Once There Were Wolves is a mystery suspense novel by Australian writer Charlotte McConaghy which was published by Macmillan in 2021 and became a New York Times Bestseller. McConaghy is also the author of Migrations. In both novels, McConaghy writes about fierce women who are searching for their purpose while dealing with serious internal conflicts. The crimes that occur in each novel force the women to face their demons and make choices that will lead to their—and others’—salvation or downfall. This guide uses the 2021 Kindle version of Once There Were Wolves for quotations and page references.

Plot Summary

The novel is told in first-person narration from the perspective of Inti Flynn, a biologist in an international organization that rewilds wolves in the Scottish Highlands. The locals in Scotland are against the wolf project; they fear that the wolves will eat their livestock and attack people.

Inti has brought her twin sister Aggie with her to Scotland because Aggie has severe PTSD as the result of a violent rape and requires constant care. Inti has a neurological condition called mirror-touch synesthesia. She feels the sensory experiences of the people, and sometimes the animals, around her.

At a town meeting, they tell Inti and her team that their ancestors rid the countryside of wolves for a reason. A local man named Red McRae approaches Inti after the meeting and threatens her.

Inti buys a lame horse from its owner, Stuart Burns. Inti notices that Stuart’s wife Lainey is afraid of him. The next day, Inti learns that Lainey is in the hospital. She claims that she fell from a horse.

Inti confronts Stuart publicly and accuses him of beating his wife. Stuart moves toward her, but Duncan arrives and convinces Inti to wait for him in the pub. When he joins her, he has visible injuries. He acknowledges that Stuart is an abuser but there is nothing they can do to stop him. Inti and Duncan develop a relationship, but she does not know if she can trust him.

One night, Inti leaves Duncan’s house early in the morning and finds Stuart’s body in the snow. He has been disemboweled, and Inti fears a wolf is to blame. She knows that even if Stuart has been murdered, the locals will blame the wolves and kill them. An expert tracker, Inti buries Stuart’s body in the forest, knowing it will not be found.

Not long after, Inti finds out that she is pregnant. She does not tell Duncan because he said that he does not want children. Meanwhile, Stuart has been reported missing, and as the police chief, Duncan interviews Inti about her last encounter with Stuart.

At home, Aggie signs to Inti that she knows Inti is pregnant. She agrees that Inti should not tell Duncan. Later, Inti finds Duncan and his dog Fingal bleeding in the snow. Their throats have been slashed, and they are barely alive. Inti drags Duncan to her car, gets him into the back seat, and drives to the hospital. Inti suspects a wolf named Ten is responsible for the attack. After she hunts and kills Ten, she begins to have contractions and gives birth to her daughter in the woods. They nearly freeze to death, but Aggie finds her in the morning. Aggie takes the baby first and says she will return for Inti, who is bleeding out. Before Aggie can return, Red McRae finds Inti and carries her to safety.

In the hospital, Aggie confesses to killing Stuart and attacking Duncan. After recovering, Duncan makes a false statement that he was attacked by a wolf. Duncan and Inti live together and raise their daughter. Unable to participate in Inti’s new life, Aggie disappears into the forest, and Inti knows she will never see her again.