Pack Ebon Red

The Seven Mates of Zara Wolf #1

by C.M. Stunich

I am wolf; I am human; I am neither; I am both.
I am werewolf.

And I have seven Alpha Males as my mates.
All mine to kiss and hold and touch, seven handsome men for my bed.
My boys represent the biggest packs in North America.
But I am the Alpha Female and I rule them all.

One day, the packs might force me to choose.
But my heart, it won't allow it. Things could get…bloody if I have to fight for my boys.
For now, three glittering dark courts threaten our existence with their glamorous cruelty:
the vampires, the witches, and the fae.

Werewolves are missing from all the packs, and my boys and I, we have to find them.
Or find out who's killing them.
Because I'm the mistress of my men, my packs, a girl known simply as White Wolf.
I've promised to protect the men I love, the family and friends I cherish.
And the White Wolf…always keeps her promises.

***PACK EBON RED is a 300+ page full-length reverse harem/menage, urban fantasy/paranormal romance novel for mature teens and adults 18+ with a happily ever after waiting at the end of the series. It features one strong woman and her seven hot men that will do whatever it takes to protect and support their alpha. This book contains: werewolves, magic, vampires, dark fae, witches, intrigue, steamy sex scenes, romance, paranormal politics, and true love.

Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Shapeshifters, Paranormal Romance, Vampires, Werewolves

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2017

About the author

C.M. Stunich is a self-admitted bibliophile with a love for exotic teas and a whole host of characters who live full time inside the strange, swirling vortex of her thoughts. Some folks might call this crazy, but Caitlin Morgan doesn't mind - especially considering she has to write biographies in the third person. Oh, and half the host of characters in her head are searing hot bad boys with dirty mouths and skillful hands (among other things). If being crazy means hanging out with them everyday, C.M. has decided to have herself committed.

She hates tapioca pudding, loves to binge on cheesy horror movies, and is a slave to many cats. When she's not vacuuming fur off of her couch, C.M. can be found with her nose buried in a book or her eyes glued to a computer screen. She's the author of over thirty novels - romance, new adult, fantasy, and young adult included. Please, come and join her inside her crazy. There's a heck of a lot to do there.

Oh, and Caitlin loves to chat (incessantly), so feel free to e-mail her, send her a Facebook message, or put up smoke signals. She's already looking forward to it.

Stalk me, please!
www.cmstunich.com
www.facebook.com/cmstunichauthor
www.twitter.com/CMStunich

I'm also on Goodreads, Spotify, Google +, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Reviews

[Celise]

DNF at 45%. Just wasn't compelling. Failed buddy read with the MacHalo group.

The Bachelorette featuring werewolves. Where the producers forgot to cast interesting characters, the editors forgot violin music to let you know when you're supposed to actually like one of the contestants, and the bachelorette getting to know the contestants is shoved over in favour of a storyline following her best friend's hardships instead.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pack Ebon Red was a lot better than I anticipated it would be. Now I've read a bunch of reverse harem.. harem.. anything harem.. you name it, I most likely read it. So of course I can get pretty picky about characters, the plot, and the romance. I'm only human people!

So this book is about Zara, who is basically a powerful heir to a werewolf pack. Her mom takes romance into her own hands and has 6 alpha-sons being paired up with her in hopes that she will find a potential mate. Low and behold, Zara is basically in love with Nic who is from her pack and her best friend. Oh lord, can't wait for the crazy shit show!

Somehow Zara gets inside her moms mind and somehow tricks her into letting Nic join the other 6 guys to be one of her potential mates.. oh lordy, 7 hot guys being a potential mate!?!? How can one girl get so god damn lucky?

Throughout the book Zara has a mission: Why are werewolves mysteriously missing throughout the country? How can she get them back? Besides all of that adventure and detectiveness, well.. there's a lot of romance. I mean, hot damn.. she has a lot of hormones. They have a lot of hormones. It's basically one giant orgy.

Seriously, a lot went on in this book. I liked it.. but I guess I was expecting a little bit more?!? The cliffhanger was okay.. and I'm kind of intrigued to read the next book.. but I'm not really hyped up for it.. ya know?!? Maybe it will be utterly amazing and blow my mind.. but I wont hold my breath. I'll be okay with meh or okay at this point.

[Talltree · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars!

[Katyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, buuuuuut...

... Zara is sometimes a bit too, well, almost TSTL. She's got a mammoth ego - if she refers to herself in third person (as in "the White Wolf never breaks her promises") again, I may roll my eyes so hard I get an aneurysm - and she isn't strategic at all. She allows her infatuation with Nic to put him into serious danger, because she just has no common sense and her ego is so huge she thinks she simply can't ever fail to get what she wants.

