Hunter’s P.O.V. After two hours of driving, we pull over to a dinner to stretch our legs and to get some coffee. I know I want to read the rest of the information Elder Edward sent me and that means I have to let one of my Mates drive my SUV, not something I am looking forward to. Jason was the only one that wasn’t adamant about me not driving and he has been the only one asking me questions about the SUV, wondering why Uncle Drake had gotten me this one. I told him that I had asked Mom and Dad for a car ever since I got my license, but Mom had said that with the fleet of cars and SUVs Dad has it was not necessary to get my own and that I had talked about it with Nanna. “I think Nanna told Uncle Drake and because Nanna knew which SUV I wanted he got it for me.” I had said. I know I am going to let Jason drive it the rest of the way and I know I will have three annoyed Mates, but I don’t care. I know that Jason understands that he better be careful with my baby and I have a feeling if I let one of the others drive, they will test her to her limits. I grab my tablet out of my bag as we wait for the waitress to return with our order, I open the email from Elder Edward and I quickly re-read the first attachment to the mail. I had interpreted the file correctly and I wonder what the other two attachments will say. Maybe I will be able to find out why no one tells an underaged Mate anymore, maybe there is a reason it is kept hidden and maybe I will be able to settle my mind a little. I just hope I will be able to get some answers fast, this situation has gone on long enough for my Mates. I don’t want answers just for myself, I want answers for my Mates as well and for everyone in a similar situation. I know not everyone will feel the same way about it and that is fine with me, I just need to get to the bottom of this. After we have finished our coffee we walk back over to the SUVs and I am still holding my tablet in my hand, earning me a few strange looks from my Mates. Jayce is smiling at me and I think I know why, he is hoping I will let him drive my SUV.“Jason, I want to read the rest of the email Elder Edward send me. Will you drive, please?” I ask him and he just nods his head as he holds out his hand for the keys. I crawl into the last row of seats in my SUV and make sure that none of my Mates can sit next to me. I don’t want any of them to be able to read the files with me, I want to know what the files contain before I tell them anything on this subject. My Mates seem to take the hint as none of them try to get into the back with me and I am glad that they understand me. As soon as Jason starts driving my attention gets pulled back to the email and I open the second attachment. As I read through it I realize that this document backs up the first file about that trial. It is a document from three hundred and fifty years ago, signed by the Council Elders and the King and it is a Law that states that a male or female is of age when they turn eighteen. However, they can consent to marking and mating at the age of seventeen, if their Mate is older than eighteen. There is a condition to this, it has to be reported to the Council and the couple has to be at the Palace at the first Harvest Moon after the underaged Mate turns eighteen. An Elder that can sense a Mate-bond has to be present as well and if there is no Mate-bond the bond will be broken and the male or female that lied gets put to death. I read through it multiple times to make sure I read it correctly and I start asking myself the question why this is no longer known, why are we taught that you can only consent to mating and marking after you turn eighteen. My mind starts running again and Justice points out that it might be smart to use Papa’s technic by asking questions out loud. I tell Jason that if it gets too difficult to concentrate on driving and listening to me he needs to pull over. “I have read two of the attachments from Elder Edward and I have trouble wrapping my head around it. I know that is was easier for me to handle what you told me by asking questions out loud and I need to that again in this case.” I say as I look at my Mates. “Princess, why don't you tell us what you have read so far and if it becomes a distraction I will pull over.” Jason says and I read the contents of both documents to them. All four of them start talking at the same time and I burst out in laughter. Jax turns around to face me and from the look on his face I can tell that he has figured out the same thing I have and I just shake my head. Jason meets my eyes in the rearview mirror and I know that he has realized it as well. That leaves only Jayce and Justin that are still not up to speed. They both turn towards me at the same time while muttering “Fuck” and I smile at them as all four of them stare at me. “I didn’t want to tell anyone before I had read all three documents, but this second one has questions running through my mind. Justice told me it was best to ask questions out loud, but I needed you to understand why I am asking them. I need to know why we are no longer taught that at the age of seventeen we are old enough by Law to consent to marking and mating. I also need to know when or why we stopped telling underaged Mates. It might have saved all of us a lot of pain and we could have had our bond in place already. I can understand if the Law needs to be changed because of something that happened involving an underaged Mate, but I don’t believe every Lycan or Werewolf should be punished because of an others wrongdoing.” I say. We talk about what these two documents actually mean to our situation and what it means to the general public, it is nice to talk about this with my Mates as my mind slowly settles down. I still have a third document to read through and I think we might have more answers or questions after I am done with it. “Jayce, if I give you my log-in code for the digital library can you try and find as much on this subject as possible?” I ask him and he pulls out his tablet. I log in to the library for him, so he can start looking in there. Justin and Jax start looking for Packs and their lineage, hoping to find some answers that way and Jason just keeps talking about what he is thinking on the matter. The four of them working as if this is normal for them and after a few moments I realize that this probably is the way they work. I smile as I open the third document and I start reading it, hoping to find some answers. This document explains why the King and the Elders made the Law on our consent age of seventeen. Prince Drew was twenty one years old when he found his fated Mate, but she had been sixteen at the time and he had a lot of trouble controlling his Lycan. He had informed his Father and the Elders about his Mate minutes after he found her and they realized quickly that having to wait until she was eighteen was going to be a huge problem. His Mate had been moved to the Palace the day after the Harvest Moon and the King had informed her of the reason with permission from the Elders. She had been shocked and reluctant at first until one day a Guard had told her she was needed in the King’s office. Prince Drew and the King had been in a meeting and someone had made the wrong remark towards the Prince, making his Lycan become infuriated with that person. The moment she walked in she understood why she was asked to come to the office. She didn’t hesitate to walk over to the Prince and without any sign of fear she had stood in front of him, placing her hand on his cheek. She had seen her Mother do it to her Father on multiple occasions and she knew that if she was able to do this than it meant that he was her Mate. Prince Drew’s Lycan had calmed down instantly and had buried his face in her neck to inhale her scent, to calm himself down even further. The King and the Elders that had been present talked with the other Elders about the event and soon they had come to the conclusion that they needed to hear from the Prince and his Mate what their thoughts were on this. The Prince and his Mate told them that they wanted to be together and start building a bond, but they both also understood that it would be difficult to keep from mating and marking as their bond would grow deeper. After deliberating for days they finally agreed on seventeen as being an appropriate age for consent, but the Elders wanted to make sure that no one could take advantage of this Law. For that reason they put in the conditions and the death penalty.