CHAPTER 269: CHAPTER 269 NEVER BEGGED, NEVER PLEADED

Mila’s hate-filled eyes burned into Dimitri. How could she not despise the man who had tortured her mother and allowed her to be bullied by her half-siblings? And now, to make matters worse, he had brought yet another illegitimate daughter to flaunt as his favorite.

To Mila, it was like being slapped in the face, a cruel reminder that in his eyes, she and her mother were nothing but trash to be trampled on.

But now that his cherished daughter was being humiliated and demeaned before the crowd, could he still stand there so smug and untouchable?

Mila felt a surge of satisfaction watching the spectacle unfold. She hadn’t made a mistake coming here—seeing them become the butt of the joke was worth it. Dimitri, however, was being a nuisance, interfering with the punishment and throwing the scene into chaos. Did he really think shifting would be enough to stop it?

Of course not.

The Captain of the Royal Guards finally stepped forward, planting himself firmly in Dimitri’s path. At once, Dimitri’s wolf let out a low, menacing growl, a clear warning that one more step would provoke an attack.

"Prince Dimitri, please understand, we are only doing our duty. Don’t make this harder than it has to be," the Captain said. His tone was reasonable, but his face was cold and indifferent, and the smile that curved his lips was nothing but a mask.

Dimitri growled again, louder this time, but the Captain remained unfazed. Without even shifting into his wolf form, he lunged, reaching for Dimitri’s scruff. But Dimitri wasn’t about to go down so easily; he moved swiftly, stepping back just in time to evade being grabbed.

And so, the squabble began in front of the crowd, a spectacle far more humiliating than anyone expected. This was never what the Alpha King had intended. What exactly was Dimitri trying to accomplish?

Since he couldn’t stop Claire’s punishment, was he really planning to buy her time to heal between lashes so she wouldn’t die before the hundred were through? What then—would he throw himself in the Royal Guard’s way every time she hovered at death’s door?

The Alpha King would never allow it because this is supposed to be a revenge for Addison’s suffering, so how could he let it be easy for Claire?

The Captain of the Royal Guards had been reporting every detail of what was happening at the palace gates in real time, and the Alpha King’s orders soon came down.

Without hesitation, the Captain subdued Dimitri, clamping silver cuffs around his wrists. Due to the silver cuffs, he was forced to shift back to his human form. Shackled and powerless, Dimitri was forced to stand and watch—helpless—as his daughter’s punishment continued, with no chance left to interfere.

"No! Stop! She’s already too weak, give her a chance to breathe or she’ll die!" Dimitri roared, his voice echoing through the crowd. But no one listened. The punishment continued, each strike tearing into Claire without mercy.

"Ah! Father! Help me! It hurts!" Claire cried out in agony.

From the sidelines, Mila only snorted, her lips curling into a cruel smile. She wanted to burn this moment into her memory, the sight of her so-called father humiliated before the people, powerless to save the daughter he favored. The more Claire screamed, the more satisfaction Mila felt. She was eager, almost giddy, to watch that girl die before everyone’s eyes.

Because of Dimitri’s earlier outburst and Claire’s unrepentant glare, the crowd’s anger only grew sharper. Those who had been pelting her before now intensified their attacks, determined to make her suffer even more.

The most zealous were the ones who already despised Dimitri; his notorious reputation had long dragged down his brother, who was seen as a capable leader. Others joined in simply to follow the crowd, but many were driven by deeper resentment.

Among them, women were the most vocal in their fury. Dimitri’s philandering had left scars far beyond his personal affairs; his behavior had encouraged other male werewolves to stray, take mistresses, and even flaunt them openly.

As a prince of the Royal Family, his reckless indulgence had become a poisonous example to the young. Some had begun to believe fidelity was optional, that purity until finding one’s fated mate was outdated, and that having multiple lovers was acceptable.

In short, Dimitri had become more than just a scandal; he was the very symbol of corruption, betrayal, and decline. And the ones who suffered the most because of it were now the ones throwing stones with the greatest satisfaction.

This spectacle wasn’t part of the Alpha King’s original plan, but who could Dimitri blame except himself? He had paraded his mistresses in public while tormenting his own fated mate, and word of it had spread far and wide.

Years had passed, yet people still whispered about the cruelty of forcing someone to endure the agony of a decaying mate bond. No one wanted to imagine living through that kind of life-and-death torment, and Dimitri’s actions had made him a despised figure, a living example of what a mate bond should never become.

So, although he carried the blood of the Royal Family, resentment against him had long been festering. Now the crowd seized this chance to vent their anger. And because of the commotion he and Claire stirred up, even more people gathered.

Instead of letting the punishment conclude quietly with only a few witnesses, allowing Claire at least a shred of dignity, the uproar only drew greater attention, making her appear even more pitiful.

But the more pitiful she looked, the happier Mila felt.

"Ha! You deserved it... Father." Mila sneered. The moment the final lash struck and Claire collapsed unconscious, she turned away, leaving as if she had never been there at all.

Claire lay on the ground, her body caked in filth, rotten eggs, spoiled vegetables, and whatever else the furious crowd had hurled at her.

With the punishment concluded, the Captain of the Royal Guards finally released Dimitri. The people, too, began to disperse. As much as they despised him, they knew he was still of the Royal Family.

The only reason they had been allowed to pelt Claire was because it was a sanctioned punishment. Had they attacked outside that boundary, the guards would have cut them down without hesitation.

Now that it was over, no one dared raise a hand against Claire or her father. The same applied to Dimitri: once the lashes ended, there was no longer any justification to restrain him. A guard silently handed him a robe, and the moment Dimitri threw it on, he rushed to Claire’s side, frantic to check her condition.

"Sweetheart, don’t sleep, please... stay with me." Dimitri whispered urgently as Claire’s breathing grew shallow. Without another thought, he scooped her into his arms and sprinted toward the medical ward. No one tried to stop him; no one even spared him a glance.

Reaching the ward, he kicked the door open with a resounding crash. "Healer! Doctor! Someone, help my daughter!" His voice was raw, frantic, filled with a desperation no one had ever heard from him before.

Even when his fated mate had been wasting away under the agony of a decaying mate bond, Dimitri had never shown this much urgency—never begged, never pleaded.