---Lane's POV---

While the Council waited for Lady Morona to arrive, I explained them in full detail of anything and everything I knew of the Pride.

We all knew that Connor's helpfulness was very limited due to the hold the Pride had on him. And while one could say that technically, the Pride had no way of finding out if Connor broke his vows, I knew better.

The Elders liked to preach purity and segregation, but they weren't above hiring people beyond the borders of the Pride lands to do their dirty work.

It made it even easier, as ties with the Prides were less likely to be proven. Why would the proud Felines of the Pride Lands work with someone they deemed beneath them?

While they hoped that the Council would fall for that ruse, they were also heavily underestimating a supernatural's basic intelligence.

And the Council's power.

Because what sane supernatural was willing to gain the ire of the Council, powerful beings that were elected by themselves. Creatures that were faced with spine chilling decisions on a daily basis.

When, not if, the Council restrained these Pride spies, they would blubber away in a pitiful attempt to save their hides and betray the Felines quicker than they could blink.

Still, I was worried the Pride lands Elders were conspiring something wicked. Something that would be followed with unforeseen damages to not only the felines, but multiple communities that were innocent.

Yet as I explained every little aspect I could remember to the Council, they didn't seem worried in the least. In fact, several seemed to relax the more I explained, which led me to the assumption that they had expected as much.

"Indeed Kitten. The Council has many tricks up their sleeves and won't reveal them to any outsiders." Jethro's voice rushed over me like a soothing balm, pushing back against the growing anxiety.

Plus, his revelation made me glance at Connor and then at the Council members, how at least one of them was always observing the young lion.

Analyzing his every twitch and micro expression.

"Thank you Lord Lane. Connor, if you'd please follow Uriel to a room prepared for you. We will call you later this evening to discuss our findings."

Surprisingly, Conner didn't even protest, instead bowed lowly and returned the gesture towards Jethro and myself before following the guard who was patiently waiting for him.

As soon as Connor left the room, Vladimir huffed and placed his boots back upon the table in front of him. Much to the chagrin of Lady Alurea, who was glaring at his boots before she let out a deep sigh.

"Vladimir, please can you care about some decorum?" She hissed with exasperation. The vampire smirked, slowly lifting his boot off the table only to cross his feet over one another with an exaggerated huff.

"You know as well as I do that Vladimir lives to antagonize you, Lady Alurea." A breathy voice murmured, drawing my attention to a lithe figure that approached the table.

Their emergence puzzled me, as I tried and failed to properly identify this person as they approached.

A delicate yet definitely musculature shape hidden underneath loose clothing swayed with each delicate step. Even the folds of the fabric seemed intentionally placed as to hide any sense of gender from this person.

Black hair delicately framed their face, the long strands merging into an undercut speckled with hints of silver.

"How can I forget, when he keeps reminding me on a daily basis?" Lady Alurea asked rhetorically before smiling. "It feels like ages since I've last seen you. How was the trip?"

The figure stopped not but a few steps away from myself and Jethro, who kept his eyes on them but not in a hostile manner. "The journey was boring and cut short. I had a feeling I was needed back home."

As they turned, my eyes flitted over soft cheekbones and piercing silver eyes that were so pale, they nearly blended with the sclera of their eyes.

"My lord Jethro and my lord Lane, it is so wonderful to see you both and to finally meet Lord Lane in the flesh. Congratulations on your mating." They murmured with a hand on their chest and a low inclination of their head.

Meet? In the flesh? Does that mean that they have seen me before?

They took another step forwards, a soft pale hand held out before I hesitantly shook it. "Hisoka Endo, at your service. " They smiled gently, tilting their head slightly as their gaze flitted to Lord Jethro.

"We have about ten minutes before Lady Morona arrives so perhaps this is a good time to be properly introduced." Hisoka smiled, making Jethro sighed as my master shook his head with amusement.

Mirth sparked in the Council member's gaze before they turned back towards me. "Forgive me, I should explain better. I am Hisoka Endo, Council Member, advisor and eldest known Kitsune up to date." Their features softened as Jethro pulled me closer against him.

