My mate exploded herself after betraying me

No wonder the second Lucian opened his mouth, Natalie was dead certain it was me.

No wonder she said this wasn't my "first time" pulling something like this.

Because in my last life, she framed me the same way, sentencing me to death for Lucian's sake.

My eyes stung with tears. Natalie's voice was ice-cold:

"Mark, save your pathetic act. This time, I didn't fall for your tricks and pop out those pups early, letting them steal Lucian's son's chance to be my firstborn and heir."

I let out a bitter laugh, clutching my bleeding body, my voice barely above a whisper:

"Natalie, I didn't stop you from delaying the birth this time. I stepped aside for you, Lucian, and his pup. So why won't you let me go? Why do you still want my babies dead?"

She froze, her brows knitting together.

"You're the one who beat my wolfs to a pulp, and now you're whining over a few slaps? You saying I'm not letting you go? What have I even done to you?"

"The pups are fine, chilling in the nursery. Quit dragging them into this."

I begged, my voice cracking, pleading for her to give me back my babies-they needed the ICU, stat.

She rolled her eyes, disgusted, and shoved my hand away.

"Cut the drama. Behave yourself, and I won't touch those brats. Oh, and at tomorrow's press conference, you're gonna admit you're the one who's sterile, that you're the useless one, and that's why I had Logan with Lucian."

"Then you'll sign over all your shares and assets to him and his pup. From now on, you'll serve them like a good little lapdog."

"If you try any funny business or lay a finger on Lucian, it won't just be you and those brats I come for-your dad, rotting away in that VIP hospital room, won't get to stay there peacefully."

I stared at her, eyes wide, barely believing what I was hearing.

"Natalie, have you lost your damn soul? My dad's a vegetable because he saved you! How can you threaten his life like this?"

She waved me off, annoyed. "Just do your job, keep Lucian and Logan happy, and don't piss them off. I won't touch your dad."

With that, she hooked her arm through Lucian's and sauntered off.

"Lucian, thank you for bringing me such a perfect heir. I'm gonna reward you big time."

Blood poured from my wounds as I begged the bodyguards left in the room to get me to a hospital, to bring my babies back.

Natalie's mom, Vivienne, rushed in, her face going ghost-white when she saw the blood-soaked scene and me, legs shattered, barely clinging to life.

"Get him to a hospital now! Where are my grandpups? If anything happens to them, you're all done for!"

They finally carted me and the pups to the hospital, but no healers showed up.

Vivienne was livid, demanding to know where the hell they were.

The nurses hesitated, then spilled:

"Natalie called every healer in the city to their riverside villa. Lucian got a tiny cut on his finger drawing blood, and she's worried he might 'have an accident.' She's got every healer on standby."

"There's... no one left in the city."

Vivienne was shaking with rage, dialing number after number. "She's lost her mind! Her mate and pups are dying, and she's got every healer babysitting some homewrecker and his sketchy pup!"

On her tenth call, Natalie finally picked up, her voice dripping with irritation, asking if I was stirring up trouble again and begging Vivienne to back her up.

Vivienne screamed into the phone: "Mark's bleeding out, unconscious! The babies' hearts have stopped-they'll die without help! And you've hogged every healer in town! Are you trying to kill your mate and pups?"

Natalie just laughed coldly. "What, Mark put you up to this? A few slaps, and he's 'bleeding out'? Gimme a break."

"I saw those pups get dropped off at the nursery myself-they were fine. Now they're suddenly in trouble? If you're gonna lie, at least make it believable."

"Whatever, I'm busy taking newborn pics with Lucian and his son. He wants healers? Fine, I'll send some."

Vivienne hung up, gripping my hand so tight her knuckles went white.

"Hang in there, Mark. The healers are coming."

I clung to my babies, feeling their tiny lives fading.

In my last life, they never even opened their eyes, never made a sound before Natalie smashed them to death.

My body shook as I grabbed Vivienne's hand, my voice barely holding together.

"Vivienne, three years ago, my dad went into a coma saving Natalie. You promised you'd treat me like your own son, that if Natalie ever turned on me, you'd help me break the bond."

"I'm begging you-let me break the bond with her. I won't stand in the way of her making her old flame's pup the heir. I just want my babies to grow up safe."

Vivienne's face was streaked with tears. She kept muttering:

"I only took you in as my godson to repay your dad's sacrifice. But Natalie-she's the one who confessed to you, proposed to you. She loved you so much... how did it come to this? It's all that bastard Lucian's fault. If he hadn't come back, you two wouldn't be here."

I gave a broken smile. Yeah, how did my childhood sweetheart end up like this?

The she-wolf who blushed at our coming-of-age party, swearing she'd love me forever, promising that if she ever betrayed me, she'd deserve a thousand cuts and a miserable death.

Now, for another wolf, she was the one cutting me to pieces.

"Please, Vivienne," I rasped, each word a struggle.

Her eyes met mine, and she finally nodded.

"Alright. When you two got married, I made her sign a bond-breaking agreement, just in case things ever went south. I'm going home to grab it and get it processed ASAP."

"Tomorrow, I'll announce that your pups are my only heirs. As for that ungrateful daughter of mine and her shady little sidekick, I'm done with them."

Vivienne stormed out to handle it.

I lay on the hospital bed, pain-inside and out-crashing over me like a tidal wave. I screamed until my voice gave out.

Vivienne's assistant stayed, anxiously waiting for the healers Natalie promised.

Finally, someone showed up.

But it wasn't a healer-it was a freaking delivery wolf.

He froze in the doorway, staring at the blood-soaked room, then nervously handed over a bag. A Band-Aid fell out.

"Natalie said it's just a scratch, not like it's gonna kill you. Stick it on and quit bothering her and her lover on their 'bond night.'"

The assistant's eyes were red with tears. She hurled the bag to the floor.

"Mark, I'm getting you to a hospital in another city right now. Hold on."

I kept screaming, my vision fading to black, until I finally passed out.