The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman

Here is a summary with spoilers for The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman

Aurora, princess of the Southlands, is betrothed to Lord Sebastian of the Borderlands and lives under strict expectations of obedience imposed by her father. During a public wolf fight at Sebastian’s castle, she interrupts the execution of a young wolf named Ryan and demands the violence stop. Sebastian spares Ryan as a gesture tied to their upcoming wedding, which is to take place the next day, but later privately threatens Aurora. The alpha wolf forced to fight, Callum of the Highfell Clan, watches Aurora closely during the confrontation. That night, Aurora sneaks into the underground cells with medical supplies. She helps Ryan while Callum resets the boy’s shoulder. Callum tells Aurora he plans to escape and promises Sebastian will never touch her. Aurora chooses not to reveal his plans, not sure if he really will be able to escape, and if he does, good for him.

That night, Aurora is awoken when the wolves attack the castle. Callum removes her from the castle by force and escapes with her into the Northlands after she helps him survive an attack from a guard armed with silver bullets. During their journey, Callum explains the wolves’ version of their origin myth and the existence of the Heart of the Moon, a relic tied to the Moon Goddess that would allow wolves to shift forms at will, rather than just the full moon. The wolves believe Sebastian possesses the artifact, and Aurora is intended to be used as leverage in negotiations. Callum believes that if he gives Aurora to the Wolve King, the Wolf King will give Sebastian Aurora and they in turn can get the Heart of the Moon. Their first night with wolves, Aurora realizes what threat she is in surrounded by wolves. Some try to make a pass at her while Callum is gone, so that night she refues to sleep. So Callum waites till the camps is asleep then the two continue to ride a bit further into the woods so she can fully fall asleep. Though it is still quite the concept for Aurora to handle, sleeping next to a man that is not her betrothed. Though she soon falls asleep. They arrive at Castle Madadh-allaidh, where Callum hides Aurora’s identity from the acting ruler Robert. Aurora meets Blake, the castle healer, who immediately recognizes her as the missing princess. Blake agrees to keep her secret and places her in his former tower chambers, where she discovers records of experiments conducted on wolves.

Callum gives Aurora a red tartan collar that marks her under wolf law as protected by him. Aurora initially refuses to wear it and instead works in the kitchens under Mrs. McDonald, where she befriends a maid named Kayleigh. After learning Callum refuses to leave the castle because he is guarding her, she accepts the collar. Though she still feels like she traded one prison for another. Ryan later arrives poisoned with wolfsbane, and Aurora assists Blake in treating him. Sebastian sends a threatening letter through Ryan, warning Aurora he intends to reclaim her. Once Callum retruns from healing Ryan, he and Aurora have a little heated moment, but he cuts himself off and then seperates himself from her. He then sends his sister Fiona to be with her as a friend. After a week of not seeing him, Fiona tells Aurora that it is the night of a full moon, and that she is to stay in her room, per Callum’s instructions. 

Aurora hears someone scream, and she believes it to be in bean, Aurora encounters Blake during a painful transformation into his wolf form. Blake chases her through the castle and forest while attempting to herd her away from other wolves and hide her scent; though in the moment, Aurora doesn’t know that. Callum intervenes in wolf form and protects her. They spend the night together sleeping on the woods, Callum in his wolf form. Though in the morning Callum wakes in his human form fully naked. He takes Aurora back to the castle in the morning, acting slightly weird, only because he hates that she smells like Blake. He wants to wash her so she doesn’t smell that way anymore. Feeling bold, she says yes. The two have a heataed moment, but once again, it only goes so far before Blake stops himself, realizing what he is doing. He later leaves to search for the Wolf King without speaking to Aurora directly.

While Callum is gone, a girl named Isla steals Aurora’s protective collar, leaving her vulnerable to Magnus and his men. Blake intervenes by placing his own black collar on Aurora, forcing Magnus to back down. But this means that Blake “owns” her. Aurora attempts to poison Isla with wolfsbane, but Blake stops her and instead helps humiliate Isla publicly with a less dangerous prank. Callum later returns severely wounded by a wolfsbane-coated silver bullet. Blake treats him with antidotes, but Callum remains unresponsive until Blake provokes him by threatening Aurora and kissing her in front of him. Callum recovers and reconciles with Aurora after she admits she originally intended to spy on the wolves for her father. He also makes Aurora take off Blakes collar, this then turns into a moment where Blake takes Aurora to the bedroom where he pleasures her, but he refues to let her return the favor. The Wolf King James arrives at the castle, accompanied by political tension surrounding his legitimacy. The next morning, Aurora is to be put in front of the King. She is nerveous, as is Callum. Callum knows that soon as the King sees her, he will know that he has marked her as his own. When they meet,  Aurora openly refuses to kneel before him. After that, Callum and James go off on a meeting, which is when Blake explains that James and Callum are brothers and that Callum forfeited his own claim to the throne after their father’s death.

James secretly arranges to trade Aurora back to Sebastian in exchange for the Heart of the Moon. Fiona warns Callum, and he escapes the castle with Aurora through hidden passages. Blake allows them to flee despite Callum preparing to fight him, though Blake warns them that he and the other wolves will be coming for them soon. At a remote loch, Callum and Aurora finally consummate their relationship after weeks of restraint. Aurora experiences genuine happiness and emotional freedom during their time together. The following morning, Blake captures Aurora using a drugged cloth while Callum is away hunting. Aurora wakes imprisoned in a dungeon, where Blake reveals he intends to control the wolves through political manipulation rather than loyalty, and that he has been secretly working with James. James offers Aurora a choice between marrying him or being returned to Sebastian. She refuses the marriage proposal and is physically abused and imprisoned before being taken to the battlefield for the exchange. Though James gives her a knife, and hides it on her thigh before the exchange. 

At the battlefield, Sebastian’s forces exchange the Heart of the Moon for Aurora. Once activated, the artifact causes wolves to transform despite the absence of a full moon. During the chaos of battle, Sebastian drags Aurora into a carriage and reveals that her father murdered her mother with wolfsbane poison. He also wants to know if her virginity is still in tact, because there is no way it is after weeks of being with wolves. Sebastians plan is to make sure she gets pregnant fast so that way he can get an heir before hse becomes damaged goods. Aurora kills Sebastian by slitting his throat with the hidden knife James gave her. The carriage crashes after James attacks it in wolf form. Aurora survives but is then mauled by James. Callum fights James while Blake intervenes long enough for Callum to carry Aurora away. At Blake’s castle, Callum is worried as James really did bite Auora hard. Blake tells him that she just needs to give into her wolf, as she is indeed half wolf, and he can help her. Blake saves Aurora’s life by binding his life force to hers through ancient magic. The connection creates a permanent emotional and physical bond between them, making harm to Blake harmful to Aurora as well; which is revealed when Aurora wakes up and Callum sees it first hand. Blake reveals to Aurora privetly that he deliberately manipulated events to place Callum on the path to kingship while ensuring his own protection through the bond; because now Callum can’t hurt him without hurting the women he loves.