Page 71 of Elven Prince

This sucked.

Rebecca took a deep breath and realized the best way to move forward was not formally as Roth-Da’al, with all the pomp and circumstance that came with it, but as Rebecca Knox.

“But here’s the thing,” she continued. “Not only did Blackmoon have a consistently dangerous issue with authority and following orders, no matter how many times he managed to ‘save the day’ in the end after treating everything like one big game without stakes or consequences. Not only was he a danger to every single person here, up to the last day any of us saw him, but on top of all that, he made his own decision in the end. And, to put it bluntly, he abandonedus.”

By the Blood, this was worse than trying to pretend in the beginning that she and Blackmoon knew nothing of each other and had no shared history.

She was setting him up to fail again, but this time, it wasn’t in a backhanded attempt to sabotage The Striving for him, or include him on missions just to keep an eye on him.

No, this time, she was baring it all in front of everyone.

The worst part, she realized, was that she meant every single word.

“We took him in when he came to us,” she said. “We offered him the chance to prove his worth in The Striving, just like each and every one of us did in order to be here. We extended every chance for Blackmoon to pull himself together and truly become a part of this task force. Thisfamily, even. But it seems that wasn’t enough for him.

“I have no idea where he went, or what he’s doing. What he’s involved himself in since deciding Shade was no longer worth his time. But the fact remains. Blackmoon walked out on Shade.

“I won’t go after him. I don’t expect any of you to do it for me. That was his choice. But if you see him, or hear from him, or notice anything that seems like it might be connected to Blackmoon, even in the smallest way, I want to hear about it immediately. Avoid contact. Avoid any form of engagement whatsoever, if you can help it.

“Otherwise, I want every member of this task force armed with the knowledge that the elf Rowan Blackmoon is not to be trusted, under any circumstances. No matter what he says or how convincing his excuses may seem. If he shows his face at Headquarters again, he is to be treated as a threat and a potential enemy. No exceptions.”

Rebecca’s stomach churned as her words echoed across the room, her voice ringing clearer and with more decisive power than she thought she was capable of, given the current topic. But as she scanned the faces all looking back at her, not a single one of them exhibited anger or irritation toward her.

No silent resentment against the words of their Roth-Da’al. No indication whatsoever that anyone disagreed with her decision or her proclamation.

Now more than ever, their task force made it clear as a single united front, while she addressed them, that they still chose to follow their Roth-Da’al. Even through the fire, if it was necessary, and even against one member turned defector who had seemingly charmed everyone during his time here.

They were all still behind her in this, and she couldn’t have been more grateful.

“I know this isn’t what anyone wants to hear,” she said, pausing once more to settle her gaze on as many people’s faces as she could, hoping it might help them feel like she spoke to each of them individually—the way she would have preferred if they’d had the time. “But it has to be said, and this is what has to be done. The issue must be addressed.

“Joining Shade has always been and still is a lifelong commitment. We all know that. We knew it when we swore in, and wealltake it very seriously. Rowan Blackmoon did not.

“For the immediate future, I have no interest in declaring an execution. Not yet. Not unless I absolutely have to. But as far as the rest of us are concerned, Blackmoon is no longer one of us. This isn’t personal. It’s for Shade to ensure we stay on track. To ensure our ability to protect ourselves now and to continue to protect ourselves in the future.

“Blackmoon’s involvement with this task force in any capacity jeopardizes all of that far more than we can afford.”

By the Blood, this hurt her more than she could have described—more than she thought possible after everything Rowan had attempted and everything he’d revealed of himself, of who he’d truly become since she’d left him behind with the Bloodshadow Court.

She’d turned her back on him, her best friend from her old life, and she’d essentially just ordered the rest of Shade to do the same.

But there was no other choice. Rowan had made his move first. He’d made his decision, despite all her efforts to change his mind and guide him down a different path that didn’t end with this. He’d spent his time here believing there would be no consequences to his actions, but here they were, catching up with him now.

Even if he wasn’t here to witness those consequences for himself.

But if he ever tried to reach out to Rebecca or to Shade again, those consequences would be waiting for him.

She waited another moment for the implications of her speech to fully sink in, for her task force to process what this meant and what was now expected of all of them, should the Blackmoon Elf make a reappearance.

Rebecca couldn’t have been more grateful for their immediate acceptance, but even that still wasn’t enough to dull the pain of this decision.

She’dhadto tell them this.

What she couldn’t bring herself to tell them was that Rebecca still suspected Rowan’s betrayal might run far deeper than simply going MIA after the warehouse and abandoning them.

That was another bridge she would have to cross when she got there.Ifshe got there.

But for now, at least, this declaration against Rowan would act as another layer of protection for Shade.

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