My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55 Midday Rest

Matthew accepted the wrapped bite from Zachary and ate it without hesitation. As soon as he chewed, the scent of the leaf spread across his tongue, fresh and clean, mixing with the rich juices of the grilled mea and the crisp bite of wild onion. The combination was unexpectedly good, with each flavor balancing the others perfectly.

“It tastes good.”

Since he had grown up eating meat as his main food, Matthew adapted to this diet almost immediately

Zachary prepared another leaf wrap and passed it to Jaden. The little cub clearly shared Matthew’s preferences and liked it just as much.

At the beginning, Matthew was the one doing most of the grilling. Once Zachary had eaten enough, Matthew naturally stopped focusing on the fire and began handing him food directly.

The scene brought back memories for Zachary. It reminded him of the barbecue buffets he used to have with his friends, where the last part of every meal always turned into a mess of people fighting over the tongs and stuffing cooked meat into one another’s plates.

This was not quite the same.

With Matthew around, Zachary never had to worry about leftovers. The therians here had truly impressive appetites.

After they finished eating, Matthew and Jaden cleaned up together.

Full and pleasantly drowsy, Zachary stretched out his limbs and decided to head back to bed for a while.

Before he could leave, Matthew noticed the way he walked. “What happened to your foot?”

Zachary glanced down. “I got scratched a little when I went out this morning. It’s nothing serious.”

After that, he took off his outer clothes and climbed onto the stone bed. The beast-hide bedding was soft and warm, and he pulled it tightly around himself until no draft could get in. It did not take long before sleep pulled him under.

Some time later, in that blurry place between sleep and waking, Zachary vaguely sensed the door opening. Quiet footsteps approached. Then the covers lifted slightly, and someone took hold of his ankle.

The touch was warm.

Matthew sat at the edge of the bed, looking down at Zachary’s foot. The small cuts stood out clearly agains his pale skin.

He opened a packet wrapped in leaves. Inside was the medicine the shaman had given them before, back when Jaden had gotten into a fight with another cub.

Holding Zachary’s foot steady with one hand, Matthew used the other to scoop up a little ointment and spread it carefully over each cut. His movements were slow and controlled, as though he were afraid of hurting himself.

10:45 Fri, Jun 50 M

55 Midday Rest

The medicine felt cool on the skin.

I also stung and tickled a little.

Zachary had not been deeply asleep to begin with. His eyes opened halfway, hazy with drowsiness, and landed on Matthew’s hands. He went still for a moment before trying to pull his foot back.

His voice came out soft and sleepy, carrying a trace of embarrassment. “It’s just a few scratches. You dojnot

need to bother with it.”

“Almost done.

Matthew did not let go. His hold stayed steady, making Zachary’s half-hearted resistance completely

useless.

Zachary could only turn his head away and let out an awkward little sound in response.

If he insists he feels nothing, that would not be true.

Matthew often appeared distant and hard to approach, yet when Zachary thought about it seriously, he had to admit that Matthew had taken care of him many times since the day he arrived in this world.

After the medicine was applied, Matthew tucked Zachary’s foot back under the covers. Then he straightened the bedding around him before standing up.

Zachary understood that the customs of this place were different, yet deep down, he still saw himself the way he had always been. Because of that, having another grown man quietly hold his foot and tend to it left him flustered in a way he could not easily explain.

He hesitated for quite a while before finally managing, “Um… thank you.”

Matthew rewrapped the medicine and put it away. “Go back to sleep.”

Taylor had been thinking about the fish traps the whole time he was at home. In the end, he gave up waitin and ran over to Zachary’s cave before everyone else. When he saw Zachary still asleep, he stayed outside and played five-in-a-row with Jaden instead.

While they played, Matthew tidied up the loose stones outside, mixed mud, and fixed the low fence surrounding the patch where Zachary had planted wild onions.

He also carried the wooden drying rack out into the open. The freshly washed clothes had already been hung up there.

By the time Quincy and Elias arrived, Zachary was awake again. Even after sleeping well, his mind still felt little heavy, and he sat on the bed blankly staring ahead.

Matthew came in to call for him.

The memory of Matthew applying medicine to his foot resurfaced at once. Zachary looked up and gave him an unusually sincere smile.

His eyes curved gently, and sleep still lingered in them.

2

10:45 Fri, Jun 5 M

Chapter 55 Midday Rest

Matthew’s throat moved slightly before he spoke. “Quincy and the others are here.”

“Oh. Okay.” Zachary reached for his clothes.

Matthew turned and stepped back out, pulling the door closed behind him.

Before they headed out, Yael came over too, full of enthusiasm, claiming he could help by doing the heavy

work.

Matthew picked up two pieces of moo beast hide, crouched in front of Zachary, and signaled for him to raise his feet.

Zachary stared at him in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“You should not walk barefoot.”

As he spoke, Matthew wrapped the hide around Zachary’s feet and secured it in place with strips of rope.

Matthew’s

Zachary lowered his eyes

dark, soft hair and felt something complicated stir inside him.

Perhaps Matthew was only acting out the responsibility that came with being his mate. Even so, being cared for this carefully still struck Zachary in a way he could not ignore.

For a brief moment, he found himself thinking that this kind of life was not bad at all.

They might only be mates in name, yet everything Matthew did felt less like obligation and more like the actions of an attentive, considerate roommate-someone who made Zachary feel safe without even realizing it.

Yael appeared to struggle with seeing the two of them together. Once outside and noticing how poor the road was, he quickly bent down and carried Quincy on his back.

When Matthew noticed Zachary looking in Quincy’s direction, he asked, “Do you want me to carry you?”

Zachary shook his head right away. “No. It is not far.”

More than half a day had passed since the rain stopped, so much of the moisture in the woods had already dried up. The stream had also calmed down.

Since Zachary and the others had marked where they left the traps, finding them again was easy.

312

1

31

Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs