For Adette.

Sneaking out of his home was simple. All one really had to do was mosey toward the border and wait until no others were around to see you slip away. Yes, he'd become a pro at that. He knew, however, that once he was the crowned prince, more and more eyes would be on him, watching his every move. There were pros and cons to every rank. On the other hand, it was not so simple to sneak back into his home. You see, not only was he returning in the dead of night, but he was also returning very much covered in the girl's scent. Her perfume lingered most heavily on his chest, but was dappled in other areas like his shoulder and tail where their flirtatious bodies had connected momentarily.

His side had long since begun to ache, and his pace had dramatically slowed because of this. The boy winced with nearly every step, and occasionally cried out involuntarily when a particular movement was too much to bear. Just as he crossed the border into Seracia, one of those cries rang out before he could stop it. "Dammit!" he cursed as a shooting pain surged in his injured side, which was certainly turning a myriad of colors due to the heavy bruising. He hoped no one had heard his minor outburst, but the high-pitch of his cry made that hope rather futile. Surely they were all asleep, but he knew that a few of Seracias members liked to stalk in the night.

Above all else, he hoped his mother wouldn't wake.

"Maverick..." Her harmonious voice trailed off toward the end as she approached her full grown son. What was he doing out here at this time of night? He looked suspicious and guilty. Was he hiding something? She came closer to him, pools of icy blue washed over with a worried look. What was he up too? "Mav, what are you doing?" Her head tilted to the right as she paused for a quick second. "Where are you going at this time of night? She drew closer, stopping when she was a few feet away. Her ears folded flat against her skull. "Don't you dare lie to your mother son." She had a feeling he would try to slither his way out of this with a quick white lie. Hopefully her expressions would make him feel guilty enough not to lie. Either way she would get to the bottom of this.

His ears lay flat against his skull as his frame shifted down, underside kissing the earth as he slunk forward. Sneaking back into somewhere was not easy, and certainly not easy when he'd just cried out a curse into the night air. No doubt someone would have heard it, after all.. many wolves stalked at night. He knew his father had a habit of sleeping rather lightly. Would he wake and come investigate his son's cry? Would his mother come? Maverick silently hoped it would be anyone but his mother. He found it difficult to weasel his way out of things with her, and found it even harder to get out of something without getting yelled at. Yelling at this time of night would certainly alert all of Seracia to his sin. And then she came. His name had never sent chills down his spine before now. Her figure emerged out of the darkness, icy blue eyes clouding with worry. She questioned him, once, then twice. Ears remained pinned to his skull as he drew his gaze away from her. The stark warning came. What could he do but lie? He couldn't tell her the truth, he just couldn't risk that. "I know I'm late.. I got a little sidetracked today.. exploring and all." He hoped that would suffice, but he knew that she would question him further. No matter what she asked he'd never mention Epiphron, even though her perfume was all over his pelt. Maverick fought back a yawn, trying to appear bored with the whole scenario so he could perhaps draw her away from questioning him so much. Ears flickered forward, waiting. Speech,

It was obvious he had just betrayed her trust. Once that had been done it was very hard to gain it back, but Maverick didn't realize this. He had just broken the most important aspect of their relationship. Her lips curled tightly against her canines as she snarled silently, toungue rolling angrily inside her mouth. He had fucked up. "You're a goddamn lier Maverick. How could you lie to your mother? I raised you, took you in, saved your life. And this is how you repay me?" She stepped closer, snorting air out of her nostrils angrily. Something seemed... odd about his scent. She shoved her snout into the boys fur, inhaling the odd scent that protruded from his foxy pelt. Valhalla. She had smelt this before back in the battlefield. It was on the boy named Syrinx who had butt into her conversation with the lady names Evelette. Her eyes rose to meet his own, icy pools of blue shooting daggers into his soul. "You better tell me why the FUCK Valhalla's scent is on you boy, or I WILL go get your father." Her voice had raised by this point, making her tones echo through out the forest. She was about ready to rip him limb from limb. He had better have a good explanation.

