All Chapters of The Full Moon Verdict: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“Good,” she said. “You’re awake.”He tried to shift upright, but the chains above groaned and snapped taut, dragging a cry from his throat. Pain flared through his shoulders and spine.“You’re poisoned,” she added, voice detached. “Not enough to kill. Just enough to hurt like hell.”His throat was raw, dust-dry. He coughed once, then rasped, “Is this your version of justice?”Her eyes narrowed. “No. This is the opening statement.”Ethan let out a bitter, cracked laugh. “You should’ve finished me. You had every chance.”She stood slowly. Not lunging—just rising like a storm on the horizon.“Death would’ve been silence,” she said. “A luxury. A clean end. No punishment. No penance. You wouldn’t have to look at the empire you built and watch it crumble.”She took a step closer. Then another.“You turned justice into currency. Twisted law into a weapon for monsters. And you wielded it like a king.”Her boots echoed on the concrete as she circled him.“But now? Now you’re going to help me t

Nightfall came slowly—dragging shadows across the warehouse floor like dark fingers. High above, the fractured skylight let in the last bruised light of day, painting the room in golds and greys before dusk sealed it all in iron.Ethan hadn’t moved in hours.He couldn’t. Not just because of the chains—though those bit into his wrists every time he shifted—but because of what was happening inside him.His body was betraying him.The hunger, the dehydration, the dull ache of silver still lingering in his blood—they all chipped away at the edges of his composure. His senses had sharpened in the absence of food, but instead of clarity, all he got was torment.He could smell the meat roasting on the fire.It wasn’t much. Just a small tin pan balanced over an open flame near a stack of broken crates. But the scent—charred fat, spice, salt—punched into his gut like a fist. His stomach clenched violently. His throat burned with thirst.He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe slowly.

By the time they left the warehouse, Ethan had made his decision.Cooperate. Survive. Reclaim power from inside the trap—bit by bit. She wanted results? He’d deliver. Not for her. For himself. Because the only way out was through.They didn’t speak on the drive back into the city. Anna drove a beat-up sedan that smelled like engine oil and old coffee. Ethan’s wrists ached. His stomach was still tight from that pathetic excuse of a breakfast sandwich. But his mind had already started to whir, sharpening like a blade on stone.When they arrived, she expected an office.What she got was a fortress.Ethan stepped into the building’s underground garage like a man returning to his castle. He used a thumbprint and retina scan to access a private elevator. No button panel inside. It just moved.The doors opened on the 9th floor—not marked. No placards. No receptionist. Just a corridor of matte black stone and recessed lighting. Cold. Silent.Anna followed, her instincts screaming. There were

It started with silence. Not the kind they’d grown accustomed to in the war room of his office, but a vacuum that settled in once the file was uploaded and the domino had been tipped.Nothing happened at first. No explosion. No alarm. No screaming emails or panicked phone calls.Just... silence."That’s it?" Anna asked, crossing her arms as she stared at the monitor."That’s the trigger," Ethan said, leaning back in his chair. "Now we wait."She glanced at the time. 10:02 a.m. Her muscles ached. Her stomach reminded her it hadn’t been fed properly in three days. And her brain—God, her brain—felt like it had been flayed raw."We should get some air," Ethan muttered.She turned to him slowly. "Excuse me?""Air. You remember that? The stuff outside?"Anna blinked, and for the first time in nearly three weeks, she realized just how long she’d been locked in the echo chamber of his world. Three weeks since she chained him in a warehouse. Three weeks of unrelenting obsession.She didn’t ans