Izzy and Aiden were together nearly every second during and after school once they found out they were mates. Aiden forced Eden to come along with them everywhere too. Eden always felt like a 3rd wheel, and she could feel the annoyance from Izzy as well.
The night before Decision Day, the three of them and the rest of the graduates were outside by a fire pit. Everyone was reflecting on their childhoods, the orphanage, and sharing their choices for the next day.
Izzy announced to everyone "I'm choosing Rogue!" Everyone's jaw dropped to the ground. "We have been stuck in this building for 18 years. I want to see the world. I'm not sticking around here one more second after the King asks me what I choose!"
Aiden was clearly shocked. They hadn't discussed their decisions with each other but he assumed Izzy would go into service. "What?!" Exclaimed Aiden. "We can't go rogue. Do you even know what happens beyond the Kingdom perimeter? AND we could go mad!"
Izzy was clear that she didn't want to be put to work or to fight. She wanted to explore and be free. She reached her hand out to Aiden, when he grimaced at her. He had already made up his mind to be a warrior and he wanted to stay. Izzy sat back on the log they shared and rested her head on his shoulder trying to paint a picture for him of what life would like “out there.” She tried to convince him that they could learn to sail a boat on the ocean, and find an island to lay naked on all day everyday.
The thought of that did sound appealing after being in that orphanage their whole lives, but Aiden looked over at Eden questioningly. She was shaking her head "no" at him with her eyebrows raised.
Marcus and Sophie were Izzy's best friends. They were graduating too the next day. Marcus stood up on the log and proudly proclaimed that they would follow her to the ends of the earth. She ran that little pack who always bullied Eden. Eden was SO glad they decided to go with her.
Eden was still keeping quiet around the fire and wondered if they EVER realized how tough life would be out there without the protection of the King. But mostly, she now worried about her brother going rogue to be with his mate. Aiden didn’t make any decisions out at the campfire about going rogue though. He leaned over to Eden and said "Don't worry about all this rogue stuff, I'll talk to Izzy. It's NOT gonna happen." That seemed to settle Eden for the time being.
That night though, Aiden questioned everything he had ever known. His mate bond was strong and the more time he spent with Izzy, he knew he loved her. Deep in thought, Aiden weighed his pros and cons about the decision he would now have to make.
If Aiden becomes a warrior he would have to fight for his King when called upon. He's watched the warriors run into battle and sometimes they don't all come home. Aiden thought If he went into service, he just knew it would be shoveling shit in a barn, or doing something else he would hate for the rest of his life. Rogue started sounding good to him.