Chapter 34 Cordelia
Cordelia
We move closer to the growing crowd with Gale following behind us. There must be a couple of hundred people on the beach. Certainly more than the town. Where did all these people come from?
“I wanted something special this year. A gift that allows me to leave behind part of myself. And if this is the only thing I achieve, I hope you will take what you need from it and find peace. Tonight, our lantern festival, Light Knot Night, begins. Lift your lantern for love, for hope, for goodwill, and to honour the past. Let go of negativity and hate. Let tonight, this perfectly balanced day, be a memory of love.”
Lorelei Sol looks like a goddess on the beach, her long dress fanning out behind her, feet bare, flanked by hundreds of people.
“She must be freezing,” I say quietly.
She turns to the ocean, bends over slightly. When she stands, an orange glow lights up her face, and then I see the lantern. She lifts it high into the air and lets go, and it floats.
A wish, an intention, a hope, or a dream. It doesn’t matter. It’s beautiful, and I squeeze Katsu’s arm as my chest gets tight. I stare at that one lantern as it rises higher and higher, dancing on the wind and drifting out over the ocean.
A moment later, Betty, Sara, and Kylie let their own lanterns go. Then Franco and Milton, Asher and Felix. Sofia and her alphas. Harry and his wife. Yolanda and Grigori.
And then the visitors start to light theirs. The sky lights up with the glowing dreams of this town. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
More and more lanterns fill the sky.
It’s incredible. I light mine, spending a moment to think.
“I want to be strong for my pack, wise for my family, kind to my hometown. I want all our lives to be rich with love and happiness,” I whisper.
I let it go.
“Thank you,” Katsu says simply and lets his go.
Fox smiles and shakes his head, letting his go. “If I tell you what I wish, it won’t come true.”
I turn and watch Sebastian, who is leaning against Gale, turning his lantern round and round.
He reaches into his jeans and pulls out a marker and writes two words on his lantern, and then he lights it and lets it go. I stare at him because I think he will never stop surprising me.
“Why my name?”
“Because you are my hope, my prayers, my wish, and my dream. You are what I’m grateful for and the future I yearn for. You are my love. And as long as we are together, this lantern’s intention will be true.”
I reach for them, and we come together in one group, holding on, watching the lanterns as they drift into the sky, carried further and further over the ocean, carrying the hopes of hundreds of people with it.
“Shall we head off?” Fox murmurs. He’s leaning on Katsu and yawns. “Sorry, I didn’t sleep much last night. I was worried you would change your mind.”
“Me?” I yelp. “No way!”
“Okay, let’s head back.”
The lanterns are distant, and people are starting to leave when it happens. It’s sudden and unexpected.
An explosion of light. Like the world is answering us.
“Oh, my god!” I whisper walking towards the water, trying to take in what I’m seeing.
“What’s that?” Fox shouts, struggling out of Katsu’s arms.
Sebastian, Fox, and Katsu follow me down to the wet sand. Reds and pinks with tinges of green ripple across the sky in a cosmic dance that has me hypnotised.
“Oh, my god!” I whisper-shout again. “Are you seeing this?”
“The Aurora,” Fox whispers in awe.
I let out a disbelieving laugh, but Sebastian grabs me and lifts me up, spinning us round and round. I wrap my legs around him, throwing my head back and laughing.
“See, it’s written in the world's fabric. We’re meant to be,” Sebastian teases. “Are you going to write this in a book?”
I giggle. “Any excuse.” I kiss him. “But I’m going to use that line and this moment in my book, okay?”
“Every excuse,” he whispers, and then he kisses me while the colours of the aurora dance in the sky. “Mmm, we can make our alphas do another audition.”
Fox leaps on us, and I laugh and take off running, my alphas and horse chasing after me. All around us are friends and family. I spot Katsu’s family wave from the stairs and pause to wave.
“Congratulations, babies!” Freddie shouts. “I’m so proud of you all.”
Sari clings to Tarou, smiling happily as she watches us and the incredible light show.
We stay until Katsu has had enough of me shivering.
“Come on, time to get you warm.”
He lifts me up and puts me on Gale, and we make our way back up to Main Street where almost everyone but a few stragglers have disappeared.
“You know that was live, right?” Sebastian suddenly says. “Everyone knows you are Lynn.”
“I know,” I say with a grin.
“Okay. Just checking.”
“Can I read the third book?” Fox asks suddenly.
“It’s in edits!”
“Is that a no?”
I stare at them. They don’t know yet that Bas joins the twosome and the spicy sex scenes are extra spicy. Perhaps I could get them to read it. Hmm.
“Also Katsu and Fox can be the narrators. Imagine it, Cat and Wolf, narrated by Katsu and Fox. It will be hilarious,” Sebastian says.
“Sebastian,” I mock-growl at him.
“Did you know Katsu’s dad owns a printer?” he interjects.
I almost fall off Gale.
“What?” I screech.
“Yes, I’ve been trying to hold them off and stop them, but they have approached me several times. They want to print your book.”
“This is crazy,” I protest, as Katsu and Fox start to laugh.
“Welcome to our crazy, magical Sunshine life,” Sebastian purrs. “It’s way better than a book.”