Mate by Ali Hazelwood: Review, Full Summary, Ending Explained

Mate by Ali Hazelwood is the follow up to the paranormal romance Bride. In this werewolf fantasy romance we follow Serena Paris a half human, half wolf hybrid who finds herself in the middle of multiple conspiracies and Koen Alexander, the alpha of the pacific northwest pack.

While Serena tries to appease the relationship between werewolves and other species as the one-of-a-kind werewolf, bounties are on her head and a twenty-year-old conspiracy follows her around. Not to mention she is the mate of the alpha of the Northwest pack, as he is determined to keep her safe whether the feelings are reciprocated or not.

If you’re no stranger to our reviews, you know this site is sometimes a love letter to Ali Hazelwood’s romance books that feature strong women, witty banter, and peak yearning, and Mate is no exception to this rule. I have absolutely no notes for this love letter to the Pacific Northwest, flannels, and yearning between two characters whom I adore—maybe other than the fact that I wish I didn’t have to leave.

Read the full recap, ending explained, list of spicy chapters, and our review for Mate by Ali Hazelwood in this post.

This post contains spoilers.

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Tropes

• Werewolves
• Vampires
• Forbidden Romance
• Omegaverse
• Alpha Werewolf
• Fated Mates
• Slow burn

Review

Overall Impressions 😊

I’ve been just as feral for Mate as I was for Bride. I don’t know how to explain the chokehold this Ali Hazelwood universe has on me, but my expectations were sky-high.

That unique blend of Hazelwood banter, witty quips scattered through plain paragraphs, flannel-loving Pacific Northwesterners, and the peak yearning and possessive love these two displayed for each other was everything I could’ve asked for in a sequel.

My only conundrum is that I can’t decide if I like this or Bride more. They’re both infinite-star reads for me, and I’ll reread these books when I’m sick, bored, angry, crying, and forever more.

Perfect For Fans Of… 🌟

Did you love Twilight, the cozy young adult love letter to possessive men and the Pacific Northwest, but wished she picked Jacob? This is the book for you. Just kidding.

This is exactly what I want from a werewolf romance. I want scenting, licking, and the biological, animalistic pull between characters, wrapped in that delicious haze of yearning. If that’s your flavor of romance, you’ll feel right at home with this one.

And randomly enough, this book dips into the Omegaverse a bit more than Bride (since both characters are Were, no surprise there). So if you loved Pack Darling or Lola and the Billionaires but wished it was monogamous, this one’s for you.

Characters 👥

Okay let’s start with Koen Alexander. First of all I love his name. He is the classic Ali Hazelwood lead, tall, dark and handsome. Grumpy, very grumpy. However Koen, like Lowe, is multi faceted. Love seeing Ali make her men deeper and more nuanced as she grows as an author. Did I expect the next facet of depth of her main characters to be in the direction of having the ability to have some very fascinating insults and name calling? I’m not complaining.

I loved Koen with all my heart, with witty banter, grumpy but clearly not, his inability to stop expressing everything he’s feeling, and most of all he was well liked and were devoted by his friends. He was so mean, but caring. Truly spectacular specimen of men.

And there’s Serena. I usually struggle with Ali’s FMCs, but since Misery she’s been cooking. Like her, Serena is different than the quirky, obtuse leads she’s featured so much. Serena knows who she is. She’s a compulsive liar, but selfless. She’s smart, but flawed. She is self sacrificing but not to a fault. She has dimensions. She’s not annoying and her only feature is not to be Koen’s love interest. No, she’s a mess. A mess I can relate to. A mess I rooted for the entire time.

The side characters are always as adorable. Amanda, Saul, Brenna. I do love Ali’s signature move of dumping as many side characters as possible like she’s throwing the kitchen sink at the book. I am not the biggest fan of learning the names of characters I’ll never remember again (hello Brenna, Brenda?) but I have affection towards them in a way it tells me I’m in an Ali Hazelwood book.

Plot 🗺️

Who knew all the Ali Hazelwood universe was missing was a cult subplot? Seriously. Does this book have any business being around 500 pages long? I don’t know man, I’m eating everything the Bride universe has to offer, so make it 1000 if you can.

I liked the story. The story is basically how Serena finds out Koen is her mate, and they do horny science things a lot. To me, that’s what the plot is. Oh, and they do a lot of Pacific Northwest sightseeing.

I’m such a sucker for this book man. But most of all, HELLO? THERE WAS NO MISCOMMUNICATION PLOT LINE. Big A+ for me.

Sure, there were vampire bounties, cult babies, and lots of medical and science discussions, but mostly it was about a found family and two people falling in love. I ate every word up. I just wish it was longer so I didn’t have to leave this universe.

