Chapter Fifteen
“That’s odd,” Keeganmurmured to her new employee, Juniper Parsons.“Mrs.Smyth isn’t here.”
Keegan had barely put the HELP WANTED sign in the window when Juniper stepped inside.Sheridan was small enough that she knew everyone in the pack, and Juniper had always lived on the fringe with her younger sister and father.Alpha Jericho tried many times to bring them in closer, but the dad preferred isolation.Rarely did they attend the full-moon runs, and in fact Juniper never ran.Truthfully, Keegan had forgotten about her until the day the younger woman stepped into the coffee shop and applied for the position vacated by Mairi.Her too-skinny frame and sallow complexion tugged on Keegan’s heart and she hired the younger woman on the spot.So far, Juniper was an awesome employee absorbing everything like a sponge.
“She’s here every morning?”
“Like clockwork.”
Keegan stepped out to look up and down the street, and saw a figure crumpled against the ice cream parlor only two shops down.She ran over and saw a young woman, passed out with a bit of dried blood at her hairline.
Juniper gasped.“Is she alive?”
“Yes, go get Savannah.”
Juniper turned and ran toward the apothecary while Keegan turned back to the unconscious woman, trying to locate the source of the blood.When she moved the hair back, pointed ears with a small tuft of hair at the tip came into view.Shock poured through her.The ears were the same as Brinnah’s when she first arrived.Did that mean this woman was from Brinnah’s old pack?
It didn’t take long for Juniper to return with Savannah.The enchantress immediately kneeled down to examine the woman, pausing as she discovered the ears.She looked at Keegan.
“I think you need to call Alpha Jericho.And Everett.”
Keegan nodded and pulled out her cell phone to place the calls as Savannah continued her examination.It didn’t take long for the alpha to connect the line.
“Hello, Keegan,” he greeted.
“Alpha, I’m sorry to bother you, but there’s an unconscious woman by Bitsy’s shop and she has ears like Brinnah.”
He sucked in a breath.“Attacked?”
“I don’t know.There’s blood.Savannah is here, examining her.”
“Blood?Don’t touch her, Keegan.I’ll call Everett and meet you in a few minutes.”
“Yes, Alpha.”She hung up and hurried back to Savannah.“He’s on his way.Is she going to be okay?”
“I think so.She’s dehydrated and severely malnourished, but the head wound is minor.I think she collapsed from exhaustion.”
“You think she came all this way from Canada?”
“That is a fair assessment.Brinnah can confirm.”
“The alpha said I can’t touch her and that he’ll call Everett.”
A few minutes later, Jericho showed up and joined Savannah.“Everett said he and Brinnah will be here momentarily.Does she have any identification?”
“Not that I’ve discovered.We can search the forest, but I don’t think she has anything.”Savannah lifted the hair to show him the ears.“Refugee maybe.Her eyes look bruised, but I don’t think from a beating.This poor thing must’ve run far with very little sustenance.”
“She escaped?”
“Possibly.
