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Dark Wing #7

Chasing the Wolf

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Seeing her here all grown up? Her chestnut hair falling on her shirt stretched tight across her breasts? My wolf screams at me, mate. It’s what I thought. No, it’s what I’ve known since way before we both were adults. It’s why I made her brother, my best friend, bring me on this damn cruise. I had to know if my instincts from all those years ago were right. Mackenzie Moon is my mate. I left the pack for the city before she came of age—only going back after she got the job on the Dark Wing.

I convinced her brother to do a bachelor party for me here. Not that the female waiting for me back in the city is excited about mating me. But it’s good for our packs. Our fathers signed papers on it when we were both still pups. No, I just need a whiff of Mackenzie to torture myself for the rest of my life. That’s all I need.

My big brother’s friend, the one who treated me like shit my entire childhood; that’s the one he chooses to use my friends and family to pass on? Now I have to watch Xavier scowl at me as I make his coffee wrong. I mean, I did it on purpose. The look on his face is priceless. But when our hands brush, everything inside me gets confused. My wolf perks up. We hate this male. He took all the candy out of my dragon piñata on my tenth birthday and filled it with toothpaste and toothbrushes. Who does that? But why did he have to become so darn handsome?

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 14, 2025

2 people are currently reading
12 people want to read

About the author

Ellie Pond

47 books201 followers
Ellie Pond is an author of Paranormal Romance. Ellie’s had many professions, including costume designer, contract archeologist, organic farmer, fabric store owner, and airline gate agent. She’s happy to be a full-time writer now. She lives in New England with her three teenage sons, husband, and father. It’s a lot of testosterone. To combat all the Axe body spray in the house, Ellie likes to travel. You can follow her on social media for her travel adventures, when we can do that kind of thing again.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
Profile Image for Laurie Anne.
943 reviews18 followers
March 16, 2025
If you're looking for a fun, easy shifter book grab this book!

Evan though it's part of a larger story in the series readers won't have a problem following and keeping track of the characters.

I love Dark Wing and only wish I could actually board a cruise with all these characters!

Great mated, big brother's friend and some bullying (but he redeems himself!).
2,965 reviews30 followers
March 9, 2025
4.5 stars. Mackenzie, the female wolf shifter lead, struggled in her hometown for her teenage years. As soon as she could get out, she did. Now an established member of the Dark Wing crew, she has no intentions of ever returning home again.

Xavier, the male wolf shifter lead and Mackenzie’s brother’s best friend, was the eldest son of the pack alpha. A bully to Mackenzie in her teen years, he knows she hates him but he is sure she’s his fated mate and he needs to convince her he’s worth a second chance.

Mackenzie is also sure Xavier is her mate but she has no interest in trying a relationship…

This story is dual POV, well written, and a sweet and steamy, contemporary fantasy, wolf shifter, fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance. I admired Mackenzie’s conviction that her birth home was no place for her and her determination not to return. I enjoyed the way she worked to circumvent Xavier’s efforts to create a relationship/bond. I enjoyed Xavier’s effort and his ready admission of poor past behaviour and his willingness to apologise. I chuckled at the banter and manipulations between characters. I enjoyed the integrated and supportive secondary characters, and the found family feeling. I enjoyed the compromise of resolution for the characters.

I received a complimentary copy from the author and this is my voluntary honest review.
Profile Image for Emily Pennington.
20.7k reviews362 followers
March 19, 2025
Mac and Xavier’s Story . . .

Mackenzie Northwood (“Mac”) works on board a cruise ship in the Java Lava coffee shop. Her brother Colton and his best friend, Xavier Wilder, are on board this time, although she doesn’t know yet that the friend he brought is Xavier, one of the main reasons she left the pack and will never go back. When she sees him, she throws a drink in his face (but only because her brother bent down to avoid it). Because of their actions with the drink, they have to attend a bartending class to learn to work together as partners. The two of them are actually fated mates, but Mac sought out a witch and sprayed herself with something the witch provided to temporarily remove her scent which means Xavier can’t verify for certain they are mates. Mac also can’t smell his scent when she uses the spray, so neither of them know for sure. Nor does she know yet that Xavier will definitely not be mating Venus and has come on this cruise to apologize for his past actions in trying to protect her and to claim Mac as his true mate. Will he get the chance to finally explain to her why he had to be so stand-offish to her in the past to keep his father from harming her? Can she forgive him and accept him now? Or is it too late to repair the past between them?
Profile Image for DMCechak.
1,792 reviews24 followers
April 15, 2025
Chasing the Wolf - Hidden Mates

‘Xavier grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers. "I will tell you over and over again, Mac. It doesn't excuse it. But I was a cub. A cub filled full of hate and lies. I'm not the same male anymore. If you need to cry, cry. That's what I'll do." "You?" I poke him in the chest with my free hand. And he grabs my finger, pushing it to his chest, and holds it over his heart. He holds my hand so tightly to his shirt I can feel the thumping of his heart against my skin. "Me, Mac. I cry."