My Favorite Quote to Hook You 📣

“In a matter of days, you’re going to leave, and I’ll spend the rest of my life as your fucking servant. Whatever you ask me for, you’ll have. But here you are. Defenseless. Mine for a short time.”

Ali Hazelwood, Mate

Writing Style and Narration ✍️

Nothing makes me more giddy and cozy than AH’s writing. Where does she find those witty quips she just dumps in plain paragraphs? What part of her brain comes up with phrases like:

“The ones where fiscally conservative people go for weekends of antiquing, dinner parties, and discreet cheating on their spouses.”

Ali Hazelwood, Mate

or

“We wouldn’t want her to grow up and, say, go to grad school.”
“Don’t worry,” Misery reassures me, “every day I drill into her that we’ll be disappointed in anything but a DJing career.”

Ali Hazelwood, Mate

Whichever part of her brain sentences like this come from, science should study it. She’d dig that, I bet — she’s a neuroscientist after all.

I loved all of this so very much. I laughed, got giddy, and even teared up occasionally at the internal turmoil. I truly enjoyed it.

Mate Synopsis

Serena’s childhood

Nearly 20 Years Ago

A young Serena at the age of five is a living with a werewolf and a woman she calls mother. She’s abused and starved. One day, there are screams. She hides in a closet. Someone finds her, and rescues her, giving her to the human social services worker.

Years pass.

Koen Tells Serena She’s her Mate

Immediately After Bride

We cut back to the end of Bride when Koen first realizes Serena is his mate.

While Serena is in Lowe’s office checking her email, Koen arrives at Lowe’s insistence to tell her. Koen tells her she’s his mate. Serena says she isn’t ready for anything like that.

Koen claims he only wants to fuck her and nothing more. He tells her he’s not interested. Serena considers him but he plays it cool.

Back in the present timeline they head into Koen’s territory. Koen is furious she was in danger, despite still acting uninterested.

Serena tells him she went off to the woods alone to process what happened to her. She’s physically weak, clearly dealing with PTSD. She also alludes to running out of time.

Serena Gives an Interview As The Hybrid

Two and a half months earlier

Serena insists on giving the interview to help the public understand hybrids and testing. Koen and Misery object but accept the greater good. Koen escorts her because they don’t want attention on Ana as the other hybrid.

Serena, a self admitted compulsive liar, lies and deflects to protect Ana during the interview which is her only goal.

Afterward someone insults Serena. Koen mimes hurting them and threatens them. They go home still not together.

Serena is Diagnosed with Cortisol Surge Disorder

A little bit after the interview

Serena begins waking burning up, nauseous, sweating. She rides it out.

She goes to a doctor and is diagnosed with a werewolf disease Cortical False Surge Disorder.

For a while the doctor tries to manage her symptoms with medication, however she doesn’t respond. Given her labs and vitals, the way her body is acting is incompatible with life.

The doctor gives her three to six months to live. Serena decides to not tell anyone, especially Misery to not worry her and spare her from the pain of losing her.

With her consent, Juno, one of Lowe’s seconds run genetic testing on Serena to see if her parents were from Northwest.

They can’t find her parents in any pack records. People assume Northwest, but nothing matches. Koen rules with an iron fist yet is respected, and he’s quietly helps Serena search for her parents the whole time.

Serena Has Trouble Adjusting to Being A Hybrid

Present Day

Serena struggles to adjust to life as a hybrid after the events of Bride. She is unable to shift and to adjust to being half human, half were. She lives alone in the woods.

She’s running the woods while a vampire hunts her. We find out ever since she gave a public interview about being a hybrid, people keep trying to kill or claim her. There is a bounty on her head.

After the mating bond clicked for Koen at the end of Bride, it is revealed that she “rejected” him. While Serena is Koen’s mate, it appears Koen is not Serena’s.

The vampire tries to take her to claim the bounty on her. Serena fights back while Koen arrives, but she is still unable to shift. The vampyre tries to bargain. She offers Serena to him before he takes her in for the bounty.

Koen pretends to entertain the idea. He asks Serena, if she wants to be with him. Serena says no, then kills the vampire.

Koen takes her back to the Den. It appears despite being mated to Serena, Koen doesn’t seem to want to be with her.

Koen Takes Serena to his Territory

Koen moves Serena to a safe house. She meets his seconds Jorma a dedicated rule follower, Amanda, his apparent closes second, and Saul, the class clown. While his seconds try to fuss over her, Koen keeps insisting Serena is an adult wolf, yet he keeps taking care of her.