I'm honestly hoping for her to be slapped down, hard. She needs to grow a brain before things get more dangerous, and it looks like that will happen fast. She can't rely on brute force for her to be able to stupid her way through deadly situations, and thus far, that's how she's managed. It's going to get old quick, and it's probably going to get someone hurt (if it doesn't, that's some exceptional Mary Sue-ism).

I also REALLY don't like Nic. He's a whining emo asshole who acts like he owns her and is making everything - literally everything - about him. Truthfully, I think he should never have gotten into the Pairing, and since we're stuck with him, I hope he gets his ass seriously kicked. He needs to be taken down like 20 pegs. The other guys are being far more generous with him than I'd expect, and it's time for that to be done. They should stomp him into the floor.

[E.J. Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

As wild as it’s wolvish heroine

Great start to a series - this had everything I expect from this author - romantic tension, a strong heroine, and smoking hot heroes, but it also had magnificent, fantastical worldbuilding.
Straight on to the next one.
Highly recommended.

[Runningrabbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

KU

This was a good read of the delicate moments of falling in love together with the discovery that it’s possible to love more than one person. The book is well backed up with solid character representations, a good mystery, a well defined cast of complex situations and simply a good unravelling tale.

[Mandy Sickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zara is the White Wolf next in line to lead the pack following in her mother's footsteps. It's time for her to go through the pairing process to choose a mate and she has lots of options 7 of them to be exact. Now that she's going to be the alpha she has to choose a mate but she has plenty of time to make the right choice. The choices are tough the man she loves, the one her mother wants her to choose, the one who lost an eye with a kiss, or any of the other dashingly handsome men.

However, choosing a mate is the last thing she wants to be thinking about as her fellow pack members are going missing without explanation.With the help of her new mates, Zara sets out to find the missing werewolves finding that something more dark and sinister is unfolding around them. Pulled into the world of vampires by her best friends mom who's secretly transitioning into a vampire she learns that they may be the ones causing the trouble. However, meeting with the local witch coven proves that they aren't so innocent either which causes her to question the intentions of the fae. Will they be able to save the missing wolves or will it be too late? How will Zara choose just one of her men?

I love Zara she's a loyal friend but also a strong leader when it comes to protecting those she loves. I have to admit I'm overwhelmed by all her potential mates each one brings something a little different to offer which makes me think that she will change the rules and keep them all. I also really like Nic he was her guard who turned into one of her 7 mates and he really get's Zara.

I've been anxiously waiting to get my hands on Ebon Pack Red for months since I first glimpsed the stunning cover. I couldn't wait to dive right into Zara's story's story and learn about her mate pairing with 7 werewolves. I'm a huge fan of werewolf books and found the concept captivating with its own unique spin. The characters are easy to connect with I loved them all even the bad guys are the kind you enjoy disliking. This is my first book by the author and I loved her story tellings it was easy to get lost in Zara's story and I can't wait to read the next one and see what will happen. This book has it all romance, magic, mystery, good vs. evil and a harem of sexy werewolf men. Highly recommend checking out if you are fans of paranormal romance. I have a little bit of a book hang over, and I loved it so much.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start to a fantastic, original, and unique series. Perfect balance between paranormal and fantasy, strong characters, and awesome plot. Vampires are harvesting werewolf blood to walk in the sun. Witches are eating werewolf flesh to steal their magic. Dark faerie queens are watching their every move. Pack members are disappearing. Politics. Alliances. Ancient magic. War. Blood. Annnnnd badass Zara, Alpha of Pack Ebon Red, is caught in the middle of this bloody mess with seven mates she swore with all her heart to protect. And the White Wolf always keep her promises… « One heart, one soul, one hope. » I loved it. Can’t wait for the sequel to be released!

Happy reading!

Follow my favorite books on Instagram@readonthedarkside

[Treena · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF after 25%

I wasn't feeling the story or the writing style.

[Maraya21 (The Reading Dragon)]

This has been ABANDONED.
I won't be continuing it.

Original start date: December 22, 2017
Put On Hold: March 19, 2018
Abandoned: January 13, 2021

[Jaime (Two Chicks on Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I’ll fully admit I’m not the biggest fan or werewolf books, I can count on one hand how many werewolf books I like. I can add this one to that count. I loved that there were Fae, witches, and vampires too! On to book 2!

[A Little Nerdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am intrigued. I want to know what the hell is going on. Next!

