Luke held a deep personal grudge against Nala, and from the way she reacted just now, it was clear she remembered it too.
The grudge wasn't exactly his, but the previous Luke's.
A few years ago, when Luke was sixteen, he and Nala had been close friends. They often made garlands together from the flowers he grew in his small garden. Nala needed those garlands to decorate the chief's house, yet the old Luke began to see her behavior in a different light. He misunderstood her kindness.
It didn't help that Nala had given him plenty of mixed signals. She would often say that if she ever took a mate, he would have to be just like Luke: gentle, caring, and soft-spoken.
Those words gave him the courage to believe she truly wanted him. On a bright sunny afternoon, he presented her with a large, beautifully woven garland and asked if she would become his mate.
Nala rejected him instantly.
