Erik POV I was a little nervous about this first Elder Council Meeting. They happened approximately every four months, give or take. Roughly three times a year. April, August, and December, typically. Thankfully, they were usually scheduled between holidays so that Jothan and I weren't going to miss out on anything. I wanted to be with my mates for Christmas, not sitting around with a bunch of bureaucrats. I was happy Jothan was coming with me, since he had prior experience with these meetings. I knew quite a few people here, so I doubted that we were going to be thrown into the gauntlet. Rintaro had insisted on accompanying us as part of our security detail, of course, and neither of us took issue with it. Rin was a good guy, and we were determined to help him save his mate. Most mind

