Some predators play a long game. Wolves, foxes, coyotes, they pair up, raise pups together, and invest in the family they’ve made.

Others? Not so much.

In some species, like lions, leopards, and certain primates new dominant males will kill the offspring that aren’t theirs. Brutal?

Yes. But in their world, it’s strategy. Removing dependent young brings the female back into heat sooner, letting him pass on his own genes instead of raising another male’s.

It’s not “evil.” It’s not “wrong.” It’s biology, wired by millions of years of survival math.

But the thing about predators that hunt as true partners is they’re playing a different game entirely: survival of the pack, not just the individual. That’s why I’ll always have more respect for a pair-bonded wolf than a lone lion with blood on his muzzle.

And before anyone asks—no, humans aren’t exempt from this conversation.

More on real-world wolf conservation with a bit of the supernatural: The Wolfer's Daughter: A Story of Resurrection and Reckoning in the Adirondacks

Set in the remote Adirondacks, where wolves have returned after a century-long absence, The Wolfer's Daughter is a chilling, darkly humorous story rooted in real-world conservation, identity, and the blurry lines between what we love and what we fear in ourselves.