Xavier has tormented Mackenzie, his best friend’s younger sister, since they were cubs in his father’s pack. She has become special to him, but to keep her safe he must continue to treat her badly.

Mac knows that gorgeous Xavier is her mate, but she hides her scent because he is expected to mate another in a week.

Xavier and her brother Colton start their Dark Wing Cruises vacation and here tortured heart attempts to hide as long as possible.

Ellie Pond writes another wonderful shifter romance in Chasing the Wolf, where Mac’s cruise crew family helps her heart heal.
Profile Image for Kimberly Wheeler.
166 reviews2 followers
March 7, 2025
Putting 2 of my favorite things together… shifter romance and cruises! I was hooked from the beginning.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I devoured this book in 1 sitting! Shifter Romance, Slow burn, enemies to lovers (but not quickly…) and set on a cruise ship… The struggle was real and I totally understand Mac’s struggle to believe, love (even if he’s her mate), and possibly forgive Xavier after her her childhood of bullying! Even if she can get past that- will the corrupt pack dynamics that are brought up be able to be over come? Oh- and there’s a spy in their midst!!

Originally I was kinda hoping that they would not end up together because I am not a fan of bullying, but the way that Xavier finally shoots his shot and lays everything bare on the table for her…. Swoon! She needed to leave to become a better version of herself and in some ways to ensure that they would end up together the way mates should be… equals!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1,880 reviews2 followers
March 22, 2025
Xavier and MacKenzie(Mac)
I love the Dark wing series. The room 1414 strikes again. Mac left her pack because of her ill treatment there by brother's best friends and the alpha wasn't great either. Now an employee of the ship Dark Wing, she's happier than she was growing up. Then her brother visits with Xavier, his best friend and her mate. Xavier has been engaged to another woman for years, but he knows Mac is his mate. It's taken years to get out of the arranged marriage his father, the alpha, had made. Now he's all in to pursue his fated mate and make up for all the terrible things he said and did to protect her from his father.
Really good book. As you read, you can feel the emotions of Mac and Xavier. The hurts, regrets and desires. I eat up each bookmin this series as each one comes out. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves fated mates romances.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Sarah Dale.
3,172 reviews77 followers
March 22, 2025
This is my first read from this series and I am already wanting to book my ticket for the Dark Wing Cruise Ship!!

Mackenzie is a female wolf shifter who left her pack as she never felt like it was her place thanks to a horrible Alpha and has found her home, per pack, on the Dark Wing cruise ship. Her peace is about to be destroyed when her brother comes aboard to see her and brings his best friend, Xavier, with him. A man who is possibly her fated mate but is due to mate with another female!

told in dual POV I have loved this one. I was ready to hate Xavier but when the truth comes out as to why he was not so nice to Mackenzie and pushed her away its hard to stay mad at him! He is prepared to do whatever it takes to show her he is genuine and that he wants her to be his mate.

I loved the witty banter between the characters and I loved the protective nature of her friends and crew members.

I will be going back to look at previous books in this series and I cannot wait to read more in this series and more from this talented author.

I was gifted a copy of this book by the Author and this was my honest opinion

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1,537 reviews14 followers
March 9, 2025
I finally get to read Mackenzie’s HEA. I thought that this was fun, flirty and full of romance. This book suited Mackenzie’s quirky nature as it was serious and full of fun at the same time. Xavier was her perfect foil. It was sweet to watch him try to romance her and simultaneously apologise for his past actions. Two of the best characters in it were Colton, Mackenzie’s brother and Xavier’s best friend and Collette, who really needs to find her own HEA. Colton was the typical older brother, who made me laugh when he didn’t want to know what they got up to in private. I also loved how Collette showed her claws when defending her bestie.
This was an excellent read that drew me in from the first page and is another hit by Ellie Pond!
195 reviews
March 8, 2025
Mackenzie ran from her home pack ten years ago and never looked back. She works on the ship "Dark Wing". Her Alpha (captain) is a nice one who treats everyone fair. When her brother, Colton, and his best friend, Xavier comes onto the ship she hides. Mackenzie knows that Xavier is her fated mate, but he was so mean to her growing up and saying things to her, that she doubted herself. It takes Xavier sometime to get Mackenzie to listen to him and explain why he did what he did. His father had a lot to do with it. Her brother also explains what he and her parents did to protect her. The book was really good and I enjoy reading all of her books.
Profile Image for Jjs_booknook.
149 reviews
March 16, 2025
This was a good book. Our FMC Mackenzie and mmc Xavier are on the dark wing and is very much an ex-bully situation. Xavier’s goal on this cruise is to apologize and grovel as he is pretty sure that Mac is his mate. Mac is also pretty sure Xavier is her mate but because of the intense bullying in from her childhood and the patch she wants nothing to do with him or her former pack. But fate will not let her avoid him for too long.