Serena shows almost no self-preservation, years of being Collateral’s lady companion affecting her sense of self worth.

On a group call with Misery, Ana, Lowe and others, they discuss options. Misery wants Serena to riddle out the threat then return to the Southwest pack. A member of the Vampyre council has put a bounty on Serena’s head, but they’re not sure who. Owen, Misery’s brother, is trying to weed them out but he needs concrete proof.

Serena decides to hide in plain sight and bait the vampire councilor trying to bind her for experiments or hybrid babies. She wants Ana, the only other known hybrid, safe and herself as the lure.

Koen takes Serena to his house as Serena begs him to let her stay in Pacific Northwest. Koen says he won’t protect her if she keeps lying. He calls her suicidal, self destructive, martyr like. Serena finally confesses she hasn’t been able to shift for months.

She wants to stay in the Northwest so Lowe and Misery don’t have to manage her on top of protecting Ana. Koen insists says he won’t keep her if she lies.

He reluctantly agrees for her to stay. When Serena inquires about whether his pack knows she’s Koen’s mate he confirms that everyone knows she rejected Koen. And everyone knows she’s his mate.

Settling in Koen’s territory

Koen brings Serena to the Den. Serena is very adamant about staying in his house, mostly because CSD might make her aggressive and she is worried about hurting Koen, in addition to him finding out.

He agrees to give her space if she can prove she can take care of herself. At the gym she meets second Brenna. Brenna is tall, blunt, giving very much Misery-vibes. Brenna likes Serena and also says Koen will never touch her. Serena holds her own but eventually Brenna gets the upper hand.

Serena spends a night at Koen’s cabin with no incidents.

Koen sleeps outside in wolf form, which he prefers. The next morning he’s hanging out with a half dog, half wolf. Serena befriends it.

Koen says he’ll start “parading” Serena around to bait out people hunting her.

Serena offers two hands with nothing in them to Koen to pick his “prize”, a game she played with Misery when they were kids and had nothing to give to each other. Koen picks coffee. When he asks what the other prize was and Serena tells him it’s a hug, then wants to change his answer.

Koen buys her clothes, groceries, basically everything she touches. There’s obvious attraction and chemistry between them, but he holds back.

He invites more seconds over to meet Serena. Serena loves to cook and his pack loves it. They’re all smitten by her. She bonds with the seconds. One of the more dominant kids mouths off that she doesn’t belong. Koen shuts that down.

Serena asks what happens if someone challenges Koen for Alpha. Koen says he’d step down if beaten. When Serena asks what he would do if that happened he tells he has no hobbies.

Serena offers two hands again making him pick one. She decides to teach him how to play piano. Serena sits on his lap, teaching him how to play chords. Things escalate between them but Koen steps away before it becomes anything.

Serena learns Koen became Alpha at fifteen because everyone else died. Records were destroyed. There’s a hole in the past she can’t explain.

Serena Has CSD Episodes and Finds out About the Covenant

Serena has an episode with sweats, pain, and nausea. She sleepwalks during an episode and ends up in Koen’s room, spreading her scent everywhere.

The next morning he watches the pack play-fight. Amanda tells her Koen is very pent-up. Serena says he can sleep with others. Amanda says the Northwest pack has a celibacy covenant for the alpha. After the past events they feel like the alpha needs to have nothing more important than his pack to him.

When Koen finds Serena’s sweaty clothes, while she is trying to put them in the washer his instincts kick in. He asks Serena to slowly walk away from him and “not make him chase her.” Things get heated.

Serena asks him about what happened to the pack years ago. He tells her some, but not much.

The next morning she cooks breakfast for everyone once they arrive with ingredients for her to cook with.

Koen refuses to eat, too keyed up.

She gives him a haircut right before the Assembly arrives to hold him accountable to the covenant.

They both swear nothing is happening. Koen is annoyed Serena knew about the covenant.

Constantine’s Cult and “Eva”

Koen brings Serena to an elder doctor who might recognize her from her scent. He calls her halfling, not hybrid. However he doesn’t recognize her.

Serena goes outside to collect herself for a minute and, a naked, wolf boy approaches Serena and calls her Eva. He talks in riddles and bows. He asks Serena to come with him.

Koen shows up but he can’t place him. The boy urges Serena to come, when she rejects he then jumps off a cliff saying Constantine will see him soon.

Serena finds out more about the events of the past that made Koen the alpha. A cult lead by Constantine, a wolf promised humans they can become Werewolves if they followed his teachings. The cult slaughtered thousands of wolves in the Northwest.

Koen reveals he killed him. Serena feels guilty and shaken. Koen steadies her.

He has to go meet with the Assembly. They share a hard goodbye.

