Riley POV
The McKinnley estate hummed gently with morning life — soft footsteps, clinking dishes, the distant murmur of conversation. But despite the warmth of breakfast with Dad, Alex, and Mason, a knot of uncertainty sat deep in my stomach.
A prophecy.
A destiny.
A world that suddenly felt too big and too dark.
I wandered through the quiet halls until the library appeared like a sanctuary. The moment I stepped inside, the scent of old paper and polished wood wrapped around me, soothing like a familiar embrace.
Books had always been my escape.
Now they were becoming my link to a past I never knew and a future I didn’t fully understand.
I slipped into my favorite plush chair in a secluded corner, the morning sun stretching long golden beams across the shelves. I held a leather-boun