[Julia's Book Haven · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars*

[Mel]

Reverse harem

[Princess J. Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off pretty slow and I really did hate the ending but it was still a pretty good read... I'm just really getting to know the heroes and this feisty heroine so I will hold off my opinion about them until I really get to know them.. so until then I guess we will see...

Overall rating:
4*~A Good Read

[Jennifer G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pack Ebon Red is the first book in CM Stunich's The Seven Mates of Zara Wolf. It does not grab you immediately like her Rock-Hard Beautiful series, but it doesn't take long before you are fully immersed in this wonderful new world.

Zara, the Alpha-Ki of the Ebon Red pack is in line to become the Alpha of all the North America Packs. First however, she must follow tradition and prove her worth. She must accept her potential mates, fight and defeat all challengers, and conduct a successful hunt. The pairing ritual usually involves just one Alpha-Son, but since the packs are uniting, each pack has sent a son. Her own pack also has a representative, so she has 7 suitors. The pairing will last a year and at the end she will choose her mate. During the year her and her potential mates will fulfll a Contribution. The chosen Contribution will be to discover the answer to a mystery. Werewolves from every pack are missing. They are to locate the missing werewolves or find out what happened to them.

Zara is a kick-ass female lead. She's smart, clever, strong, kind, and she's certainly no coward. She also has unknown potential to restore the werewolves to their former power. Her men are distinct and diverse. The only quality they seem to share is their hotness. Nic, Anubis, Silas, Monty, Jax, Tidus, and Che. She loves Nic, the Ebon Red, but is sexually attracted to each of the guys. But no insta-love. These will be true pairings. There is underlying tension of all sorts that you know is going to get much worse during the next year.

There is a great deal of suspense; with the missing werewolf investigation, with the formal ceremonies, and with teenage best-friend angst. The attention to detail for the ceremonies is remarkable. This was written in a spectacular fashion. It's a complete and complex were world. So Awesome! The supporting cast is richly developed as well. The Alpha Queen Nikolina is formidable, the Grandmother Alpha Majka is one part terrifying, the other hysterical. Her Croatian insults were fantastic! Zara's youngest brother Hugo was every bit as adorable as her younger sister Avita was awful. The other non-humans; Vampires, Fae, and Witches also had developed characters and histories that added layering to the story.

This is such an elaborate, intricate story with wonderful characters. The balance between romance, action, and mystery is well done. This is such a compelling dynamic with all of the changes in the lives of this mini-pack. They have to learn how to best live and work together. They have to explore their attractions, how best to serve the packs. I can't wait for book 2!!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The synopsis has led me to believe that by the beginning of the books Zara would already have all of her seven mates. As a person who prefers to see relationship build, I wasn't too keen on reading the story. The only reason I finally decided to pick it up was all of C. M. Stunich' other books, all of which I liked. But, as it turned out, the actual story wasn't like synopsis promised at all.
So, Zara is a daughter of an Alpha female and her mother has decided to bring in males from 5 different packs for Zara to choose from. Though, there isn't really much of a choice. The idea is similar to the Jupiter's shadow, though the execution is much better here.
I really, really like the writing and how detailed the world is. Loved the description of the shifting process, it was so easy to picture. And the name list at the beginning? Thank you . It is always hard for me to remember all the names, so that helped a lot. The plot line is also interesting.
And the characters themselves were diverse. All the males have there own different personalities, and I'm itching to learn more about each of them. And Zara's family? Jeez, her grandmother is creepy, sitting naked in a chair. And don't even get me started on her mother.

So, yeah, don't believe the synopsis. I was going back and forth between giving it four or three starts, but I gathered that if I have to think about it, than it's probably not a four starts. Though, I believe it can get better along the way.

[Tiera McMillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars for me. This author can really crank out some compelling storylines. The start of this series, however, for me, seemed disjointed, and lacked the flow that I am used to from her. Maybe it was a lack of backstory? Or maybe even a lack of detail in the world building? I felt disoriented through most of the story which really made it hard for me to become involved.

Zara our FMC is heir apparent alpha wolf destined to unite the tribes across North America. To do this she must be mate paired with the alpha’s sons from each pack during her “pairing.” As a character she seems slightly resentful of her position, desperate for some freedom to make her own decisions, irritated at certain laws and customs of the pack, and at the same time totally committed to solving the mystery of why pack members from all over have been regularly disappearing. During the year after her pairing ceremony with her potential “mates” they must prove themselves by solving this mystery but it seems they may have stepped off into something way more dangerous than they first thought. I really felt the author spent a lot of time on character introduction and scenes where they interact but the chemistry almost felt a little forced to me.

