Custom Quirks Novels & Stories

In Hollow Creek, there was an old custom: if you turned thirty and still were not married, the community chair would arrange for you to come home and meet potential matches. When I told Marcus about it, he laughed coldly. “What kind of backwoods tradition is that supposed to be? “Constance, I said I would marry you, and I will. But pressuring me is something else.” Then he took out the ring and casually handed it to Hannah. She accepted it with a blush. “I was going to propose,” he said. “But since you want to act like this, maybe we should cool off for a while.” The ring I had waited years for was handed to someone else like it meant nothing. For a moment, I just stood there, stunned. Marcus walked out of my office with an easy confidence, the corner of his mouth lifted in a victorious smile. Hannah held the ring out to me. I did not take it. “Keep it,” I said. “Wasn’t it meant for you anyway? “You wear it. It suits you.” Her face went pale. I showed her to the door. Before closing it, I said, “Tell Mr. Vale that he and I are done.”

On the flight to Arlencia, a post popped up: [What's it like to have sex in a wedding dress?] The pic showed a girl yanking some guy's purple tie while he hiked up her gown. His face was blurred, but hers? Straight-up blissed out. Everyone in the comments was swooning over how in love they looked. I didn't swoon. I froze. Because that purple tie? I gave it to Zeke Santoro, my fiancé, a few days ago. And that wedding dress? The exact custom one he had made for me. There was only one. I kept zooming in, heart racing, until I spotted a family photo in the background. My hands were shaking when I called him. "I wanna see the dress," I said. He hesitated. "It's at the studio getting final touches. Not with me right now. I'll show it to you later." I just smiled and hung up. That was all I needed. Zeke cheated—and the girl? His stepsister, Jella. Total circus. I reopened the post and shot her a DM: [Your wedding dress is stunning. I have the same one.]

For over thirty years, my wife Janet faked being broke—for her flimsy ex. When our son Asher landed in the hospital, I begged and borrowed from everyone I knew. Still came up fifty bucks short. Janet? Said she was tapped out. So my mom sold off her own meds to cover the bill—never told me. She died without treatment. I handled my mom's funeral alone. When I went to pick up Asher from the hospital, I found a stash of Janet's old shopping receipts. Custom suits. Million-dollar watches. A damn private jet. I grabbed them and stormed off to confront her. Asher cut me off. "Dad, Mr. Sackett's sick. Mom's just helping him out. Why are you freaking out?" I stared at the kid who only lived because my mom died. It felt like something cracked inside me. Janet barely looked up. "Connor's educated. He deserves the finer things. Unlike you—crying over fifty bucks like some househusband. See? I didn't give you the money, and Asher's fine." Fine. If that's how they see it, I'm done with this family.

"Something I never chose, yet I don't want to lose"- Abigail Quinn The night of the plenilunary custom changes everything for ABIGAIL QUINZEL, a 23-year-old graduate from Ashgray Pack. She is more than happy for his mate, Alpha Daniel finally declares her as his mate. She can see Everything she dreamed of since her childhood coming into reality, little does she know that it is not going to last a second. When Daniel becomes obsessed with his brother’s mate - Linda, he rejects his yet-to-mark Luna, Abigail, so that he can pursue his affairs with Linda secretly. With great betrayal comes a lot of consequences, one of which He can no longer shift into his wolf. Abigail knows that Daniel is subjected to being the weakest alpha in history, for possessing a partial mate bond, but she can't disclose his secret - at least not without damaging his credibility in the pack, the last thing she can do. However, when Daniel calls, begging her to come home, trying every possible way to make her break the partial mate bond, Abigail is forced to decide what is more important: Accepting his rejection, ergo, sparing herself from future potential heartbreak, or preserving her secret of never-dimed love for him, although he yearns for a different motive. The only way to keep what’s alive in her and maintain her hope is by denying his Rejection.

"Custom demanded that Prince Urban get a love mark tattooed to the side of his left eye as an infant, just like the rest of his people, but to him, the stupid things have only brought on the scorn of his father, the misery of his siblings, and caused his entire kingdom to go broke from fighting so many wars over the irritating ink stains. When Urban’s sister must travel to Donnelly, the kingdom within the sand, for her arranged marriage to align two realms, he goes with her. But he no sooner steps foot inside their castle than his mark starts itching like a son of a bitch, telling him his one true love is near. It just figures, though, that the woman meant for him is completely forbidden. Now he must decide if he should ignore the persistent mark, telling him she's the one, in order to avoid a possible war between kingdoms, or if he should discover whether she's worth risking everything for so they can be together. Either way, his life gets sucked into chaos with threats of beheadings, dark magic lurking, castle traitors scheming, and sword fights eminent. Who knew one little tattoo could cause so much trouble? (ONE TRUE LOVE is the author’s first attempt at a fantasy romance. Please forgive her; she might’ve read an overabundance of Cassandra Gannon, Sarah J. Maas, and Eve Langlais books, then gone off to watch too many episodes of Supernatural, Game of Thrones, and Outlander, because this was the outcome.)"

