The song was written by Gomez, Ali Tamposi, Louis Bell, Brian Lee, Carl Rosen, Marshmello and Andrew Watt, with production handled by the latter two.
In an interview with Zane Lowe for Beats 1, Gomez stated that the lyrics deeply reflects what she was feeling the period she recorded the track.
Caitlin Kelley from Billboard noted how Marshmello's influence in the song can be heard through "subtle trap elements, like the triple high hats buzzing beneath the smoky atmosphere."
The song was released on October 25, 2017.
"Wolves" entered at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. Three weeks later, it ascended to number nine and became Gomez's fourth top 10 entry in the nation.