His brows drew together slightly. "Is there such a thing?"
Alina laughed. "Yes! I read it sowhere. They say if you cook good food, n fall in love faster."
Dante looked genuinely confused, as if she had presented him with an ancient riddle.
"Why would a man’s heart be in his stomach?" he muttered, truly trying to understand. "That is not logical."
Alina giggled. "It’s not literal."
"Then why say it?" he asked seriously, staring at her as if she had spoken in another language.
"It’s just an expression," she said with a small nod, still smiling. "It ans n love homade food, and they love the woman who makes it."
Dante blinked slowly, processing the idea. His expression shifted, deepening and softening, sothing warm settling into his eyes. "Oh," he said quietly.
A tiny pause followed.
Then he added, "I like your food."
Alina couldn’t stop the smile that blood across her face. "So does that an I already made my way into your heart?" she teased gently.
Dante lowered his gaze, took another bite, and replied in the softest, steadiest voice, "You were already there."
Her heart slamd against her ribs so hard she almost heard it. Heat rushed up her neck, blooming across her cheeks until she felt like she was glowing. She pressed her palm against her chest as if she could quiet the wild rhythm, but it only grew stronger the longer she looked at him.
Dante, sitting so casually at her dining table with a bowl of food, had no idea what he had just done to her. Or maybe he did, because when he lifted his gaze, his crimson eyes lingered on her face for a second too long, as if appreciating how deep her blush had beco.
Alina looked away quickly, her fingers curling around the edge of her chair. Her heart felt like it wanted to break out of her chest and run straight to him.
Why did three little words from him feel more dangerous than anything she had ever faced?
She inhaled shakily. "D-Dante..." she whispered, barely able to speak through the storm inside her.
He tilted his head slightly, amused. "Yes?"
Alina shook her head, hiding her face behind her hair. "Nothing... nothing at all."
Dante’s lips curved slowly, his expression warm and knowing, as if he could hear every frantic beat of her heart.
---
Later that evening, Alina packed her clothes and followed Dante back to his ho, settling into the sa cozy guest room she had stayed in before. Dinner with the babies was warm and chaotic in the sweetest way, and sohow, without even planning it, she ended up falling asleep in Dante’s room again with Sable curled on one side and Lucien on the other. Dante didn’t say anything, but the small smile he hid in the darkness said more than words ever could.
The next morning, she went to the kindergarten with Dante. She still had a few papers left to correct, so she headed straight to the staffroom. To her surprise, Gabriel was sitting alone, bent over a notebook as if the words on the page were too heavy for him. He looked so lost in thought that she hesitated before stepping closer, but the mont he sensed her presence, he straightened quickly, forcing a polite smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"Sorry about yesterday... sir suddenly had sothing to say," she said shyly, her cheeks warming at the mory of Dante’s quiet confession. She didn’t tell Gabriel anything more. So things were too new, too warm to share.
Gabriel shook his head. "No, no, you don’t have to apologise." His voice wavered. "I just wanted to tell you sothing. I found my mate."
Alina blinked in surprise. "Your mate? Really?"
"Yes." His voice softened into sothing fragile. "I t her before the exams, during the sky festival. All kinds of sky beings were invited. And she was there... a dark angel with black wings and a faint holographic glow along her feathers. She was..." He swallowed, his eyes turning distant. "...she was breathtaking."
Alina felt her heart warm. "That sounds beautiful."
"It was." He let out a thin, shaky breath. "But she doesn’t believe in mates. I overheard her saying it. And she already has soone she cares for... soone who doesn’t deserve her." His hands tightened slightly. "It felt like sothing inside cracked."
Alina gently held his hand. "Gabriel... I’m so sorry. That must have hurt."
He nodded slowly. "It did. More than I expected."
But beneath his words, a quiet ache curled in his chest. One he didn’t dare say aloud.
Because every ti he allowed himself to care, fate pushed the person he wanted just a little out of reach.
He had admired Miss Alina from the beginning, but it was unfortunate. She was already taken. She never told him directly, but the way the principal acted around her told him everything, and now he could clearly sll the principal’s scent on her. It was that subtle hormonal scent males naturally leave on a female when they want to claim her, an instinctive sign to other males that she is no longer available.
And for that small admiration he carried, he kept it buried deep, where it wouldn’t trouble anyone.
And now, the second ti he had allowed hope, he found his mate... only to discover she loved another man. The sadness of it followed him into his sleep, keeping him awake most nights.
Alina squeezed his hand again, unaware of the thoughts hidden behind his gentle smile. "Don’t lose hope, Gabriel. Sotis mates take ti. And sotis the other person needs healing before they can see what’s right in front of them."
She leaned forward and hugged him softly, offering comfort.
Gabriel rested his forehead on her shoulder for a mont, letting himself breathe in. She slled gentle, like fresh sheets and sunlight. It was a comforting scent... but mixed within it, he sensed the principal’s scent even more clearly.
Still, Gabriel didn’t move away. He didn’t speak, didn’t force a smile, didn’t hide the heaviness inside his chest. He simply accepted the warmth she offered, letting his shoulders relax for the first ti that day, as if her gentle presence eased the tight knot behind his ribs.
"I’m sorry... you don’t deserve this," Alina whispered softly, rubbing his back the way she soothed frightened babies. "It’s going to be okay. Maybe not right now... but it will be. I promise."
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