Once There Were Wolves

When Inti returns to her cottage, she sees that Aggie let the fire go out. Inti remembers that the woodpile is outside, and Aggie’s PTSD has not allowed her to leave the house. Inti feels guilty for having spent the night with Duncan and promises herself that she will not go back.

That day, Inti flies over the forest to track the wolves via their GPS collars. She spots male Number Nine and is worried about how close he is to the farms at the edge of the forest.

A week later, Inti is unable to locate Nine’s frequency. Duncan calls Inti, and learns what she suspected is true: Nine has been shot. They go to Red’s farm, where he claims he thought it was a wild dog. Inti takes the body to Amelia’s veterinary clinic to perform an autopsy. That night, Number Six begins howling for her lost mate.

Inti attempts to find Number Six and make sure she is healthy because she is expecting a litter. Though Inti wants to prosecute Red for killing Nine, they cannot prove his statement is false. Duncan believes that charging him so soon after the wolves were released will make the people anxious.

He drives with Inti into the forest to find Six. Inti repels down into a gully where Evan spotted the wolf and shoots it with a tranquilizing dart to safely carry it to their lab. When they move Six, they discover that she has given birth to six pups.

A flashback covers the last year that the girls spent with their father. He was suffering from dementia, and they took him on a cross-country trip from British Columbia to the United States. They hoped that being among the majestic forests would help him regain his memory. He briefly did, but his condition then continued to worsen.

Stuart shows up at Inti’s cottage to demand the remainder of money she owes for the horse. He says he will come every night until she pays it. Inti goes to Duncan’s house, and they lie in bed, talking about their past lovers.

Duncan says that he does not want children, and Inti thinks about how her desire to have children having vanished after her sister’s rape.

The narrative covers the story of their father, whose mental health has almost completely deteriorated. He begins lashing out violently at Aggie—never Inti—and eventually he takes his favorite horse and disappears into the forest. The girls never see him again.

Inti runs into Lainey at the pharmacy, and they have a somewhat friendly chat. Stuart arrives and acts cordial but places the aspirin Lainey was holding back on the shelf. Her bruises are still visible, though she has tried to cover them with makeup. Outside, Inti calls to Stuart and asks if he likes scaring women. He has been sitting in his car outside her cottage every night. She tells him that she laughs at him for being pathetic. She is trying to provoke him into attacking her to prove his character.

Duncan arrives and interrupts the conflict. He tells Inti to go into the bar next door and wait for him. When Duncan arrives, he has injuries on his face. Inti knows he has fought with Stuart. Duncan and Inti argue about the danger of men who beat women. Duncan admits that everyone is frightened of Stuart, and Inti implies that if no one else will do anything about him, she will. That night they go to Duncan’s house. When Inti wakes up in the middle of the night, Duncan is gone.

It is 3 AM, and Inti goes out to look for Duncan. In the forest, she finds Stuart’s body. His guts have been ripped out. To avoid suspicion falling on her wolves, she decides to bury his body.