You've had some good answers so far, so I'll just offer a couple of cases where the Chief might pay wergeld, even though he has two solid reasons not to.
Firstly, friendly clans can raid each other. No violence is intended - just sneaking in, in grabbing a few cows and getting away without getting caught. Sometimes these situations can turn violent and they could result in a death or serious injury. In that case a chief might offer wergeld, especially if his clan played the greater part in provoking violence, in the name of goodwill. It's a way to try to limit the damage to the relationship.
Sometimes a weak clan is oppressed by a stronger neighbour and raiding might be part of it. The chief of the weaker tribe might submit and pay wergeld to try and persuade their oppressors not to press their attacks and make things worse. In Orlanthi society that's a female way of thinking so it's only likely to happen in a clan where the women have a lot of influence over the chief. (Even then they'll be plotting revenge, but in a calculating way). It also might happen if the raiders were foraging Lunar troops during the occupation.
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