My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 125

Before long, the merfolk tribe’s chieftain arrived.

He had broad shoulders, a lean build, sharp brows, and striking eyes, his auburn hair the same shade as the merfolk Zachary had spotted in the water earlier.

Yael leaned over and murmured to Zachary, “That’s Red’s older brother. Chieftain of the merfolk tribe

Zachary nodded quietly. “He has quite a presence.”

The chieftain walked ahead and spoke with Donald, and from the look of things, he was very pleased with what the Black Panther group had brought.

The sun sank into the ocean in a slow wash of orange and red, and the light dimmed quickly as the wind off the water turned sharp and cold.

Outside the settlement’s buildings, fire after fire was lit.

Because most of the structures were built from wood and dry grass, the merfolk tribe cooked outside as a rule to avoid the risk of fire.

In bad weather, eating things raw wasn’t unusual at all.

The tribe’s chieftain turned to them. “Rest well here tonight. I’ll have food sent to you shortly.”

Donald inclined his head. “We’re very grateful.”

The room inside was clean and simple, containing a single sleeping platform and nothing else, though that was still considerably more comfortable than sleeping in the wilderness.

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Yael had barely gotten the fire going when the merfolk tribe delivered the food.

They were generous.

An abundance of fish, prawns, scallops, and octopus arrived all at once, and Zachary’s entire face lit up the moment he saw it.

Seafood. Actual, magnificent seafood.

He swallowed against the anticipation rising in his throat. This trip had absolutely been worth it.

Yael and the others read Zachary’s expression immediately and understood exactly what was coming.

They pulled out everything they’d brought and positioned themselves around him, ready to assist the moment he gave

direction.

The octopus was still alive and immediately wrapped itself around someone’s arm when picked up. Zachary had Matthew and Yael hold it down, processed it quickly, scored it with a crosshatch cut, skewered it on branches, and set it over the fire to roast.

The prawns were enormous. He lined the bottom of the stone pot with sliced ginger root and sections of wild onion, arranged the prawns on top, and let them simmer slowly over low heat.

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Chapter 125 Selling Stuff

Taylor and Jaden came back carrying their own contributions: a basket packed with an assortment of small

shellfish and sea creatures.

“Zachary, we brought food back.” Taylor beamed and then held something else out to him. “And this. Isri’t it beautiful?”

It was an enormous spiral shell.

Zachary cradled it in both hands with a genuinely delighted smile. “It really is.”

Jaden added helpfully. “There’s a sound inside.”

“Yes.” Taylor lifted the shell to Zachary’s ear, watching him with bright anticipation. “Can you hear it? They said it’s the sound of the ocean.”

Zachary listened with full attention.

It was like wind moving over open water, clear and vast and impossibly serene.

He smiled and nodded. “I can hear it. Thank you both. I really, truly love it.”

Yael had by this point completely mastered the art of grilling the skewers. He flipped them, brushed on the seasoning sauce, and dusted them with spice powder in one smooth, continuous motion, with the unhurried confidence of someone who’d been running a roadside grill for years.

Zachary turned his attention to a pot of seafood broth, something hot to warm everyone from the inside

out.

He blanched and rinsed the shellfish first, then sautéed the prawn heads until the oil ran fragrant and rich, added the rest of the seafood, layered in ginger, poured in water, and let it simmer low and slow. A measured amount of salt went in at the end. Nothing else. Pure and clean and deeply savory.

With their fire as the center, the fragrance spread outward across the entire merfolk settlement with an authority that was entirely unstoppable.

Throughout the tribe, heads lifted in unison. Noses tested the air. Eyes settled on the source.

People drifted toward them in small, quiet clusters, most hanging back at a polite distance at first, glancing over with carefully maintained composure.

As the crowd grew, the bolder children broke away from it and moved closer, swallowing as they looked up. “Your food smells incredible.”

Taylor gave a single, supremely confident nod. “Zachary makes the best food in existence.”

Yael and Daniel had thoroughly lost themselves in the role of grill masters, turning out skewer after skewer with deep satisfaction.

Where the seafood met the spices and the heat of the fire, something irresistible happened, and the first bite delivered a warmth and depth of flavor that made every nerve in the mouth stand up and take notice. The prawns came out a vivid, glowing red, the flesh tender and sweet, and when tipped onto a spread of fresh green leaves, they looked as beautiful as they tasted.

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Chapter 125 Selling Stuff

The broth in the pot wasn’t ready yet. Zachary stood over it, stirring slowly.

Matthew took a skewer from Yael’s hand and held it to Zachary’s lips. “Eat something first.”

Before Zachary had finished swallowing, a freshly peeled prawn arrived.

Therians typically ate shell and all, but Matthew had noticed that Zachary seemed to prefer things without the shells, so he pinched each one between his fingers and worked them off carefully.

Every time Matthew fed Zachary, he kept his hand close.

Each time those soft lips made contact with his fingertip, a quiet current of satisfaction moved through him

And every time, the same particular impulse rose in his chest, fierce and persistent, to press his fingers further in and simply stay there.

Matthew withdrew his hand without any visible reaction and, in a corner where no one was looking, savored what lingered on his fingertips with unhurried attention.

As the fragrance grew impossible to ignore, the merfolk around them began closing the distance slowly, one small step at a time.

Taylor spotted the friends he’d made that afternoon and introduced them to Yael with great enthusiasm.

Yael, ever willing to support the cub’s social ventures, handed Taylor and Jaden several generous skewers of grilled seafood and told them to take it over and share.

The children looked at each other with wide, overwhelmed eyes. This was extraordinary. It made them want to dive into the sea and swim a lap out of sheer joy.

The adults watched the children’s reaction and began cautiously asking, “Is it really that good?”

The children nodded furiously and pushed forward in eager, overlapping voices. “Can we trade more salt for this kind of food?”

Kyle and Daniel exchanged a glance and knew immediately that their moment had arrived. They were up in an instant, knives and flat leaves in hand, cutting the freshly finished portions into small pieces and arranging them with the resigned generosity of professionals sacrificing their best work for the greater good.

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