TARA   A family custom forces me to run away from home, leaving me disgraced and my family in shame.   Just when I start making new friends, someone threatens to expose who I am and the person behind my nom de plume. The condition— a contract marriage.   So, what’s so different this time? The groom? Mad Shanewood— the achingly handsome, with waving red flags and an irrefutable passion.   But after a glimpse beneath his shallow exterior, there is a damaged soul who makes me feel as if I’m everything to him.   While the whole world is watching, our delicately fragile public image is at stake. And how is it that the one thing I never wanted has me fighting so hard to keep?   ***   MAD   I always get the deal done until my recklessness has thrown the company into a tailspin, derailing my path to a billion-dollar project. With my image under brutal public scrutiny, marriage is my last straw.   But Tara Montimer not only intrigues me. She’s kind-hearted and sexy as hell, and something deep in her eyes makes me doubt if I’m worthy of her.    For me, it’s not just fixing my reputation— the entrancing deposed princess didn’t only steal my breath away. She penetrates the protective wall around my heart.   Our goals may be aligned, but then there’s a disapproving father who is a King, constant threats around us, and a law that prevents us from getting married.   Will this razor-thin edge arrangement be enough to fix what’s been broken, or is something between us worth fighting for?

There is an unwritten rule among Saphira's elite. If a new lover wants to become acknowledged as a man's official girlfriend, the previous girlfriend must publicly remove the bracelet that symbolizes her status and personally place it on the new woman's wrist. The day Wayne Seyfried brings Ingrid Bacon home, the entire elite circle waits in anticipation to see me cause a scene. I have stayed by Wayne's side loyally for seven years. For the sake of getting that bracelet, I once kneeled in the Seyfrieds' private chapel for three days. I have also taken a stab from a military bayonet for Wayne. Everyone is certain that I would never give up my position willingly. But when Ingrid, who is clad in a custom gown worth millions, shyly extends her hand to me, I do not argue or make a scene. Instead, I calmly remove the bracelet and slip it onto her wrist. Swirling a glass of red wine, Wayne looks at me with eyes full of arrogance and satisfaction. He says, "You finally know your place, Hillary. It's good that you know where you stand." I lower my head and look at my bare wrist without saying a word. Wayne is clueless. He doesn't know that I have recovered all the memories I lost a month ago. I am the long-lost daughter of the Lachlan family, the wealthiest family in Grandor, who has been missing for seven years. In three days, my older brother's private fleet of jets will arrive in Saphira to take me home.

Every week, mt mate Alpha Bruce dragged a new side-chick into our bed. Right in front of me. They clawed at each other like I didn't exist. Each time felt like silver shredding through my chest, my wolf howling from the inside out. He did it to hurt me. On purpose. Over and over. Using their bodies to spit on what we used to be. Then came our ten-year anniversary banquet. He waltzed in with his side-piece—Moye. Five years he'd been screwing her. She wore my heels. My custom gown. Even the mate ring and necklace I once thought meant forever. Bruce stood there, smirking in front of the whole pack. "Don't like what she's wearing? Strip yours and hand it over. And don't bother coming to my bed tonight—she's a hundred times better." The room howled with laughter. I was the punchline. But I stood up, met his eyes, and said, "I want to break the bond." He snorted. "You've said that, what, a hundred times? I'm over it. You begged me to mark you, remember? Gave up your pride for that Luna crown." More laughter. But what none of them saw coming? This time, I was done. Done with him. Done with the Luna title. Done chasing something dead. I was ready to sever the mate bond—for real.

I am born with a body that draws men in, but the moment I marry, I develop a terrifying allergy to them. Every time my husband and I try to be intimate, my skin erupts in violent rashes, and I nearly suffocate. Still, I want a child so badly that one night I climb into his bed in secret, willing to gamble with my life. Strangely, nothing happens—no hives, no swelling, no shortness of breath. My husband even takes me to a clinic, where the baby is confirmed healthy. For the first time, I believe life can return to normal. Eight months in, we share a bed again. The allergic reaction hits instantly, worse than ever, and I'm rushed to the hospital. When the procedure ends, he is nowhere to be seen. I step into the hallway and hear him talking with his friends. "Did you see her face? Swollen like that. Ridiculous." Leonard Carter swings a vial of the custom serum he has been giving me and snorts. "I engineered this formula myself. It makes her break out the second a man touches her. It keeps her off me. "She wanted a baby so badly. Fine. She's carrying mine and Hannah's. That should make her feel accomplished. "When she gives birth, I'll let her spend the rest of her life calling herself Mrs. Carter." Blood drains from my face. The child I've been cherishing isn't even mine.

After the college entrance exam, the school's reigning beauty dragged me into a wager over our scores. "Only the girl with the higher marks is worthy of being Eric's girlfriend." Eric Lowell scoffed. "That's enough, Jocelyn. My relationships aren't yours to dictate." Then, in front of everyone, he confessed to me. I mistook it for the answer to a long-held crush. With the crowd egging us on, I flushed and said yes. That night, he took me back to his place. From then on, we hardly spent a night apart. Before application season, I went to his house, hoping we would apply to the same university. Instead, I overheard part of a phone call. "Jocelyn, everything's ready: the photos, the videos. Just like you asked." Jocelyn's laughter drifted through the receiver, light and pleased. "You must've gone to so much trouble~ Then let's wait until the school assembly the day after tomorrow and stream it to the whole school. I'm curious to see how Tessa plans on applying to those top-tier universities after that." "Eric," she added casually, "you're not having second thoughts, are you?" He hesitated, then answered, "Why would I? If anyone's at fault, it's her for not knowing her place. What right does she have to keep scoring higher than you?" I set the custom ring down, opened my email, and accepted the Oxford offer that had been waiting for me for a week.