My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 146

Chapter 146 I’m Back, Matt

Matthew finally lifted his head.

Finished

The unease in his golden eyes refused to fade, and when he spoke, his voice was low, carrying a faint, barely noticeable tremor. “Will you… disappear again?”

Zachary cupped Matthew’s face and gently shook his head. “No. I’ll stay here with you. Always!

After waking up, Zachary had found the words the original owner had carved into a corner. If you’re seeing this, it means I succeeded. You probably want to be with your mate and cub too. In exchange, your original world belongs to me now. We’ll never switch back again.”

Zachary had more or less figured out why their souls had been swapped.

Every time it happened, the original owner had been on the brink of death–or already dead–when Zachary was pulled into this body. So as long as he stayed alive, he would never be sent back to his original world.

Meanwhile, in another timeline, the other Zachary had long since learned to move easily through the crowd.

From childhood, he had glimpsed this world–so completely different from Beastworld–and felt the warmth of family for the first time. From then on, he could never forget it.

At 20, he came here again and threw himself into learning everything about it. He thought he would stay forever, but for reasons he never understood, he was sent back to Beastworld instead, where he ended up with a mate and a cub.

He hated everything about that place, and he vented all of his anger onto Matthew and Jaden. But no matter how he beat him, cursed him, or dragged trouble his way, that therian never made a sound.

The same went for the cub–after being hit, the little one would still stumble back toward him, mumbling “Sire” in a blurry, childish voice.

So he only got worse, pushing things further and further, turning their suffering into the only source of amusement in his life. Until one day, he seemed to figure something out. He suddenly opened his eyes- then jumped into the lake.

He had succeeded.

Matthew suddenly pulled Zachary against him and kissed him, hard and fierce.

Zachary felt something fall against his face. He opened his eyes, lifted a hand to Matthew’s cheek, and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of his eye.

It was the first time he had ever seen Matthew cry.

At some point, their clothes had disappeared. Matthew hovered over him, kissing him bit by bit, inch by

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Chapter 146 I’m Back, Matt

inch—the person he had longed for and waited for over eight years.

Finished

Zachary wrapped his arms around Matthew’s neck and leaned into him, pressing close to his ear. “You can do whatever you want.”

Matthew paused, his gaze fixed on Zachary’s beautiful eyes, as if thinking–or maybe just lost in them.

Zachary waited quietly.

Whatever Matthew wanted, he would give.

After a moment, Matthew’s low voice came again.

“I want

hear you call me.”

Zachary blinked, not quite understanding, but he still complied. “Matthew.”

“Not that.”

“Hm?”

“Call me like you did when you were little.” Matthew’s eyes looked like a reddened sea of gold.

Something seemed to click in Zachary’s mind, and suddenly he smiled. He leaned in, lightly bit Matthew’s earlobe, then called softly, “Matt. Matt, I’m back. Matt…”

Before the last thread of his rationality slipped away, Zachary forced himself to glance toward the cave entrance, making sure it was shut tight and bolted.

Soon, the cave filled with restrained, uneven breaths.

“Don’t bite yourself,” Matthew murmured, pressing a hand against Zachary’s lips and offering his own fingers instead. “Bite me.”

Zachary shook his head.

Outside, the cold wind howled, but inside Zachary’s cave, it was warm like spring. Firelight flickered across the gray stone walls, shadows shifting and dancing.

Just like he had promised, Zachary yielded to Matthew completely that night–giving him anything he wanted.

In the neighboring cave, the two cubs slept soundly, curled up together.

By morning, sunlight filled the cave. Matthew opened his eyes, the person in his arms still sleeping deeply. His gaze drifted over the marks along Zachary’s neck and below, and his throat bobbed slightly.

Lowering his head, he kissed him again and again before finally getting up. After tucking the beast–hide blanket securely around Zachary, Matthew rose and climbed out of bed at an unhurried pace.

He needed to visit the chief that day. Walking over to the wooden rack, he took down the silver–gray snow wolf hide cloak he had looked at countless times and put it on with care.

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Chapter 146 I’m Back, Matt

Zachary had made him a full set, and he wore all of it–the dark purple–black trousers, the gray deerskin top, and the cloak layered over it. Altogether, he looked striking and effortlessly–handsome.

Feeling refreshed and thoroughly satisfied, Matthew stepped out of the cave. The two cubs were already up, fiddling around to make themselves something to eat.

Jaden was also wearing the clothes Zachary had made for him–a pair of gray–white pants and a red fox fur coat, complete with small ears on the hood. Taylor had a set too, and he had said earlier that when he got home, he’d wear it together with Jaden.

The father and son exchanged a glance, then stared at each other’s outfits for a moment, as if silently comparing whose looked better.

Zachary was clearly not getting up anytime soon. So Matthew simply roasted some meat–it was quick and

easy.

After they finished eating, Jaden and Taylor shifted into their black panther forms and played in the snow outside the cave.

Matthew went back to cook a pot of congee, thinking Zachary could eat it when he woke up. He added more firewood to the fire in the cave before finally stepping out, crunching through the thick snow as he headed toward the chief’s meeting cave.

The moment the snow stopped, the sky cleared.

A pale golden sun hung overhead, but it was still bitterly cold, the wind cutting sharply against the skin.

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