The alpha lost daughter

The first rays of morning sunlight slipped through the towering redwoods surrounding Black Pine, painting long strips of gold across the narrow road leading into town. Mist lingered between the trees, drifting low over the forest floor like a living thing reluctant to leave. Rowan Carter rolled down the window of her aging pickup truck and let the cool mountain air fill the cab. The scent of damp earth and pine needles settled her nerves the way it always did. No matter how busy life became, the forest had a way of reminding her to breathe. Black Pine was the kind of place where everyone knew everyone. The grocery clerk remembered birthdays. The mail carrier waved at every passing car. Tourists came for hiking trails and weekend cabins, then left believing they had discovered one of California's best-kept secrets. For Rowan, it had simply always been home. She parked beside the Black Pine Wildlife Rescue Center, grabbed her backpack, and hurried inside. The familiar chorus of barking foxes, chirping birds, and restless raccoons greeted her before she even reached the treatment room. "You're late," came a cheerful voice. "I'm three minutes early," Rowan answered without looking up. Megan Brooks laughed as she organized bottles of medicine on a nearby shelf. "Only because you always show up thirty minutes early." Rowan smiled despite herself. "Fair point." She slipped on a pair of gloves and checked the chart clipped to the nearest kennel. A young red-tailed hawk blinked back at her, one wing wrapped neatly in fresh bandages. "How's our patient?" Rowan asked softly. The hawk didn't flinch as she opened the enclosure. Most injured birds panicked when strangers reached for them. This one remained perfectly still. Megan leaned against the counter, watching with folded arms. "I'll never understand how you do that."