It was the howl that woke him – a long, drawn-out, bone-chilling sound that raised the hairs at the back of Claude's neck. He jolted upright in bed, sheets pooling around his waist as his eyes swept the shadowy bedroom for any sign of danger.

There was none, at least none that was immediately apparent. The room lay still and silent, the pale light of the waxing gibbous moon filtering in through the tall windows. And yet, that haunting, agonized howl continued to ring in Claude's ears, its piercing cry rousing some primal instinct that had taken root in his very marrow.

With trembling hands, he reached for his wife,...