I really felt I stepped off into an ongoing story line and that maybe I was missing something throughout the whole book. I’m not sure why things are the way they are and neither are the characters really. Certain details pertaining to the storyline seemed like an afterthought or a rushed explanation and it made me feel a little antsy.

[Jeanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cliffhanger ending

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

★3.75 Stars★

I had no idea what I was in for prior to reading this book. I was attracted to the the cover and was familiar with the author (whose books I own many of, but have never read), so I thought I’d give it a go.

Turns out this book had a reverse-harem thing going on – something I should have guessed, seeing as it’s mentioned in the title – so being the rev-harem fan I am, I was stoked! But nothing was straight-forward about Zara and her mates.

Thumbs UP

I really liked learning about the intricacies of Werewolf clans and what being an Alpha (in this authors world) meant. There was a lot to it! Rituals and respect were the most important, and there sure were a lot of the former in this story. There were other supernatural beings also featured, which included Vampires, Witches and Fae, so I was never lacking for mystical beings.

There were a lot of guys to choose from, but by far my favourite, was Nic. I really hope things work out for him and Zara as the series progresses.

I really loved the whole ‘silver’ thing. I could envision the Alphas, naked, and dripping with blood from their jewellery. The imagery of that was strong and made it all the more powerful when Zara finally chose her silver.

I loved Zara’s cute lil bro, Hugo! I just love puppies.

Thumbs DOWN

I felt the ‘Mating’ thing was a little unclear. When Zara had sex with Nic, I thought that meant they were mated, irreversibly. But as the story went on, it felt like the fact they’d had sex was irrelevant, because Zara still had to choose her mate and Nic may not even be in the picture in the end. It was very confusing.

I felt bad for Nic. I didn’t think Zara dealt with him very well, prior to and post certain events. This may also be one of the rare rev-harem stories where, even though I like all the guys, I only want Zara to end up with one of them… it’s going to be interesting to see how I feel as the series continues.

Final Thoughts

Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of Werewolf stories, and at times this book felt a bit Twilight-y (what with the golden eyes, day-walking Vamps, Wolves and whatnot), but I still enjoyed this book. I’m not 100% sold on Zara yet, but I look forward to learning more about her as she becomes the Alpha she was born to be.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Werewolves and I have this strange love-hate thing going on that I can't really explain. For some reason I read too many books where the werewolves were pitted against the vampires and in those cases I always sided with the bloodsuckers. But, a few of my favorite actors played werewolves and since I was at a Teen Wolf convention this weekend, this book sounded perfect to keep me company.

And very soon I realised that not picking this book up sooner had been a big mistake. I was sucked into the story from page one and all the characters that were introduced, mostly one by one, managed to find their way into my heart. Zara is an amazing mix of bad ass and caring. She knows how to fight, but she's truly using it to help others and she genuinely cares about her best human friend and wants her to be safe. It's also very clear that the urge to protect the boys in her small mini pack is not just something she HAS to do, but also something she WANTS to do.

Which doesn't come as a surprise, since the boys are all amazing and different and have something unique that makes you like them instantly. We see a lot of Nic, and therefore it's easy to form a connection with him, but the glimpses we've seen from the others are really interesting and I can't wait to get to know them better. At the moment, I'm mostly interested in reading more about Montgommery, but I don't say no to any of the others either.

But, it's not just the characters making this book awesome, the plot and mythology are really great and amazing too. I was very surprised how thought out everything was, how good and solid the base of this story seemed to be and how a lot of things came together already during this book. A lot of questions are being answered in the epic finale, but the premise of the next book is now even more exciting that the one for this book was.

I really hope that the second book arrives soon so I can dive into it, headfirst!

[LolaLovesRH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down

This isn’t my favorite CM read of all times, but it’s still amazing nonetheless. I’m not sure if it was my mood but the first few times I tried to read this series I struggled. It starts kind of slow in the beginning but once you reach a certain point it sucks you in. This particular time around I couldn’t put this book down.

Zara is a bad ass. No other way to put it, but I loved and hated her at the same time. I’m used to CM having her FMCS show an equal amount of interest in all her men, AND don’t get me wrong Zara is sexually attracted to ALL her men. But as I’ve read it’s become clear to me who her favorite is, and that’s definitely Nic. She’s been in love with him for a while and that’s fine and dandy but I do feel like it is unfair in grand scheme of things when she’s supposed to be giving all the men (her mates) a fair chance to be her permanent mate. (And of course I want them All to be her mates, they are all amazing 😻)

I didn’t love that and I think that’s one of the reasons I dropped the first time I read this series. I’m gonna push forward but I do hope Zara starts to show the other men a little more affection. Because her clear favoritism over Nic annoyed me.