That night Serena has another brutal episode. Koen arriving back, finds her in pain. He breaks a mirror so she’ll stop fixating on how she looks. He makes her a bath to get her temperature down and holds her while she fades out.

The True Nature of Serena’s “Disease” is Revealed

They go back to the same doctor who confirms the diagnosis, and also that Serena’s survival makes no sense. Koen refuses to accept she’s dying and keeps promising to save her. Serena tells him maybe it’s for the best as he has the Covenant binding him. It’s “good” for them that Serena’s not going to be around for a long term relationship.

Koen swears that he’ll find a way to survive. He’s clearly in love with her and Serena with him but it doesn’t go any further yet.

Serena even wrote letters of goodbye to Misery, Ana and Lowe. She has made peace with her diagnosis. Koen is infuriated that she chose to not tell anyone and even went into the woods to spare them from the pain of it all.

Later that night Koen asks where they’ll sleep that night. Serena is taken aback, but driven by his feelings and the need to take care of his mate Koen won’t take no for an answer.

That night, Serena wakes up in pain and sweating. Koen draws a bath for her but it’s too cold and not what Serena wants. She wants something else.

Things get heated between them with Koen easing her “pain” by licking her glands. They kind of hook up with Koen trying to skirt the rules of the Covenant by having Serena touch herself and him but him not doing anything as he realizes Serena’s true condition.

They fall asleep in each other’s arm, talking about biting one another in the haze of their feelings.

Serena doesn’t have CSD but she’s going into Heat.

They go back to the doctor again but this time they see Layla, who specializes in female Weres. Layla explains she needs a partner or a suppressant injection.

Serena wants Koen or no one. She asks for the shot since she can’t have him.

Koen returns wounded from border fights with vampires.

Serena practically mounts him, and he lets her still not touching her. He clearly knows what he’s doing physically despite the Covenant, but still won’t touch her because of his promise to the back.

That night they act like a real couple. She cooks. They do crosswords. They talk about consent and biting and where and why.

Serena decides to take the shot. Koen swears he’ll support her whatever she chooses. Then admits he couldn’t stand her with someone else.

They strike a ridiculous boundary truce where she can touch him but he can’t touch her.

Serena’s True Lineage Revealed

Koen and Serena talk about consent and agency. Serena worried that she’s taking advantage of the mating bond and the Heat while Koen is worried his alpha pull is making the lines blurry. They decide to give each other grace.

Koen tells her about the events that led to him becoming the pack leader. Koen’s mother used to be the alpha of the pack. Constantine and his followers used Koen’s father to lure her out and killed her. That’s why he abides by the Covenant because he doesn’t want to let the pack down.

He tells Serena he never understood how her mother couldn’t see past the mating bond until he met Serena. But Serena is now everything. Serena tells him she can’t bare to take him away from his pack, so after the Heat is over, the bounty on her head and Constantine’s cult is dealt with, she’ll go back to the Southwest to try and stay out of his way. They bid a sad goodbye.

Serena goes to Layla for the injection. But Layla is acting weird and drugged. Jess, the second watching over her, knocks her out. She wakes in the Cult’s compound with her aunt, Irene, Constantine’s sister. It is revealed that Serena is Constantine’s daughter, and her true name is Eva. Her mother was Fiona, one of his companions.

Irene claims Constantine won a challenge against the Northwest Alpha but wasn’t allowed to rule. Now they plan to use Serena to finish his plans.

Irene gives Serena her mother’s letter. She was brainwashed and couldn’t see the truth. Serena realizes her father is responsible for everything Koen lost.

Irene and Nele, one of the human girls living in the compound, mark her for the Heat. He pushes Serena to choose one of the wolves of the cult.

Koen arrives willingly for his mate and is restricted. Irene reveals Koen killed Serena’s mother during the purge after Constantine was killed. Irene presses a blade into Serena’s hand to push her toward killing Koen. Serena cuts his bonds instead and frees him. During the fight she passes out.

Serena Goes into Heat

Serena wakes after passing out. Layla reveals she is on the brink of Heat and it’s too late for the shot. Layla gives her the contraceptives.

Serena is mortified and tells her she can’t ask this of Koen. Layla tells her that Koen can never resist taking care of his mate and he’ll do what she needs him to do without having to be asked.

Layla tells her that Everyone agrees no one will out Koen. But the Northwest needs Serena so after the Heat she has to let him go.

Serena shows him the nest she built. She also tells him she can’t ask this of him while she still has the clarity.

They kiss. Lowe calls while Serena takes a shower. When she’s out the shower, Koen sees the markings which he finds very attractive.