"You saw."

Hisoka inclined their head, "Indeed. I foresaw Lord Lane would be exiled out of his pride and find his way on your doorstep. I managed to send out some people to create a diversion at the Pride lands to make sure that Lord Lane could escape in ...slightly better condition."

I swallowed, the scars on my stomach, throat and face tingling in memory of what happened. Because I remembered thinking that the patrol was oddly quiet, that there was less activity in the night.

Usually the night was a time where you would trip over a multitude of lions and leopards, a few jaguars and the occasional tiger.

Yet I had thanked my lucky stars that night, because I had only encountered one single, barely adolescent male lion.

"There are restrictions on my Sight and influencing the outcomes of future events is a dangerous game with high stakes to begin with." Hisoka's smile cooled slightly as they added a whispered "I've learned that in my first life."

There was a barely veiled agony within their eyes. Lips pursing before they blinked rapidly and sighed. "It's not as if I'm clairvoyant." They added with a little shrug, making Vladimir snort from across the table.

"No, but you are fucking omniscient." The vampire scoffed, pointing a finger at the Kitsune. "You're one of the few people I've encountered in existence who can teach me something about my own fucking species."

Hisoka smiled, eyes warming with pride as they brushed the longer strands of hair out of their face. "As the Council's main advisor, it is my job to be informed about anything and everything going around the world. Including someone's deepest, darkest secrets."

As the kitsune tapped on their nose with a slight grin pulling at their lips, the door opened once more under the uttered words, "And if I can't find information on my own, I'm sure that Lady Morona will be more than willing to help."

The tapping of heels clicking on the marble floors drew my attention once more, stiffening and pushing closer to Jethro at the sight of this newcomer.

While she was still veiled in the shadows, she bore a veiled illusion of being human. That is, if it weren't for a second set of arms that swayed along as she walked.

She would probably hide them underneath her robes or with the aid of some magic if she ever was in the presence of humans. But still, there was no hiding the lethal aura that she carried along.

Long, elegant legs that took measured, calculative steps. A stride that showed confidence and a sense of purpose while the silken dress was wrapped tightly around her figure.

And as she stepped into the soft hue of the light, a little startled gasp of air slipped from my lips as four eyes refracted the light and cast it back in a mesmerizing pattern.

At the sound of my breath, she turned her head in our direction before she paused. Placing one of her hands on her chest, showcasing the lethally sharp, extended nails at their ends, she made a graceful bow.

"Always a pleasure to see you, Lord Jethro." She purred in a voice that seemed to soothe and ease any worries. "I can only assume that my summoning has something to do with your presence?"

Jethro snorted at that while Vladimir cackled, rubbing his hands together. "You can say that again, Morona."

At the name, Lady Morona made an odd hissing sound, resembling much the sound that an irritated tarantula would make.

"You know I despise that name that you came up with." She sneered, eyes squinting with barely veiled animosity towards Vladimir.

The vampire didn't seem worried at all, merely shrugging as he leaned back in his seat. "I couldn't even attempt to say your name the way you did. Your language is just too complicated for any outsiders to understand."

At that, Lady Morona raised her brows, lips twitching in a slight smirk. "Apologies, but your incompetence at pronunciations sounds more a personal problem to me." She huffed, turning her attention away from Vladimir as she added "After all, I called you a moron in your own tongue, and you mistook it for my name."

"And I would once again offer my sincere apologies, we do not mean any offence." Lady Alurea interjected with a stern look to Vladimir, who sighed but nodded his head. Lady Alurea took that moment to turn towards me and introduced the new arrival.

"Lord Lane, this is Lady Moranaeyea Fonissa nychtas, which is as much as I can translate her name to English." Lady Alurea gave the other woman an apologetic smile as she continued, "She s the Arachos Council member and representative, Queen of the Tangled Web, BroodMother, Empress of the Underdark and the Whispered Death."

Lady Morona gleamed with pride, tilting her head back slightly while Vladimir raised his hands in defeat.

