My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 322

Finished

Lanny sat on a woven mat by the stove, quietly tending a pot of medicinal broth while watching Jaden. As he watched the cub nibble away at the fruit one bite at a time, Matthew’s face kept surfacing in his mind.

Sean had gone hunting farther out than usual that day, but luck had been on his side. He’d stumbled across an injured grunt–beast. It wasn’t very big, but the meat would–be tender. After quickly dressing it by the river, he clamped it in his jaws and raced back toward the cave.

The moment he got close, he spotted a little black fluffball scrambling up and down outside.

A low, wary growl rumbled from his throat.

The little black panther had all four paws wrapped around the tree trunk. He turned his head and locked eyes with the larger black panther.

Hearing the commotion, Lanny hurried outside and stopped beneath the tree with his arms spread open. “Come on down. It’s time for your medicine.”

The little panther leaped lightly into his arms.

After shifting back into human form, Sean ran a hand through his hair. “Who’s this?”

“One of the tribe’s cubs.” Lanny went on to explain everything that had happened earlier that day.

Sean’s eyes widened. “Huh? No way. What are the odds?”

After finishing his medicine, Jaden took it upon himself to split firewood outside the cave.

Sean squatted beside him and asked curiously, “Whose cub are you? Nobody in our tribe has blue eyes.”

Jaden pointed at him.

I count as your family cub too.

Sean couldn’t make sense of it. “What?”

“Whose

Instinctively, Jaden tried to write on the ground. His index finger was already halfway down before he

remembered that only Zachary, Matthew, and he could read and write.

What do I do now?

His gaze swept around the area before an idea suddenly struck him.

He shifted into beast form, picked up a freshly split piece of firewood in his mouth, and placed it in Sean\ hand. Then he pawed at him insistently before lifting his chin and gesturing for Sean to throw it.

Confused, Sean did it anyway. The motion came naturally.

The next second, the little black panther took off at full speed, retrieved the firewood the moment it hit the ground, and brought it right back, placing it into Sean’s hand again.

11:13 am Pppp.

Chapter 322 Matthew’s Cub

Finished

Then he shifted back into human form and shoved his face, the one that looked so much like Matthew’s, right in front of Sean.

Take a good look.

A flood of memories washed over Sean. Pieces that had seemed completely unrelated suddenly clicked together. He cupped Jaden’s face in both hands and studied him from every angle.

Then he froze. His heart started hammering.

His lips parted as he asked in disbelief, “Y–You’re Matthew’s cub?”

Jaden nodded vigorously.

Yep. I’m Matthew’s cub!

Sean asked again, needing to be certain. “Matthew’s your Alpha?”

Jaden continued nodding like crazy.

Silence fell outside the cave for several long seconds.

Then Sean suddenly shouted, “Lanny! Lanny! Get over here! No wonder! No wonder he looks like Matthew! No wonder!”

He was so excited he could barely get the words out. Scooping Jaden straight into his arms, he stared at him without blinking and muttered over and over, “You’re Matthew’s cub. You’re actually Matthew’s cub…”

Lanny’s hand trembled as he reached up to cup Jaden’s face. His eyes reddened almost instantly. “Your Alpha is Matthew?”

Even though Jaden had already answered that question twice, he obediently nodded again. The adults were emotional right now, and he understood that.

Lanny’s eyes brimmed with affection as he pulled the cub tightly into his arms. His voice cracked despite his best efforts to keep it steady.

Before long, though, both Lanny’s and Sean’s expressions grew heavy.

Matthew already doesn’t have us anymore. Now his cub is gone too. He must be hurting so much. And this little cub is trapped out here at such a young age. What’s supposed to happen to him now?`

Jaden rested his hands on his knees and pressed his lips together lightly, lost in thought.

Then his gaze landed on the distant mountain peaks. He suddenly sprang to his feet and hurried toward

the cave entrance.

“What’s wrong?”

Lanny and Sean quickly followed after him.

Jaden studied the surroundings. This spot sat at a relatively high elevation, and the area around it was more open than the dense forest below.

11:13 am P ppp.

Chapter 322 Matthew’s Cub

*Finished

Sire taught me that if I ever get lost in the woods, I can build a fire and use the smoke to show therian where I am. Sire and Alpha are definitely looking for me right now. Maybe they’ll see the smoke.

The cub made trip after trip, carrying armfuls of logs and branches.

Lanny and Sean didn’t really understand what he was trying to do, but if their cub was working, there was no way they were going to sit around and watch. They rolled up their sleeves and joined in.

Grayish–white smoke slowly drifted into the sky.

But the vegetation was too dense, and the cliffs surrounding them were too high. Even when the smoke finally rose above the canyon, the wind quickly scattered it.

Sean had tried this method before. It never worked.

Besides, this place was incredibly remote. In all these years, they had never once run into another winged therian.

Still, neither of them had the heart to crush the cub’s hopes.

Lanny wiped the sweat from Jaden’s forehead. “Drink some water first.”

Sean washed a pile of fruit and brought it over. “Come on, take a break. Have some fruit. We’ll roast some meat for dinner tonight.”

Jaden crouched beside the stone water trough and peered inside.

Lanny tilted his head. “Want some water?”

The cub nodded.

Sean immediately grabbed a wooden bucket. “I’ll go get some.”

After damp dead branches, leaves, and fresh grass were added to the fire, the smoke grew even thicker, billowing upward in dense waves.

Afraid the fire might go out, Jaden kept running back to add more wood.

Γ

And to make sure the cub actually ate, Sean simply carried his own bowl over and stood guard beside him the entire time.

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