Sorrow Lantern Novels & Stories

For someone who was stuck in the same room as the Lycan King and the Wolf Mother, she did not appear to be in distress. Lyra had thought that Valeria’s magical beasts were her ultimate weapon. Now, she realised maybe they weren’t. “I recognise the lamp,” Julian informed her through their mindlink. “It’s the Black Lantern. It’s an artefact that’s used to source dark power from the netherworld and channel it to its user. A witch found it many centuries ago and used it to create chaos all over the world, not just among werewolves. Fortunately, a Wolf Mother appeared at the time and sealed it. Since then, the lantern disappeared.”

Like everything else we've established this year, it serves dual purposes—a beautiful public experience and a subtle reinforcement of the restored balance. The evening culminates in a lantern ceremony at the harbor, where hundreds of biodegradable paper lanterns are released onto the water, carrying written wishes and hopes for the coming year. As darkness falls completely, these points of light drift across the harbor's surface, creating a mirror image of the star-filled sky above. Cain finds me watching this spectacle from the harbor wall, slightly removed from the main crowd. He wraps an arm around me, his warmth welcome against the December chill. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he says softly. "

It's hard to tell. “Not the yellow ribbons, Kyra,” she scolds gently this morning, plucking the bundle from my hands. “Those are for the blessing circle. We use the dark green ones for the torch poles.” I blink, laughing softly. “Right. Green for fire, yellow for blessing.” “Exactly.” She gives me an approving nod before moving on to oversee the carving of lantern stands. It is strange, in the best kind of way, to feel this useful again. The bonfire ritual is the first event of the Lunar ceremony, an old tradition meant to honor unity, burn away old griefs, and light the path toward a new cycle.

The air in my room was thick with the scent of my own tears. I came out of the bathroom with swollen eyes, my face pale and tired from crying for too long. My heart still felt heavy, too full of pain and confusion. I couldn’t stop the tears no matter how hard I tried. Why was he punishing me like this? Why was Jack, my mate, treating me like I was something he regretted finding?

Lily nodded in my direction, taking Liam’s hand and disappearing before he could register it. I breathed calmly once they left. Leonel looked at me with apprehension, transmitting everything he felt through that look. He left a soft caress on my shoulder without saying a word. I know how much he felt with the loss of Primrose. He had also been her friend, for a very short time he did live with her. “Do you have an idea of what we are going to do?” he asked. “We’re going to condemn us.” We move towards the dying body of Allen Samuel. He was sweating and murmuring Primrose’s name . He seemed to be in a lot of pain. He writhed between the withered flowers. His skin began to wear that horrible d

“She’s not an ordinary wolf!” Marcus spun to look at her, his dark eyes flashing with incredulity. “What the hell are you talking about?” His voice was edged with disbelief, fear, and a mounting protectiveness that tightened his chest. The healer took a deep breath, steadying herself. “The lantern of life…” she began carefully, her tone measured but heavy with weight. “It symbolizes the very life of a wolf. Only wolves of Royal blood carry it. Its glow reflects the essence of their vitality. If the light of the lantern dies, it means the owner of that lantern has died. And if it flickers… if it is unstable… it means the wolf is fighting for her or his life.”

There isn’t a dry eye in the crowd. Davina begins handing out candles and lighting them as the sun begins to set. Davina uses her powers and teleports Maliyah and I by the memorial as we keep playing. The cover of the memorial is moved and flowers are placed at the base as families come up to pay their respects one by one. Once finished everyone begins attaching their candles to Chinese sky lanterns and releasing them into the sky. Each lantern has the name of a loved one lost.