"My Lady, as much as it pains me to say out loud, but I've little to no experience with your mother tongue, let alone the capability of pronouncing your title and name correctly. If you have an alternative, then please." Vladimir professed smoothly, dipping his head slightly towards Lady Morona.

The woman sighed, tapping her fingers against her slender arms before she made that odd, stridulating sound again.

"I suppose I'll have to take comfort with the idea that Lord Jethro and Hisoka are one of the few who can properly pronounce my name." She murmured with a sigh, shaking her head.

Hisoka smiled at that, proceeding to speak in a guttural language I couldn't identify, intertwined with hisses and clicks to form a rather unnerving sound.

At that, Lady Morona smiled and replied in kind before bowing lowly.

"If only all of the Council members were as studious as you two." She lamented with an obvious look at Vladimir, who balked.

The vampire motioned his hands towards my master and Hisoka while complaining "Both of them are old enough to be my tenth great grandparent! They had all the time in the world to learn whatever language they pleased!"

Alric instantly slapped Vladimir in the back of his head while Hisoka simply sighed, shaking their head. "And yet in your own centuries worth of time, you've only picked up on a few languages besides your mother tongue."

"Not everyone is as studious as you, Hisoka." Vladimir grumbled while rubbing over the back of his head as Alaric apologized profusely to Jethro.

Hisoka snorted, rubbing a hand over their face before pointing a finger at Vladimir. "Wasn't it you that said, and I quote Why waste time studying if I can get spend time enjoying myself and please some lovers?"

Vladimir chose to not reply to that and instead crossed his arms and placed his boots on the table.

"I would like to veer the conversation back to the original topic." Hisoka spoke, turning towards Lady Morona and directed her to the Council table.

She inclined her head gratefully as Hisoka pulled back her seat, sitting down before interweaving her fingers. "I can only assume that you want me to send out my children?"

The mood grew tenser as several of the Council members nodded, Lady Alurea taking the lead in the conversation. She quickly brought Lady Morona up to speed about the current situation and I watched as her eyes sparked with dark delight.

"I sssee." She purred with a lisp, revealing a dangerous set of fangs as she smirked. "The Pride lands finally bit off more than they can chew and are scrambling to cover up their mess."

Her eyes flitted towards Hisoka and myself as she sat up straight. "If the pair of you can inform me of the Pridelands' climate and general flora, I can send the correct spies."

Surprise flitted through my system, because I knew the Pride lands were extremely territorial. They wouldn't let any outsider on their turf, unless it was a council member.

As Hisoka started explaining the climate, the large open plains and forest speckled along the sandy slopes, Jethro pulled me closer with an understanding grin.

"As Queen of the Arachos, she is capable of controlling all arachnids." Jethro murmured lowly, pointing my attention towards the large and extremely lethal male funnel web spider that was perched on her shoulder, seemingly listening intently.

"The Pride will indeed be on the lookout for anyone passing through, spying under the guise of being a mere traveler. But they can't prevent any of the arachnids in the world to sneak around and report anything they see and hear to their Queen."

At that, I couldn't help but smirk. The Prides weren't big on cleanliness to begin with, living a more naturalistic lifestyle. As such, spiders would be found anywhere and everywhere and disregarded by the majority of the Pride.

Whilst Jethro was explaining the plan to me, I could already see a multitude of spiders crawling away at the slightest gesture or hiss from their Queen.

It only succeeded to reveal just how powerful the Council was. Spiders roamed nearly everywhere, excluding the vast oceans, the cold Antarctic regions and the highest altitudes in the world.

The Council quite literally had eyes and ears everywhere. No wonder that they were highly capable of ruling over the supernatural world and seemingly appearing on the spot when the rules were broken.

It only made me wonder what other secret the Council held. They were veiled in a shroud of mystery and fables, urban legends that were told to keep young shifters in check.

But I slowly came to realize that perhaps, their talents and capabilities weren't exaggerated at all. Perhaps even underestimated.