My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 158

Cubs

Chapter 158 The Important Matters

Flished

Jaden reached forward as if he was handling something fragile and precious, softly brushing Zachary’s forehead with care.

“I want to hug him too!” Taylor said, pressing his small face right against Zachary’s fur.

Zachary responded by wrapping both cubs with his thick, rounded paw pads around their necks, pulling them in so his fluffy head was squeezed between their cheeks. He nuzzled Taylor on one side and Jaden on the other.

Taylor burst out laughing, trying to keep his lips from spreading too wide.

Jaden quietly slipped an arm around Zachary’s forearm, holding on gently.

Before long, more kids from the tribe wandered over too. They were already used to black panthers, but this glowing silver lynx felt like something out of a legend to them.

The moment they recognized Zachary, their eyes lit up instantly, as if sparks had gone off inside them. Excited squeals of “wow!” filled the air from every direction.

They barely had a minute to admire him before Matthew walked over and opened his arms toward the lynx. “Time to head back.”

Zachary placed his front paws on Matthew’s shoulder, while Matthew securely supported his hind legs and weight. The lynx pressed his fluffy head against the side of Matthew’s neck and let out a soft “meow” toward the cubs.

He didn’t understand why, bu

t ever since his transformation, something in him conleaned toward

Matthew’s touch. Being held like this brought him a deep, wordless comfort.

In beast form, he seemed far less restrained about showing affection in public. Part of him knew he might feel embarrassed later, but in that moment, he didn’t stop himself.

Matthew, tall and leanly built, carried him easily. Even though the lynx looked large, most of it was just soft

fur.

Zachary turned his head to study Matthew’s sharp profile and couldn’t resist leaning in to lick him, then gently bumping his nose against Matthew’s.

A faint smile appeared on Matthew’s lips. One hand rubbed the lynx’s hindquarters, his fingers idly circling the short, fluffy tail.

“Meow.” The ticklish sensation made Zachary twitch, and he tried to nip at Matthew’s chin, only for Matthew to lean down and kiss him firmly instead.

Behind them, Taylor and Jaden hurried along, one carrying meat and the other holding a basket of fish, their short legs working hard to keep pace.

Yael walked with his arms loaded down. Watching Taylor eagerly follow Matthew, he let out a long sigh, feeling increasingly betrayed by his own cub.

When they reached Quincy’s cave, Matthew politely knocked.

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Chapter 158 The important Matters

Yael finally caught up just in time.

“Matthew?” Quincy had been starting a fire for dinner and looked surprised when he opened the door to see the group gathered there.

Matthew spoke first. “Jaden might need to stay here for a couple of days.”

Quincy glanced at the lynx in Matthew’s arms and immediately understood. He nodded with a warm smile “No problem. The two of them can keep each other company.”

Yael leaned toward Matthew with a teasing grin. “Easy there, or you’ll end up wrecking your back.”

Matthew shot him a glance. “I’m not as fragile as you.”

“Fragile? Me?” Yael began to argue, but a single look from Quincy silenced him instantly.

Quincy crouched down and gently ruffled Taylor’s and Jaden’s hair. “Bring everything inside. Jaden, you’re staying here tonight.”

Jaden looked between his Alpha and Sire, clearly confused.

Yael said in a low, mysterious tone, “They’ve got important matters to take care of tonight.”

Zachary buried his face into Matthew’s chest, pawing lightly at him as if urging him to move faster back home.

Once inside their cave, Matthew immediately lit the fire. He and Jaden had gotten used to keeping the cave warm because Zachary was sensitive to cold.

Zachary wasn’t feeling cold now, but after running around in the snow, the outer layer of his fur had become damp.

Matthew spread a beast–hide mat near the fire and motioned for him to come dry on

Zachary walked over but didn’t settle down like he usually did.

“What’s wrong?” Matthew asked.

“Meow.” Zachary lifted one paw slightly.

The snow in the tribe had mostly been cleared, but what remained had melted into slush and mud, easily staining his paws.

Even in beast form, he still thought like a human–he couldn’t bring himself to lick them clean.

Matthew understood immediately. He went to the back, grabbed a beast–hide towel, soaked it

then knelt in front of Zachary and carefully wiped each paw clean.

wrung

Zachary inspected his cleaned pads himself before hopping onto the mat and curling up lazily.

Now that Jaden and Taylor were gone, the cave felt quiet except for the soft crackling of firewood.

Matthew knelt beside him and gently rubbed his belly. “What do you feel like eating tonight?”

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Chapter 158 The Important Matters

Zachary flicked his tail and looked at him. “Meow.”

Even if I told you, you wouldn’t get it anyway.

Matthew smiled. “Fish chowder?”

Zachary immediately shook his head.

Matthew’s fish soup always tasted overly fishy to him, and he still couldn’t quite appreciate it

“Roasted quacking beast?”

This time, Zachary nodded.

“Got it,” Matthew said, already getting to work. He went to gather ingredients and started cooking.

Being around Zachary had made everyone’s cooking better–especially Matthew, who learned quickly, except when it came to fish.

He fed more wood into the fire until it roared higher, then skewered the marinated quacking beast on a thick branch and placed it over the flames.

Zachary stayed close, his gaze fixed intently on Matthew’s hands as he cooked.

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