He knew that lying to her was not the best tactic, but he'd promised Epiphron he wouldn't tell anyone of their adventure, especially not his mother. He watched her lips tighten against her fangs and immediately his ears flicked back over his skull. He crouched down slightly, making himself lower than her, and tucked his tail instinctively. It wasn't like him to be submissive, but he had to quell her anger or she'd wake the whole pack. The anger came. She called him a liar. The word bit into his flesh harder than the rocks he'd fallen onto had. Maverick stifled a growl, unwilling to turn this into a squabble. He was not quite as large as she yet, as he was only three fourths grown. Not to mention she was far more skilled in battle than he was. "I-" She snorted and he knew she'd caught Epiphron's scent. Maverick shifted away from her slightly, but he knew the damage was already done. This was it, he was about to be turned into a throw-rug. He was certain of it. Icy daggers were sent his way as he turned his acid green eyes from her, unable to look her in the face while she yelled. His own hushed tones entered, hoping to quiet her enough to keep this an argument between themselves. Mother I - it was just like I said. I was out exploring. I did run into a Valhallan and we just talked, that was it. He knew that wouldn't be the end of it, knew she'd have more questions, and probably more yelling to do. Trying to take a step away from her, he winced as he did for a pain shot through his side like the one before. Ears and tail remained tucked, but there was a slight look of defiance in those green eyes. Speech,

She watched the boy cower before her, showing submissive behavior in response to her aggressive demeanor. He looked away, emerald green eyes unable to meet her hazed blue. What else could she do? For all she knew he could be in serious trouble. She knew nothing of Valhalla and their ways. What if someone had hurt him? What if he was playing with fire? Or worse, what if he was planning on leaving Seracia and joining that dreadful pack? "Mother I - it was just like I said. I was out exploring. I did run into a Valhallan and we just talked, that was it." Another lie. Well, maybe not a lie, but not the whole truth. If he had just talked to this mysterious wolf he wouldn't smell so strongly of its perfume now would he? Her mind hazed, thoughts becoming unclear as her anger escalated. She wanted so badly to pounce, wrestle him to the ground and force it out of him, but she held it back. She had just done that with Ger and look how that turned out? Violence had always been her first resort, but this time, she would use a guilt trip to get it out of the boy. His body winced as he inched away. What in the hell was wrong with him? "Maverick. If you were simply talking to another wolf you wouldn't smell so strongly of their scent. You would have had to come into a lot of contact to smell as strong as you do." Her voice hushed to a normal tone, she saw no reason to yell at this moment. "Not telling the whole truth is just as wrong as lying to me Maverick. Now, i'm going to ask you one more time. Why do you smell like Valhalla? And why are you wincing, what is causing you pain?" She drew toward him, examining his frame in search of any signs of an injury. Speech,

He hated this, hated feeling guilty for what he'd done. Hated the fact that what had been such a good day was now being ruined by this argument. He also hated the idea that sooner or later his mother would do whatever she could to get the truth out of him. He had to make her see, had to somehow make her understand that the truth could not be told, because that would be breaking a promise. Though he hadn't uttered the words 'i promise' he had silently vowed to never tell a soul of their first meeting, at least not until they figured out what they were going to do from here. Icy words echoed from her lips, stinging with every utterance. Good, she'd noticed his pain, perhaps he could draw her attention to his accident rather than the girl. That was at least a decent plan. "I fell off of a ledge.. into a ravine. I think I banged up my side pretty bad.." He winced again standing up a bit higher to be more comfortable, and to stop cowering. The boy wasn't a sniveling child, and he wouldn't act like one. "It hurts," Yes, if he could get off of the girl subject, he might just get out of this alive. A pained expression flooded his face as he forced himself to tense up his injured side, hoping his pain would be a decent distraction. Speech,

