My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 43

Chapter 43 Home Renovation Complete

“I’m talking to you.” Wesley snapped, clearly irritated after being ignored. His brows pulled tight

Harper quickly grabbed his arm and gave him a light tug, putting on a scolding tone. “Is that really how you speak to Zachary?”

Wesley shot Zachary a sideways look, then turned his head away without another word.

The pot of broth simmered, steam rising as the rich aroma filled the air. Harper swallowed before he could stop himself. “Zachary, come on. Get a bowl for Wesley and me.”

Zachary lifted the ladle and filled a bowl. Just as Harper reached out to take it, he passed it straight to Quincy, then scooped another and handed it to Elias.

Acting as if no one else existed, he said, “Drink up while it’s warm. It won’t taste as good once it cools down.”

Harper’s hand hung awkwardly in midair before slowly curling into a fist. His expression shifted, his face tightening, then flushing. He forced a wounded look onto his expression. “Zachary, you’re not even going to let me have a bowl of your soup?”

“Of course you can. This one’s yours.” Zachary smiled as he filled another bowl. “People were actually wondering something. They kept saying you care about me so much, Sire, so why didn’t you or Wesley come help when I was digging the cave?”

He handed the bowl to Harper, then filled another for Wesley.

Seeing how polite he was being, the two of them swallowed their annoyance and took the bowls. They both drank a few sips. The taste was honestly pretty good.

Zachary’s lips curved slightly as he went on, “Thanks for coming to help, by the way. There might be quite a few pots and dishes later, so I’ll leave the cleanup to you two.”

Harper and Wesley both looked up at the same time, disbelief written all over their expressions.

“I have to wash dishes?” Wesley blurted out.

I don’t even do that at home, and now Zachary expects me to wash pots and dishes!

Zachary played dumb. “What’s wrong? Weren’t you here to help?”

Everyone turned to look at them at once.

Matthew froze for a second, clearly caught off guard by what was happening.

Elias jumped in at just the right moment, playing the perfect support. “Yeah. Zachary talks all the time about how good you and Wesley are to him. Honestly, it’s pretty touching to hear.”

Zachary shot him a quick look, a hint of approval in his eyes.

Put on the spot like that, Harper had no choice but to nod. He forced a stiff smile. “Right. Wesley and I came here specifically to help.”

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Chapter 43 Home Renovation Complete

And just like that, a few bowls of soup were enough to land Harper and Wesley stuck scrubbing pors and washing dishes, working away without a break.

Zachary watched them, clearly enjoying every second of it.

Yael, who had watched the whole thing go down, nudged Matthew with his elbow. “Your mate is seriously impressive.”

The cave came together way faster than Zachary had expected: He thought it would take at least a week maybe more. Instead, they wrapped it up by day four..

Matthew definitely took the brunt of it. He worked all day, then still had to go out hunting at night. He was built strong, sure, but after a few days, the exhaustion was starting to show on his face.

Zachary felt a little bad about it. So after dinner, right before bed, he started making extra meals for Matthew on the side.

There were steamed eggs, fish chowder, fried river shrimp, and honey-glazed roast meat. He always made extra and left some in the pot so Matthew could eat when he got back from his early morning hunts.

Matthew would always save half for Zachary and Jaden. When he got back in the morning, he would warm it up ahead of time so his mate and cub had breakfast ready.

At a glance, they looked like an old married couple.

The raisins outside the cave had fully dried after a few days in the sun. Zachary used some to stew clucking beast, and the broth turned out especially rich and sweet. Both Matthew and Jaden loved it.

Honestly, they enjoyed anything he made. They had been living on salt-cured meat or fire-charred cuts for so long that this felt like a feast every time.

The new cave turned out beautifully. It was spacious and clean. The bathroom Zachary had planned was especially nice. The floor was even, the size felt just right, and the wall niches for toiletries had been polished to a smooth finish.

The drainage was well done, too. Matthew had even hauled in a long, oval-shaped stone and carved it into a tub, setting it right against the wall.

Zachary tried it out. It fit him perfectly. A quiet warmth settled in his chest. He had only mentioned it in passing, but Matthew went ahead and made it happen.

The cooking area had been redone as well. Matthew even brought in stones from outside, stacking them up to knee height, then placing a newly smoothed slab on top. It made the perfect spot to sit and prep food.

Looking at the refreshed cave, Zachary felt genuinely happy. There was something about slowly building up a home that made it all feel worth it.

He glanced around Matthew’s bedroom. It felt too bare. As a thank-you, he figured he should do something about it.

The beast-hide that he had asked Avery to tan earlier was ready. When he went to pick them up, he also asked where he could find soft, dry grass.

Avery immediately offered him the stash he had saved.

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Chapter 43 Home Renovation Complete

Zachary refused to take it for free. He made another trip and brought him some food in return.

The light yellow grass carried a fresh, earthy scent. He fluffed up the old bedding in the cave, mixing it with the new, then spread it into a thick layer. When he sat down and pressed his hand into it, it felt soft and

springy

He laid two layers of soft beast hide on top, and the cover came from his own room. After finishing everything, he lay down to test it. It felt just right.

Finally, he moved the clothing rack from outside into the room, and that wrapped it up.

Matthew had just finished his daytime patrol around the tribe. The moment he stepped into the cave, Zachary walked up to him with a smile and made a small, inviting gesture. “Go ahead.”

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Trans grated to Raise Panther Cubs