Spoiler warning: This following write-up does spoil some things in a later book in the Legend of Ahya series, but it doesn't give away many details overall. It's more of a broad overview of a specific moment in time in their lives than the who, what, where, when and why/how of the situation, thus some references are left intentionally vague.
The war was over... or at least a tenuous peace had resumed. The long-separated siblings were reunited at long last to live together in the capital of the newly conquering nation. Given positions of value due to their connection to Taylor and her contribution to the victory in that war, they enjoyed more freedom than most. However, despite having leeway to move about the capital and hold jobs that further serviced the victors, not everything was sunshine and roses. There was a deep undercurrent of resentment and judgment from those less fortunate than they. Taylor understood this very well, but felt there was little more she could do to change the situation so she felt it best to not make anymore waves for the sake of her family. Steven was just happy to be among his siblings again and was content to stay, especially with a potential new romance blossoming that he wanted to actively pursue. The only one unhappy was Max, who saw these signs of impending trouble and expressed his grievances to them both. His partner, Marle, brought it up to him first and he admitted there was something wrong with how the war shook out. Things shouldn't be like this. They could be better. They had settled. These conversations went on long into the evening as the three of them bonded together - three siblings from different parents, but brought together by a singular wolf mom with a big heart. An unlikely family.