She watched him wince, move, squirm, do the usual guilty signs. He was hiding something, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to tell the truth. Lying was not a good trait, especially in a heir. She would need to talk to Gerhardt about this at a later time. Maverick didn't seem suitable enough to become an alpha. "I fell off of a ledge.. into a ravine. I think I banged up my side pretty bad.." "You fell? How did you fall? Did this girl you've been out all night with throw you in the ravine? Or did you fall because you weren't paying attention because your stomach was plastered against her back?" Pools of blue narrowed as she spoke, her tail flicking angrily behind her. After getting a better wiff of the boy she had discovered the scent drifting off his pelt was very feminine. Adette had an idea of what was going on, now she just needed to wait until Maverick confessed it to her. But, seeing her little boy in pain spiraled her into a totally different mood. She crouched next to him, running her toungue softly along his bruised ribs as she spoke in a more comforting tone. He was hurt, so what else could she do? Hurt him more? Of course not. "You're a man now Maverick, now talk to your mother like one. Stop dodging the truth, because I already know the truth." It was more of a threat than anything, hopefully he would think she already knew what was up and confess. She waited for a reply as she soothingly groomed her little boy. Speech,

He'd said he wouldn't tell her of the fall, but he really felt as if it was his only option now. She was extremely upset - and rightfully so - but he couldn't help that, he could only try to find ways to divert from that. It seemed that pain had not worked. She proceeded to question him further, each one biting into him and causing him to tense up. He didn't want to lie, didn't want to lose her trust, but he wasn't about to go against his word. Her last question sent a shiver down his spine, and he could not suppress the growl that followed. His maw wrinkled into a snarl and he stood up an inch or so more, wincing as he did. "Don't you say that!" he roared angrily. "It wasn't like that at all. We just talked." The snarl continued to quiver on his maw, so foreign in comparison to his usually happy mischievous grin. He fell silent though, as she began to gently run her tongue across his bruised and beaten ribs. Somehow the pain seemed to ebb away as she did so, and the sink sheathing his fangs soon relaxed into a morose mask. She would speak up again, this time giving him a stern talking to about being a man. She said she knew the truth, but he knew she couldn't. He wasn't that much of a fool. "I made a promise. A man wouldn't break his promise, even if it meant he'd have to dodge the truth in order to keep it." He spoke this as if it were an oath, and in his mind.. it was. He sighed and lowered his voice, and quieted his tone to a normal one. "I didn't do anything wrong, and I don't feel sorry for what I did." He truly didn't. Even though she was pissed off, the fact was he was a nearly grown wolf, a yearling, and he could - and was supposed to - venture off from time to time if he wanted to. Speech,

Ears flicked back when he growled at her, curled his lips, and sunk away. What she said had bit him hard. Good, that was her intentions. But he came forth again, allowing her to sooth his pain. No matter how mad she could get at him she could never sit and watch him suffer. She loved him too much to do that. She listened to his words, eyes rolling as he talked about this promise. It angered her that he would keep things from his mother. Not only had she raised him, but she was the alpha of this pack, and he would respect that. She wanted to know everything that went on, especially when it came to her children. But, it was obvious what he had done. She had been his age before, she was about a year old when she had fallen for Gerhardt. She couldn't blame him for the raging hormones within him, but lying was a disgusting thing to do. "I was your age once Maverick. I met your father when I was a yearling, fell in love with him, hell i practically worshiped him. I had to admire from afar for a while, but with time, good things will come. But i'll tell you this son, you are playing with fire. If you've fallen for a Valhallen gal and have no shame in it you will end up getting yourself hurt." She continued to groomed him as she spoke in hushed tones, she was already past yelling and screaming at him. "Am I right, Maverick? Have you fallen for a Valhallen princess?" She pulled her head away from him, icy eyes gazing into his own, looking for any signs of untruthfulness. Speech,

