This post is a companion piece for my YouTube video "Workshopped It! The Rejected Mate ." It's a detailed summary of how I would elevate Caitlin Andrew's book "Rejected Mate." Think of this as a developmental edit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgG6XWcSs0
Chapter
1:
·
Open with Emma and Hailey in a sketchy
neighborhood trying to get their drug fix.
·
Enter Emma’s parents: they’ve tracked the girls
down and use their werewolf strength to separate them from the dealers.
·
The display of strength attracts hunters.
·
The hunters attack and kill Emma’s parents.
·
They turn on Emma and Hailey, about to slaughter
them, when Hailey’s parents, the pack leaders, arrive with the pack in toe to
save the two girls.
·
It’s tense, but the hunters retreat from the
sheer numbers of werewolves, swearing to get the girls when they next step onto
human territory (possible
future series setup.)
Chapter
2:
·
It’s three years later.
·
One of Emma’s siblings wakes Emma up.
·
After her sibling leaves, Emma sneaks a bag of
drugs out from under her bed. She’s still using.
·
The two talk about their mates. They know
finding them will change everything. Once Emma has someone to love her, she
won’t need to keep looking for another hit. And she’ll be able to turn into a
wolf which means she could kill any hunters who chase her. Emma’s sure love
will heal her.
Chapter
3:
·
The girls go to a dance where all the teens
mingle. It’s a cross-pack event held twice a year, meant to help teen shifters
meet their mates.
·
Both Emma and Hailey find their mates, and these
young men reject them. The teen boys regret the rejection, as a wolf
identifying a mate is rare and they will have few other opportunities, but
being alone is preferable to having a mate who would endangers them and their
pack through addiction.
Chapter4:
·
Few werewolves end up mated to the first wolf,
they have a connection with, but almost all first pairings date for a bit to
test long-term compatibility. Emma and Hailey’s immediate rejection is a rock
bottom revelation moment. The two know something has to change
·
They ask a pack dedicated to rehabilitation, the
White Wolf pack (suggest rename to the New Moon pack or Dark Moon pack),if they
can help. The pack agrees.
Chapter
5-8:
·
We’re in a full recovery story at this point.
·
First Emma and Hailey become friends with the
bunk buddies Rebecca and Natalie. Natalie’s addiction is like Emma and
Hailey’s, but at first glance, the girls don’t know why Rebecca is here.
·
Rebecca is open in group therapy, does the group
exercises without complaining, and she doesn’t show any physical signs of
addiction.
·
At this
point in the story, her encouragement and positive attitude helps sell the
girls on committing to the program.
·
Mid-story reveal: Rebecca has an eating disorder
and is quite ill, her compliance is a facade. This leaves open a betrayal arc, an
arc where the other girls now help Rebecca, and/or a chance to show what there
is to lose if the girls don’t get better—with Rebecca’s death.
Chapter
9-15:
·
Months/weeks of committed work /bonding and all
four girls earn co-ed downtime privileges. Emma meets Miles and Hailey meets
Tommy.
·
Emma is starved for love and support. Miles is
Emma’s first change to be close to someone other than Hailey in years and they
rush into a relationship.
·
Emma and Miles relate in their common struggle.
·
Miles reveals he has lost a mate to a drug
overdose, the common loss further bonds Emma and Miles, but the two don’t feel
the sparks that come from a mating bond.
·
Tommy and Hailey start up a relationship too.
Part of it stems from Hailey’s fear of being left behind by Emma.
·
Part of it is that Tommy is Hailey’s first chance
for a romantic relationship.
·
These relationships are very positive at first.
They help keep each other accountable and encourage each other to follow the
program, as well as learn more about how to handle their wolves and process
their trauma.
·
As time continues, each teen realizes the
impermanent nature of their relationship. White Wolf pack is a temporary home,
and to conquer the demons of their past, each teen will have to travel home.
Chapter
16-ending:
·
Emma has a breakthrough in her recovery and
recalls the night of her parents’ murder.
·
The White Wolf pack sees her as stable and ready
to return home. They believe Emma needs to go home, face her family, and try to
repair their relationship.
·
After going home and confronting her past, Emma
has options for her future. She may repair her relationships and stay with her
birth pack or she may return to the White Wolf pack and stay on as support
staff for the rehabilitation program.
·
Hailey is also ready to return home and face her
family.
·
She was supposed to take over her parent’s
leadership with her mate, but Hailey sees now she doesn’t want that, and her
addiction was in part an escape from the assumed future responsibility.
·
She intends to return with Emma to help support
her and to give closure to her parents, but Hailey knows she belongs with White
Wolf pack now.
·
At heart, Hailey has a lot of compassion and
love to share, but she doesn’t have that bold ‘take command’ personality traits
needed for a forceful leader.
·
Miles also goes with Emma. He’s a loyal friend
and worried Emma’s return to her old pack will lead to a relapse.
·
After losing his mate to drug addiction, he
can’t stand to see his friend and girlfriend face that danger alone.
·
Also, Miles is concerned with Emma seeing her
potential mate again. Since their relationship isn’t built on a mate pairing,
he sees it as in danger, especially when Emma’s old mate sees how strong and
confident she’s become. He knows odds are against their relationship, because
their wolves don’t connect, but he isn’t willing to give her up.
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