Other than that Zara is still pretty amazing and her men are even more amazing!! I currently attached to all of them but that’s no surprise. CM has always had a talent with making her H incredibly attractive and desirable characters.

Can’t wait to read this next book.

Virgin fmc and MMCs.

[Michelle Buvoir d'Encre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really looking forward to the rest of the tale. This book one was pretty short, but the author has introduced our main players and set the scene for a romping good time.

The book opens a few days before Zara's coming of age ceremony to become the Alpha of all the north american werewolf packs. Okay hold up, I read a lot of supernatural plots, how have I never come across a werewolf culture that doesn't have any kind of forced genre roles? Because it's amazing.

We're quickly pushed into the conflict, where Zara has to find where the missing werewolves are going. Then we're introduced one by one to the male werewolves who will be courting her for position as her mate and co-ruler.

They are all, of course, very attractive and so far pretty decent and supportive. (Side note, lets just accept all the werewolf business as real, but based on the descriptions of these guy's families and how abusive they are, it's pretty unlikely that not ONE of them is messed up and actually a "bad guy". That being said, I don't care, I'm here for the romance, not realistic character back stories)

The end of the book shows the guys and Zara already working as a good team towards the goal. We know the vampires and witches are bad news, but maybe the fairies will actually be helpful....?

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zara is the heir apparent to a powerful werewolf pack. Her mother has decided that she is going to be "paired" with alpha-sons from each of the other main packs - leaving Zara with 6 potential mates. That is all well and good, but Zara is in love with her best friend from her own pack, Nic. Zara is able to manipulate her mother into including Nic in the pairing ceremony, making her mate total: 7. Oh, and please feel bad for her because they are all hot guys. In addition to hooking up, the Pairing ceremony requires Zara to accomplish a specific task important to all the packs. In her case, Zara must find what is causing werewolves to go missing across the country and get them back if possible. No easy feat when you've got raging hormones all around, and your best friend's mom is missing and might have been trying to make herself a vampire.

This book was alright. I did feel left hanging at the end. It wasn't necessarily a cliffhanger, more of a case of unresolved issues forcing me to want to read the next book in the series.

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very very interesting world concepts. Sadly the author is simply too wordy. Everything is described. EVERYTHING. During dialog it was especially tedious. There would be whole paragraph between each reply. Very sad, i was excited to get to know the boys but i couldn’t take it anymore.

Doesn’t help that Zara our lead woman has no personality beyond “I’m alpha and i love nic” also got tired of her constantly retelling us things. In one book i think she mentioned how being naked is normal to wolves and that they’re not sexist, homophobic or racist atleast 6 times.

If this wasn’t so wordy I’d push through it but i can’t be bothered. Especially when the sex is so boring and nondescript.

I like that one of the love interests preferred his wolf form and the silver concept. Those were pretty cool.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome plot

I don't know too much about CM and her work. I've only read her Rock-hard beautiful series. I liked that one but this, man I LOVE this series. Not only do we have strong, loveable characters but the storyline is unique and captivating. Zara needs to get herself straight on the relationship side though. Be the alpha she's supposed to be and set those boys in line. Great great start to this series and I can wait until August!!

[LM · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5 stars.

This book was a slow start for me. I had a hard time getting into the writing/plot at first. It wasn't bad, it just was different.

But holy balls I am so glad I kept going - because once I hit about halfway...I was SUCKED in. I read the entire last half in one sitting.

The plot is so complex, the fightin during the mating was awesome... I love watching the reverse harem sort itself and settle. All the relationships, all the drama. Yaaaaassss.

Book two here I come!

[Evie Hook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dont normally read harem stories but this one was simply amazing! these characters are beautifully created with plenty of mystery to keep you wanting so much more. Stunich brings a whole new twist to the werewolf myth, with intricate rituals and history that really brings the world to life.

[Elle ♡ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably like ~2.75 stars. This was pretty confusing because the world building wasn't great or fleshed out that well. It got more interesting at ~46% because it finally got a lil smutty ;)
I got this for free though and it was mildly entertaining so I can't complain too much.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s got werewolves, multiple mates (who’s she gonna choose? Or maybe WHY CHOOSE? 😘), vampires, witches, faeries and humans. Reminds me a lot of the Sookie Stackhouse world but with werewolves and their traditions as the main story. It’s a solid start to the 7 book series.