The Highlander's Alpha: A Highlander Werewolf Romance by Kay Perry Page A

need to dance with a least one of these gentlemen,” her father hissed, when she rejected another offer to dance.
     
    “I don’t want to,” she said, fully aware that she sounded like a child. The truth was she found the ball tedious and boring.
     
    “It would be a waste of a dress if you didn’t dance in it. Dance with one of these men now.” Her father took her right hand and placed it in the hand of the next man that approached her.
     
    “One dance.”
     
    “Just one dance and then I shall buy you some new books, Isabelle.”
     
    “I am Count Francis Roberto, a pleasure to meet you, Lady Royce.” The man bent down and kissed her hand with a smile. Her father nudged her in the back gently, so Isabelle gave in and went with the man onto the dance floor.
     
    Francis pulled her into his arms and smiled. It took everything in her body to avoid shrinking away from his touch, but she’d said one dance to her father and she was going to make sure she kept her end of the deal. She really needed some new books, since she had read all of the ones in the library at least two times and they were very old and tattered.
     
    The man who pulled her around the dance floor really did not know how to dance very well. This was evident when he stepped on her dress and almost sent her tumbling to the floor. She would have collided with the glass table, if it hadn’t been for the strong arms that caught her before she fell.
     
    “You need dance lessons, sir,” her rescuer said to Francis, as he lifted her up and into his arms.
     
    “Her dress is too large to dance with!” Francis protested. Isabelle looked down at her dress in dismay. The navy blue dress was strapless and had a very large skirt, but she didn’t think it was so large that she couldn’t dance in it.
     
    “I am about to prove you wrong.” Her rescuer took her hand and pulled her back onto the dance floor and into his arms. His black and red mask covered the top of his face, so she could only see the strange color of his eyes. They were a golden tone, unlike any she had ever seen before.
     
    He proved Francis wrong, fair and square. The man danced like a dream and was able to move her around the dance floor with no awkward movements at all. The way he held her against his body caused her to shudder and stumble a few times, but he was always there to stop her from falling.
     
    The masked man spun her and led her across the dance floor, like a professional who had been dancing with his partner for years. When a particularly fast part of the song began, he tugged her so close to his chest that her breasts were squashed and almost fell out of her dress.
     
    Once the song ended, he dipped her in his arms and smirked at her before tugging her back to her feet.
     
    “That was the best dance I’ve had in a while,” Isabelle said, as she adjusted her mask and curtseyed to him. He politely bowed before winking back at her.
     
    “I do try, Lady Royce.”
     
    “Isabelle, I’m glad you’re making friends,” her father said, as he placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled at the man standing opposite her.
     
    “I don’t even know his name, but he saved me from a tumble with Francis.” Isabelle couldn’t seem to look away from the man’s peculiar eyes. They were unlike anything she had ever seen before and on closer inspection they appeared to be golden with flecks of amber in them. They were very beautiful.
     
    “That is the fun of a masquerade ball, Lady Royce.” The golden-eyed man bowed again before disappearing into the crowd. Isabelle slumped on a seat by the patio windows and looked out into the garden. The sky was clear of clouds and the moon was nearly full.
     
    “Isabelle, why so upset, dear?” her father asked, as he sat down beside her and took one of her hands in his.
     
    “All of these balls and I’ve not found anyone I am even mildly interested in, Father.”
     
    “Just give it some time. I’m sure someone will catch your