CHAPTER 270: CHAPTER 270 IMPROVEMENT

Back then, he had seemed almost resigned to sharing her downfall, as though her death would drag him willingly into ruin. But now, with his daughter lying pale and broken in his arms, Dimitri looked like a man whose entire world was on the verge of collapse.

Many who witnessed the scene could not help but raise their brows. Was this truly the same Dimitri they knew?

Dimitri laid Claire gently on the medical bed as the staff rushed to surround her. His eyes, however, darted past them, searching frantically for the ones he trusted most, the head of the ward, the Royal Doctor, and the Royal Healer, both renowned as the best in their fields.

"Where are they?!" Dimitri’s roar thundered through the ward, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "Bring me the Royal Doctor and the Royal Healer, now! Heal my daughter!"

The sheer force of his command rattled the healers and attendants alike, fear flickering in their eyes as the weight of his fury filled the room.

"Where are they?! Why haven’t they come yet?!" Dimitri roared, his voice shaking the ward as his patience snapped.

A trembling staff member stepped forward, bowing his head, his body quivering like a leaf. "P-Prince Dimitri... the Royal Doctor and Royal Healer are both out—"

He never finished. In a flash, Dimitri’s hand shot out, gripping the man by the throat and lifting him effortlessly off the ground.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Dimitri growled, his voice a low, lethal rumble. His fangs lengthened, glinting as he yanked the terrified man closer until their faces nearly touched. The promise in his eyes was clear. One more useless word, and he’d tear the man apart right there.

But the man in Dimitri’s grip wasn’t just any staff member; he was the acting lead of the medical ward. That left him no choice but to speak, even as his face flushed red and his legs kicked weakly in the air.

"P-Prince Dimitri... p-please, calm your anger," he rasped, clawing at Dimitri’s hand. "The Royal Doctor... went north... but the reports from there grew dire. The situation... too many wounded and infected... the Royal Doctor called for the Royal Healer... to save more lives—"

His words broke into a fit of choking coughs, his eyes beginning to roll back as Dimitri’s grip crushed the air from his lungs.

Hearing this, Dimitri’s rage boiled over. With a snarl, he flung the man across the room. The impact shook everyone watching, cracks spiderwebbing across the wall where his body struck.

A sickening thud followed, and the man crumpled to the floor, coughing violently as if his ribs had shattered.

Other medical staff rushed to his side, scrambling to lift him up, their faces pale with fear. Dimitri’s outburst left the entire ward on edge, every healer and assistant too wary to meet his eyes.

But even in his fury, Dimitri realized that the longer he raged, the longer Claire’s treatment was delayed. Grinding his teeth, he forced himself back under control, though his voice still thundered like a storm.

"Hurry up and heal my daughter!" he roared, the command echoing through the ward.

"R-Right away!" The medical staff scrambled to Claire’s side. But Dimitri’s outburst had left the lead doctor battered and barely able to move. How could he possibly tend to her now?

Uneasy glances darted among the staff.

Instead of helping, Dimitri’s fury had only made saving his daughter harder.

Still, no one dared stop. They called for every available healer, working together to stabilize Claire. Bandages wrapped hastily over her wounds, hands glowing faintly with weak healing spells, though it was far from enough.

Someone tested her blood, their face paling at the sheer volume she had already lost.

Worse yet, the silver cuff from earlier suppressed her wolf, leaving her body unable to heal on its own. But even after accounting for that, something else was wrong; the silver cuff had long been taken off, but Claire’s wolf remained eerily unresponsive, refusing to stir or help heal Claire.

The healers’ urgency doubled, their movements frantic now. If her wolf would not help... There was only so much they could do.

While chaos erupted in the Royal Capital’s medical ward, the caravan continued its journey to the West. It would still take them several days to reach their destination.

"Addie, is the reason we can’t head straight to the western frontline because you were assigned to escort the caravan with Lance?" Maxwell asked, pulling out a small bundle of her favorite snacks, prepared earlier by her attendant, before offering them to her.

"Hm." Addison gave only a soft reply. By now, she was starting to get accustomed to being surrounded by her fated mates, so that their little gestures no longer startled her. Instead, she simply focused on her own tasks, letting their presence blend naturally into her world.

"What are you doing?" Zion asked as he leaned closer.

Addison didn’t look up, her hand moving steadily across the parchment. She was mapping their journey—marking the exact route the caravan had taken so far. "This way, when we return to deliver the harvested crops, they can follow the same path without trouble," she explained.

On another section, she sketched an alternate route, one recommended by nearby packs. Few knew of it, but it would cut down travel time significantly.

They were already nearing the western territory; soon enough, their real work would begin.

"We’re lucky the other packs shared those alternate routes. They may be narrow and rough, but they cut down the travel time compared to the original path we mapped out," Addison replied calmly.

By now, she had long pushed aside what happened in the forest with the light and dark fairies. The light fairy still hadn’t awakened, and despite her efforts, she had uncovered nothing more about the dark ones.

Instead, Addison poured all her focus into the mission.

Traveling left them with little to do; most of the time, they simply sat in the cart until the caravan stopped to rest or to let the horses eat and drink before continuing. Occasionally, monsters would attack along the way, but with two Alphas present, they were dispatched swiftly, barely slowing the journey.

In truth, their progress had been smooth so far, and they had even uncovered better possible routes for future use.

Still, Addison distracted herself with tasks to keep herself from missing her children. This was the first time she had been away from them for so many days, and she was certain they missed her just as much.

The thought made her restless, eager to complete the mission quickly and return home. Her fated mates noticed her unease and refused to leave her alone for long. Fortunately, the four of them no longer clashed the way they used to. Even the rivalry between Maxwell, Zion, and Levi had eased; instead of constant tension, they were slowly learning to get along, communicating more and competing less.

"This is much better. We’ll be reaching our destination soon, you should try to rest a little, Addie," Zion said as he naturally handed her a flask made from animal skin.

"I’m fine, I’m not tired. Levi and I used to travel like this when we traded our pack’s goods before..." Addison began, but her voice trailed off. That was back when she was still Zion’s Luna.