There is a bit of ring around, and it did drive me a bit crazy as she was so against fate but I get it. I did enjoy the book very much and read it in 1 sitting. And Xavier did, I my opinion, make up for it and shows that he has changed.
3,226 reviews25 followers
March 18, 2025
Mac is shocked to find Xavier her brother's best friend is with him on the cruise.
Mac works in the Lava Java coffee bar on the cruise liner Dark Wing and is surprised to find her brother has arranged berths for two under the friends and family offer. When he arrives she is shocked to find that the second person is his best friend Xavier the Alpha's son from her old pack. Xavier had made her life a nightmare as a teenager but she had feelings for him and he became engaged to someone else causing her to leave home.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
1,414 reviews11 followers
March 7, 2025
He Had Just Been Biding His Time!

I loved every single thing about this book!

Emotions running hot and lots of witty moments in this swoon-worthy read between Xavier and Mackenzie!

They were always meant to be together but first they had to overcome the past to grab the future.
With lots amazing characters old and new, you really won’t want to miss this next installment into the Dark Wing series!

Highly recommended read!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this amazing ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
64 reviews
March 8, 2025
Does love conquer all?

Ellie Pond takes us on another fun trip aboard the Dark Wing full of witty banter, true mates, and some deep and pretty real feelings. Like, does love heal all wounds? Can the past be forgiven? Is it possible to hear someone out?

The story and characters pulled me in and it was hard to put the book down.

Was there more to Mackenzie’s childhood bullying?
Has Xavier changed his ways?
And what about his mating to another wolf coming up???

Expect a few twists here and there, because love doesn’t take a straight line!
Profile Image for Amy Reierson.
1,358 reviews18 followers
March 15, 2025
What's better than some shifter fun and a cruise?? Not much I can think of. I adore this series, no species is safe from Ellie Pond's imagination when it comes to the Dark Wing.
I enjoy that the series isn't super heavy on the drama that each book has had me laughing and that the characters are impossible not to like. Mac and Xavier are no different. As young cubs they both had it rough under the rule of Xavier's father but now Xavier is on a mission to make things right. Mac however has no interest in making any part of his mission part of her reality. And oh the things she'll do to keep him at arms length and the trouble he'll get into try to get her attention. Prepare to get lost in their story you won't want to put it down.
I have voluntarily left this review.
Profile Image for Nesie.
411 reviews1 follower
March 14, 2025
Absolutely loved this latest book in the Dark Wing series! Returning to this world feels like a warm hug; characters I've come to enjoy reading about are here, interacting with the main characters, and everything feels like coming home again

I have to admit, I wasn't rooting for Xavier at first, as his childhood bullying - no matter the reason in hindsight - was disgusting. But he really put in the work to show Mackenzie that he was worthy of her. Such a great HEA!

Note: I recieved an Advance Readers Copy/ARC of this book for review. That did not influence my review in the slightest.
Profile Image for Lauren Collier.
120 reviews4 followers
March 20, 2025
This was a fun and easy shifter romance. Ellie has done it again another amazing book. Mackenzie and Xavier are mates, werewolf mates but Xavier was Mackenzie’s childhood bully. Also her brother’s best friend, but there is a twist she doesn’t know, and when she finds out the truth will she accept him or run again. She is working on a cruise where she has found her own pack of a mixed of shifters and humans. Well her brother comes on the cruise not knowing he is bringing Xavier. Read this amazing book to find out what happens. I give it a 10/10
Profile Image for Lisa Bing.
6,214 reviews71 followers
March 19, 2025
This was a fun enemies to lovers romance for Mackenzie and Xavier. He was her bully in the past and she has zero interest in having any kind of bond with him, no matter how handsome he is ;) He knows he messed up and is so ready to apologize...if only she'd let him. Lol! Expect to get caught up in the shenanigans of a fated pair that have baggage together. This story is told in dual POVs and that really let me sink myself into the emotions and chemistry zinging between them. Definitely enjoyed their HEA and look forward to the next book :D
295 reviews1 follower
April 17, 2025
I enjoyed this book so much. Xavier and Mackenzie's story grabbed me from the first moment. I loved the tension between them. I love a second chance bully love story and Chasing the Wolf was exactly what I was looking for. The story is romantic, sweet and steamy. I enjoyed reading how Xavier was chasing her to make amends for his past behavior. It was exciting and added to the romantic tension between them. It was a fun and romantic wolf shifter romance that I jist couldn't stop reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
176 reviews
March 7, 2025
Absolutely wonderful

