My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 302

Chapter 302 A Cheeky Detour

Matthew hurried over “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Finished

Zachary had never moved so fast before. With a sudden leap, he jumped straight onto Matthew’s back, arms wrapped tightly around his neck and legs clamped firmly around his waist.

Matthew coughed twice from being squeezed, then adjusted his grip to support him better. The moment he saw the snake therian, he immediately understood.

Serpent therians usually traveled by slithering on their tails, which was much faster. When Gareth and the others arrived at the Black Panther tribe, they were instantly drawn by the commotion.

Seeing everyone packing up, they rushed over before fully shifting back into human form.

“Put your tails away,” Matthew said. Then, he added, “And get dressed.”

Because of the misunderstanding last time, Gareth didn’t have a great impression of him. Although he seemed decent, his actions were sometimes questionable. So, he kept a cautious distance, just in case Matthew started spouting nonsense again.

Matthew, however, seemed more approachable than before.

After summoning Yael and the others over, he carried Zachary on his back and prepared to head home.

When Jaden returned home, he hadn’t even opened the door when he caught a whiff of something stinky. He glanced at the little moo beast that had followed him and frowned. “Chonk, did you poop in the cave?”

The little moo beast tilted its head and mooed.

Durian didn’t actually smell that strong, but therians had extremely sensitive noses. Jaden walked around inside the cave, then pushed open the storage room door–only to be hit by a wave of smell that startled him.

There was no poop, but there was a pile of spiky, smelly fruits. But since they were arranged so neatly, they were probably important.

Jaden opened the storage room window wider, then shut the door tightly before heading out to feed the hungry little animals outside. He also collected eggs from the quacking beasts and clucking beasts.

With the weather getting hotter, waste had to be cleaned up promptly. The weeds outside the cave grew quickly and needed trimming regularly, otherwise they would attract lots of small insects.

The diligent Jaden picked up his tools and got to work.

Zachary wanted to get down halfway through the journey, but Matthew seemed to have gotten used to carrying him. His strong hands held securely under Zachary’s legs as he continued walking steadily forward.

11:09 am P P P P

Chapter 302 A–Checky Detour

Finished

There were quite a few people around, and Zachary felt a little embarrassed. Leaning close to Matthew’s ear, he whispered, “Let’s take the small path by the edge of the tribe”

“Okay.”

With no one around, Zachary became bold and mischievous. One moment he was pinching Matthew’s earlobe, the next he was ruffling his hair.

Matthew remained as calm as ever, until Zachary started tickling his waist. At last, he finally put a halt to it. “Behave.”

“You were carrying a bunch of stuff today.” Tilting his head, Zachary gently poked Matthew’s cheek, pressing out a small dimple. “Aren’t you tired?”

Matthew turned his head and brushed his nose lightly against Zachary. “Not at all. You’re very light.”

Zachary exaggerated dramatically, saying, “Is that so?”

Matthew didn’t deny it, simply humming in response.

Zachary leaned in and kissed him. “Could you carry me forever?”

“Of course. As long

as I can move, I’ll carry you for a lifetime.”

Zachary then asked, “In this world, how long do people usually live?”

Matthew replied, “Without accidents or illness, therians can live up to 130 or 140 years old. But most die from hunger, disease, or accidents. Very few live to old age.”

“What about sub–therians?” Zachary asked.

Matthew’s gaze dimmed slightly. “Around a hundred.”

“I see.” Zachary thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “That’s actually pretty good.”

Matthew was puzzled. “How is that so?”

Zachary wrapped his arms around his neck and leaned in closer. “You’ll live longer than me. You can stay with me until the end. It just means you’ll have it a little harder. Am I being a bit selfish about this?”

“It’s fine. I’ll come find you in the afterlife.” Matthew’s tone was as casual as if he were talking about dinner. “Wherever you go, I’ll go.”

Zachary suddenly fell silent.

After a while, Matthew heard him sniffle softly. “What’s wrong?”

Zachary hugged him tighter. “The wind’s too strong. Let’s go home.”

When they saw their child busy working in the distance, Zachary quickly patted Matthew and jumped

11:09 am P P pp.

Chapter 302 A Cheeky Detour

down from his back.

Finished

“You’re back!” Jaden was unusually dusty, with bits of grass stuck in his hair, looking like a child who had just come back from wandering outside.

Zachary wiped the sweat from Jaden’s forehead and took the broom from his hands. “Learning to hunt is already tiring enough. Leave these chores to us.”

Of course, in the end, the broom still ended up in Matthew’s hands.

That evening, the whole family planned to go up the mountain to soak in the hot springs. Zachary decided to open another durian. The evening breeze was cool, so he carried it to the stone table under the tree and tried to pry it open with his bare hands, his entire face straining with effort but to no effect.

The durians here were large and tough. After struggling for quite a while, even resorting to using a knife, Zachary still couldn’t crack it open.

In the end, it was Matthew’s brute strength that did the trick.

Looking at the large, smooth, golden flesh inside, Zachary started smiling even before taking a bite, clutching the plate eagerly as he hovered nearby.

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