Sorrow Lantern Novels & Stories

Annora: The lantern send-off was the most entrancing experience I had ever been a part of. The sky was lit up with a thousand rays of light, all spread out, reaching for the hearts of loved ones. It started with those who had lost someone in the vampire attack. The affected pulled their wings and flew into the sky to release their lanterns, allowing their send-off to be reached more quickly. Those who had lost someone at any point in time were able to go next, while everyone else was able to release their lanterns last, sending out strength and empathy to fill in all the cracks that our grief leaves behind.

I whispered. We stood up and began the process of lighting the small candles inside the lanterns and waiting for the heat to fill the delicate paper frames. The wind was a gentle caress from the south and it seemed to lift the lanterns from our hands with a soft and supportive grace that felt like a blessing from the coast itself. We watched as our wishes for Luca and Sienna floated upward into the dark sky joining the stars in a slow and rhythmic dance of light.

Searching around, I see nothing but the closed seal, sand, dirt and ash. Anguish overwhelms me as I fall to my knees and claw at the ground. I’ve never cried before. Even as I fell, I refused to cry. But at this moment, tears rain down my face and sobs of sorrow erupt from my lips. “Lucifer!” Michael calls out to me as he lands beside me and searches the space. “She’s gone,” I mutter brokenly, “Lana’s gone.” Michael rests his hand on my shoulder, his eyes mirroring my misery. “So are our mates,” he mutters mournfully, “They are all gone, frère.”

The morning light filtered weakly through the curtains, casting fractured patterns on the floor — much like my thoughts, splintered and jagged. I sat at the small kitchen table, clutching my cup of cold coffee, staring at the leather-bound book *Reflections of the Forgotten* open before me. The stories inside weren’t just tales — they were warnings, lessons written in sorrow and hope. Women who had lived as shadows, trapped in lives borrowed from others, fighting to reclaim their own reflections.

Remember how I said it was dark as we got closer to the hospital before, well now I could barely see a foot in front of me. “YOU DARE ATTACK MY PACK!” Aerian screamed. “You are coming with us you angel slut. The boss wants your whore ass.” one of them hissed. I let out a growl but had to grab onto something when the ground lurched. I went to step forward but ran into what I can only describe as an invisible barrier. Aerian and Savannah had walled themselves with the rogues. They were working in sync to take them out. All we could do was stand there and watch as Aerian raised her hands as she absorbed all the light within her. Savannah was keeping us from getting hurt. Aerian’s arms dropped t

That's just me, a complete chaos of emotions. As the lights from the overhead lamp of my bathtub gets dimmer, I could no longer feel pain but a wave of peace like I was on heroine. I feel floating, I was lighter and as the lights start to flicker out, I let out a sigh and a smile - remembering my plan and how I will destroy all their lives. This is my end but only the beginning of my revenge. The letters. I took my last breath and then, darkness.

They were hesitant, but slowly moved to let me take a look at her. Her lips were cracked but her hair was still neat. Her clothes had stains of Blood. It was a horrifying sight. And I suddenly broke down, not caring the pack members are looking at me. "Annabel...ANNABEL!" I cried. The 6 pack members shifted to their wolves and bowed to their Luna. I knew. I knew they needed to howl. "No. Don't. Stop! Don't!" I said in a hurry. They stopped in their tracks. They need to know Diana. They need to know Luna is dead. They mind-linked.

Hundreds of them, in various shapes and colors, bobbing unsteadily at first as people hesitated, then lifted more confidently as hands released. They drifted up past balconies, past banners, past the tower bells and the highest spires, small stars joining the sky. I watched them go, chest tight. Once, alone in Bloodthorn, I’d thought of my soul as a single, guttering lantern in a forgotten cellar—light no one would ever see. A thing that could be snuffed out with a careless boot. Tonight, I wasn’t the only one lighting something. Hundreds of lanterns floated upward, each carrying a piece of someone’s pain and hope into the sky. Each saying, wordlessly: *I was here. I survived. I am more than