The parchment nearly crumbled when Kael unfolded it.
"Careful," Serena breathed, leaning in as he eased the ancient fold apart with the tips of two fingers, the paper so brittle it seemed to sigh with every millimeter of movement. Mira crowded close on her other side, lantern angled to catch the faded ink without casting a shadow over it.
Only a few lines remained legible, the rest lost to centuries of damp and neglect. Kael read them once in silence, his jaw tightening with every word, before reading them aloud.
"'If a child bearing the Moonmark returns to Mooncrest, no Alpha, Council, or Headmaster holds authority to deny them entry.'" His voice had gone low, strange. "'The Mark supersedes the Pact. The Mark supersedes the Law. The Mark supersedes us.'"
Silence swallowed the chamber.
