Chapter 282. Clear of all Charges

Aurora’s POV

The morning air was thick with tension, and despite the sun rising slowly in the sky, casting golden streaks across the packhouse walls, I couldn’t breathe easy. Caleb stood beside me, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, but I could feel the way his knee bounced every few seconds—he was just as nervous as I was. Avery was pacing back and forth, chewing on her thumb in silence, while Maggie stood across from me, stiff as a statue, her jaw clenched and her eyes darting to me every so often like I was a ticking bomb about to go off.

We had been waiting outside that damn room for what felt like an eternity. The night had dragged on endlessly. None of us slept. I sat there on that cold bench, counting the seconds, praying that Alice would come out with good news. Ashton was inside, hooked up to all kinds of machines, undergoing every kind of test Alice could think of. She hadn’t said much—just that she needed to be sure. That we all needed to be sure.<