I am in awe of this author's (Ellie Pond) ability to not only create well rounded characters, but to create situations that seem so real AND different from her earlier books.
This book is great. No need to have read previous books to understand it, but it's even better if you have!
LOVED it!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Beata Beatrix.
444 reviews9 followers
March 8, 2025
🔸️This story includes fantastically good and satisfying groweling from Alpha-bully MMC and I loved it!
The level of Xavier's determination to set things right is delectable and I enjoyed that he doesn't get deterred from his ultimate goal.
🔸️On the other side Mackenzie is a really tough cookie and has a great supportive friends. Good for her!
I liked that matters were taken gradually and the slow burn between MCs.
🔸️Recommended for all fans of groweling Alpha- holes 😬
2,370 reviews12 followers
March 15, 2025
This dark wing second chance romance story was enjoyable to read. This story is about Mackenzie and Xavier wolf shifters. Mackenzie who works on the cruise ship is looking forward to seeing her brother Colton. Colton brought his best friend, Xavier. When they were younger Xavier bullied Mackenzie. This marked Mackenzie but this is Xavier's chance to claim his fated mate. Can he win Mackenzie over? I'd volunteer to read and review this enjoyable copy I'd received a copy.
Profile Image for Judy.
2,007 reviews13 followers
March 27, 2025
MacKenzie loves her job on the cruise ship and her new pack. She doesn't have very many good memories of her old pack where her family is. Xavier is her old packs. Alphas son and her brother are on the cruise this time out. Will she let him explain why he treated her the way he did . Things come to a head and a HEA is in the future for more than just them. Wonderful story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
129 reviews3 followers
March 28, 2025
I am really enjoying this cruise ship series. It has lots of fun love stories and this one is no exception. When your childhood bully turns up at your work place you know life is going to get complicated and it sure does! Happy ever afters guaranteed but never straight forward getting there and lovely to have cameos from the previous couples too.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
308 reviews
April 12, 2025
Mackenzie joined the Dark Wing after collage, her brother is coming to visit her & bringing a friend. Xavier has come hoping to reconnect and claim his fated mate. Mackenzie and Xavier will face dangerous challenges and threats to themselves and Dark Wing before love & destiny triumphs. spellbinding, wonderful story with a beautiful HEA. wonderful reading, loved every second.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Cynthia Khan.
2,739 reviews9 followers
March 6, 2025
Book 7 of Dark Wing Story for Xavier and Mackenzie. Talk about wild and full of hilarious moments, the first meeting on the ship was a hoot that was just crazy. I have to say these two had a lot of emotions to work through and when they did the story just made Ms you feel like fate had it right.

I got this as an ARC and I’m volunteering give a review of my own.
11 reviews1 follower
March 8, 2025
A sweet fated-mate story where the angst doesn’t hurt too much. Light on the spice. No reason to not like the main characters.
Oddly enough I was distracted by the red flags in the brother, but I’m sure Ellie will give us his story soon enough.
I appreciate these Dark Wing books because part of a whole, while not having to know every character’s story.
Profile Image for Debbie Benson.
9,679 reviews35 followers
March 16, 2025
I'm voluntarily leaving a review after receiving a free copy. I liked the lengths Xavier and her family went to to protect Mackenzie. However now Xavier really has to work to convince her to mate with him and the step she took doesn't make it easier. I'm glad they finally mate in the end. Also that the evil alpha who was Xavier's father was finally stopped after he attacked them and the ship.
Profile Image for Deb.
7,554 reviews36 followers
March 31, 2025
4 1/2 stars
Emotions ran high in this entertaining story that had me engaged from the start. I found the emotional turmoil was well written and allowed me to connect with her situation. I liked how the author was able to create conflict yet allowed his redemption.

I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Lorraine Whiteley.
263 reviews
March 9, 2025
Absolutely spellbinding right from the get-go! Do yourself a HUGE favour and read this book. Funny, charming, brilliant, feisty, steamy... Just absolutely awesome!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Becca.
102 reviews2 followers
March 12, 2025
3.5⭐️

This was my first in the Dark Wing series as I had an ARC. But I enjoyed it and it was a quick read. The characters were likable and the storyline was fun + entertaining. You can’t go wrong with a man who’s down bad for the girl 🥵

Thank you to Ellie + her team for the ARC! 😊
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