My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 2

After that, the cave fell quiet, the atmosphere a little tense.

Zachary suddenly realized he missed having his phone nearby. He glanced at Jaden—the child's brows and eyes were remarkably similar to his own—and decided to break the tension. "Are you afraid of me?"

Jaden looked away, his voice low. "No."

Zachary sensed the boy's wariness, the invisible space he maintained between them. He spoke gently, "I promise I won't hurt you."

The boy didn't fully believe him, but he murmured a small, reluctant "Mm."

"Can you show me where we are?" Zachary motioned with his hands. "Like, the entire area. And what's this forest called?"

Jaden didn't understand why Zachary asked such odd questions, yet he replied anyway, "The shaman says we're in the middle of the Beastworld."

"Beastworld," Zachary repeated thoughtfully. "And the other directions? East, West, South, North?"

Jaden shook his head.

"And who is the shaman?"

"The shaman is the most important person in our tribe. When someone is sick or injured, we go to him. He's the one responsible for offering sacrifices to the Beast God."

Hearing that, Zachary pieced it together—essentially a tribal healer and spiritual leader. He asked, "Do you know how I ended up in the water?"

Jaden thought for a moment, recalling that morning, and shook his head. "Quincy said when he found you, you were already in the lake."

"And who's Quincy?"

"He's Alpha's friend. Yael's mate."

"What's an Alpha?" Zachary felt a little guilty for bombarding him with questions, so he added, "Sorry, Jaden... I think I hit my head in the water. I can't remember anything."

Jaden didn't find that unusual; Zachary's confused behavior spoke for itself. "The shaman is in the tribe. I can go fetch him."

"No, that's okay. I'll be fine after a few days." Zachary quickly grabbed the boy's arm, steering the conversation back. "So, Jaden, what exactly is an Alpha?"

Confusion flickered in the boy's eyes; he wasn't sure how to explain.

Zachary tried to guide him. "Is it a title for someone, like 'sire'?"

Jaden nodded.

"Then, who is your Alpha?"

"Matthew."

"And what's my connection to Matthew?"

"You're his mate."

Zachary mentally drew a family tree and nearly choked on his words. "M-Mate?"

"Yeah."

He assumed he'd misheard. "Jaden, you mean companion, right?"

Jaden clarified carefully, "A mate isn't a companion. You and Alpha are mates, so you gave birth to me."

"What? Alpha is your mother?"

Jaden realized Zachary didn't quite grasp the situation—he kept reacting strangely.

"No... I mean, did you actually come out of your alpha's body?"

"You gave birth to me. Every cub is born from their sire's body."

Putting this together, Zachary's mind went blank. Uneasy, he asked, "Wait... When you say I gave birth to you, you mean you came out... of my belly?"

Jaden nodded.

Zachary's eyes widened. "Primitive men can have children? That... That's not in any biology textbook!"

He instinctively rubbed his stomach. God, don't do this to me.

He glanced toward the cave entrance. "When will your alpha return?"

Jaden shook his head. "The chief said Alpha and the others are traveling far this time."

That was a relief—at least he had a moment to catch his breath. Running into his so-called "mate" immediately would have been far too overwhelming.

"Just one more thing," Zachary said calmly, though his mind felt numb. "What's my name?"

"Zachary Barnes."

Well, that was uncanny. Same name, down to the last detail. No wonder fate had placed him here.

After a while, Zachary realized the boy spoke with surprising maturity, almost like a tiny adult. He reached out and ruffled Jaden's hair. "How old are you?"

Jaden's hands gripped the beast-hide, bracing for pain that never came.

It tickled.

Zachary messed with his hair a little more and lightly pinched his cheek.

"Eight," the boy replied, clearly unused to this kind of attention but showing no reaction.

"Eight?" Zachary had thought he was six—the boy's face and body were so lean, without an ounce of baby fat.

The sun sank behind the mountains, dimming the sky.

Zachary's stomach growled. A bit embarrassed, he asked, "Do you have anything to eat at home?"

Surprise flashed across Jaden's face. Zachary had never referred to this cave as "home" before; he usually spoke about it with disdain.

Thinking Jaden might not understand, Zachary clarified, "I mean, home—where we live."

Jaden disappeared into another cave and returned with a slab of meat in his hands.

Not wanting to just stand there while a child prepared food, Zachary stepped forward. "I'll handle it."

In Jaden's experience, his sire rarely cooked, and when he did, he only prepared his own portion. As for food made by Zachary, Jaden didn't dare touch it, knowing he would be punished.

Jaden shook his head and resumed work with practiced efficiency.

He rinsed the meat in a stone vat, sliced it on a slab using a bone knife, and dropped the chunks into a stone pot. Then he added water, picked up a bowl, sprinkled in some white granules, and stirred.

Zachary sighed. Times were different here. He understood, but he still couldn't force it down.

"There's another slab of meat. We can roast it," Jaden suggested.

"I'll handle it," Zachary said.

He went into the storeroom, retrieving the remaining fatty cut and washing it thoroughly before setting it on a slab to slice thin.

The stone knife felt awkward, so he switched to a shell blade, much lighter and surprisingly effective. He couldn't help admiring the ingenuity of their ancestors.

After cleaning the stone pot, he tried starting a fire but failed repeatedly.

Finally, he asked Jaden for assistance.

The boy moved swiftly, sparking a flame in no time and feeding it with small twigs.

"It's fine. Go have fun. I've got it," Zachary said.

Jaden returned to the stone table. Food was too precious to waste.

Zachary dropped the sliced meat into the hot stone pot and stirred constantly. Golden oil formed at the bottom, bubbling vigorously as the fat crisped into perfect golden pieces, filling the cave with a rich, mouthwatering aroma.

Jaden glanced toward the cave mouth but continued eating quietly.

Once the oil became clear, Zachary killed the fire, fished the cracklings into a bowl using wooden sticks, and poured the remaining oil into a larger stone bowl.

He tasted the cracklings—finally something that felt like proper food. He sprinkled some salt over them and divided the pieces, placing one portion in front of Jaden.

The boy stared, hesitant, eyes wide, but didn't reach for the food.

Zachary slid the bowl closer. "This is for you."

"For me?" Jaden asked, unsure.

"Absolutely. Try it."

Though he tried to seem grown-up, Jaden was still just a child. He picked up a piece, popped it into his mouth, and his eyes lit up for a brief instant. Zachary noticed.

"Well?" Zachary prompted. "Is it good?"

Jaden nodded.

Zachary smiled. "The whole bowl's yours."

He cut the stewed meat into smaller pieces and pan-fried them in the freshly rendered oil. The aroma was irresistible. Jaden felt like he'd never tasted anything so good but held back. Zachary divided the portions before letting him eat freely.

Watching Jaden devour the food, Zachary felt a pang. No wonder the boy was so thin—at his age, he should be growing, but with meals like this, weight gain was impossible.

The boy's appetite astonished him. Jaden polished off two-thirds of the meal.

Worried, Zachary asked repeatedly if he felt sick or uncomfortable.

When they finished, Jaden gathered the bowls, eating sticks, and pot, heading to the cave mouth to wash everything before Zachary could stand.

Leaning against the rock wall, Zachary thought quietly—maybe having a child like this wouldn't be so lonely.

Back in the modern world, after his grandma's passing, he had no family left at all.