They give into their feelings. Later that night Serena wakes up wet, sweaty and in pain. She wants to call Layla but Koen realizes her Heat is about to begin. They give in.

They have a lot of sex over the next couple of days and Serena learns about what it means to have sex with her mate, his Knot and how she can’t bare to be touched by anyone but him.

As the heat breaks, Serena tells Koen although she needs to let him go, she’s in love with him.

The next day Amanda comes back. She tells Serena that the pack is very happy for them.

Koen and Serena find each other later that day.

Koen says he’ll step down to be with her, the Heat and Serena’s confession of love afterwards changed everything for him. Serena knows he’d resent leaving his pack behind. His pack needs him.

Koen tells her he read her letter to him when she thought she was going to tie. It was telling him he felt like her true mate. They argue although Koen refuses to back down despite Serena’s objections. She tells him she can’t be responsible for him resenting himself, while Koen doesn’t take no for an answer.

Mate by Ali Hazelwood Ending Explained

Nele, the human girl, tells them about Irene’s plans full of guns and other weapons to finish this once in for all. While they can’t figure out how to draw her out, Serena says she could be bait. Koen is distraught with the idea and doesn’t allow it.

Serena says she loves him and he loves her, and that’s why he’ll never use his Alpha status to make her to what he wants her to do.

Later as she is acting as bait, they are waiting for Irene to grab her, Amanda thanks her for not taking Koen away. Serena is surprised that she knows Koen offered to step down. Amanda tells her she didn’t know exactly, but she knows Koen. And they’ve always known it would come to this, once Koen had met Serena. He loves her and he would’ve never been able to stay away from her mate.

Amanda goes to take a fake call and Serena is taken as planned.

As planned, thanks to a tracker implanted in Serena’s arm, the pack finds her. A fight breaks out. Serena shifts, turning into a wolf. Koen tries to save Nele’s sister and doesn’t realize Irene is taking a shot at him. Serena takes a bullet for him.

Serena wakes after four days and finds Misery at her bed side. Misery laughs at the irony, as they just managed to get Koen to leave her bedside that day.

Misery and Serena have an all out fight. Serena has been dishonest and keeps hiding very important details of her life from her out of worry that she is a burden. Misery admits her life is not perfect, being a vampire mated into a were world while Ana looks up to her.

They promise more honesty. Serena tells her she wants to stay in Northwest even if she is without Koen.

She goes back to Koen’s house who returns later that day after meeting with the Assembly. He tells although everyone agrees he’s emotionally compromised over Serena, he has proven that he can make decisions for the good of the pack despite the mating bond. The Assembly rescinds the Covenant.

Serena and Koen can be together without wrecking the pack.

They choose to be boring, happy, live in domestic bliss and go on runs. She cooks. He runs patrols. She gets a job. They live like people who survived and want normal.

In the epilogue, they’re even more disgustingly happy.

Koen hates being away. He returns from a cult-clean up trip and Serena, missing him, accidentally bites him, drawing blood. She asks him to bite her back. He does.

The mating bond seals and they live happily ever after.

Mate Spicy Chapters

How Spicy is Mate (Bride, Book 2): 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Whether you want to get to the heat or want closed-door modifications here’s the list of spicy chapters below.

• Chapter 23
• Chapter 26
• Chapter 32* (Okay so this one is not really spicy but sort of?) It’s not in the graphic but I wanted to note it here because it was fun 🙂
• Chapter 33
• Chapter 34
• Epilogue

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If you like woods, Twilight, Omegaverse novels that lean toward monogamy (a genre that doesn’t exist but Ali is well on her way to creating), the Pacific Northwest, creative insults (can’t spell them here, I’m trying not to get deranked by search engines), yearning, scenting, and lots of licking (glands, get your mind out of the gutter, but not really), this one’s for you.

It is for sure a comfort read that’ll get reread over and over again for me.

I loved Mate, almost as much as Bride. They’re forever going to be fighting for the top spot in the AH universe, but I think Bride has the unbeatable advantage of being my first Ali read, so it holds on to that first place. Mate is proudly sitting in second, but not by much.

I’d love to hear what you thought of Mate and be pointed toward more witty quotes I forgot to highlight, since highlighting the entire book isn’t an option. I am unwell with how this book left me. I’m not ready to leave it yet. I gobbled it up so I could get my review up in time, but I’m devastated I don’t get to read it for the first time again.

Did you like Bride more than Mate? Do you have another favorite AH book? (Love, Theoretically is the only other opinion I’ll accept.) Let me know in the comments.

In the meantime, I might or might not be rereading Bride again, followed shortly by Mate. Until next time.