At least she was coherent enough to listen now. The boy, on the other hand, was growing more and more agitated by the second. How could she sit there and act like he'd just killed a whole pack and then come home to mommy? He'd only been out talking to a girl. It wasn't even like they'd done anything! Ears would remained pinned as distaste and frustration painted across his face. She would never let this go, she'd never really listen. He couldn't tell her the truth because doing so would be breaking a promise! Hadn't he always been taught to be a man of his word? Hadn't she just said for him to be a man? He was trying! "I know how you met father. He's told me before." He was not in the mood anymore. She'd ruined his perfect day, his perfect night. "And just what's wrong with Valhalla? As far as I could tell she wasn't a murderer, she was just a girl." Just what beef did his mother have with Valhalla? And why on earth did she think they were in love? Maverick did have strong feelings for Epiphron, but he wasn't sure if it was love. "She is a Valhallan, I'll say that much." Eyes narrowed almost defiantly. His mother would just have to accept that he was not going to break his promise just to make her happy. "Do you really expect me to break my promise? I wouldn't lie to you if it wasn't absolutely necessary." That was the solemn truth. Maverick did not enjoy lying, in fact, it left a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, but she was giving him no other option. I'm home and I'm safe, isn't that enough for you?" His voice at the end was almost pleading, begging her to just relax and be happy that her son was home and perfectly fine save for a bruise or two. Speech,

She could sense he was becoming more irritated with her, so she continued to groom him. She didn't really care if he was getting aggravated or not, she was his mother, she had the right to do whatever she wanted to him. "I know how you met father. He's told me before." Her head snapped towards him, lips curling around her fangs. "Don't get snappy with me boy, or I WILL put you in your place. I have every right to demote you from heir, throw you down with the omegas. I might be your mother, but you seem to forget i'm also an alpha." Her words were stern, blue eyes clouded over. He was being so defiant, so out of character. Yes, he was mischievous, but this was plan out disrespectful. She was growing tired of it. "I've said nothing about Valhalla, don't put words in my mouth. Have you officially met her alpha? Let them know exactly what you have been up to? Tell me, whats going to happen when you sneak into her lands and get caught? You will be screwed, taken a prisoner, or worse, end up dead! And yes, i expect you to always tell your mother, and alpha, the truth. I don't care if you made a deal with the devil, I want to know about it. Maybe if you didn't hide things from me I wouldn't react the way I do." Hate was building up inside her. The thought of Valhallen wolves taking him made her sick inside, the idea that he could lie straight to her face enraged her. "I thought you had a better character than that, but obviously I was wrong. And yeah, your home safe, for now. What happens when you go back and get caught?" She raised her brunette fame from the earth, settling herself on all fours as she towered over the boy. "I want you to bring her here Maverick. I want to meet her, then I might consider a meeting with her alpha. If you care about her as much as you say you do, then you wont protest this. Am I clear?" Her right brow raised as she allowed all this information to sink in. Would he do what he was told, or run off again without a word? Speech,

This was getting old. He was cowering like a pup while his mother proceeded to gently caress him, all while driving him nuts. What a mess. As she spoke up about his snippy remark, Maverick only got more riled up. Oh she thought she could demote him from heir? She could make him an omega? "Dad's the King, and he'd never let you do that." A snarl ripped from his throat, echoing louder than he'd intended it to. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." In all reality he half meant it, and half didn't. "There were no 'deals' because nothing happened! Just leave me alone! He pried his frame away from hers as she attempted to tower over him. With a growl he would stand to his full height, which was still a bit shorter than she - but not by much anymore. Tail would flag up behind him. "I am a yearling mother, not some fool pup anymore. You can't baby me, I'm practically grown!" As she gave him her orders, Maverick heaved a sigh. As if he could steal away the princess of Valhalla and bring her here. "I'll think about it." It was all he could offer, all he could do without breaking his promise. With that, the boy took a step back, separating them. "I'm done arguing, mother, it's clear you won't ever see things my way." As he turned and flicked his tail, Maverick muttered under his breath. "I wish it would have been father that had caught me, not you." Ah, the mutterings of an upset teenage boy. He would pace off into the darkness to sleep the night away. Exit Maverick. Speech,

She ignored his statements, even though it enraged her inside that he had even said half of the things he did. She would defiantly talk to Gerhardt about his behavior, choosing him to be a heir was a mistake in her eyes. Mute Valkis would have been a better choice, hell, even Kamala. They weren't disrespectful and rude like he was. She turned away from him, blue eyes watering up as she took off into the forest in search of Gerhardt for comfort. -Exit- Speech,