My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 46

Chapter 46 Zachary’s Concern

Matthew stared at the little red specks in his bowl. “What’s this?”

“Dried cranberries. They’re a bit sweet. You can steep them in water or toss them in a stew. How’d the hunt go?”

“Not bad. There’s plenty of game near the water.”

They chatted casually, and the cave felt a lot calmer.

Then a thunderclap hit, so loud Zachary thought his ears would burst, and the hairs on his arms stood on end.

Seeing his pale face, Matthew assumed he hadn’t slept well and told him to rest first.

He nodded.

Zachary barely slept all night and stumbled out of the bedroom with dark circles under his eyes.

* Matthew was still asleep, and Jaden was surprised to see him up so early.

Zachary lifted the beast-hide curtain and cracked the door open.

The rain was still pouring. Everything outside was white with sheets of water, and runoff from the cave entrance rushed to both sides. Luckily, the cave was high enough that the water might not have flooded in during the night.

He rubbed his hands and hurried to the fire to warm up.

“Sire, did… did I sleep badly last night?” Jaden asked nervously, guilt already written across his expression.

“Huh?” Zachary frowned. “Why do you ask?”

Jaden touched the dark circle under his own eyes. “Sire, your eyes are a little green. Did I keep you awake?”

Zachary waved him off with a smile. “No, you slept perfectly. I just couldn’t sleep because of all the thunder.”

Jaden exhaled, relieved. For a moment there, he had been ready to go back to sleep next to Matthew.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling a little reluctant. Zachary carried a faint, soft scent and sometimes told him bedtime stories that no other cub had heard.

Now that he knew it wasn’t his fault, he added wood to the fire with a lighter step.

Zachary grabbed a piece of lean grunt-beast meat from the storage, sliced it thin, and rolled it over smooth river stones.

Once the oil in the pot was hot, he tossed in wild onion, ginger strips, and some chili peppers to sizzle, then added a mix of mushrooms to cook.

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Chapter 46 Zachary’s Concern

After a while, he slid the thin meat slices in, then the greens. A sprinkle of salt at the end, and the mushroom and veggie beef soup was steaming and aromatic, ready to serve.

On a damp, chilly, stormy day, a bowl like this could lift anyone’s mood.

Matthew trad just slept a little longer than usual.

Normally, following Zachary’s schedule, he’d probably still be lost in dreamland.

“Why didn’t you sleep longer?” Zachary asked, flipping the moo beast patty on the stone slab and looking

at him.

“Not tired anymore,” Matthew answered, walked over, stared at his face, and asked, “You didn’t sleep wel

These two really do focus on the same things. Zachary thought.

But he wasn’t about to admit he was scared of the thunder and lightning, so he blamed it on the noise outside instead. “Too loud.”

Matthew grabbed the eating sticks from his hand and took over the next steps. Spending all this time around him had naturally improved his cooking. At least now the food had some real flavor.

Zachary, thinking Matthew was trying chili pepper for the first time and might not handle much heat, hadn’t put too much in the soup.

Still, Matthew tried a bite and liked it. He even asked what the red stuff was.

It burned a little on the tongue but had a distinct, tasty kick that made everything else taste better, too.

After Zachary explained, Matthew said, “Chili pepper is really good.”

Zachary smiled. “I was worried you wouldn’t like it. Turns out our tastes aren’t that different.”

Hearing “our tastes” made Matthew feel good, and he nodded.

It was true. Even little Jaden loved the taste of chili pepper.

After finishing three bowls of mushroom and veggie meat soup, Matthew’s expression was one of complete satisfaction. The exhaustion from yesterday’s rain-soaked errands had completely faded.

“We’re gonna go get more food later?” Zachary asked.

“Yeah.” Matthew nodded. The meat at home was almost gone. They needed more.

Zachary frowned. “But the rain is pouring.”

“I’ll get it.” Matthew didn’t hesitate. Rain or even ice falling from the sky didn’t matter. Food came first. He listed the game they’d hunted this time and asked what meat Zachary wanted.

Even though Matthew had said therians rarely got sick, Zachary still worried.

In this kind of weather, no matter how strong they are, we can’t be completely sure that nothing will happen. In the modern world, even a fever from a cold can fry our brains. Here, medicine is just a few simple herbs. Most of the stuff we have to tough out ourselves.

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Chapter 46 Zachary’s Concern

He suddenly remembered the cowhide at home. After all the tanning, it was fairly water-resistant He

grabbed it, handed it to Matthew, and told him to wrap it up before heading out.

Matthew didn’t refuse. No matter why Zachary cared, he seemed willing to accept it now.

For him, Zachary’s concern mattered far more than the cowhide itself.

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Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs