbelief. "Do you seriously not know what a phone is?"

The boy shook his head.

The boy frowned at the pile of hides. "These are your clothes."

Zachary braced one hand against a stone wall and clutched his chest with the other. Am I dumped into some primitive rainforest settlement?

Desperate for water, he hunched over and moved toward the stone vat he'd noticed earlier.

His hand froze mid-air.

He stared at the water's surface, then stepped back in shock.

The reflection was almost his own—if he ignored the icy blue eyes and silver-gray hair, but Zachary knew immediately—this wasn't him.

A wild thought struck—he was inside someone else's body.

He sank to the ground, mind racing. "Did a lightning strike fling me into a prehistoric era? Or did my soul somehow swap bodies? This makes zero sense!"

Jaden stood quietly nearby, face tense, watching him.

Zachary raised a hand, inhaled deeply twice, and shakily stood.

God, help me!

Remembering the boy's words, Zachary pointed at himself, then at Jaden, asking nervously, "What's our connection?"

Jaden's fingers curled tightly. "You're my sire."

Zachary's agitation spiked. "What does 'Sire' mean? Why do you call me that?"

"You gave birth to me," Jaden replied, eyes lowering as he instinctively stepped back.

Normally, Zachary might have slapped him for that. Now, he only stared wide-eyed, mirroring the boy's own gaze.

"What?" His jaw dropped. "You mean I'm your father?"

Having been single for more than twenty years, never once holding a girl's hand, he couldn't fathom where a son like this could have come from.

Jaden remained silent, clenching his fists.

Assuming he'd frightened the boy, Zachary took a few calming breaths and tried again, softer this time. "Then... where's your mother?"

Jaden blinked blankly. "What's a mother?"

A cold pang ran through Zachary's chest. He shifted the topic, voice steady. "What's your name?"

"Jaden."

"No family name? Just Jaden?"

The boy hesitated. "What's a family name?"

"Never mind." Zachary let it go. "Where exactly are we?"

"A cave."

Well... I can actually see it.

…

After a string of questions and no clear answers, he exhaled quietly.